-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When researching conventions, I gathered that crime and mystery films share the same basic conventions, which made me worried that these were the same genre. The most important of these conventions for me to follow if I were to go with one of these genres for my brief is what takes place in a typical opening sequence of. Both types open on the central crime/incident (depending on the genre) of the plot being committed, which will become the focus of the protagonist(s) throughout the rest of the film.
Despite sharing a majority of the basic plot conventions, crime and mystery differs the most in what they are trying to show within the plot. Crime media typically delves into the "why" of a crime, with clues related to past events or evidence left/made by the committer themselves making up most of what is discovered as the plot progresses; alternatively, mystery media explains the "how" of an incident, with tools and similar items being valuable clues for the protagonists to find. One particular feature that appears in some crime films is an object of interest, which is typically stolen and in possession of the antagonist.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crime stories have incorporated into film make for good watches, and are usually mixed with other similar genres. For example, The Batman (2022) is an action/crime movie that involves Batman, played by Robert Pattinson, investigating the Riddler's true identity as he targets and murders Gotham's elite political figures. As the movie goes on, Batman discovers clues that go much deeper than expected, uncovering his family's involvement. The Batman is a perfect blend of action and crime, following most typical conventions of each seamlessly. The Rip (2026) is a crime/thriller starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck that, in fact, just released today. The movie involves a group of Miami cops who start to lose trust in one-another after discovering a giant illegal stash of money, attempting to keep it a secret from outsiders at the same time. Though not following typical crime conventions, the plot looks to generally take the genre and create a unique spin that involves the fallout between what would seem to be the protagonists of the story.
Mystery is a genre who's films are also usually paired with other genres (horror specifically) to create a story that incorporates elements from one another. Weapons (2025) is a Horror/Mystery starring Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, and Alden Ehrenreich in which a community experiences the disappearance of all but one child from the same class all in one night, left having to investigate the cause. The already bizarre anomaly grows into a bigger problem as the movie focuses on the perspectives of different residents of the community. Wake Up Dead Man (2025) is the third installment to a franchise that merges both mystery and crime. Starring Daniel Craig as detective Benoit Blanc, Blanc teams up with a priest to investigate a murder at a small church which turns into a complex story revolving around a mysterious diamond, secrets, and resurrection.
While studying studios who have had successful crime and mystery film releases, there is one who had kept appearing on headlines more than any other, that being Netflix. Netflix is known for its releases in both crime and mystery, such as the two examples just given, and countless series such as The Perfect Couple (2024) and Bodies (2023). Warner Brothers is also a prime releaser in crime and mystery, responsible for a wave of gangster films from as early on as the 1930's like The Public Enemy (1931) and Little Caesar (1931).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After researching these two genres, I now have the proper information to evenly judge my three genre choices. Last post, I described how working with 2-minutes on a comedy piece may be a challenge, as I would have to fit in a proper character introduction and some jokes within the available time, making it hard to avoid being overwhelming/annoying. Whereas with a mystery or crime prompt, I could possibly make my opening about setting up the main conflict surrounding the entire movie. Depending on which of these genres I would specifically like to do, the biggest obstacle would be having to work around the similarities of both, maintaining to strictly the one I chose and avoiding the use of elements from the other. This would most likely be done by what exactly the aforementioned conflict is about. As mentioned on the start of today's post, I have little experience with crime/mystery media, but hold comedy close to my heart as I have been exposed to much of it even since I was a kid. My decision will most likely be driven by how difficult it would be to apply the genre into a short clip, and whether or not I want to work with something I am familiar with or trying something new. This research has given me a great appreciation for all three genres, and I hope to carry this on with me next time I see or read media that falls into one of these categories.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My notes on today's research, I specifically took these for the conventions so I can find what was similar and different for both genres:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sources used for information:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next post, I will have made my decision and go into deeper research on the genre, exploring its sub-genres and looking at some examples of openings of films under the same category. Hope to see you next time with my brief's genre decided!
No comments:
Post a Comment