Tropescilloscope: Meaningful Background Event
Something plot-relevant happens onscreen, but not as the focus (read more at tvtropes.org)
More Tropes
Alpha Bitch
Early Installment Weirdness
Took a Level in Jerkass
Smoking Is Cool
Bury Your Gays
Does This Remind You of Anything?
Ragtag Bunch of Misfits
Blood from the Mouth
Reckless Gun Usage
Intrepid Reporter
Real Life Writes the Plot
Despair Event Horizon
Hypocrite
Dual Wielding
The Great Depression
"The Reason You Suck" Speech
Every Car Is a Pinto
Moment Killer
Blood Knight
NO INDOOR VOICE
Facial Horror
Deliberate Values Dissonance
Video Credits
Never Trust a Trailer
aka: Trailers Always Lie
Bunny-Ears Lawyer
Translation Convention
For the Evulz
Adaptation Dye-Job
Your Cheating Heart
Deliberately Monochrome
Exactly What It Says on the Tin
Chekhov's Gunman
Spiteful Spit
Knight Templar
The Film of the Book
One-Man Army
'80s Hair
Not So Stoic
Super Strength
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice
Bloody Hilarious
Pretty in Mink
Visual Pun
Demonic Possession
Revenge
Star-Crossed Lovers
Too Dumb to Live
Mercy Kill
Roaring Rampage of Revenge
Red Herring
Left the Background Music On
Expy
Self-Deprecation
Broken Bird
Maybe Ever After
You Have Got to Be Kidding Me!
And Starring
Epic Fail
Ambiguously Gay
Overprotective Dad
Loads and Loads of Characters
Missing Mom
Retirony
The Quiet One
Big Bad
The Atoner
My Greatest Failure
No OSHA Compliance
Anti-Villain
Adults Are Useless
Irony
The Bully
Reasonable Authority Figure
Based on a True Story
Once More, with Clarity!
Badass Boast
Did Not Get the Girl
Not So Above It All
Foil
It Will Never Catch On
The Chick
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome
Action Prologue
Television Movie Index
Up to Eleven
Here We Go Again!
I Just Shot Marvin in the Face
Romantic False Lead
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass
Man on Fire
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!
Colour-Coded for Your Convenience
aka: Color Coded For Your Convenience
The Mole
Wrong Genre Savvy
Wicked Cultured
Tranquil Fury
More Dakka
All Men Are Perverts
Exact Words
Brutal Honesty
Genre Savvy
All for Nothing
Dramatic Irony
Mr. Fanservice
Country Matters
Cain and Abel
Police are Useless
Adult Fear
Laser-Guided Karma
Same Language Dub
Daddy's Girl
folderlabel
Slap-Slap-Kiss
Disney Villain Death
Broken Pedestal
Nice Guy
Ghost Fiction
Failed a Spot Check
The Cameo
Bolivian Army Ending
Attempted Rape
My God, What Have I Done?
Evil Laugh
Scenery Porn
Leaning on the Fourth Wall
Disney Death
Actor Allusion
Shirtless Scene
Hooker with a Heart of Gold
Parental Incest
Card-Carrying Villain
Blonde, Brunette, Redhead
Mad Scientist
Beta Couple
A Minor Kidroduction
Death by Irony
In Name Only
Darkest Hour
There Is No Kill Like Overkill
Vitriolic Best Buds
Jitter Cam
Big "NO!"
Sadistic Choice
Undying Loyalty
Those Two Bad Guys
Re-Cut
You Have Failed Me
Naïve Newcomer
Hope Spot
Getting Crap Past the Radar
Big Eater
And the Adventure Continues
Sinister Minister
Ambiguous Disorder
All Girls Want Bad Boys
The Smurfette Principle
After the End
Break the Haughty
Intergenerational Friendship
Coming-of-Age Story
Offscreen Teleportation
Anguished Declaration of Love
Toplessness from the Back
Cool Shades
Villain Ball
Reality Ensues
All There in the Script
The Un-Reveal
Unusually Uninteresting Sight
Central Theme
Guns Akimbo
Police Brutality
Dark and Troubled Past
Brick Joke
Karmic Death
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil
Narrator
Guile Hero
Mystery and Detective Films
Ominous Latin Chanting
Black Comedy Rape
Historical Villain Upgrade
N-Word Privileges
Immune to Bullets
Deal with the Devil
The Oner
Gilligan Cut
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
Batman Gambit
Anachronic Order
Animal Motifs
Casting Gag
Eiffel Tower Effect
Cloudcuckoolander
Catapult Nightmare
True Companions
Back from the Dead
Psychological Thriller
Kids Are Cruel
A God Am I
No Celebrities Were Harmed
Anachronism Stew
Extremely Short Timespan
Neck Snap
Japanese Films
Half the Man He Used to Be
Action Genre
It's Personal
Extreme Doormat
Playing Gertrude
Hong Kong Films
Canon Foreigner
Victoria's Secret Compartment
Evil-Detecting Dog
Developing Doomed Characters
Film Noir Index
Only One Name
Hidden Depths
The Stoic
Determinator
aka: The Determinator
Even Evil Has Standards
I'm a Humanitarian
Historical In-Joke
And I Must Scream
Those Wacky Nazis
Wham Line
Retcon
Suddenly SHOUTING!
Asshole Victim
Chekhov's Skill
Only Sane Man
The Starscream
Wretched Hive
Spared by the Adaptation
Genre Throwback
Scare Chord
Mr. Exposition
Rasputinian Death
Sacrificial Lion
Silence Is Golden
Male Gaze
In the Back
Humiliation Conga
Older Than They Look
Off with His Head!
Adaptation Expansion
Ship Tease
Setting Update
Rule of Funny
Composite Character
Action Girl
Final Girl
Deconstruction
Adaptation Name Change
A Date with Rosie Palms
Decoy Protagonist
Framing Device
Death of a Child
Names to Run Away from Really Fast
Manipulative Bastard
Bad "Bad Acting"
Book-Ends
Light Is Not Good
The Big Guy
Car Fu
Cool Guns
Stock Footage
Title Drop
Adaptational Heroism
Arranged Marriage
Fish out of Water
Comically Missing the Point
Obfuscating Stupidity
Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"
The Casanova
Betty and Veronica
Naked People Are Funny
Fate Worse than Death
Chekhov's Gun
Parental Abandonment
Not What It Looks Like
A.I. Is a Crapshoot
Artistic License Gun Safety
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown
Berserk Button
Hollywood Darkness
Parental Neglect
Deus ex Machina
Trailers Always Spoil
Knife Nut
Rousing Speech
Plucky Comic Relief
My Beloved Smother
An Arm and a Leg
Distracted by the Sexy
Music Stories
Oh, Crap!
Alliterative Name
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain!
The Hero
Russian Films
Black and Gray Morality
Mundane Made Awesome
Vacation Films
Hair-Trigger Temper
Unreliable Narrator
Gone Horribly Right
Interrupted Suicide
Peek-a-Boo Corpse
Dark Is Not Evil
Only Known by Their Nickname
Artistic License History
Children Are Innocent
Rape as Drama
Adaptation Distillation
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness
Body Horror
Australian Movies
Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?
B-Movie
Drives Like Crazy
Becoming the Mask
Room Full of Crazy
No-Sell
Captain Obvious
Happily Married
O.O.C. Is Serious Business
The X of Y
Eagleland
Imagine Spot
Screw This, I'm Outta Here!
Logo Joke
Pretty Little Headshots
Fantasy Films
Grievous Bottley Harm
Defrosting Ice Queen
Small Name, Big Ego
War Is Hell
Abusive Parents
Hero Antagonist
Dies Wide Open
No Antagonist
Destination Defenestration
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!
Unspoken Plan Guarantee
Your Head A-Splode
Gratuitous English
Authority Equals Asskicking
Aluminum Christmas Trees
Dramatic Gun Cock
Insult Backfire
Tagline
You Killed My Father
Call-Forward
Pre-Asskicking One-Liner
Even Evil Has Loved Ones
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?
Blackmail
Ugly Guy, Hot Wife
Curb-Stomp Battle
Artistic License Law
Redemption Equals Death
The End... Or Is It?
Military and Warfare Films
Mistaken for Gay
Actually Pretty Funny
Dropped a Bridge on Him
Curse Cut Short
Gory Discretion Shot
Tempting Fate
Shut Up, Hannibal!
Needs Wiki Magic Love
Slashed Throat
Death Glare
Loophole Abuse
Jump Scare
Cat Scare
Novelization
Would Hit a Girl
As Long as It Sounds Foreign
Meaningful Echo
This Is Gonna Suck
Works Set in World War II
Villain Song
Humans Are Bastards
Worthy Opponent
Double Entendre
For Want of a Nail
Call-Back
Bad Boss
Sanity Slippage
Famous Last Words
Disappeared Dad
Dull Surprise
Frame-Up
Breaking the Fourth Wall
Make It Look Like an Accident
Girl-on-Girl Is Hot
Artistic License Biology
Screw the Money, I Have Rules!
Evil Counterpart
Film Noir
Continuity Nod
Fatal Family Photo
Stealth Hi/Bye
Kill It with Fire
Easily Forgiven
Evil vs. Evil
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold
The Ditz
Mama Bear
Shown Their Work
Bloodless Carnage
Nothing Is Scarier
All Just a Dream
Better to Die than Be Killed
Ungrateful Bastard
Faking the Dead
Bilingual Bonus
Refuge in Audacity
Heel Realization
German Films
Recycled IN SPACE!
Armor-Piercing Question
Rule of Symbolism
Fanservice
Bond One-Liner
The Un-Favourite
aka: The Un Favorite
Improbable Weapon User
Heroic BSoD
Reality Is Unrealistic
Toilet Humour
aka: Toilet Humor
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane
Catch-Phrase
Very Loosely Based on a True Story
Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome
Fat Bastard
Taking You with Me
Cool Old Guy
Hell Is That Noise
Villain Opening Scene
One Steve Limit
Rewatch Bonus
No Ending
Time Skip
Vomit Indiscretion Shot
Papa Wolf
The '90s
Blatant Lies
Mugging the Monster
Never Found the Body
Improbable Infant Survival
aka: Infant Immortality
Kick the Dog
Red Eyes, Take Warning
Funny Foreigner
Bond Villain Stupidity
Demoted to Extra
Heterosexual Life-Partners
Cool Car
Wham Shot
Woman in White
Only in It for the Money
Bowdlerise
Expository Hairstyle Change
Evil Sounds Deep
Let's Get Dangerous!
Offscreen Moment of Awesome
I Have Your Wife
World of Ham
Male Frontal Nudity
Heroes Want Redheads
Amusing Injuries
Leave the Camera Running
Token Minority
Scenery Gorn
Sci-Fi Horror
Pet the Dog
The Faceless
Enemy Mine
Bald of Evil
Pre-Mortem One-Liner
Roger Ebert: Great Movies List
Ax-Crazy
Posthumous Character
Last-Name Basis
Cowboy Cop
Canadian Movies
Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene
Dwindling Party
Unwitting Instigator of Doom
Bottomless Magazines
British Films
Corrupt Corporate Executive
La Résistance
Historical-Domain Character
"Shaggy Dog" Story
Adorkable
Vomit Discretion Shot
Sexy Discretion Shot
Manic Pixie Dream Girl
HeelFace Turn
Flipping the Bird
Screw the Rules, I Have Money!
Running Gag
Death Seeker
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas
Brainless Beauty
Crapsack World
Precision F-Strike
Race Against the Clock
Bare Your Midriff
Not So Different
The Stinger
Celebrity Paradox
Yandere
Does Not Like Shoes
Word of God
Green-Eyed Monster
Artistic License Military
Big Fancy House
Alas, Poor Villain
The Lost Lenore
Sequel Escalation
Bar Brawl
"Where Are They Now?" Epilogue
He Knows Too Much
Eldritch Abomination
Never Trust a Trailer
Gold Digger
Cluster F-Bomb
Red Oni, Blue Oni
The Smart Guy
Bullying a Dragon
Domestic Abuse
Animated Credits Opening
Darker and Edgier
Driven to Suicide
Mood Whiplash
Malevolent Masked Men
Our Vampires Are Different
Dying Moment of Awesome
What the Hell, Hero?
Rich Bitch
Didn't Think This Through
Bittersweet Ending
Sassy Black Woman
Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking
Have a Gay Old Time
Badass Grandpa
Aside Glance
Auto Erotica
Take a Third Option
Christmas Movies Index
Camp Gay
Character Development
Eyepatch of Power
It's All About Me
Ironic Echo
Danny Peary Cult Movies List
The Ace
Author Avatar
The Dragon
Spanner in the Works
Dirty Coward
Cat Fight
Love Triangle
Shipper on Deck
Award-Bait Song
Red Right Hand
Creative Closing Credits
Silent Movie
Double-Meaning Title
Unusual Euphemism
He Who Fights Monsters
Black Dude Dies First
Public Domain Feature Films
Villain Protagonist
Arc Words
Deadpan Snarker
Informed Ability
Random Events Plot
Jerk Jock
Author Appeal
Punny Name
Dissonant Serenity
Sir Swears-a-Lot
Bound and Gagged
Insistent Terminology
The Vamp
Rated M for Manly
Dogged Nice Guy
"Awesome McCool" Name
Bavarian Fire Drill
Costume Porn
Disproportionate Retribution
French Films
Bi the Way
Drugs Are Bad
Animal Title Index
Sealed Evil in a Can
Anti-Hero
Henpecked Husband
Would Hurt a Child
Made of Explodium
Laughing Mad
Married to the Job
From Nobody to Nightmare
Lock and Load Montage
The Mafia
The Load
Dark Action Girl
Corpsing
Hollywood Law
The '50s
Drill Sergeant Nasty
Retired Badass
Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism
Villainous Breakdown
Artistic License Geography
Drowning My Sorrows
Apocalypse How
Morality Pet
The Reveal
Sequel Hook
Fantastic Racism
Captain Ersatz
Truth in Television
A Father to His Men
Greater-Scope Villain
Dirty Old Man
She's Got Legs
Age Lift
Air-Vent Passageway
Chewing the Scenery
Ms. Fanservice
Faux Affably Evil
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds
Conspicuous CG
Be Careful What You Wish For
Off-into-the-Distance Ending
Cool Old Lady
Put on a Bus
Twist Ending
Bring My Brown Pants
In Medias Res
Suspiciously Specific Denial
Took a Level in Badass
Disguised in Drag
Daylight Horror
Smug Snake
Pyrrhic Victory
Fun with Acronyms
Karma Houdini
The Sociopath
Big-Bad Ensemble
Ripped from the Headlines
Antagonist Title
Psycho for Hire
Cruel and Unusual Death
Damsel in Distress
Leitmotif
Biopic
The Musical
Adapted Out
The Alleged Car
Shout-Out
Kill 'em All
Evil Plan
Those Two Guys
Empathic Environment
Creepy Child
Shower Scene
Serial Killer
Covers Always Lie
The Power of Love
She Cleans Up Nicely
Four-Temperament Ensemble
Slasher Smile
Product Placement
Babies Ever After
Sports Stories
Eye Scream
Action Survivor
Stylistic Suck
The Lancer
Flashback
Belligerent Sexual Tension
Insane Troll Logic
Homage
Dressing as the Enemy
What Happened to the Mouse?
Freudian Excuse
Department of Redundancy Department
Defiant to the End
Implacable Man
Due to the Dead
The Dreaded
Five-Man Band
Love at First Sight
Shoot the Shaggy Dog
Film Series
Suspiciously Similar Substitute
Kubrick Stare
Good Is Not Nice
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing
Lampshade Hanging
Pay Evil unto Evil
Advertised Extra
Rule of Cool
Thriller
Skewed Priorities
The Remake
Dumb Blonde
The Bad Guy Wins
Hero of Another Story
Mighty Whitey
Important Haircut
Accidental Misnaming
Scary Black Man
Crazy-Prepared
20 Minutes into the Future
Amoral Attorney
Psychopathic Manchild
Beauty Is Never Tarnished
Foregone Conclusion
FaceHeel Turn
Foreshadowing
The Place
The Ghost
BrotherSister Incest
Made of Iron
Handicapped Badass
Gainax Ending
I Need a Freaking Drink
Villain with Good Publicity
Bland-Name Product
Boom, Headshot!
Determinator
Big Damn Heroes
Freeze-Frame Bonus
Affectionate Parody
Our Zombies Are Different
Creator Cameo
Funny Background Event
The Hero Dies
Manchild
Large Ham
Mythology Gag
From Bad to Worse
Friend to All Children
Monumental Damage
Death by Adaptation
Fanservice Extra
Obstructive Bureaucrat
Properly Paranoid
Outrun the Fireball
Horror Films
Pun
aka: Incredibly Lame Pun
Fiery Redhead
Throwing Your Sword Always Works
Martial Arts Movie
Downer Ending
Punctuated! For! Emphasis!
Serious Business
The '60s
The '80s
Really Gets Around
Market-Based Title
Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer
Dramedy
An Aesop
Neck Lift
Affably Evil
Crazy Jealous Guy
Big Applesauce
Earn Your Happy Ending
Break the Cutie
Everyone Has Standards
Hypocritical Humor
Sole Survivor
Italian Films
Improvised Weapon
Match Cut
Dirty Cop
Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday
Awesome, but Impractical
Genre Shift
Taking the Bullet
Superhero
Jerkass Has a Point
The Voiceless
Mind Screw
Major Injury Underreaction
Paper-Thin Disguise
Cassandra Truth
Agony of the Feet
Spell My Name with an "S"
Beard of Evil
Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy
Epic Movie
As You Know
What You Are in the Dark
Soft Glass
Butt-Monkey
Not Using the "Z" Word
Establishing Character Moment
Gender Flip
Pimped-Out Dress
Combat Pragmatist
Soundtrack Dissonance
Idiot Ball
Improbable Aiming Skills
Diabolus ex Machina
Hate Sink
Badass Normal
Storming the Castle
Badass Longcoat
Poor Communication Kills
The Cavalry
Crucified Hero Shot
Protagonist Title
Vampire Fiction
Romantic Comedy
Arch-Enemy
Whole Plot Reference
Mooks
Closed Circle
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy
Stuff Blowing Up
Pragmatic Adaptation
Line-of-Sight Name
Instant Death Bullet
Fingore
Annoying Younger Sibling
Fatal Flaw
Get Out!
Not Quite Dead
Fourth Date Marriage
Aww, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other
Race Lift
Obviously Evil
Pragmatic Villainy
Motor Mouth
Punch-Clock Villain
Groin Attack
Red Shirt
Early-Bird Cameo
The Dog Bites Back
Mexican Standoff
Real Life
The Alcoholic
Calling the Old Man Out
Evil Is Petty
Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique
Meet Cute
Straight Gay
Ambiguous Ending
"Well Done, Son!" Guy
How We Got Here
Femme Fatale
Almost Kiss
Anyone Can Die
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good
Big Bad Duumvirate
Abhorrent Admirer
Rule of Three
Badass in a Nice Suit
Meaningful Background Event
Say My Name
Overly Long Gag
Recap /
RiffTrax
aka: Riff Trax Movies
Plot Hole
Politically Incorrect Villain
Totally Radical
Broken Aesop
Black Best Friend
Evil Brit
Noodle Incident
Bait-and-Switch
Evil Is Hammy
Eureka Moment
Accidental Murder
Training Montage
Ascended Extra
Chase Scene
Index of Film Westerns
I Did What I Had to Do
Ass Shove
Face Death with Dignity
Credits Gag
Spiritual Successor
Historical Hero Upgrade
Wounded Gazelle Gambit
Science Fiction Films
Redshirt Army
Not Even Bothering with the Accent
Badass Bookworm
timeperiod
Chiaroscuro
Fan Disservice
As the Good Book Says...
Cold-Blooded Torture
Grey and Gray Morality
Death by Sex
Camera Abuse
Unresolved Sexual Tension
Adaptational Attractiveness
As Himself
Never My Fault
Nice Hat
Meaningful Name
The Brute
Gorn
Fire-Forged Friends
Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping
Hoist by His Own Petard
Honor Before Reason
Madness Mantra
MacGuffin
Parental Substitute
Killed Mid-Sentence
An Axe to Grind
The '70s
No Name Given
Stealth Pun
Dark Reprise
Adaptational Badass
All There in the Manual
Slasher Movie
Heroic Sacrifice
Documentary
Bloodier and Gorier
Big Brother Instinct
Together in Death
Adaptational Villainy
Shell-Shocked Veteran
Dutch Angle
Reality Has No Subtitles
Manly Tears
Fake Shemp
Horror Comedy
Zombie Stories
Tap on the Head
Depraved Bisexual
Stalker with a Crush
Men Are the Expendable Gender
Lighter and Softer
MayDecember Romance
Riddle for the Ages
It Can Think
Only a Flesh Wound
Show Within a Show
Stepford Smiler
Beware the Nice Ones
Artistic License Physics
Black Comedy
Woman Scorned
The Stoner
Jerkass
One-Word Title
Take That!
Non-Indicative Name
Well-Intentioned Extremist
The Chessmaster
Fainting
Contrived Coincidence
Kick the Son of a Bitch
BFG
Jerk with a Heart of Gold