The TVTropes Trope Finder is where you can come to ask questions like "Do we have this one?" and "What's the trope about...?" Trying to rediscover a long lost show or other medium but need a little help? Head to Media Finder and try your luck there. Want to propose a new trope? You should be over at You Know, That Thing Where.
Find a Trope:
openThreaten to Slap but Don't Film
I can think of two movies where someone raises their hand like they're going to hit someone just to threaten them into behaving, without actually hitting them or perhaps even intending to.
One is The Princess Bride, where the Man in Black raises his hand as if he's going to hit Buttercup when she says something that makes him mad, but then tells her it was a warning.
The other is Shrek, where the old lady is going to sell Donkey to the soldiers, and he keeps talking, so she raises her hand like she's going to backhand slap him, so he just stops talking. Then she does it again when he won't talk when she wants him to.
I'd imagine there are more, that's just what I can think of right now.
Is this a trope or at least part of some larger trope?
EDIT: Thought of a third example. In Disney's Aladdin, Jafar raises his hand like he's going to slap Jasmine when she rejects him, but then he changes his mind and tries to wish the Genie will make her love him instead.
Edited by thegreatkiwiopenHero Kills Accidentally Film
I remember there was a trope for when a hero kills entirely by accident, or due to circumstance (i.e. a child hero, or a hero with a 'no kill' rule, etc.).
The specific example I'm thinking of is from The Babysitter. Cole is a 12-year old kid, who ends up having to defend himself from a Satanic cult, but he kills two of them purely by accident, without meaning to (edit: the third one accidentally killed himself). The only one deliberately sets out to kill is the cult leader, except she's the only one who doesn't die.
Edited by MiinUopenOne-song concert Film
A concert is shown where the performer(s) only do(es) one song. It may or may not be made clear that the song we see comprises the entire show. Might appear in TV or musicals as well.
Examples that spring to mind immediately: Yo-Yo Ma playing Bach’s first suite for unaccompanied cello (actually just the first movement) on “The West Wing” (S 2 E 10, “Noël”); Lucy T. Slut singing “Special” in “Avenue Q”; Lili von Shtupp singing “I’m Tired” in “Blazing Saddles.”
Is there a name for this? Or is it a subset of something more general?
Edited by skiasaurusopenUndoing tragic past Film
Undoing a terrible past in the sequel, character has a past trauma, or something bad about his species,, and is undone in the sequel by reveling a 'truth' about it.
Ex : Toothless in 'How to train your dragon 1' was the "Last Known Night Fury" the "last of his kind" In "how to train your dragon 2" there is more Night Fury.
Hiccup mother is 'dead' in HTDYD 1, but is alive in HTDYD 2.
In Maleficent, Maleficent is unique and alone. The only of her kind Maleficent 2, there is lots more of her kind.
Edited by tonytakitanyopenMultiple views of one character over time in one scene Film
I'm sure this one is done already- just can't find it. One character and you see them doing all their daily activities in one space, so for instance ten Atomic Blondes; one is drinking shots, one is shooting, one is buffing her nails, one is throwing darts, one is eating popcorn, one is tossing her hair, etc and it all takes place in the same room at the same time to indicate what she did that day, or week ... This is kind of like having a team of clones.
openI can't get the word "breakbox" out of my head Film
I remember that it was a kids show that was fast paced and the animation was stop motion also the animation and design was like jagged metal and electrical pieces there are 2 segments of the show that I remember. The fort segment was of a cartoon news lady and the point of the segment was too listen to what she was saying while the screen showed little pictures of planes or trains or cars or blimps and then you had to take a test , the other segment was of a fat man In a chair facing the screen and eating garbage while a British woman's voice spoke to him this is all I can remember please help me remember what this show was. It was all on television
openViolence Against Phones Film
Is there a name for the trope when a character either receives bad news over the phone or becomes so enraged by a phone call that they up taking their frustration out physically on the phone itself?
EX: "Goodfellas", when Jimmy gets call the that Tommy's been whacked, he smashes phone into receiver repeatedly, tips phone booth over so it falls onto its side, shattering.
EX: "Ferris Bueller", when Jeanie calls cops about Ed Rooney breaking into her house but police think it's a prank she hangs up, livid, squeezes phone into receiver and calls it a "DICK HEAD!"
Edited by PatG1987openEverything Went Better Than Expected Film
(Audience Reaction.) You see an announce for a film (mostly - other media are possible) that can only fail. Maybe the premise is preposterous. Maybe it won't survive a media change. (Say, comic superhero movies before the FX were awesome.) You watch it from Bile Fascination in hope that it's So Bad, It's Good. And then you are positively disappointed. Maybe it wins no oscars and is So Okay, It's Average, but still, you like it. (Tropers Subjective Example Choice: Cowboys & Aliens, Attack the Block, Doom.)
resolved Omnidisciplinary Cop Film
The cop who's involved with every aspect of the olice procedural - he's working a beat when he finds the drugs, then leads the investigation to pinpoint the distributors, drives across states to catch them, leads the SWAT raid on the distribution facility, drives the prison truck to jail and watches over the criminals when they're talking with their lawyers.
openThat’s odd Film
Is there a trope where for example it’s someone’s first day on the job and someone shows them around and they walk past the garbage heap and the new guy sees a horrible monster in the garbage only for the other guy to say “that’s odd...normally the garbage monster comes on thursdays.”
resolved Unique in the Original, commonplace in the EU Film
In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke uses a desperate, improvised maneuver to destroy one of the giant armored walkers in Hoth - he shoots an emergency grappling hook and circles the rope around its legs, causing it to tumble down.
Even though it was supposed to be a last resort in the movie, a bunch of Extended Universe works have the same thing happen, going as far as showing it to be a common technique, since it's such a memorable scene.
Is there a trope for a scenario like that? Something that was supposed to be an one-time thing in the original work, ends up showing up all the time in sequels, adaptations and expansions?
resolved So short, the camera misses him (SOLVED) Film
Is there a trope for when a character is depicted as comically short, so the camera pans to him, he's nowhere to be found, then the camera pans down? Can be inverted, where the camera pans up to see his face.
A variation is when all characters are standing side by side, but we can only see the short character's hat.
Edited by Mac_RopenNo Title Film
Is there a trope for when an aspect of a work is dropped in a modern adaptation either because it is considered annoying, or because the adaptation is modernizing the work?
Example: In the upcoming Scooby doo movie Scoob, Shaggy does not say "Zoinks" all the time and Scooby's speech does not constantly contain "R's" . This is presumably because the former is outdated slang, and because both speech patterns are considered annoying to some people.
openfinding movie Film
im looking for movie year 2006 and that movies kind of horror teenager he killed and he haunting her classmate and i remember the ending his body find in the hole of forest
openMultiple Kiss Scene Film
A scene in a work when multiple characters share kisses. I think of movies like Happy Madison, We're the Millers and Zombieland: Double Tap when I think of a scene like that. Is there a name for that trope?
openSpilling and splashing water while dying of thirst Film
Is there a trope for this?
A character is extremely thirsty and could die soon without water (e.g. after spending a long time in the desert). They chance upon some limited amount of water that could improve their chance of survival. Instead of being careful to actually drink all of the water, they handle it haphazardly, let it spill out of their mouth, and even splash it deliberately on their face. Perhaps the scene is done this way because it visually communicates the feeling of getting water better than if the character were to actually drink all of it.
Edited by core-theoryopenEverything Went Back to Normal / A Neat Little Package Film
I feel like there must be a Trope for this. I just finished watching The Addams Family from 1991 and instead of showing things getting better or being fixed, the last scene starts with “Some time later” where through exposition-heavy dialogue, characters explain “It sure is lucky that this happened!” And “Who’d have known this was what was the true cause of the mystery” etc
Anyways it’s not listed on the page so I’m kind of confused
Yesterday I was told about tropes and I would like to ask community about the thing I noticed years ago. Adventure (or road) movie, the day was hard and the heroes are taking rest in a camp (or friendly village with riots). Tomorrow there will be a final battle in a castle, but now is a calm moment: fire, food, may be folk music and dances (if we have a friendly village). The main hero looking at the fire or stars and silently thinking about live alone. His/her friend starts a little conversation. They say important philosophic words about their live. Tomorrow will be a final battle... This scenes was in many films like Robin Hood, Star wars, Dragonheart etc... Is there the name for these scenes? (sorry for my English)
Edited by rotozeev