Film Noir - This is a French term, literally translating as 'black film.' It refers generally to black and white films whereby scenes are often filmed in a dark setting, generally using low-key back lighting in order to create silhouettes or focus the attention on facial expressions, It is known to be a genre which tends to contain a 'femme fatale' who usually stars opposite the protagonist who is commonly a male. This genre commonly contains iconography such as guns. The plot usually consists of some type of American crime which has taken place with the protagonist being the character to look into the case further.
Femme Fatale - An attractive and seductive woman, especially one who will ultimately cause distress to a man who becomes involved with her.
Chiaroscuro - The contrast of light and dark in regards to lighting. The term is Italian and is a combination of the words 'chiaro' meaning bright and 'scuro' meaning dark. The effect can be achieved using a spotlight during low-key or high-key lighting.
Backlighting - The lighting used in the shot is directed towards the camera, coming from behind the subject(s) of the scene thus causing a silhouette to appear in the foreground, the light taking the role of being the background of the scene.
High-contrast lighting - Lighting that creates a strong contrast between light and dark areas of the shot with deep shadows and little filler lgiht (also called low-key lighting) The following film extract is an example of film noir, in action:
