How Does Nic Pizzolatto Use Filmic Codes And Conventions?

Television dramas will often interweave stereotypes into the series as audiences will already have an idea of what to expect. This is done so audiences will be able to quickly recognise characters or ideas without the writer’s explanations. Nic Pizzolatto’s 2014 southern gothic crime drama, True Detective, is about two detectives, Rustin ‘Rust’ Cohle and Martin ‘Marty’ Hart, who are being questioned in 2012 about a bizarre murder case in 1995. These characters are constructed to challenge the pre-existing stereotypes of conventional heroes in society and film. Pizzolatto uses filmic codes and conventions, as well as narrative conventions to construct and challenge these stereotypes.

Heroes in both society and film have been typically characterised

as someone with idealistic and optimistic views on humanity. Pizzolatto has subverted from this stereotype and has created Rust, a person with nihilistic and pessimistic worldviews that challenge the dominant stereotypes of conventional heroes. An example of this is when Marty is asking about his beliefs and Rust replies
“We are things that labour under the illusion that having a self. This accretion of sensory, experience, and feeling. Programmed, with total assurance, that we’re each somebody. When, in fact, everybody’s nobody.”
The phrase suggests that humans are deluded into thinking they are special but in the end, they are just a product of nature and have no special properties of their own. Director Cary Fukunaga helps emphasis this meaning by using dim lighting and dark colours. Dim lighting is used because it helps provide tension and maintains a serious atmosphere. The dark clothing, dark blue car, and the black interior of the car also helps maintain a serious atmosphere and shows that it is not supposed to be taken in a humorous way. Rust’s body language of looking out of the window while speaking, instead of facing Marty shows that Rust understands that other people do not share this view and is not trying to get Marty to agree or understand. Rust only wants Marty to know that he thinks this way. Marty, on the other hand, often looks at Rust in confusion and occasionally shakes his head in disagreement, showing that he does not agree or understand and later states that he regrets finding out about this information. An example of Rust’s pessimism is later when Rust admits to Marty “I’d consider myself a realist, but in philosophical terms I’m what’s called a pessimist.” This admittance of character shows that Rust is not deluded, but rather his mindset is different from a conventional hero. There is also a clear juxtaposition between Marty and Rust in that neither share the same worldviews. This quote is also reinforced with the same film techniques of dim lighting, dark colours and body language. The characterisation of Rust clearly shows a misanthropic attitude and challenges the conventional hero’s stereotypical philanthropic attitude and worldview.

A common characteristic of a hero is that they are generally praised by society and audiences. Pizzolatto’s character of Rust is shunned by people around him and as a result, he is withdrawn and isolated from society. When Marty first enters Rust’s home, Rust says “I’d offer you a seat, but uh...” This suggests that Rust does not have people over for any reason and did not expect Marty to come over either. Rust’s home is shown as having only the bare necessities for a person to live. In the scene, Fukunaga presents the room with plain white walls, boxes of books related to criminology and an absence of photos. His house could be a physical representation of his mind, rarely letting anyone in, deprived of any enjoyment and only things he deems as necessary in his life. The fact that Rust’s home is purely to satisfy his physiological needs and that he seems to only spend his leisure time improving on his job and obsessing over cases suggests that Rust is withdrawn from society but has accepted his loneliness. Rust’s withdrawal draws parallels with Lorne Malvo from Noah Hawley’s dark comedy crime drama, Fargo. Both characters appear to be shunned by society and are unable to comfortably blend into society. Lorne does not have any fixed home and instead, travels around, suggested nothing can keep him in one place and also suggesting that he is unable to let anyone worthwhile in his life. Rust has a fixed home but rarely lets anyone simply because there is nothing that attracts people to his home and his personality does not suggest a welcoming nature. Rust’s characterisation of his personality and the symbolism of his home challenges the dominate stereotype a hero who is generally loved by society. Also, through an anthropological viewpoint, humans are supposed to be social creatures and rely on each other for various life sustaining purposes. Going against this idea suggests that there is something wrong or off-putting with the person.

Moral integrity is another stereotype for heroes as they will usually live by and follow a moral code.

Marty does not adhere to this viewpoint. In the first episode of the series, the character of Marty appears to be well put and morally just. In the third episode, his character is developed and it is revealed that he has been having an affair with a court reporter named Lisa Tragnetti. In 2012, Marty tells the police officers that Rust needs a family and says “It’s boundaries. Boundaries are good.” Marty is aware that his marital boundaries are supposed to restrain him for committing infidelity, but does so regardless. This is constructed through plot and characterisation. Fukunaga helps construct this by having Marty shot straight on with a medium camera angle and medium/close up shot. This allows the audience to clearly see Marty’s facial expressions and some of his body language. At first, Marty’s facial expression is serious but slowly turns into a grin after speaking, emphasising his hypocritical attitude towards the subject. Marty’s hypocritical attitude towards boundaries is reminiscent of Lorne more amoral and sociopathic behaviour. While Marty doesn’t exactly manipulate people, he does try to get the women in his life to stay where they are for him and satisfy his internal desires, whether or not the desires are morally correct. Lorne is more of a conventional sociopath. This is shown through his characterisation where he is willing to cause mischief solely for the purpose of entertainment, he shows no remorse after committing murder and will look for excuses to kill people. Pizzolatto has characterised Marty to subvert from the conventional morally integrated hero who satisfies his internal desires. Through a personal point of view, Marty is an interesting character in other aspects of his life, but the fact that he is unable to control his desires and actively communicate his problems but will openly point out the flaws in others, shows that he can be

mildly irritating character.

Pizzolatto’s True Detective, has shown that heroic characters don’t always adhere to pre-existing characteristics of heroes. The dominant heroic stereotypes of an idealistic and optimistic worldviews, society’s love and praise for them and their moral integrity are challenged by Rust’s nihilistic and pessimistic worldviews, his isolation and shunning from society, and Marty’s hypocritical and immoral actions. Pizzolatto has constructed this through characterisation and plot, while Fukunaga has helped emphasise this with lighting, colour, body language, symbolism, props and facial expressions.