Only Murders in the Building

 

Only Murders in the Building is a show that I have been watching that utilizes similar structures to films that we have been talking about. One thing I love about this show is the use of the music/soundtrack throughout suspense and non-suspense parts that I haven't noticed in any of the films we have been watching. Obviously in Get Out there was suspenseful music to set up the scary parts, but something I'm so used to that I never pick up on. In this show, they use very mundane music in the scary or resolution parts that is more abstract and less predictable.

The plot of the show is that each season there is a new murder and the close cast members are all suspects and proved guilty or innocent until the end of the season when the killer is revealed. Throughout the entire show, it is narrated by the three main characters throught the murder mystery podcast they host. The use of color in the show is also an essential part that because it sets the mood for the scene. Sometimes there are bright colors involved when the mood is dark which is an interesting juxtaposition to us. The color of scenes is usually washed out and meant to look more eerie. 

The camera angles are less noticeable in a show than in a film because there aren't as obvious of switches and there are less over the shoulder or first person perspective. Rather we are watching the characters from an outside perspective. There are a lot of dolly scenes that slowly zoom in or out but there are never any abrupt changes or jump cuts. Everything flows very smoothly. 

The inspiration for the show reflects a lot of old murder mystery films and film noir. It's very eerie and takes place in an extravagent old building which adds to the cinematic effect. Reading an article about the direction and overall look of the show revealed that the director tried to emulate Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window but not make it exactly the same since it is in a different space of tv. After learning this, I can see similarities in the wash/color of the camera and the lack of action scenes but large amounts of suspense. I would recommend this show especially the first two seasons because the plot twists at the end are very shocking.