Code and Conventions
Lighting
Low key lighting is also common in the Thriller genre as it helps create a dark and mysterious atmosphere, making almost impossible for the audience to figure out what is going to happen next. This is can also add to the environment making the scenes more effective. Sometimes lighting is used only on the characters face to also highlight emotion, once again adding to the suspense of the scene and allowing the audience to put themselves into the character's perspective. |
Storylines
A thriller film is a genre that revolves around anticipation and suspense. The aim of a thriller film is to keep the audience alert, on the edge and curious about what is about to happen. The protagonist in these films is set against a problem - for example, a kidnap, a mission, an escape or a mystery. No matter what the sub-genre a thriller film falls into, it will emphasize the danger that the protagonist faces. The tension with the main problem is built on throughout the film and leads to a highly successful climax.
In a thriller film, life itself is threatened , usually because the character is unsuspectingly or unknowingly involved in a dangerous or potentially deadly situation. Also, the plots of thrillers involve characters which come into conflict with each other. Lastly, most often, the point of narrative will be from the hero’s perspective, and the perpetrators of the crime will be portrayed as the villain.
If a film follows the aspects of murders, stalking, robbery and police chases in its storyline, then it would most likely be a Crime thriller. Crime thrillers often show the action of the crime rather than the mental state of the characters and victims. In a crime thriller, the crime that is committed is usually solved at the end of the movie and the end of the film is linked back to the beginning.
The heroes in thrillers are often men that are accustomed to danger in their jobs of lifestyle (e.g spies, policemen) or are ordinary citizens that have been pulled into danger by accident. The hero is usually a male that has an aim to defeat the evil of the situation and will persevere even if nothing is going according to plan. It is also usually from the point of view of the protagonist.
Skyfall (2012) is a spy thriller and is a film that follows the conventions of a thriller genre. The film consists of conflict and violence as well as a protagonist which is James bond, that the director (Sam Mendes) portrays as a hero. This type of sub genre focuses on missions or adventures of agents either in the office or out on the field. Skyfall follows this convention as the storyline focuses on the agent, James Bond’s, and his mission. In movies with a spy thriller genre, often if the main character fails, there is almost always the chance that evil will take over or that a war will take place. For example, in Skyfall James Bond's latest assignment goes wrong causing a turn of evil events, such as the M16 being attacked. Also, politics is often a aspect normally involved in a Spy thriller, which is either governments or organisations. For example, in Skyfall, when the undercover agents around the world are exposed, M (Judi Dench) has to turn to one of her agent she can trust, James bond. The movies continues to follow his mission as he takes his field agent, Naomie, and follows a trail to Silvia, a man from A’s past who wants to settle an old issue.
In 1928, one of the earliest spy thriller movies were created. This film was called “Spies” and was made by Fritz Lang - this film helped towards the making of the James Bond movies.
In a thriller film, life itself is threatened , usually because the character is unsuspectingly or unknowingly involved in a dangerous or potentially deadly situation. Also, the plots of thrillers involve characters which come into conflict with each other. Lastly, most often, the point of narrative will be from the hero’s perspective, and the perpetrators of the crime will be portrayed as the villain.
If a film follows the aspects of murders, stalking, robbery and police chases in its storyline, then it would most likely be a Crime thriller. Crime thrillers often show the action of the crime rather than the mental state of the characters and victims. In a crime thriller, the crime that is committed is usually solved at the end of the movie and the end of the film is linked back to the beginning.
The heroes in thrillers are often men that are accustomed to danger in their jobs of lifestyle (e.g spies, policemen) or are ordinary citizens that have been pulled into danger by accident. The hero is usually a male that has an aim to defeat the evil of the situation and will persevere even if nothing is going according to plan. It is also usually from the point of view of the protagonist.
Skyfall (2012) is a spy thriller and is a film that follows the conventions of a thriller genre. The film consists of conflict and violence as well as a protagonist which is James bond, that the director (Sam Mendes) portrays as a hero. This type of sub genre focuses on missions or adventures of agents either in the office or out on the field. Skyfall follows this convention as the storyline focuses on the agent, James Bond’s, and his mission. In movies with a spy thriller genre, often if the main character fails, there is almost always the chance that evil will take over or that a war will take place. For example, in Skyfall James Bond's latest assignment goes wrong causing a turn of evil events, such as the M16 being attacked. Also, politics is often a aspect normally involved in a Spy thriller, which is either governments or organisations. For example, in Skyfall, when the undercover agents around the world are exposed, M (Judi Dench) has to turn to one of her agent she can trust, James bond. The movies continues to follow his mission as he takes his field agent, Naomie, and follows a trail to Silvia, a man from A’s past who wants to settle an old issue.
In 1928, one of the earliest spy thriller movies were created. This film was called “Spies” and was made by Fritz Lang - this film helped towards the making of the James Bond movies.
Location
Media Language
Mise-en-Scene
Mise-en-Scene is essentially everything the audience will see or expect to see within a particular genre, in this case “Thriller”.
Lighting:
Lighting can play a key element within a film and it can help make a scene much more realistic. The use of lighting allows a mood and atmosphere to be created according to what’s happening in the scene. Thrillers conventionally use low-key lighting in order to create a dark or sombre atmosphere. It allows a mysterious atmosphere to be created whilst creating suspense. Furthermore, it creates tension as the audience are unaware of what could be happening in the surrounding of the character. Sometimes some objects or characters could be lit within a scene with low-key lighting. This effect highlights its importance to the audience and also is a technique used to allow the audience to focus their attention on it. It also allows the audience to feel the emotions that the character is going through. |
Colour:
Colour is also very important, as colours are associated with different emotions and thoughts. Therefore, colour used in the Thriller genre is very specific because the genre is also very specific. Colours like black, grey and red are used as they are all dark colours and have the connotations of blood, crime and mystery, a few of the many elements commonly found in the Thriller Genre. |
Costume & Make-Up:
Costume & Make-Up are used within a film to allow characters to fit a certain role even better. It allows the characters to seem more lifelike. If the film isn’t believable then it won’t have much of an impact on the audience. Typically, in the thriller genre, actors and actresses will be wearing not as much makeup to appear less glamorous giving the film a realistic look allowing the audience to relate it to everyday life. This technique adds to the thrill in the film, as the film seems to be set in the real world. |
Camera
In the Thriller Genre most of the camera shots are either to make someone look vulnerable, to show expression or to build up suspense.
Birds Eye View:
This is shot is commonly used or replaced with a high angle shot. The shot is used to make characters seem completely powerless and vulnerable. This shots allows characters to feel the feeling of being powerless putting the audience in place of the character allowing them to engage in the film and feel the thrill as much as possible, exactly what the filmmakers are trying to achieve. |
Close Up:
Close ups are used a lot in the Thriller genre so that the audience has a better understanding of what the character is feeling at that point in time. It allows the audience to see emotions and reactions on the actors and actresses faces. In a thriller film, commonly a reaction would be seen with a close up but we don’t see what the reaction is to. This builds mystery and suspense and making the audience feeling uncomfortable. |
Tracking:
Tracking shots are often used in the thriller genre. They are used very effectively to show to the audience that the character is being followed or watched upon. This creates a feeling of unease for the audience. It is also sometimes used to show where the character is and the setting. Doing it effectively with cause questions to arise within the audience as to where the characters going or what’s going to happen. |
Sound
In any genre of film sound plays a significant role as it builds a mood to fit in with the characters emotions and the surrounding environment. In a thriller film sound and music is essential. In a thriller film sound effects will be used all the time to make the scene feel more dramatic and abnormal. Music is also used, often slow paced to build tension and make an environment as lifeless as possible. Sometimes the sound will build up and turn from slow to dramatic essentially to build the tension within the audience that something is about to happen.
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Editing
Obstructive Editing:
This is a technique commonly used in thriller films in order to create suspense and allows the audience to question the scene making them eager to continue watching. This technique is using quick shots, so their lots of quick shots put into a montage form. This techniques builds tension and also creates time disorientation confusing the audience and giving it the feeling that what's happening in the scene is not normal and conveys a sense of urgency. This technique is best used when lots of action is taking place and there's more than one perspective to see. Camera techniques like close ups, tilted shots and hand-held camera add to the sense of urgency ultimately building the dramatic tension being created. |
Character Types
Female character:
Male protagonist (E.g police officer, undercover agent) Male antagonist Villain A convention of a thriller includes the common male protagonist, the protagonist of often a brave male who seeks to fight evil. For example, in the spy thriller Skyfall, James Bond is shown to be the main character and is a brave male protagonist who seeks to fight evil. The antagonist may have a hidden identity that the audience will uncover as the film progresses. Often the antagonist goes out for revenge from a past event just like Skyfall when the antagonist, Silvia, was revealed at the end of the film and this uncovered that he waned to get revenge from ‘M’ about the past. The villains in the thrillers are also typically men, usually tall and/or well-built, and with a shady sense around them that gives the impress that they shouldn’t be trusted. This character may have some physical deformity or a traumatic experience that has changed their outlook on life or humanity. The villain in a thriller film may even have a hidden identity for the majority of the film. Female roles are often innocent and helpless until her help is needed and usually becomes the saviour of the hero and supports them just like the Bond girl, Eve Moneypenney supported James Bond on his missions in Skyfall. |
Costume
Conventionally, most characters will appear smartly dressed/well dressed. For example, in James bond movies characters usually appear in suits. This is important as it helps establish the role of the characters within the film, as well as showing their personality and role. It also helps the audience understand the storyline. For example, James bond in Skyfall is wearing a suit along with the guy that has captured him, showing that they are both powerful characters although they are conflicting characters.
Costumes are also important because they help distinguish the differences between the characters and their roles. Se7ven (1995) is also a thriller film that is shown to follow the conventions of the genre through their costumes and use of characters. They have two powerful characters, shown through their costume as they are dressed well in suits and also the props as one of them is holding a gun and shown to be in charge as he is arresting someone, whereas the man in the middle has chains around him showing he is in a vulnerable situation. The difference in their clothing in this shot helps to establish that the man dressed in a orange t-shirt and trousers is a criminal and is a powerless character, whereas the two men beside him are a figure of authority and are powerful. This follows the convention of a thriller film because there is a protagonist in this shot as well as a criminal. The setting or location that the film is set in which cause the dress to change. In James Bond movies characters usually appear in suits whereas in the film memento, the main character mainly wears a shirt with the top button undone with smart pants, appearing scruffy, therefore achieving a casual look. |
THEMES
The main theme of a thriller is often based around something that is happening in society in that current time and is a lot of what society thinks about and is worried about. This can be anything from kidnapping and isolation, to terrorism.
DIRECTORS
Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock, also known as the ‘master of suspense’, is arguably one of the most famous thriller directors of all time. He entered the film industry in the 1920s and was famous for recreating his childhood events such as his mother punishing him by making him stand at the foot of her bed for several hours. This was reflected for example in a film he directed called ‘Psycho’. The release of ‘The Pleasure Garden’ in 1925 led to a thriller revolution which helped boost his career to another level, as well as providing other directors with storylines and narratives. ‘Blackmail’, another successful film was considered the first British ‘talkie’. Hitchcock left Britain in 1939 for Hollywood and soon after ‘Rebecca’ was released. It won Outstanding Production, Cinematography and two Academy Awards although nominated for 9 more.
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Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan directed some of the most famous blockbuster films in the 21st century such as ‘Batman Begins’, ‘Inception’, and ‘Insomnia’. His interest in directing began at age 7 and continued through to university where he created short films. All nine of the films that he has directed have grossed over $4.2 billion worldwide and gathered a total of 26 Oscar nominations and 7 awards. In particular, the movie ‘Inception’ starring Leonardo DiCaprio won 4 academy awards and ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ which is a sequel of ‘Batman Begins’ is one of the top 5 grossing films worldwide. Nolan is especially popular in the psychological thriller sub-genre and also known for bringing back actors from the 1980s into his early 21st century films.
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Matt Reeves
The last director is Matt Reeves who also began making movies at a very young age. At the age of 13 Reeves and J.J. Abrams aired their short films on cable TV channels available to the public. They also co-created the TV series Felicity. In 2010 Reeves won Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Feature Film for the movie he wrote and directed ‘Let Me In’. Recently, in 2015 he also won an Empire Award for Best Director for the hit film ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’. I have concluded from my research that although he doesn’t specialise in one specific genre his movies do have elements of thriller within them.
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Thriller Genre Evolution
Thriller genre has remained popular for the last 80 years started in literature in the Victorian period but it was first introduced to the film industry in the 1920s by one of the directors i have been studying, Alfred Hitchcock who created over 50 thriller movies in his time. His first silent film called ‘The Lodger’ was full of suspense and created the basic storyline that most thriller movies follow. The ‘master of suspense’ then directed the film ‘Psycho’ in 1960s which brought a change to the thriller genre as it was one of the first psychoanalytical thriller movies ever made. The 1970s and 1980s was arguably a more violent period for the film industry as Hitchcock introduced this new level of thriller in the movie ‘Frenzy’ which was rated R for explicit strangling scenes. The idea of possession that we see in movies such as ‘The Exorcist’ and ‘Paranormal Activity’ was introduced by Phillip Noyce who directed the movie ‘Dead Calm’ in 1989. Furthermore, thriller movies in the 1990’s and present day focus on ideas such as possession, obsession, and mental disorders and it is also evident that Hitchcock not only introduced the thriller genre but also the many subgenres it follows such as supernatural, psychological, mystery and action thrillers etc. Subgenres enable the director to develop the plot further and appeal to an even wider target audience.
Five Benchmark Films
Psycho (1960)
The film directed by Alfred Hitchcock is a psychological horror-thriller where a secretary goes on the run after stealing money from her boss and colleagues. It is arguably one of the most recognisable films in cinema history with explicit sex and violence scenes which were not part of the norms in society in the 1960s. In particular, Janet Leigh who was a very popular actress at the time was brutally killed in the shower scene which is famous to people who haven’t even seen the movie. This movie started off a new revolution in the film industry of introducing the idea of making a human the monster.
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Taken (2008)
The film directed by Pierre Morel is about a retired CIA agent who is on a mission to find his kidnapped daughter. This action packed thriller is famous for the quote “I will find you, and i will kill you” to all age groups e.g. teenagers on vine. This was part of a line that won the Golden Schmoes Award for ‘Best Line of The Year’. The movie also won another Golden Schmoes Award for ‘Biggest Surprise of the Year’ as the storyline was unpredictable compared to other action-thriller movies. This led to two more sequels of Taken as it did so well in Box Office.
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Seven (1995)
The film is about a retired detective and newly transferred police officer are dealing with a serial killer who is targeting people he thinks represent one of the seven deadly sins. This very successful film grossed $327 million at the box office internationally. This American neo-noir psychological thriller horror movie was directed by David Fincher, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director. Bollywood directors were so inspired by this film that they chose to recreate it in a film called ‘Samay- when time strikes’.
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Warrior has a narrative which is quite similar to the one we as a group had decided. The youngest son of an alcoholic former boxer returns home, where he's trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament - a path that puts the fighter on a collision course with his estranged, older brother. Our narrative is almost similar to this one, as we have two characters which are brothers and also have an issue between themselves. However, there is a scenario which brings the two back together and re-unite.
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The Judge follows a narrative about a family which were broken due to past issues. Moreover, the son from the family hears that his mother has passed away, the family now begins to investigate the death of her mother which had helped to bring the broken family back together like it should've been from the start. This really relates to the story line our film goes by, where a member of the family has passed away and had brought two broken brothers back together leaving their past issues behind them.
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Theories and Theorists:
G.K Chesterton
Chesterton, a british author commonly known for his thriller stories, introduced a theory in the early 1990’s called “The Transformed City”. Chesterton believed that in a thriller, an everyday urban environment is transformed through camera, editing, sound, mise-en-scene, SFX and VFX to the extraordinary.
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PASCAL BONITZER
LARS OLE SAUERBERG
This theory introduced concealment and protraction. This works to build up suspense within the films. The audience is pulled in different directions using their imagination and sense to make believe what they think will come next in accordance to what they have understood and seen so far. Concealment is used to deliberately hide elements from the audience so the audience can have a different ideas as to what’s going to happen next. Protraction is used to delay a suspected outcome in order to confused the audience as to if it will happen or make them think about another outcome. This delay causes audience to question their own thoughts and keeps the audience engaged in the film.
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