Anyone have a name for this film tactic Unsolved Mysteries used?

[bluejazz87]

I'm not sure what to call this technique, but I always thought one of the brilliant ways they really played up the mystery aspect of their segments was when they would show a scene at the beginning the story being told regarding a discovery. This could have been a dead body, or an abandoned vehicle that someone found. Then later in the segment after some discussion they would show the same scene during the period when no one was around the make the discovery. Basically we the audience are the only ones present watching the dead body or abandon vehicle. I don't know why, but it was really spooky. Kind of like the old adage "if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around does it make a sound?"

Here is an example of what I'm talking about with the show. This is from the Dan Morgan case. These are GIFS, so hopefully they load okay for you folks.

Here is the first part profiling a police officer finding Dan Wilson's car in the middle of nowhere:



And a little later in the segment here is the same shot depicting the point in which Dan Morgan vanished and his car was found. So it's just us the viewers looking out at the visual mystique that was the case of Dan Wilson.



Just one of the many techniques I thought helped capture of the feel of the show.

[MegtheEgg86]

I don't know if there's a name for it, but I have noticed it as well and it's one of my favorite aspects of the show--although it is definitely unsettling.

I also liked how sometimes such a scene would culminate with the beginning of a voice-over of an interview, then it would cut to the person being interviewed continuing his or her statement. I thought this made for a more fluid, seamless presentation of the story.

[bluejazz87]

Originally Posted by MegtheEgg86

I also liked how sometimes such a scene would culminate with the beginning of a voice-over of an interview, then it would cut to the person being interviewed continuing his or her statement. I thought this made for a more fluid, seamless presentation of the story.

That's a good point. I recall reading a little tidbit about how these guys were essentially documentary film makers and were just making 15 minute documentaries.

[justins5256]

No idea about the name of the technique, but I can't believe someone tried to stretch the original fullframe presentation to widescreen letterbox. It looks horrible. Aspect ratios shouldn't be messed with, IMO.

No offense to OP, as I'm sure they are not the ones who did this.

[dynoguy88]

I've mentioned before the filming aspect (that UM often used for their reenactments) that I thought was most effective was their distance shots. The fact that something can look ten times more scary if you're seeing it from farther away as opposed to up close.

Like when Brad Bishop is dragging corpses out of the back of his station wagon or the eye witness sighting of the men getting rid of the ATV's on Signal Mountain. Seeing those things from far away is very unsettling, almost like the UM film crew was making the viewers feel like an eyewitness who was seeing something they weren't supposed to and the danger of being in that situation.

[bluejazz87]

Originally Posted by dynoguy88

I've mentioned before the filming aspect (that UM often used for their reenactments) that I thought was most effective was their distance shots. The fact that something can look ten times more scary if you're seeing it from farther away as opposed to up close.

Like when Brad Bishop is dragging corpses out of the back of his station wagon or the eye witness sighting of the men getting rid of the ATV's on Signal Mountain. Seeing those things from far away is very unsettling, almost like the UM film crew was making the viewers feel like an eyewitness who was seeing something they weren't supposed to and the danger of being in that situation.

That's a good point I never thought of. And now that you've mentioned it what immediately comes to mind is the case of Scott Johnson where two eyewitnesses claim to have seen the perpetrator near the smoke shack just staring back at them from a distance.

[dynoguy88]

Originally Posted by bluejazz87

That's a good point I never thought of. And now that you've mentioned it what immediately comes to mind is the case of Scott Johnson where two eyewitnesses claim to have seen the perpetrator near the smoke shack just staring back at them from a distance.

Yes. UM did that technique endless times. And it definitely added to the creepy factor. Like these moments....

[Hops3098]

Originally Posted by dynoguy88

I've mentioned before the filming aspect (that UM often used for their reenactments) that I thought was most effective was their distance shots. The fact that something can look ten times more scary if you're seeing it from farther away as opposed to up close.

I agree, their distance shots were some of the best. I've commented elsewhere about how the distance shots in the closing credits were one of my favorite little details about the show.

But since you mentioned distance shots being more scary, it made me realize that they used this tactic over and over again the ghost segments, but they added a slight twist- they would shoot the house at a distance from a low angle, sometimes literally with the camera on the ground. Off the top of my head, they did this with the Lake Wales(Mann) house, Kelsey House, Lizzie Borden's House, and the Harden House. I'm sure there were others. Anyway, it gave them such a larger presence on screen and 10 times scarier than they'd be if you just drove by. Of course, they usually added some fog and had creepy lighting, which I thought was particularly effective for the Kelsey House segment.

Their lights were not a laugh (to 10 year old me)

[bluejazz87]

Originally Posted by Hops3098

I agree, their distance shots were some of the best. I've commented elsewhere about how the distance shots in the closing credits were one of my favorite little details about the show.

But since you mentioned distance shots being more scary, it made me realize that they used this tactic over and over again the ghost segments, but they added a slight twist- they would shoot the house at a distance from a low angle, sometimes literally with the camera on the ground. Off the top of my head, they did this with the Lake Wales(Mann) house, Kelsey House, Lizzie Borden's House, and the Harden House. I'm sure there were others. Anyway, it gave them such a larger presence on screen and 10 times scarier than they'd be if you just drove by. Of course, they usually added some fog and had creepy lighting, which I thought was particularly effective for the Kelsey House segment.

Their lights were not a laugh (to 10 year old me)

I remember with the Harden case they shot low at the house with a "shaky cam" going around the house. It really made for a disturbing shot.

[Steve W.]

The "distance shot" (or whatever it's actually called) was very effective in the Kari Lynn Nixon re-enactment as well.

When they show her (played by her sister) starting to walk back home from the store on the darkly-lit street, it really brought out the "what the (blank) happened?!" thought when I first saw it.

[smallmanbigmouth]

What case did the shot of the kid in front of the house come from? Was not pleased to see a face in the window after trying to figure out what was going on for 30 seconds...

[dynoguy88]

Originally Posted by smallmanbigmouth

What case did the shot of the kid in front of the house come from? Was not pleased to see a face in the window after trying to figure out what was going on for 30 seconds...

That was the haunted house in Fish Springs, Nevada. The boy, Garrett Robinson, heard noises upstairs (footsteps, bangs and a woman laughing). Then there was a series of eerie hums and groans that made him run outside the house. When he reached his driveway, he turned around and saw the front screen door continuously banging and then noticed a man appear at the window with a grin on his face.

He was interviewed in the segment and told the story so calmly. If I saw that at age 9, I would probably need therapy.