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 the Trope Launch Pad.
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openIronic Weapon Choice Film
A killer uses an Improvised Weapon that's thematically related to the motive for the killing - for instance, a sore loser will kill the victor with Trophy Violence, or a gardener who's tired of his boss' abuse with use gardening shears. Usually, not so smart on the part of the killer since it'll make him a lead suspect, but it does make revenge all that much sweeter.
Also used by monomaniacal Serial Killers who have the one choice of theme they use variations of.
openNothing unusual in here Film
What's the name of the trope where someone is doing something bad or secretive, and another character is approaching the room, building tension like they'll get caught. The last thing you see is them in a very compromising position, but when the door opens, everything looks normal and nothing seems out of place?
I can think of loads of examples - one is when Tom Cruise is kidnapping Philip Seymour Hoffman's character in Mission Impossible 3.
openNo time to change Film
A trope that can be played for comedy, or for badassery.
A heroic character has to put a distinctive outfit, as a disguise, to fit in, or even for reasons unrelated to heroics - halloween, black tie event, acting.
But, the character's suddenly thrust into danger, and has to spend the rest of the story looking like a Badass in a Nice Suit, fighting off a killer in a halloween costume (which also serves as a disguise); or, the undercover cop might need to face a criminal wearing a hot dog outfit or his pajamas.
openTrope(s) in The Air Up There Film
During the basketball match between the Winabi and Mingori teams in The Air Up There, the film's lead character Jimmy Dolan (an assistant basketball coach who has worn a leg brace since his injury as a college student) plays with the Winabi team as a point guard. At one point during the game, Jimmy re-injures his leg and Sister Susan's tapes it up during half time. In spite of Saleh and Sister Susan's warnings not to continue playing, Jimmy continues playing with the rest of his team for the later part of the game until one of the Mingori players rams into him during his shot and he gets taken out of the game.
Which trope or tropes fit the above description?
Edited by gjjonesopenInfiltrated good-guy slip-up Film
In Face/Off, Sean Archer tells to a guard of Erewhon Prison that he will get him fired. That's something a honest and high-ranked FBI agent could do. However, as he's impersonating Castor Troy, he's rather supposed to death threat the guard in a very gruesome and figurative way.
openNice but crabby old lady? Film
I can't for the life of me find what this stock character is called: The old lady who is crabby but in a benevolent way (I went through the entire Wikipedia page of stock characters, but the only old lady types were negative).
She is totally blunt and will call you on your BS when you need it, because she figures she's lived long enough to earn the right to not have to give a crap about being polite. She may or may not swear a lot too, but if so it's treated as colorful rather than offensive.
If it helps, the one I have top of mind right now is Mrs. Gruner from Lars and the Real Girl.
Can anyone help? Thanks in advance.
openartist trying to make it big Film
Do we have a trope for plotlines about a character trying to make it big as an actor/musician/other visual artist? Obviously a staple of the Biopic but there are plenty of examples about fictional nobodies with the same story beats.
openAPP Cutting Away from an action scene to a more mundane scene Film
In Toy Story, during the climax, the movie cuts away from Slinky Dog trying to hang onto Woody to Molly in the car, who sees what’s happening, and then it cuts right back to the action. What is that called?
openWhat if X had feelings?/The secret life of X Film
A premise common to animated children's movies, where some random, everyday thing is actually sentient (and/or controlled by tiny people), and they even have their own society, often actively working to make the thing function as we know to be normal, sometimes while keeping their existence hidden from humans (or just being Invisible to Normals). The protagonist is usually owned by an ordinary kid in the age range of the target audience. Toy Story is the Ur-Example, and Sausage Party is a Deconstructive Parody of it. Other examples include Wreck-It Ralph, Inside Out, The Emoji Movie, and Ana and Bruno.
Edited by drzoidsquooopenMovie with a boy, his dog and the boogeyman Film
I don't really have any childhood movies that freaked me out (idk why but ever since I was Young scary things are more fascinating/funny to me rather then actually scary) but to this day this one movie had a scene that creeped the hell out of me and I still occasionally think about. I don't remember much about the main movie but the scene I remember pretty well, its a Young boy I believe to be around about 10 or Smth pretty Young but not too Young, and his dog which I can't remember the exact dog but I pretty sure it was a golden retriever or a bearded collie. But anyway they were sitting on the couch and they started watching this boogeyman movie and the boogeyman was the most scary thing yet I remember it just being just a completely blacked out human, no eyes or facial features, I think it looked kinda greasy too, but yeah but anyway the boy falls asleep then dreams the boogeyman getting him and that scene in particular was scene that has scared me to this day. Other features about the movie that can kinda remember that might help was the footage was kinda grainy so I'm guessing 80s maybe for time (I'm 19 and watched it when I was like five, I'm pretty sure I watched it on 9go an Australian TV channel but it may have being a disc cause my mum had a tons of old dvds, but yeah I hope the info I provided helps cause I only watched this movie once I'm certain cause I haven't seen anything like it since and finding the movie means one day when I have children of my own, I can give them the same trauma I had from the movie
openWhat’s the trope about death by being pushed down a shaft (as Emperor Palpatine did)? Film
Perhaps you’ve found yourself at the business end of a Jedi’s weapon. They end up pushing you down the nearest shaft or drop off.
openFilmed alone from a single camera angle Film
Is there a trope or trivia entry for when someone is filmed almost exclusively in closeup and without anyone else present? Like when a famous actor only has a short window of time to appear in something and so the production hurries them in front of a camera to capitalize on their one free hour they can commit to the project, or if they're filling in for someone else at the last minute and the production can only afford so much for reshoots?
openAPP Cutting Away from an action scene into a different, calmer scene Film
In Toy Story, during the climax, the movie cuts away from Slinky Dog trying to hang onto Woody to Molly in the car, who sees what’s happening, and then it cuts right back to the action.
What is that called?
openDramatically putting something on or in the ground as a challenge or to announce yourself Film
Visual Media: Is there a specific trope where someone dramatically slams something into the ground, such at the butt of a spear, as a challenge or just to announce themself in a particularly badass way. The closest I can find would be Sword Plant or Claiming Via Flag, which could overlap, though this is specifically meant to come across as aggressive and/or intimidating. Throwing Down the Gauntlet is similar, but this is more general intimidation rather than an explicit challenge to fight.
Examples could be two characters arriving for a duel and one character plants the butt of their spear in the dirt. Or if two characters attempt to negotiate, a character could do this to indicate that talks are breaking down and a fight is about to erupt.
Edited by halyasgirlopenDisgard in disgust Film
Do we have a trope for a character throwing something away in disgust at something.
I have two examples.
In Transformers: Dark of the Moon after using Megatron's shotgun to execute Sentinel, Optimus throws the weapon away, hating what he had just done and not wanting to touch it anymore.
In The Dark Knight Rises after Batman's sacrifice, John Blake, disillusioned by the system after Bane reveals the truth about Harvey Dent, throws his badge into the river, signifying his descision to leave the police.
openAnachronism Stew? Artistic Liscence Biology? Film
Destoroyah from Godzilla vs. Destoroyah formed from mutated and revived crustaceans from 2.5 Billion years ago. That's way before any animals, let alone crustaceans existed.
openHollywood D.I.D. Film
I know there's a page for stuff like "Hollywood Autism"– movies that treat autism with the ultimate stereotypes. Is there a page like that for Hollywood D.I.D. (Disassociative Identity Disorder, formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder)? Usually villainizing the disorder and treating it as something monstrous, like "Pyscho" or "Split".
openBad Boys Pistons Film
The Bad Boys (1983) film was the inspiration for nicknaming the late 1980s Detroit Pistons teams who were (in)famous for their very physical defense, along the lines of the Al Davis Raiders or the 1970s "Broad Street Bullies" Philadelphia Flyers. If anything this is a trivia entry, but I don't know which Trivia thing it might be and I want to note it in the film's trivia tab.

When watching a movie, a heist scene is shown from security camera footage. The audience sees the heist from the perspective of the security footage. I've seen this in crime movies, spy movies, and comedies.
Maybe I can't find this because it's an editing choice that's part of a broader trope. Painting the Medium perhaps? The security camera footage is shown to the audience to highlight that they are doing something illegal.