Main Task - Research - Props & Costumes

'Typical' Film Noir has many conventions that were generally adhered to throughout the 40's & 50's, hence developing a well known style & 'common ground' which is today vaguely referred to as Film Noir.

Possibly the most well known & easily distinguishable features of almost all Film Noir movies, especially the original films from the 40's & 50's is the costumes worn and the props used.
The majority of Film Noir movies are set between 1930 & 1960 - mainly because this is when the majority of the films were made - but even today, many filmmakers decide to set the films in this era. In doing so, the Mise-en-scène must be accurate, especially the costumes & props.

After some research into common costume & props from this era, and also within Film Noir movies from this era, I discovered the following...


Males:
Although many of the male costumes would differ very little (possibly because the same archetypes are used across the majority of Film Noir movies), it would often inform the audience of the type of character he was, both in terms of his profession & his class. For example, something as small as a crisp white shirt compared with a slightly darkened, old looking shirt would insinuate that the first character was more socially established than the latter.
Conventional costume components include:
Trilby Hats

Trench coats (often excessively large & beige)

3 piece suits (variations such as pin stripes showed a man's wealth/status/profession)

Females:
As with the male characters, females would all, at a glance, wear similar clothing. However, on inspection the clothing they are wearing does differ slightly, depending on the character. An example of subtle costume changes that affect the way the character is perceived by an audience would be the use of elegant dresses with fiery colours; insinuating the character is typically flamboyant, with a fiery nature but still with some essence of sexy classiness.
Conventional costume components include:
Flowing, elegant dresses (usually of colours like reds & deep blues, with a sexy edge to them)

High heeled shoes

Conventional Props:
Cigarettes

Cigars

Typewriter

Radio

Alcohol

Guns

Neon street signs at night

Cigarette holder (usually used by femme fatale to provide elegance)

Other role specific props & costumes are also very common. Things such as police outfits etc. come into this category, but can't be defined as conventional as the use of these are ultimately dependent on the narrative.


Our film - 'Candi' is set in 1952, so the Mise-en-scène must convey this. After reviewing the information i found about the costume, I have decided that I will use the majority of the costumes & props mentioned above - of course as long as the narrative allows.
I particularly like the idea of using props to intertwine with the action of the narrative, or to be used to push the narrative along, such as the use of a radio broadcast to inform the audience or give them some background information.
The costumes we intend to use will be recorded at a later date once we have a finalised concept for the opening scene.