Reasearch-Forms and conventions

Research

Forms and conventions

Thriller: one that thrills, a sensational or suspenseful book, story, play or a movie.

Most people assume that just because thrillers are meant to thrill people that they have to be scary or horrifying that is not always the case as there are many different types of thrillers.

       Spy thrillers- James Bond

       Conspiracy thrillers- Three days of Condor

       Political thriller – The day of the Jackal

       Crime thriller –Seven

       Legal thriller- The Pelican Brief

       Erotic thriller- In the Cut

       Horror thriller – Saw

       Physiological thriller- Blue Velvet

       Supernatural thriller- The Sixth Sense

       Techno thriller- The Hunt for Red October

‘’Thriller is a genre of literature, film and television that uses suspense, tension and excitement as the main elements. The primary subgenres of thrillers are: mystery, crime and psychological thrillers.’’ Wikipedia

Most thrillers usually have plot twists, red herrings and cliff hangers this is to leave the audience wanting more also it is to shock them as well.

To make a thriller scary the Director uses conventions such as the ones listed below to make the audience think and also bring a feel of panic and suspense.

Quick cuts -eg, from the killer to the victim back to the killer this ads suspense as you are     eager to see what happens next                

Camera angles - canted angles give a spooky effect or a point of view shots to characters shoe’s so that they can emphasise them.

Use of music- the sound of a baby’s nursery rhyme in a dark abandoned house would really scare the audience or the use of silence can add to the intensity of a scene.

Lighting –most thrillers use low key lighting as it adds to the whole scary atmosphere because you are more likely to be afraid of the unknown that’s why most people are afraid of the dark because you don’t know what’s out there.

Use of shadows, mirrors and stairs – these all contribute to the atmosphere of the scene Shadows can be misleading and create an illusion and create an illusion of someone who is not there.

Most thrillers usually have an adult or a monster as the villain but because this is so common people are beginning to get bored and say that this is predictable. (There have been movies with children in it) The thrillers that usually stand out are when the villain’s turns out t be someone/ something unexpected eg.a doll (Chucky) as child (The Omen) or an animal (Black Sheep). Dolls seem so lifeless and because of that it was very shocking to see that a doll can cause murders. They are a part of day to day life people will now begin to fear them which is exactly what a Director wants. Children seem innocent and venerable which is why it is shocking when they are the villain .Also animals are the ones who are meant to be hunted by humans not the other way round which is quiet ironic and makes the thriller more interesting.

Conventions of a thriller

      Hero is at mercy of a villain – which makes the audience think all will end badly

      Cheap surprise- a unexpected action to scare the audience and bring the attention back to the piece

      False ending – to trick the audience and not make the movie predictable

      Things are made personal- giving the audience more reason to hate the villain and to empathise the hero.

       Not showing everything to the audience- this is epically clever as it forces the audience to think about the movie it allows the audience to draw their own conclusion as to what has happened. It leaves  leaving clues like enigma codes helps the audience to come to a conclusion as to what’s going to happen before the ending

Top 10 thrillers of all time

1.      The Godfather(1972)

2.      The Godfather: part II (1974)

3.      Elite Squad 2 (2010)

4.      Inception(2010)

5.      Pulp Fiction(1994)

6.      The Dark Night (2008)

7.      Goodfella’s (1990)

8.      Fight Club(1999)

9.      Rear Window(1954)

10.  Black Swan(2010)