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openGuilt By Butterfly Effect Film
A trope where someone is blamed for something they had nothing to do with, simply because of some past action they WERE involved in.
Example: A serial killer is wounded and lying in the OR. The other doctors want to leave him to his fate, except for one doctor, who by moral standards, feels obliged to same this murderer, and therefore does so. A few weeks later, the killer rapes and murders a young woman. Even though the killer is caught and convicted, the girl's family blame the doctor, stating that if he had let the killer die, he wouldn't have killed their daughter.
Edited by JohnShel91openLoud Mouth Film
Do you guys have a trope for people who are extremely loud for no apparent reason? Example: Justin (Lanky Box)
openDissonant serenity or soundtrack dissonance, but specifically right before mass destruction Film
I've only seen this in two places before, but I'm wondering if there's a trope or term for it. In the moments preceding a massively destructive event, such as a nuclear detonation in the middle of a city, a scene is shown near the impact of citizens either quietly coming to terms with the impending explosion, perhaps futilely trying to run from it, or holding each other in their last moments. The scene may or may not be shown in slow motion, and might have serene music played over it with little or no sound from the impending victims. In the 2009 Watchmen film (and if I'm remembering correctly, in the same scene in the comic), as the massive explosion in New York City is shown, people on the street are shown to just stand still or cower together as they realize they're in their final moments. In the film, the music played over the scene seems to have a kind of finality to it, both warning of the explosion and sort of relishing these people's final moments. A similar scene occurs in the 2023 film Godzilla Minus One, at the end of the Ginza attack scene. As the titular monster prepares another breath attack, some people are shown fleeing, while others can only stand in place. Similarly haunting music is used in the soundtrack here. I believe both scenes use slow motion in at least some of the shots. I just want to know if there's a single trope that encapsulates these moments before devastation, possibly with a haunting soundtrack.
openThe first time takes longer Film
A sort of inverse Monster Threat Expiration - the first time something spectacular happens, it takes a long time, so the viewer can see it every detail. Then, once it's just another aspect of the movie, it happens pretty fast.
For instance, if a character can teleport: The first time it'll take several seconds, with his body starting to glow with amazing special effects, until he finally disappears. Later, during a fight scene, he'll be teleporting everywhere in a fraction of a second. Or a laser-type superpower, it'll take time to charge the first time, then it's instantaneous during battles.
openPopular then Fogotten Film
The inverse of Vindicated by History. A film that was popular in its day but was eventually forgotten about by the public.
openThe Magic Hour Film
A scene in a movie filmed using natural light, right before the sunrise, or before the sunset, which gives off an interesting-looking bright yellow hue to the landscape (or, in scenes with a lot of white structures or snow, a pink hue). I've seen some mentions of it in behind-the-scenes movie talk, is there a trope for it?
openRemove that pesky helmet Film
Astronauts wearing pressure suits land on an alien planet or enter an alien spaceship, discover there's breathable air, then immediately take off their helmets. Sometimes they leave them on the ground and you never see them again. Occasionally this will lead to a problem for the characters, like in 2001: A Space Odyssey when David Bowman goes out in a pod to retrieve Frank Poole's body and then has to take a helmet-less spacewalk to get back into the Discovery One.
Presumably this is done because of the real world acoustic and lighting problems with actors in helmets.
openLash Out Language Film
An original human character insults the CGI characters using their own language.
Examples: Smurfs and Paddington
openHorror pan Film
A sequence (or multiple sequences) of long, slow pans of a creepy, usually dark, but not necessarily horrible location, accompanying with creepy music and sound effects e.g.:
(I think bits in The Day After Tomorrow qualify, but I can't get a clip to make sure I remember the ship sequence correctly. On the other hand, parts of the I Believe in Magic sequence from Ghostbusters might well qualify!)Sometimes combined with a Scenery Gorn or Desolation Shot, but the horror tension is a crucial detail as the shots usually otherwise serve no significant narrative purposes.
Edited by CirceusopenInvading army shoots at empty cars only Film
When the Alien army in a big film comes down and "attacks" the city, but you can't show them actually killing or hurting anybody, as that would upset the censors. So instead they blow up parked cars, cause random property damage to unimportant office buildings, aim into the empty sky and otherwise shoot all over the place, but do nothing resembling taking and holding objectives or attacking the defenders.
resolved Grabbing the sheets Film
A sort of discretion shot to imply sexual activity.
A character's hand, and maybe their bare forearm but no more, is shown on top of a sheet on the bed the character is lying on. The hand is palm down with the fingers spread and the character is implied to be lying supine.
As we watch, the hand grabs the sheet in its fingers and squeezes it tight. Then cut away to another scene entirely.
This doesn't seem to be listed at Hand Tropes.
Edited by marnanelresolved Cross-generation crush Film
Do we have anything for the usually comedic situation where a kid has a crush on some adult, obviously one-sided.
openLate Arrival Hero Film
Is there a trope for a superhero story where the hero doesn't go into action until somewhere near the Final Battle of the story, mainly because he's been spending the first few parts becoming a better person and training to be a hero?
Edited by JohnShel91openProjectionists are Cool Film
Is there a trope for jobs (as in forms of employment) that are considered cool? I'm thinking of projectionists in particular because they get to work in solitude, see lots of movies (which is considered cool since the movie makers are film buffs) and spy on moviegoers. In general, jobs that deal less with customers are considered somewhat countercultural.
openNo Title Film
I’m desperate to find out which trope this example is connected to:
“Hunter S. Thompson once said to me, ‘Bruce my boy, the movie business is a cruel and shallow money trench, where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs.’ Then he added, “There’s also a negative side.’”
- Bruce Willis, What Just Happened (2008)
openAn Obsession Trope about being obsessed with a certain thing Film
I'm listing tropes for Night Swim and there's a certain aspect of the story that seems to be an Obsession Trope, although I'm not sure what it is.
Here's how it goes: One of the film's characters, Ray Waller, notices that the pool is slowly healing him. This results him in using it a lot, which soon takes a turn for the worse.
Which Obsession Trope would work with this?
Edited by hARded2000openNo Title Film
After convincing his rebellious step-son Danny to take a road trip to Dehradun as an alternate way of dropping him off at his aunt's place to live, Imraan sets out on a mission to bridge the gap between the two as per his late wife’s last wish. What begins as a deep dive into unknown territories, culminates into a week-long trip filled with shattered realities, eye-opening discoveries and the start of a connection between two individuals who are dealing with their own set of problems. But will that be enough for Imraan to make Danny stay or will Danny’s insecurities distance him from his step-father forever?
openChildren with better language fluency than their parents Film
A common device, sometimes used for comedy, sometimes for drama. An immigrant family is trying to do something - get some paperwork done, shopping, asking for help, anything - but the only one of them fluent in the language of the country they are in is a teen or even pre-teen child, who works as a(un usually imperfect) translator for both sides of the conversation.
Do we have any trope for this specifically, or anything close enough for this?
openSurprisingly smart native? Film
Our heroes (or villains) meet a native, aborigine, or other person in their native habitat and assumes they're stupid or at least ignorant about "civilization," only to be surprised when the person says something erudite or at least knowledgable.
Examples: Film: The black porters in the live-action George of the Jungle who talk photography jargon amongst themselves, while the arrogant white guy thinks they're savages who never saw a camera before.
Crocodile Dundee's aborigine friend who tells the heroine, "You can't take my picture, miss," but only because "you left the lens cap on" (and not, as she thinks, because the camera will capture his soul).
Literature: Patrick O'Brian's The Fortune of War: The giant Indian guarding the insane asylum, upon being addressed as "Ugh" by our well-meaning hero, turns out to be a Harvard graduate.
Let's say a man decided to cheat on his fiancé with a random woman after hearing a nuclear war was very likely to happen. What trope would that fall under?