 The starting point for the script was the ensemble cast of friends and previous collaborators Jarmusch had conceived characters for , while the tripartite formal structure of the film was inspired by his study of literary forms . Cinematographer Robby Müller and musician John Lurie were among the many contributors who had been involved in earlier Jarmusch projects and returned to work on the film . Mystery Train 's US $ 2 @.@ 8 million budget ( financed by Japanese conglomerate JVC ) was considerable compared to what the director had enjoyed before , and allowed him the freedom to rehearse many unscripted background scenes . It was the first of Jarmusch 's feature films to depart from his trademark black @-@ and @-@ white photography , though the use of color was tightly controlled to conform with the director 's intuitive sense of the film 's aesthetic . 
