Genre Conventions

Character Conventions (from the ingredients list on BB)

Main Character

• Private Investigator/Detective
• A Femme Fatale 

Other Characters

• Policemen
• Gangsters
• Jealous Husbands/Wives
• Friends/family
• Nosy character
• Journalist

Plot Devices 

• Complex or deliberately confusing plot
• Flashbacks to interrupt the flow
• Narration or voice-over to develop the story
• Crime/Murder
• Theft/Robbery
• False accusations/Betrayal/Double crossing
• Memory Loss by a central character
• A number of suspicious characters who have motivation or motives concerned with the crime

Visual Conventions

• Low Key Lighting
• High Contrast
• Dramatic Shadows
• Hard Shadows (blinds, railings)
• Uncertain Faces, characters or details

Cinematography Conventions

• Low Wide-angle shots
• Canted/Skewed shots to create disorientation
• Shots that create distortion (through glass objects, curved windows, vases)
• Shots of reflections in glass, mirrors or shiny objects

Tone or mood

• Disillusionment
• Gloominess or despair
• Desperation
• Separation
• Doubt
• Moral Corruption, Evil
• Guilt

Additional Conventions

• Urban jungle or sprawling city
• Bars, Lounges, illegal gambling dens.
• Dramatic scene in a visually complex or industrial setting
• Commonly set at night or in a rainy (depressing) city