Murder Mysteries~ Agatha Christy
Most Murder mysteries begin with the murder itself, their murderer hidden by some item of clothing covering their face or even without their face being shown at all. This leaves the audience knowing slightly more than the detectives themselves as they have seen the murder take place. This helps to emphasize to the audience how intelligent the detective is, by illustrating at the start that he has less knowledge of the situation than the audience does, however still solves the mystery first.
By opening with the most dramatic scene the creators of the film successfully draw the audience into the film and leave them desperate to know what is going to happen and why it took place. After this first scene you are normally taken to the very beginning of the story, either to show you what happened before the murder, or to show the body being discovered, and the case investigated.
Poirot ~ archaeological dig
In this particular episode it opens with an establishing shot of a ruin. Once inside it becomes clear to the audience that some sort of illegal trading is taking place. The subtle but tense music adds to the suspense more than anything and keeps the watcher on the edge of their seat.
The lighting is used effectively to create shadowy and deceiving images of the inside of the temple and the characters themselves.
Poirot ~ Neighbor murdered
This episode opens with Poirot moving down a dark corridor, as he moves towards the camera, a police officer walks in front of him, turning the lights on as they walk. This could represent Poirot’s journey through discovering the murder behind this mystery, as the facts are illuminated and the truth uncovered.
A voiceover is played as Poirot empties a small metal draw which is unlocked for him, and we discover as he removes a journal from its dusty interior, that it was kept by a murderer. He speaks of how the journal describes the bitterness and jealousy which lead to a cruel and unexpected murder.
Poirot ~ Devon Hotel
The first scene opens with a forbidding sermon given by the priest of a village. He stands before his congregation and speaks of death and betrayal, which automatically puts the audience on edge.
There is then a sound bridge in which the piercing screams of a woman drowns out his voice. The shot then cuts to a woman running through a wood and, still screaming, climb onto her bike and cycle away as fast as she can.
As the voice over of the sermon continues the camera follows a car through a village and back into the woods, where two police cars are parked at the side of the road and the same woman is being interviewed. The men speak of a body being found and the camera follows the policemen down into the trees as they set off in search of it.
I believe murder mysteries have developed clever way of gripping the audience from start to finish, urging them to figure out the mystery before the detective can by stealing the imagination from the very pages of Agatha Christy’s books and projecting it onto the screen.
By opening with the most dramatic scene the creators of the film successfully draw the audience into the film and leave them desperate to know what is going to happen and why it took place. After this first scene you are normally taken to the very beginning of the story, either to show you what happened before the murder, or to show the body being discovered, and the case investigated.
Poirot ~ archaeological dig
In this particular episode it opens with an establishing shot of a ruin. Once inside it becomes clear to the audience that some sort of illegal trading is taking place. The subtle but tense music adds to the suspense more than anything and keeps the watcher on the edge of their seat.
The lighting is used effectively to create shadowy and deceiving images of the inside of the temple and the characters themselves.
Poirot ~ Neighbor murdered
This episode opens with Poirot moving down a dark corridor, as he moves towards the camera, a police officer walks in front of him, turning the lights on as they walk. This could represent Poirot’s journey through discovering the murder behind this mystery, as the facts are illuminated and the truth uncovered.
A voiceover is played as Poirot empties a small metal draw which is unlocked for him, and we discover as he removes a journal from its dusty interior, that it was kept by a murderer. He speaks of how the journal describes the bitterness and jealousy which lead to a cruel and unexpected murder.
Poirot ~ Devon Hotel
The first scene opens with a forbidding sermon given by the priest of a village. He stands before his congregation and speaks of death and betrayal, which automatically puts the audience on edge.
There is then a sound bridge in which the piercing screams of a woman drowns out his voice. The shot then cuts to a woman running through a wood and, still screaming, climb onto her bike and cycle away as fast as she can.
As the voice over of the sermon continues the camera follows a car through a village and back into the woods, where two police cars are parked at the side of the road and the same woman is being interviewed. The men speak of a body being found and the camera follows the policemen down into the trees as they set off in search of it.
I believe murder mysteries have developed clever way of gripping the audience from start to finish, urging them to figure out the mystery before the detective can by stealing the imagination from the very pages of Agatha Christy’s books and projecting it onto the screen.
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