Genre: Mystery
1. Genre Conventions – Content
Conventions of the mystery genre are a suspenseful plot wherein any crime, secret, or puzzling circumstance prevails, to be solved by characters-usually detectives or amateur sleuths. Red herrings, plot twists, and the gathering of clues are all common elements. The audience is invited to solve the mystery with the protagonist, while many mysteries deal with murder, missing persons, or even uncovering secrets. Justice, deception, and moral ambiguity are common themes in such narratives.
2. Genre Conventions–Production Techniques
Mystery films contain dark or muffled lighting, creating suspense and unease in the atmosphere. Cinematography uses close-ups that outline every minute expression and detail of the participants; there is shadowing in order to suggest secrecy. The edits can use flashbacks or fragmented sequences that build tension and only show portions to the viewer as they fit together the pieces of the story. The sound design is generally low-key and suspenseful in music towards the reveal of the mystery.
3. Institutional Conventions – Marketing
Mystery films are then advertised to target audiences, in this case, usually suspense and puzzle enthusiasts who also like psychological insight, which could attract teenagers and adults alike. This could be done with the use of trailer techniques, where suspects are cited, intense scenes are hinted at, and the revelation scenes are shown but do not reveal the solution. Posters would feature symbolic things like a magnifying glass or a shadowy figure, or anything else that could define secrecy, like silhouettes or foggy settings. The movies would also be advertised through social networking, mystery clubs, and events like film noir festivals.
4. Sample Movie #1 – Gone Girl, 2014
Gone Girl is representative of the Mystery genre, with the disappearance of Amy Dunne and the unraveling of dark secrets in her marriage with Nick. The movie implements pacing, misleading information, and narration unreliability, which will keep guessing the truth behind Amy's vanishing. The bleak color palette gave every scene a different feel with tight shots, making it the epitome of subtle clues that later led to a plot twist.
5. Movie Sample #2 – Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Sherlock Holmes fictionalizes the famous detective in a tale of puzzles, clues, and deductions. The movie is an action-mystery as Holmes diligently pieces together the clues with his developed powers of observation. Indeed, the Victorian setting of the film enhances such an idea: dramatic lighting and intricate set design add to the historical and mysterious elements of the story. Equally, fast editing maintains the viewer in finding the truth.
Other Film Examples in Mystery Genre:
• Knives Out, 2019
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, 2011
• Zodiac, 2007
• Murder on the Orient Express, 1974
• Prisoners, 2013
• Mystic River, 2003
• The Sixth Sense, 1999