codes and conventions of the genre murder mystery genre

2. What are Codes?
Codes are symbols, shown in the movie having
various meanings such as the colour red. As
this can mean blood, death, murder, crime but
it can also viewed as romance and love.
Red can connote : Anger, Passion, Love,
Danger.

3. Technical Codes:
Are all to do with the way equipment is used to tell a
story (technically constructed) – this being the camera
work in a film or the use of typography in the scene.
Here’s an example being used in the BBC Sherlock.

4. Symbolic Codes:
Symbolic codes show what an object or action means
figuratively. For example, a character's actions show you how
the character is feeling.
Connotation- where all the things which draw upon our
experience and has a deeper meaning associated with the
object in view.
Our possible example: A lot of connotations are used in
movies in emphasis it’s genre. Here is an example we’re
going to use a in our movie is that the killer will film everything.
This will hopefully will lead the viewer to see that the killer is
making himself a ‘trophy’ after he kills. Showing signs of a
typical killer where he can view the video after he’s killed.

5. What are Conventions?
Conventions are the generally accepted ways of doing
something. A certain way we expect something to be done
usually in a movie, for example the movie native of murder
mystery.
As there are two types of narratives used vastly with different
characters and development. Which usually consists either of
open murder mysteries and closed murder mysteries. These
are always used but are adapted to the likeness of the target
audience, or by the decisions made by the director and
producer.

6. Mainstream Narratives:
Standard murder mystery for this type of film is that
there’s a unsolved crime, the detective (protagonist) is
the center of the plot; who tries to unravel the mystery by
putting the clues (evidence) together to catch the
criminal.
However these mainstream narratives have developed
significantly with the development of technology and
people’s tastes changing dramatically. Nowadays the
movies consist of more gore and blood with movies like
Capturing the Friedmans, The Imposter, Paradise Lost:
The child Murders at Robin Hood Hills.
This shows a lot about the development of society, with
the acceptance of more gruesome and in depth viewings
of people being killed being accepted in movies. The 21st
century has widened the gap significantly with what to
watched and filmed.

7. Characters:
This usually has a detective (protagonist), to unravel the mystery. Another character would be a
criminal who does the murder. Also the victims and the informant that tells the protagonist about
the murder.
In our movie we will have all these characters. All murder mystery movies have these in them, as
they are significant to portray the movie to be the certain genre or murder mystery.
An example would be the Zodiac movie (2007)
• Serial killer (criminal) - Zodiac
• Protagonist – Robert Graysmith
• Victims - Cecelia Shepard (various others)

8. Settings:
These are the places (locations) which wear used for filming at.
This would include:
• The crime scene
• The homes of people who are the leads to the case
• The interrogation room.
• The office which is used to put all evidence together, the investigators discuss
about the crimes

9. Editing:
Editing is the process all movies go through, where
all the clips are put together and to for the full movie.
This is were there is editing of transitions of camera
shots putting them together chronologically to make
the narrative.
Many closed murder mystery movies consist with
shots fading to black, this emphasis the suspense of
the film; with the audience constantly trying to find
out who the perpetrator is. ( E.g. Murder on the
Oriental Express)
On the other hand the Open mystery movies show
the perpetrator and the movies is more about how
they executed ‘the perfect crime’. This puts the
suspense in with how the crime was committed then
finding out who carried it out. ( E.g. The Italian Job)

10. Iconography:
This is where we associate symbols on the screen with a certain genre
movie. Where symbols are used to show the conventions of the storyline.
These symbols put emphasis on certain ideas and links between the the
movie and the object being viewed.
Icons used to represent western movies are: Horses, guns, jails, sheriff
Icons used in a horror movie: dark lighting, haunted houses, shadows
Icons used to portray murder mystery movies: Crime scene, lighting
changing depending who’s in the scene and police station (CSI team)

11. Soundtrack:
This the music used in the movie either in the foreground or
background. This is commonly used in murder mysteries like other
movies. It’s normally eerie music to build tension and suspense for
the audience.
Murder movie soundtracks are mostly constructed without lyrics being
instrumentals to create a certain emotional atmosphere for the
audience. These soundtracks are dark and bleak to emphasis the
genre of the movies.

12. Themes:
This means a certain way a movie is made, the theme of a
typical open murder mystery movie is the idea of a committing
the ‘perfect crime’. This theme is widely adapted by various
writers, producers and audience having they have a chance to
see the ‘perfect crime’ be committed.
These are some examples movies for the ‘The Perfect Crime’
murder mystery movies:
• Rope
• Double Indemnity
• Strangers on a Train