MANIFESTO FOR NOIR-HORROR TECHNIQUES IN FILM:
(or trademarks of form and content within horror genres)

To help assist the movie maker, I have devised a set of helpful hints to think about while making your movie. Even if your script is done, consider using these time tested ideas anywhere in your narrative, one way or another. Never say never to ideas that can help make your movie be even better. As they say “it ain’t done until the fat lady sings.” Onward!

SCRIPT CONTENT:

Reverence for the underdog.
Even if the character is written as an unlikable person. Establish feelings of deep respect or slight-devotion towards that character. Humanizing the character, even though he/she slightly misunderstood/moody, or basically evil is interesting; because once he reverts to his real self it can be exciting.

Focus on humanist concerns.
Add thoughts, values and characteristics that establish the behavior of the actor in the role as the best person in the world. This person can show that his/her interests are for the well-being of people, or worldly causes, a love of pets, etc.

The alliance between danger and darkness.
When the end is near, or death is imminent, never separate the danger from darkness. They work hand in hand. You could say that are the step children of the dark.

The depiction of fate as an unstoppable force.
Superstitions abound in humans. Situations of an evil nature, or unexpected source should be considered unstoppable. Accepting fate in horror narratives is a must. The “captain must go down with the ship".

The preoccupation with things unseen.
Considering our natural fear of the dark, an actor that is preoccupied by his surroundings and shaken by the unknown is classic horror material to work with. Also, if he/her are left alone from other humans and fearing the unknown you have created a character of horrifying nature.

Negative forces.
As humans we have the tendency to fall to the dark side of life if pushed to hard, be it murder, robbery, fighting, etc. Persons of any stature can easily slip to the dark side in a heartbeat. An actor being downbeat and negative towards other co-stars in a narrative is a classic horror character.

Doomed characters.
As they say, there’s one in every crowd. Consider including that one doomed character, the one that simply brings down the whole attitude of all the characters in a script. This character is basically known as the “dick”.

Ambiguity of reason.
You have seen it many times, the character that comes back with a “I did what I could considering”, or “I thought what you said was…”. There’s always one that screws it up for everyone, then the bomb goes off, or choose your own poison cliché.

Paranoia in humans.
Every good suspense horror flick has that one actor that is paranoid of everyone in the narrative. Right from the start, as soon as the credits end you know that asshole is going to ruin it for everyone. Sometimes his/her paranoia can bring down another actor along with them.

Deception.
Things aren’t what they seem, are they? Well, here’s another tried and true idea. It’s called deception of the norm. That totally unexpected turn in a story that twists the narrative 360 degrees from where it started from. David Lynch is good at this trick, it happens in almost every one of his flicks. Sometimes it happen in the last 15 seconds of a movie, or halfway through.

Predestination.
This can be taken and used as some god-like entity, or an evil entity that is really behind what all life on this planet really stands for. Actors can ride this design to paranoia, or others can deny it. Their argument is usually something within a doctrine that says, “God” decided from the start who goes to “heaven and hell”. A great subplot is a preacher-like character that really is the opposite of what we think of him.

Nihilism in character.
We’ve all seen this type of person in real life. Everything is pointless, human values are worthless, morality and religion are fiction, etc. This idea was originally created in 19th century Russia. This movement, which was designed to bring down the established authority and start a new one, still flourishes.

Erotic stimulations.
Everyone loves a good nude scene, a sexy moment between two lovers, or a kiss of passion. Admit it we do! This movie trapping is rock solid if done right. It can allow for every known emotion to flow into a movie or a scene. It’s time tested and it works. Being overly tasteless is counter productive, though every once and a while go into the dark side and stir things up a bit.

Time running out.
Desperate acceptance of time running out always adds a brisk pace to a narrative. Even though the end is near, humans always believe there is a slight chance they can beat the clock, or “beat the devils at his own game”. A nice touch is showing water dripping from a tap, or a clock ticking, or the sun setting, etc.

ARTISTIC FORM:

Expressionistic interaction between light and dark.
Sounds simple? Not a simple as one would think. Rule of thumb is to simply see the scene your lighting as black and white, like an uncolored comic book. Imagine “blacks placed next to whites, then blacks placed next to whites, and again, blacks placed next to whites…” etc. Continue this exercise through out the narrative being shot and you’ve done it!

Meticulous multilayered soundtracks.
Like a great rock –n- roll record, or that favorite jazz album, the one that simply blows you away every time you put it on. (FYI- i’m calling Cds- records/LPs until I die.) That is exactly how a movies soundtrack needs to be applied to your movie. The Score is the basic music recorded for tones that amplify the scenes content. The Soundtrack, or sound design helps establish what you are saying in your narrative. Plus adding even more sounds to what is not seen visually. Think of adding even more sounds than you have pictured in that scene. Example, adding ‘a door slam even though it’s not noticed on the actual scene, a ‘horn sounds’ while the car is not witnessed on the movie screen.

Literate scripts.
Never take your story ideas and plot as cliché’s of its horror genre. Assume your narrative is a realistic as possible. Shy away from overtly comedic dialogue; or just resort to dark humor instead.

Strong female characters.
In a deliberate ploy to undermine the normal male lead as the strongest character in your script. Consider a dominantly strong female instead. Don’t allow the actress to overly employ a feministic attitude for fear of viewers walking from the theatre in droves. An equal balance on feminism should be employed instead.

Dynamic compositions.
Think of your frame as a canvas that one would paint upon. Where everything is placed with a purpose that makes the frame composition look spooky, exciting and attractive. Shy away from compositions that are too pretty boring, or peaceful.

Eye movement tendency.
Lead the viewers eye to one end of the screen. Then something should pop up from the other side of the screen, creating rapid eye movement, which is always unnerving.

Audio association to video.
Reaction shots create suspense, then contrast that to emptiness and stillness, the in a BIG LOUD way go back to where it all began, to really show the horror you are creating by mixing video with audio. This is scientifically known to increase heart rate among viewers.

Understated performances.
An actor achieving the desired effect through restraint, subtlety, and intelligent usage while delivering his/her dialogue. This can be noticed in the roles of Scientists, team leaders, and clean cut males/females.

Written by Emil Novak © 2007 BNP LLC