Abdul Maajid 12AS7

Detailed Crime Genre Research

Crime fiction is the genre of fiction that deals with crimes, their detection, criminals, and their motives. Most, though not all crime novels share a common structure. First there is the crime, usually a murder; then there is the investigation; and finally the outcome or judgement, often in the shape of the criminal's arrest or death.

There is now such a huge variety within the genre, it also has several sub-genres, including detective fiction (including the classic who done it), legal thriller, courtroom drama, hard-boiled fiction, Police Procedurals, Private Eye, Suspense, Thrillers and any other sub-genre in which a committed crime is the leading motivator of the plot. Indeed there are novels where the hero is the criminal not the detective.

Crime genre conventions

- Location: Urban location, particularly in a bad part of town.- Props: Common props which are used are guns, money, cigarettes, and dark sunglasses

keeping an identity concealed. These are usually shown in the crime scene.- Make up is used to present realism. They show gruesome stuff such as bruises and

bleedings- Lighting that are used are usually dark and dull which highlight the dark themes of the plot.

- In terms of sounds, there are usually non-dietetic- Dramatic and fanfare music are used to build up a suspense- Sound effects are usually incorporated especially during violent scenes

- A range of camera angles and shots are used such as 180 degrees rule in order to show a conversation between two characters

- Establishing shots are commonly used which show the setting of the scene- The editing are most often in a fast series of shots. They are usually used during violent

fighting and chase scenes. Expansions of times are also usually used to in order to build suspense.

In crime films the characters which are used are usually based on real criminals or stereotypes based on society. A stereotypical criminal: Tall male, dressed in dark clothing colours. Usually smoking a cigarette has a lot of inked tattoos, carrying a gun and lots of money.Many crime films and film makers portray criminals this way exaggerating the criminal mastermind and particularly in mobster crime films such as reservoir dogs, and the godfather trilogy.