1 A multimodal analysis of burying strategies used for plot-construction purposes in BBC’s Sherlock Kristin Berberich, Nina Dumrukcic University of Heidelberg 1. Introduction The purpose of crime fiction is a well concealed mystery. Filmmakers have several tools at their disposal to hide clues and keep audiences guessing. When it comes to television series, an end of the plot might not be in sight, hence filmmakers have to keep the option open for further seasons if ratings hold up or to wrap up the concluding series finale in a satisfying manner. Due to the fact that television series rarely have a linear plot, a macro-context is crucial when determining frequently occurring burying patterns. This presupposes that producers constantly utilise burying processes for information that is yet to be revealed to the viewer in a later plot sequence. Through the usage of flashbacks or other filmic devices, producers can decide to re-iterate elements of previous plot sequences and then foreground or bury different aspects much later, which is why it is important to look at buried instances within the whole context of the series. This paper seeks to explore at what points in television series clusters of buried items occur and how these are used to keep audiences intrigued for the upcoming season and episodes. In this approach, we look at the macro-context of the series, combining qualitative and partly quantitative methods. The criteria of analysis focus on the linguistic, visual and auditory methods of burying. In our multimodal analysis, we will take into account all currently aired episodes of BBC’s Sherlock. The musical cues and colour schemes are beyond the scope of this paper and will hence be excluded. The theoretical frameworks against which the analysis shall be carried out is based on Kress and van Leeuwen Grammar of Visual Design (2006) as well as Nina Nørgaard’s work on multimodality (2010; 2014). Methods of attention manipulation as a means of burying shall also be explored; hereby we draw on Sanford and Emmott’s work (2012), which explains how processing capacities and on their cognitive limitations can be utilised by an author, for example through underspecification of an item or relying on the shallow semantic processing. Clues have to be introduced or hinted at in some way either visually or verbally so the resolution seems credible. Despite this, viewers do not always perceive the clues as what they truly are. This is a careful strategic decision by the makers of a cinematic piece known as