Genre codes and conventions

1. MysteryGenre Codesand Conventions
AdamGrundy
The codesand conventionsare whatdefine afilmtoa certaingenre,the codescreate the meaning
behindthe filmfromthe cinematographytothe mise enscene where asthe conventionsare the
acceptedwaysof creatingthe content.Codesare splitintotwo; withtechnical codesbeingabout
waysin whichthe equipmentisusedtotell astory (e.g.Cinematography) andsymboliccodesshow
whatis beneaththe surface inthe mise enscene.Thoughsome codes dofitintobothcategories,for
example musicis bothtechnical andsymbolic. Since Iamproducinga shortfilmunderthe Mystery
genre,Iwill analyse the CodesandConventionsthatyouwouldexpecttosee ina mysterygenre film
whichwill helpme duringthe production.
Firstlythe setting,there are manydifferentsettingsthatcanbe usedinmysteryfilmsthoughitis
bestto have one that increasesthe effectivenessof the mise enscene, youwouldexpecttosee the
filmshotina suburbantownwitha lowpopulationoroutside inadark and mysteriousforest.
Thoughwiththe mix of a hybridgenre thiscouldbe a majorinfluence onwhere locationof the film
takesplace.Most hybridmysteryfilmsconsistof amix of Mysteryand Thrillerasitis effective to
keepthe audience engagedandonthe edge of their seat.Thisis whatwouldsupportedbythe use
of characters,youwouldprimarilyhave amale protagonistthatthe audience canrelate to,this
wouldalsobe supportedbythe locationsoif the settingisina highvaluedareathenyou expectthe
character to come from the same background. Aslongas the character isrelatable tothe audience
thenI believethe characterdevelopmentforamysteryfilmwouldbe successful.The Narrative
structure of a Mysteryfilmcan varydependingonhow the directordecidestoprogressthe
narrative,thiscouldbe done byeitheraLinear,such as the SherlockHolmesserieswhichisa
mainstreamfilmwhichfeaturesalinearnarrative structure ora Non-LinearNarrativesuchas
Memento. The difference betweenA linearand non-linearnarrative isthata linearnarrative istold
ina chronological order,thisiseffective forplotdevelopmentwhereasnon-linearismore effective
for character developmentasa directorisable to experimentinwhatorderthe narrative is
structured,thismeansthe filmcouldfocusprimarilyoncharactersstorieswhichfavourscharacter
development,PulpFictionisanexample of thisasitusesa non-linearnarrative. Ibelieve bothforms
of narrative couldworksuccessfullyincreatingafilmunderthe mysterygenre,though Iwouldsay
that a linearnarrative structure wouldstandoutmore thana non-linearnarrative asitissimplerfor
the audience tounderstandandwouldallow the directorstocreate a detailedstoryline,thisiswhya
linearstructure ismore frequentthannon-linear.
Withina mysteryfilm,there are manytechnical codesthatviewerswouldexpecttosee,one
example wouldbe the use of MediumandClose upsto helpexpressemotionsof the charactersand
theirposture,sometimesacharactersposture can speakover a characters emotion.The audience
shouldalsoexpecttosee a lotof movementina filmunderthe categoryof mystery,whichwouldbe
supportedbythe use of tracking shotsand fastpace cinematography.Thisisdone tocreate tension
betweenthe filmandthe audience asthe audience will be unaware of whathappensnext.Though
withfastpaced cinematography,the directorshouldonlyincludeitwhenit’snecessaryasif itwas
overdone thenitcouldmake the audience feel light-headedandwouldruinthe shot. Outfittingis
essential tocreatingasuccessful filmaswithoutthe rightclothingthenthe filmwouldmostlikely
fail;thisiswhythe producerswouldneedtochoose appropriate clothingwhichisbestsuitedfor the
time periodalongwith characterspersonalities,the use of settingandcharacteroutfittingcanhelp
improve characterdevelopmentinashort space of time. Lastlyisthe iconographywhichyouwould
expecttosee withinthe mysterygenre isthe use of low keylightingwhichhelpssetthe tone of the
film,thistellsusasthe audience thatthe settingisdull andmiserable asopposedto the use of High

2. MysteryGenre Codesand Conventions
AdamGrundy
Keylighting.There isalsothe use of recognisablecharacterstothe genre,especiallywithhow the
mysteryalwayscomesunderasa hybridto more recognisedgenreslike ThrillerandCrime,the
audience usuallyexpectsthe protagonistandthe antagonisttostandoutin comparisontothe lesser
characters due to theirpersonalitiesortheircareers,anexample of thiscouldSherlockHolmessince
he standsout for hisintelligence.
In conclusion,itiswiththese codesandconventionsthataudiencesexpecttosee infilms,itiswith
these codesandconventionsthatdefinefilmstoa genre.Afteranalysingthe codesandconventions
of the mysterygenre,Ibelieve Iwill be able toeffectivelyandsuccessfullyproduce myshortfilm
underthe mysteryandthrillergenre.