Genre Research: Mystery

 Genre Research: Mystery 

• Common camera angles and movements in the genre: Typically, in mystery movies they use low angles, close up shots, Dutch angles, point of view shots, over the shoulder's shots. They also use pan shots, push-in shots, zoom, and tracking shots. These specific camera angles and movements are used to build tension, conceal information, and influence the audience’s psychological connection to the story. 

• Common mis en scene in the genre: Costumes in this genre can be distinctive uniforms like a detective. Costumes in this genre can also be used to reveal personality or secrets, like tailored suits or gloves. Torn fabric, stains, or missing accessories can be used as various clues through costuming. Common lighting in this genre can be fog or dim lighting to create uncertainty, or warm interiors to reveal new information or clues. Acting in mystery films should be controlled performances with subtle micro-expressions, which helps to foreshadow the mystery. Another example of acting in mystery moves that raises suspension could be characters who avoid eye-contact, hesitate, or overall lead suspension. Makeup can be small injuries or marks that eventually become plot points, tired or stressed appearances, or just natural makeup. Props can be different photographs or letters, or different objects that become clues like broken items, footprints, or fingerprints. 

• Common Editing in your genre: cross-cutting between different settings, people, and timelines, POV shots for audience to see clues alongside the characters, shot/reverse shot for character interactions, close-ups and extreme close-ups to focus on key evidence or objects,  eye-line match guides the viewer to what characters are looking at, dissolve shows a passage of time through investigations 

• Common Sound in your genre: Water dripping, shattering glass, doors creaking, chains rattling, ticking clocks, slow instrumentals, plucked string, staccato chords on piano, theremin, waterphone, footsteps 

• Example films of your genres: Watcher (2022), Missing (2022), Reptile (2023), Malignant (2021)  

• An element from this genre that we do enjoy is the idea of costuming becoming a part of the plot, especially the idea of a missing accessory. A missing accessory could really drive forward the main problem in our plot or subtly foreshadow it. 

• An element of the genre we do not want to use are very complex plot twists, as this would be hard to build up and execute in the time frame of our opening sequence. Multiple characters would also not desirable as it would be hard to build complex relationships or interactions in the available time frame.