Cinematography

Cinematography

The sort of cinematography I would expect to see in film noirs are high angle and low angle shots, tilted camera angles as well as “over the shoulder” shots and close up shots to add to the mystery and tension.

High angle shots are used to make the character on screen look inferior and belittle them, and is often used when the character is in danger and vulnerable. Low angle shots make the character on screen look intimidating and threatening, and make the audience themselves feel vulnerable, and are used when a character is in a position of power and they are feeling confident. Dutch tilts, such as the one on above, make the audience feel uneasy and we immediately know that something is going to happen as this is an unusual shot and only used a few times throughout the whole film. Close up shots such as of a characters face help us to identify how they are feeling and their emotions, and over the shoulder shots add mystery as by hiding one persons face we cannot see their reaction to what the other person is saying.