Media Studies Portfolio: Unraveling the Mystery

Mystery

Mystery is a sub-genre of Crime/Gangster. It's targeted towards mature audiences and seems to be most popular among 15-30 year olds. Females appear to be the majority of viewers; however, the films aren't targeted specifically towards them.

Genre Conventions

Content

Movies in the sub-genre of mystery revolve around the solution of a problem; it's typically a murder. They focus on efforts of the main protagonist who is usually a detective, private investigator, or amateur sleuth to solve the mystery. The character's ability of deduction, valor, confidence, and/or diligence are often highlighted as they search for clues, investigate, and use clever reasoning.

Suspense is an important element of the plot. It keeps the viewer interested in the movie. An important distinction is that in order for suspense to be created, the viewer needs to have all of the information. It becomes nerve-wracking for the viewer because s/he is waiting for the thing to happen. If s/he didn't know what was going to happen, then it would be shock, not suspense.

Alfred Hitchcock stated, "It is indispensable that the public is made aware of all the facts involved. Otherwise there is no suspense."

The viewer is given the chance of solving the mystery alongside the protagonist. S/He is presented with multiple suspects who could have committed the crime, but are ultimately only red herrings. S/He is also given all the clues as they are found, and sometimes s/he is presented with information that the main protagonist is not aware of.

There are two types of mystery movies: closed and opened.

Closed mystery movies keep the identity of the antagonist until the very end. In other words, they are a "whodunit" type of movie. Suspense is created in these movies since the viewer doesn't know who committed the crime as they follow the protagonist and attempt to figure it out.

Forgotten Cartoon Characters: Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!

EX: The villain is always revealed at the end of every Scooby-Doo episode/movie

Opened mystery movies reveal the identity of the antagonist at the very beginning. The viewer watches while the plan of the antagonist unravels. The crime usually goes unsolved until the end of the movie. It's a "perfect crime" type of movie. The suspense in this type of movie is generated less by the aspect of "whodunit", since that is already revealed, and more by how the crime was committed.

In Ocean's 11, the audience already knows who is committing the crime, but they watch to find out how they will do it

Production Techniques

Mystery movies convey suspense through their use of camera angles, sound track, heavy shadows and plot twists. Due to the nature of mystery films, they require very little expensive special effects. Lighting is a useful tool when creating a movie of this type. Lighting and filters can be used to help set the tone of a scene. For example, low lighting can be used to create harsh shadows and an ominous tone.

EX: In Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, dark lighting and a red filter is used while the Angels are investigating a murder

Institutional Conventions

A movie in the sub-genre of mystery can range from murder to kidnapping to theft. However, many viewers do prefer murder mysteries with violent antagonists. Many mystery films appeal to viewers because they are based off of novels, and are marketed as such. Also, when marketing, it is a point to not give away how the movie ends, or the big twist (if there is one). This is done so the viewer can still follow the main protagonist in trying to figure out who the antagonist is and still be surprised.

Ex: The Maltese Falcon is a mystery movie (left) that was created from a novel (right)

Two examples

Ocean's 8

2018

Director: Gary Ross

The movie Ocean's 8 would be considered as an opened ("perfect crime") mystery. It follows Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) and her crew of associates as they attempt to rob the Met Gala. Since the viewer already knows who will be committing the crime, the suspense comes from how they plan on doing it. The viewer watches as the group plans, prepares, and eventually completes the heist. All of the details are available to her/him and s/he can see how everything comes together. The viewer is left wondering whether or not they can actually pull off the plan without getting caught while watching the movie. By the end of the movie, all of the carefully planned steps have been completed and the group manages to get away with their "perfect crime" while placing the blame on someone else.

Murder Mystery

2019

Directed by: Kyle Newacheck

The movie Murder Mystery would be considered as a closed ("whodunit") mystery. It follows married couple Audrey (Jennifer Aniston), a mystery novel fanatic, and Nick (Adam Sandler), a police officer and aspiring detective, as they travel to Europe for their belated honeymoon. While there, they get caught up with some rich socialites and eventually in a murder investigation. They are seen as the guilty party and are pursued by the authorities. In order to clear their names, they take it upon themselves to solve the case. They look at all of the clues and examine all of the possible suspects, slowly trying to piece together who the killer is and their motive behind it. All of the details and information that Audrey and Nick find are available to the viewer. The viewer is able to use the given information to try and deduce who s/he thinks the killer might be. Audrey and Nick come up with multiple suspects who all have a motive; however, they all turn out to be red herrings. In the end, the real culprit is identified and the mystery is solved.