Thriller conventions

Thriller conventions

• 1.
  Thriller Conventions
• 2.
  What is athriller film?  This genre relies on anticipation and suspense to keep the audience hooked and on the edge of their seats. The protagonist faces a problem which causes tension throughout the film and leads to a highly stressful climax.  The thriller is designed to make the audience scared and feel relatable to the protagonist. The antagonist is often seeking revenge and may have a hidden identity which the audience uncovers throughout the film.
• 3.
  There are 6sub-genres of thriller:  Action thriller  Crime thriller  Film-noir  Psychological thriller  Science fiction thriller  Religious thriller
• 4.
  Specific Conventions  Quickcuts  Low key lighting  Tension music  Shadows  Changes in the angles of shots  Diegetic sound – breathing  Black and white shots  Montage of shots  Protagonist at mercy of antagonist
• 5.
  Cinematography  Close upsand extreme close ups on protagonist to show emotions  Mirrors used to reflect soul of characters  Close ups/extreme close ups used to focus on props to aid the narrative  Quick cuts from antagonist to hide their identity  Silhouette shots of antagonist
• 6.
  Editing  Jump cutsaid the narrative even if they don’t seem important to the audience at the time  Cross cutting builds suspense with quick cuts and obtrusive editing  Montages can create disorientation of time and space in climactic scenes  Flashbacks are also used to add to the confusion and give an isight into the characters pasts.
• 7.
  Sound  Music addssuspense and tension to the film as well as hinting at the mood of characters  It often starts off slow in pace and builds up, therefore making the shots seem more dramatic to the audience  Sound effects can also be used to mimic things such as gun shots or breathing which makes the audience feel closer to the main characters which keeps them interested
• 8.
  Mise en Scene Location establishes theme  Lighting is often low key  Antagonist often has a dark costume  Protagonist often has everyday clothes ensuring the audience relates to them  Make up can be used to show genre