What is a thriller film? Miss G & H

What is a thriller film?

1. Define and explain what the codes and conventions are? Thriller films focus mainly on editing and sound. Editing in thriller tend to be fast paced and quick cuts. This is to create a sense of tension and suspense. Tension is very important when it comes to a thriller. The colours black and white are also conventions of a thriller, as they bring a more dark and sister feel  to the movie. Shadows and lighting are also conventions, they are exxagerated by the use of the colours black and white. In thrillers, mirrors and stairs are used quite often, mostly used in psychological thrillers. This all relates to the iconography of thrillers such as: shadows, and confined spaces, bars on windows and street lamps.

The codes generally are fast paced and the camera angle changes whihc reinforces that extra tension and mystery to the thriller. Thrillers usually have a great deal of action, for example in 'HITHCOCKS 'PSYCHO'. Thrillers can be very dramtic even when they focus on someones mind, mainly in the psychological thriller.

A thriller is Something that thrills, especially a suspenseful, sensational genre of film a fast-paced, high stakes crime story in which the protagonist is generally in danger at every turn, with the most danger coming in the final confrontation with the antagonist.

There are certain elements to a thriller that help distinguish them from other similar genres such as surprises and twist anything that is able to engage the audience and plays with their mind. Music is always essential it helps to build up tension and the use of lighting helps to create shadows which gives the thriller that mystery.

We normally see a huge part of the thriller from the killer’s point of view which allows the thriller to be more menacing. There is also a lot of continuity editing and montage sequencing to help pass time and not elongate the storyline. There are so a lot of flashbacks to help clarify and develop the story. These are all use to keep the audience interested and constantly make them think.

Mise-en-Scène contains a few important elements which help add thriller to films and also help to add suspense as well. Lighting such as colour design has to be dark to help give the film a gloomy mood and helps to make the audience feel more suspense towards the film. Another thing which also makes the opening off a thriller stick to its thrilling genre is props, as in thriller films there is a lot of sharp objects and weapons like glass, knives, guns etc….In films such as Train-spotting, they use props such as drugs, needles and fags, to show that the characters are druggies and to show the audience what type of personality each character has.


2. How does the opening sequence help to define the genre?

Saw is a conventional thriller film as it follows the codes and conventions of a typical thriller. In the clip the two characters are forced to cut themselves and who ever cuts themselves more, stays alive. The iconography used in the scene highlights to the audience how tense the situation is, as there are knives and axes, this shows the audience that the characters are in a difficult situation and makes the audience feel sorry for the characters. We see the female character seconds away from dying but then she cuts her arm of and puts it on the weighing scale, this results in the man dieing and shocks the audience as the bolts on his head are pierced into his head.