Genre Conventions

I aim to make a film that is atypical of the mystery genre and therefore will
purposely avoid adhering to certain genre conventions, most notably I will use a
main character that would not think of themselves as a detective. This will
immediately go against the audience expectation for a mystery film for the
effect of setting this film apart from its contemporaries in the genre. Another
genre convention I will avoid using is centring to plot around a murder and will
use a more abstract mystery and the driving motivation for the film as it allows
for a wider range of themes and allegorical content to be covered.

There are also some conventions of the mystery genre that I will include such
as using a character focused plot with the purpose of keeping the narrative
grounded. Another convention I intend to adhere to is centring the plot
around a puzzle for the main character to solve to provide an entertaining
experience for viewers. Furthermore, I intend to follow the standard format
followed by most mystery films of introducing a mystery near the beginning of
the film and having it concluded by the end for the purpose of giving the
audience a complete experience.

Another genre convention I intend to adhere to in my trailer is the convention

of creating suspense through using editing that quickens in pace as the trailer
progresses. Editing in time with music to further this sense of escalated pace
with escalated tension. Another convention of the mystery genre I intend to
adhere to is the use of colour and pathetic fallacy to create mood; I will do this
by filming scenes of events that take place in while the story is in equilibrium
at times of day where the sun is bright and so colours will be more vivid and
thereby will connote happiness through use of warm colours. Conversely I will
film scenes of more foreboding parts of the story in comparatively low lighting
by filming later in the day to make colours appear more washed out to create a
sense of unease and sadness.