Daunting is the task of making a mark on the film noir genre as a filmmaker. Creating something original in a style that’s been done so much and so well is far from easy. To avoid the poisonous label of “cliche,” it becomes necessary to push the envelope, to test the boundaries of the genre, and take it to places none would think to bring it. A noir set in the wild west, for example, or a noir about clowns and their horrifying world. My vision for a noir is more abstract. My idea is an introspective and personal story about a young man in the throes of an addiction.
With regard to the matter of “when,” I’d like the film to have a timeless quality about it, so the time period won’t be specified. It will have a contemporary setting, but feature various anachronisms, such as the protagonist wearing modern clothing, but having a hi-fi record player and a black & white television.
The location shouldn’t be specified, either. The setting should feel like “Anywhere, USA” in that this could be taking place in anyone’s hometown. Most of the action will be taking place inside the addict’s room, where he will face his internal demons, as well as other characters who come to visit him, be it to comfort or to reproach.
Using established actors would, I think, be a misstep. Because I want this to seem new and unfamiliar, using unknown actors would go a long way. I would love to play the protagonistic addict . Most of the other roles are minor; the only other important character is the addiction itself, personified by a gorgeous femme fatale.
Here’s the plot development: The action predominantly takes place in the addict’s room, driven by his internal monologues. Whenever he feds his addiction, though, he goes to another place: a world of black & white, or suits and fedoras. A world of classic noir, where he confronts a gorgeous and dangerous woman, the personification of his addiction. After a time he is snapped back to reality to lament his predicament.
The narrative will be driven by internal monologues, as well as speeches from visiting characters directed at the addict. The only dialogue will occur in the black & white addiction world. My ultimate goal is to have the real world to seem more surreal and dreamlike than the addiction world.
Aesthetically, as I’ve said, part of the film will be monochromatic, but the rest of the film, while in color, will be very washed-out, having a bleak feeling about it. On the other hand, the black & white scenes will be in very rich shades, with dark blacks and intense whites, so that they seem more vivid than the real world.
Being the fan of anachronisms that I am, I would love to have contemporary alternative rock playing in the classic-looking addiction world, and perhaps even in the real world. The music, in fact, could tie the worlds together; the same song that’s playing in his room would as he sates the addiction would be playing in his Packard when he goes to his other world.
These are the ideas that came to me. I can’t explain exactly why, but I can say that I want to do something different, push the perceptions of what noir can be. I want to make a film that hasn’t been done a hundred times already. The dramatic “man vs. self” conflict is one I’ve always found most fascinating, and a chance to play with that idea is one I’d love to take.
I have to hand in this pitch to my film professor. If he likes it enough, I may ask him to help me expand it. Who knows, I may even punch up a screenplay. Stranger things have happened…