“The Rules of Film Noir”

I’m not much of a fan of so-called ‘rules’ of writing, filmmaking, and creative endeavors in general, but this is an interesting documentary nonetheless. And if you think film noir is dead, an historical vestige from the 40s and 50s, no longer relevant as a storytelling influence, tell that to Lisa Joy who last year sold her spec script “Reminiscence” to Legendary Pictures for $1.75M. Here is what Lisa had to say in my March 2014 interview with her:

Scott: That dovetails right into the Mae character who becomes the object of Bannister’s rather obsessive pursuit. How would you describe her character?

Lisa: I was heavily influenced by classic noirs for the script and Mae’s character is no exception. Many noirs create very strong nuanced roles for women; but some noirs still have a bit of that femme fatale / damsel or sinner / saint dichotomy.

I wanted to work within the noir style, but subvert it a bit and flesh out the nuances in the female character to portray a complex and modern portrait of a woman.

With that in mind, here is the 1-hour doc on film noir:

Via No Film School.

To read my interview with Lisa Joy, go here.

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