Conventions Research For The Genre 'Thriller'.

What is a ‘thriller’?

The genre of ‘thriller’ has an exciting plot that creates anticipation, tension and suspense. The purpose of the genre to make sure the audience are always on the edge of their seat by using cliff hangers for example, along with many more conventions to keep them entertained and interested in the film. It evokes tension as well as excitement which are highlighted elements for this genre as these are its most known qualities.

Name Of Clip: Silence Of The Lambs. This clip is the first meeting of the characters of Hannibal Lecter (Serial Killer) and Claire Starling (Training FBI Agent). The clips shows conventions of a thriller genre as the lighting is low key which could connate the dark emotions of Hannibal. In the background you can hear eerie music and silence. The background soundtrack is what you would typically expect from a thriller as it creates anxiety and tension for the audience. We expect lots of close ups in a thriller to show the emotion of the characters which makes us as an audience understand how they are feeling and also shows their reactions to what is happening in the narrative.

Name Of Clip: The Bourne Identity.  Pathetic fallacy is used in the clip as the weather is stormy which could hint to the audience that something in the narrative is going to change which is a convention of the thriller genre as the director tries to keep the audience on their toes. The soundtrack is a high pitched crescendo with lightning in the background which creates a tense atmosphere for the audience. The person on the table has holes in their back which looks like bullet holes. This is a convention of the thriller genre as fighting sequences are what we expect to see at some point in the film.

Name Of Clip: The Hunger Games. The sound in the clip is a bong of a drum which slowly starts to get louder to build the tension and suspense for this audience. The bonging of the drum is to the rhythm of a heart beating which makes the audience feel like their heart is beating faster. The use of weapons in this clip is a convention of the thriller genre as we as an audience expect violence and fighting during the scenes. The editing of the clip is fast paced, short takes and fast cuts. This makes the audience feel like there is more violence than there actually is. It also creates anticipation for the audience as they want the protagonist to be the winner of the fight which is a convention of the genre as stereotypically they beat the antagonist.

Name Of Clip: Shutter Island. The clip features lots of shadows which is a typical convention of the thriller genre as they make the audience anxious as they cannot identify whose shadows they are. They also create an eerie atmosphere as we associate shadows as being scary as we as an audience as uncertain of the character. The tracking movement of the camera is used in this clip to make the audience feel uneasy as they feel surrounded. This is a typical feeling that the director wants the audience to feel. The dialogue in the clip is a convention of the genre as the characters talk about topics such as conspiracy and politics. This creates a mind game and puzzles the audience.

Name Of Clip: Seven. There are many different conventions used in this clip from the 1995 film ‘Seven’. There are frequent changes in camera shots and angles which is a convention of genre. This makes the clip have more action and implies chaos and violence. A low angled shot is used numerous times during this clip when there is a character with a weapon such as a gun as this connotes power and authority. This is a common shot type used in thrillers as it gives the audience clear information about who is the leader and most important person in the clip.

 

After my research I found out that a thriller has many various conventions that help an audience to identity the specific genre such as costume, setting, lighting and soundtrack. The costume usually wore by the characters is dark which reflects the genre as there is normally a dark twist in the narrative. The costume helps build the narrative of the thriller which will then give the audience hints to what will happen. The setting of a thriller is usually an abandoned or creepy place to build the suspense and anticipation of the audience. For example Shutter Island is set on an island that has a psychiatric prison. This makes the audience feel tension which is what the director wants as they know that the type of people who are in a psychiatric prison are mentally ill. The soundtrack has an eerie undertone to it when watching a thriller as this creates excitement and suspense for the audience. The lighting is dark and dull in the thriller genre as it makes the audience feel on edge. The lack of light in the footage creates shadows which makes the audience feel anxious when watching the film. This eerie soundtrack is featured in most of the thrillers as this is a stereotypical convention. The Hunger Games uses sound to make the audience feel excited and tense as they use the bong of a drum to reflect a heart beating. This is a common way of creating suspense as the audience’s heart beat mirrors the bong of the drum.