How does LA Noire use features from film Noir?

LA Noire is a video game published by RockStar games and is set in Los Angeles in 1947 where a series of crime cases require the player to attempt to solve them. It is heavily based on the genre Noir, the first obvious indication being the title of the Video game itself 'Noire' but it also draws upon the other more subtle aspects of the genre to create a noire feel.

 

 The opening titles from the game are very Noir as they use a simple use of two colours, like  the use of two colours of black and white in early Noir Films.The black here has obvious connotations such as death, the unknown, mystery, and misery, which are key Noir themes, whilst the titles are in a bright and contrastingly 'happy' colour yellow, which connotes ideas such as joy, hope and happiness.. This juxtaposed impression is a feature used in other Noirs, such as in The Third Man where the upbeat optimistic music contrasts the misery and panic within the scene, leaving the audience with a sense of confusion and apprehensiveness.However, because of the fact the titles flicker at the beginning  it leaves the audience with the impression that their is little hope left, which creates the solemn and bleak atmospheric mood of the game as used in Noir films. 

The titles also reflect the late 1940's early 50's Hollywood broken glamour that was around at the time of the Noir genre by using strobe lit letters that were often used in glamorous circumstances such as Broadway shows and movie premiers, fitting in with the time period of Noir.

L.A Noire also uses typical characters expected of the Noir genre, such as the detective character, as well as the powerful American gangsters and victims of crime. 
The investigators or detectives are also smartly dressed in black suits and hats, to show their wealth, status, and consequently power within society, making them appear more potentially dangerous to the player. The clothing however could also represent the moral ambiguity of the seemingly 'good' character within the game, which is supported by the mildly chiaroscuro lighting, as he is dressed in black which connotes a dark side of the character, as well as ideas such as death and mourning, with the traces of white representing his innocence and goodness, with a red tie which could signify blood and violence which the character may be potentially be responsible for.
 This moral ambiguity and unclear character roles are a common feature of the Noir genre, and is introduced into the game at the very beginning, using lines such as "Who do you trust?" to keep the players speculating about the intentions of the seemingly good or bad characters and to keep the player on edge. By doing this it also makes the player feel isolated as they do not know that they can rely on or trust anybody else within the game, and as the player is controlling the characters, it makes them feel first hand the isolation and desperation that they feel, which is how many of the lead roles in Noir films generally feel.
The use of lighting is also important in this screen shot, as extremely artificial lighting is used to create strong shadows in the background behind the man, something which is very common in Noir films, and is a technique used in films such as Double Indemnity where the shadow of the man himself is lurking behind the character. This could be interpreted as a meaning for how the characters darker and more unpredictable dangerous side is lurking not far behind and will soon be exposed to the player. It also puts the player on edge as they do not know for certain that it is in fact that characters shadow, although it appears so, and therefore makes the player feel as if they are being watched.

L.A Noire also uses the common Urban setting of the busy and thriving American city of Los Angeles which creates the sense of excitement and drama as well as an interesting exploration of what is hiding underneath this surface of excitement. By using an urban well known setting it makes the scene feel more realistic and therefore allows the players to emotionally involve themselves in the game and become lost in the video game world of despair and chaos. By using a busy urban setting, it also makes the scene more eerie and atmospheric when there appears to be no one else around to witness the horrors taking place. This is another technique which it has borrowed from the Noir style for the same effects.
Much of the game play also takes place during night time, as shown by the example, which is again typical of the Noir genre, as it is usually much more typical to expect a crime during the darkness than in the daylight bringing a sense of realism to the game. It also then allows the user to see the literal 'dark side' to the city, bringing symbolism into it and with it, its bleak connotations of the dark, creating a sense of foreboding misery, a key Noir theme, for the player.
The use of rain is also used to create a sense of misery in this shot, as we associate rain with feelings such as sadness, coldness, and loneliness and is usually used in films to represent and reflect a characters mood and by doing so, it projects this feeling onto the player.

The way in which LA Noire is created is done in a way that allows the audience to view certain clips and footage of scenes to enhance the game play. These clips are also shot in a Noir like way, as shown by this example, where it uses an extreme long tilt shot which creates the feeling of disorientation and distance between the players perspective and the character. By using a tilt shot it makes the characters walking appear unsteady and it throws off the balance of the audience creating the feeling of confusion, which when used in tense clips, dramatically builds suspense as it makes the audience feel more vulnerable and therefore expects the game to take advantage of this. By using an extreme long shot, it establishes the grimy and deserted setting, and by distancing the character away from the audience makes the audience feel more intense as they aren't fully involved, but are concerned for the character they have previously been playing and therefore want to know what is happening, putting the player in a position of powerlessness. All of these techniques and camera angles used are typical Noir features to manipulate the audiences emotions to create a further dramatic effect.

This clip taken from the game, at 06:20 makes an intertextual reference to The Third Man Sewer chase scene, where by one man is being hunted by a group of authoritative figures , in the dark and dingy location of a city sewer. The lighting is limited, such as in The Third Man  along with the narrow locations, and seemingly endless tunnels, which build the sense of claustrophobia and cold eeriness, again all conforming to the Noir convention.