This document provides research on the crime genre for a group school project. It lists popular crime films like Se7en, LA Confidential, and The Untouchables and provides 1-2 sentence synopses of each. Key elements of the genre discussed include common settings like New York City and Chicago, iconic shots, protagonists typically being smart and patient versus cunning antagonists, props like police badges and guns, costumes like suits, low-key lighting, and symbolic items like guns representing the era. Research is presented on cinematography, character types, lighting, costumes, make-up, symbols and more to understand tropes of the crime genre.

1. Know your Genre – Additional Group Research
FilmTitle: Genre (andor sub-genre) :
Group Members:
Popular films– list5 populartitlesfromyourchosengenre andwrite a 1-2 sentence synopsisforthem.Youdonot
needtohave watchedthese films,thoughitmayhelpyourawarenessof yourgenre towatchthemoverthe next
fewweeks. Donotcut and paste synopsis;putthe storiesintoyourownwords.
Film1 –
Title Synopsis
seven
When retiring police Detective William Somerset (Morgan
Freeman) tackles a final case with the aid of newly
transferred David Mills (Brad Pitt), they discover a number
of elaborate and grizzly murders. They soon realize they
are dealing with a serial killer (Kevin Spacey) who is
targeting people he thinks represent one of the seven
deadly sins. Somerset also befriends Mills' wife, Tracy
(Gwyneth Paltrow), who is pregnant and afraid to raise
her child in the crime-riddled city.
Film2 –
Title Synopsis
La confidential Three policemen, each with his own motives and
obsessions, tackle the corruption surrounding an
unsolved murder at a downtown Los Angeles coffee shop
in the early 1950s. Detective Lieutenant Exley (Guy
Pearce), the son of a murdered detective, is out to avenge
his father's killing. The ex-partner of Officer White
(Russell Crowe), implicated in a scandal rooted out by
Exley, was one of the victims. Sergeant Vincennes (Kevin
Spacey) feeds classified information to a tabloid magnate
(Danny DeVito).

2. Film3 –
Title Synopsis
The untouchbles After building an empire with bootleg alcohol, legendary
crime boss Al Capone (Robert De Niro) rules Chicago
with an iron fist. Though Prohibition agent Eliot Ness
(Kevin Costner) attempts to take Capone down, even his
best efforts fail due to widespread corruption within the
Windy City's police force. Recruiting an elite group of
lawmen who won't be swayed by bribes or fear, including
Irish-American cop Jimmy Malone (Sean Connery), Ness
renews his determination to bring Capone to justice.
Settings
What are 5 settingsthathave appeared frequentlyinfilmsfromyourchosengenre?Listfilmtitle nexttoanswer.
1. Seven featuredinthe film new york city
2. La confidential featuredinthe film Los angeles
3. The untouchables featuredinthe film chicago
4. La confidential featuredinthe film police station
5. Seven featuredinthe film crime scene
Cinematography
Find3 iconicshotsfromfilmsof yourchosengenre.Copythe imagesandpaste thembelow.Identifytitlesunder
______seven_________________ ______la confidential_________ _________the untouchables_____

3. List the majordifferencesandsimilaritiesbetweenthe images. Atleast3pointspercolumn.
Differences Similarities
They’re all differentshottypes. Theyall fitintothe crime genre.
The colour gradingisdifferentineachshot
Image analysis
What do youbelievemakesthe imagesabove soiconic(orhave sucha strongimpact)?
The image for seven is iconic as it is taken from the scene where Brad Pits character asks, “what’s in the
box?” This scene has stuck wit many people over the years, as it was one of the big mysteries of this movie
Colour scheme
Are there any coloursor shadesthatcan be associatedwithyourgenre?Listthe colour,whywe mightassociate this
withyourgenre (whatwe see that isthiscolour) andany connotationsconnectedtothatcolour.
Colour Where that colour appears in your
genre
Connotations – what we associate with
that colour.
blue Usuallywenpolice carsare presentdue to
theirredand blue lights.
Peace andlaw whenitisseenwith
policemen.
yellow Thisis seenothe yellow tape thatisplaced
around crime scenes
Showsthat itis corneredoff adthat the
police are at work.

4. Protagonists V Antagonists
Find an image of a notable protagonist and antagonist from your chosen genre.
Paste their image below.
Protagonists V Antagonists (continued)
What are the key or common characteristics of the protagonists and antagonists
from your genre?
Protagonist Antagonist
Smart cunning
Patient powerful
What are some other common character types from your chosen genre?
Eg, Damsel in distress
 Criminal
 Good cop
 Bad cop

5. Props
What props appear significantly or commonly in your chosen genre?
police badge hand gun chevy cop car
Costume and Make-up
What types of costumes are prevalent in films from your genre? Describe them
and find examples.
Description – suits are the main costume type in a crime genre film. This is
because most of the crime is organized crime, which is typically, associated with
the mob E.g. the untouchables. Here they are generally known for wearing nice
suits and fedoras. The detectives also wear suits, as that is their uniform for
work and must dress appropriately.
Costume option 1 Costume option 2

6. How is make-up (or prosthetics) used significantly in your chosen genre?
Describe its use and find any notable examples.
male up is not used greatly in a crime genre. The only time on screen where
large amounts of make may be needed is at a crime scene where there is blood
and a dead body. It may al be used in a fight scene to show that the characters
are getting beaten up and hurt.
Lighting
How is lighting used commonly and in your chosen genre?
Mainly low key lighting as it creates the film noir feel to throw the audience
back to the original gangster movies.
Find 2 examples of where lighting has been used significantly in your chosen
genre. Briefly explain the type of lighting used and the effect that is created by
the light scheme and shadow.
here a noir feel has been brought to the scene
throw the use of low key lighting. It help emphasises
that the gangsters are operating at night as that it is
less likely for them to be caught.
Lighting Continued

7. Character action and movement
How would you expect your 3 main characters to act and behave? How would
they carry themselves/ pose/ act towards one another. Why would they act in
this way?
I would expect the protagonist to act with authority and honour as he is
dedicated to catching the main criminal of the movie. I would expect the
antagonist to act with power and rule with an iron fist as he has a large amount
of men to control so that everything in the criminal underworld is run smoothly.
Symbolism
What symbolic objects/colours/concepts/gestures/costumes might appear in
your film? Look to other films from your genre for inspiration. Find images of
your own symbolic objects. What could these objects symbolise?
The main symbolism in this has to be the guns that they use. This is because it is
a statement of what time the film is set in. for example, in films set in the
1920sm, tommy guns are expected to show up as they are symbolic to that era.
Examples of notable symbolic items
Psycho - 1969