A film style is a recognizable group of conventions used by filmmakers to give specific meaning, or depth to their work. It can encompass every aspect of film; dialogue, cinematography, attitude (i.e., seriousness or lack thereof). The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ...
Film style is distinct from film genre, which defines what a film is about -- Western films are about the American West, love stories are about love, and so on. Although some styles are strongly associated with certain genres, a style can be applied to any genre -- Barbarella is a surrealistic science fiction film, for example. Even in the early days of film history, the audience appetite for new content was voracious. ... Justus D. Barnes, from The Great Train Robbery The Western is one of the classic American literary and film genres. ... Barbarella was originally a French science fiction comic book created by Jean-Claude Forest, who originated the character for serialisation in the French magazine V-Magazine in 1962. ...
Obviously each filmmaker develops their own film style, but certain styles that transcend individuals include:
Film noir is a filmstyle and mood primarily associated with crime films, that portrays its principal characters in a nihilistic and existential world.
Film noir is primarily derived from the hard-boiled style of crime fiction of the Depression era, (many films noir were adaptations of such novels), and may first be clearly seen in films released in the early 1940s.
Film noir was defined in retrospect by film historians and critics; many of the creators of film noir later professed to be unaware at the time of having created a distinctive type of film.