Conventions of Thriller
What is a Thriller?
A Thriller film is a genre that revolves around anticipation and suspense. The aim for Thrillers is to keep the audience alert and on the edge of their seats. The leading character/s in these films is set against a problem – an escape, a mission, or a mystery. Thriller films have many sub genres. These sub genres include action-adventure thrillers, romantic thrillers, psychological thrillers, conspiracy thrillers, crime thrillers and so on.
It is important for us to understand the conventions of a thriller so that we can apply conventions of thriller to our short thriller film.
Conspiracy Thriller
Psychological Thriller
Crime Thriller
What is a Horror?
Horror films are unsettling films designed to frighten and panic, cause dread and alarm, and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time in a cathartic experience. Horror films have few sub genres. These sub genres include action horror, science fiction horror, comedy horror and so on.
Science Fiction Horror
Action Horror
Comedy Horror
What is the difference?
People tend to get confused between the Horror and Thriller genre, so it's important to identify what both of them are and what the difference between them is, in order to understand the Thriller genre. A Thriller film uses suspense, tension and excitement as the main elements of the film. In a Thriller film, there is an atmosphere of violence, crime, corruption, danger and murder. A Thriller film uses literary devices like plot twists, red herrings and cliffhangers to help create this atmosphere. However, a horror film uses blood, gore and a supernatural nature as the main elements of the film. In a Horror film, there is an atmosphere of terror, panic, and an evil nature. Horror films use scary music, paranormal activities and different camera shots/angles to help create this atmosphere.
Thriller Expectations
There are many expectations of thriller films. The audience generally expect suspense, tension and excitement. These are the main elements of thriller films. There is generally an atmospher of menace, violence, crime and murder, and society is seen as dark, corrupt and dangerous. Other codes and conventions of thriller films include typical hero and villian characters (e.g. in the film 'The Dark Knight' there is Batman, who is the hero, and the Joker, who is the villian). Some people from the audience of thriller films generally expect psychotic indiviuals to be one of the main characters in Thriller films.
Narrative techniques used in Thriller films
There are many narrative techniques used in thriller films. These narrative teachniques are:
- Plot twists/turns
- Multiple lines of action
- Flashbacks
- Narrative retardation
- Red herrings
- Chases/pursuits
- Misdirection
- Deadlines
- Princple of concealment
- Mysterious characters
- Morally complex characters
- Making the audience work
By Skye Smith
Narrative techniques defintions
Red Herring: a clue or piece of information, which is or is intended to be misleading or distracting.
Pathetic Fallacy: Weather signifies the mood of the narrative eg. Raining signifies gloomy, a storm signifies something bad will happen.
Climax: the most intense, exciting, or important point of something; the culmination.
Omen: Anything perceived or happening that is believed to foreshadow a good or evil event or circumstances in the future. E.g. a crow signifies evil/death.
Narrative: a spoken or written account of connected events; a story.
Foreshadows: To show or indicate beforehand.
Tension: the state of being stretched tight.
By Nya Browne
Main codes and conventions of Thriller
-Low key lighting/set at night
-Quick cuts
-Shadows
-Blood
-Screaming
-Tension music
-Heavy Breathing
-Black and White shots
-Brave male/hero
-Zombies,Killers etc
-Mirrors
-big stairs
-Flashbacks
-Montage editing
-Violence
-Murder/Crime
-Tension/suspense
-Busy streets
-Usually urban environment
Omens:
-Scarecrow
-Black cat
-Broken mirrors
-Crying
-Innocent characters
-Pathetic fallacy
-Lose of time
-Young children
-Alcohol
-mentally ill characters
-Hospitals
-Police
-Scars
-Flashing lights
-Blood on floor
Lowkey lighting, or the movie being set at night is very common in thrillers or horrors because it gives the audience a thrill and a shock as everything is scarier at night time or in the dark because you cant see everything so you dont know what to expect. Also the music crescendo brings tension too, giving away to the audience that something is going to occur. Heavy breathing, screaming, crying etc are all created by the actors but make the audience feel nervous or scared as they can put themselves in the actors shoes and feel like it is them in the movie. A murder or a crime scene is very common in a thriller because it gives the audience or a mystery for the audience to figure out.
Omens such as a black cat or broken mirrors are very common in thrillers because cats and broken mirrors symbolise bad luck which tells the audience something bad is going to happpen,
By understanding these key codes and conventions that are used in thriller movies, i started thinking of what conventions i would like to include in our short film so that the audience can clearly understand the genre of our film. we came up with a broken glass with red wine which could symbolise bad luck and blood all at once.
By Lolita Lind