Watch Your Footwork

A little update...

A good film needs a good base. Like George B. Hinckley said, "You can't build a great building on a weak foundation." While we're clearly not talking about actual buildings, the same principle applies. You need a strong base to build off of. So, I asked myself: What makes a good mystery? (and then I Googled it).

I turned to the world wide web (yes... more research) for the answer. Hopefully, trolling the internet for any information that may be remotely useful will give me an idea of how to structure my own film opening. (I'm taking into account my previous research on case studies and know that the opening should establish the setting and/or introduce the main character)

A good plot is a necessity - something that engages and is interesting to the viewer.

Each part of the story should be strong in its own right. Each part should engage the viewer; at no point should they become bored or uninterested. Some elements that should be included to achieve this are:
- conflict
- suspense
- tension

Everything matters. Each line of dialogue needs to count; we get a sense of the characters this way, it should serve the story, and deepen connections between characters. Nothing is just thrown in or there just for the sake of it.

To begin writing the plot, two things need to be known: what the situation is and what the characters want. The characters are going to try to get what they want when put into a situation, so both need to be known.

A tip that I found was to keep asking yourself questions. Keep pushing the plot as far as it can go. Asking questions can also help to give depth to the story and focus your ideas, making it more organized. It helps to clarify some things that may not have been so definite before.

There are also subplots (secondary plots that run parallel to the main plot), which aren't as important, but help to develop the main plot. They can also be used to further develop characters and get viewers to become more invested in the characters.

Also, a good plot needs a great beginning and satisfying ending. Although, since I'm only creating an opening, I don't need to worry about the ending.

Some elements that make up a good mystery are interesting characters, great setting, and engaging detective.

After gaining a basis of what a good plot/story should include (and how to develop it), it's time for me to start developing my own.

The sub-genre mystery has many (so many) different tropes that have been used. Such as an absence of evidence, waking up on the beach/in a room, or not-so-fake prop weapon. Also, a typical mystery will follow a detective as they root out suspects  to find the real culprit.

I want to do something slightly different for the introduction:

My idea for the overall story is that someone has been murdered (that was a bit of a given) and the detective is trying to solve the mystery of what happened and who did it (obviously).  So, the murder has already taken place. However, in the opening, a few suspects will have already come forward and confessed to the murder, but they all claim that they worked alone; the detective will also be introduced. So, during the film, the detective would not only be working to find out who did it, but would also be working to narrow down those who confessed as possible suspects to find out which one of them did it (if any).

The opening would still introduce the main character (the detective) and, even though most of the case studies I analyzed didn't, introduce the conflict.

Next, I'll develop the idea for the film opening further and create a basic outline of what will happen.