What makes a good thriller?A good thriller showcases intense excitement building up suspense, tension and anticipation of things to come.

The movie genre provides thrills from various circumstance accounting mysterious situations which has an enigmatic effect on audience.

A thriller usually consists of a battle between the protagonist character and the antagonist, when there is a disruption in the equilibrium. Then the story shows a chain of bad events building tension and suspense for the climax. The aim of the protagonist is to restore justice, while the antagonist seeks to destroy it.

Analysis of Thriller genre

Black Swan is a physiological thriller, directed by Darren Aronofsky, starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis. Black Swan is based on the story of Swan lake, derived from Russian Folktale. In the prologue of Black Swan; a dancer is on a bare set stage under a spotlight. The spotlight increases in brightness. One point lighting system involves using a spotlight. In Black Swan there’s a black background and a spotlight on the dancers. This creates a dream-like/hypnotic affect that engages the audience. The use of low key lighting reflects the eeriness of the thriller genre and creates tension. The fact that the dancer is surrounded by darkness creates a feeling of intimidation and imprisonment. This creates a chilling atmosphere that keeps the audience on edge. The low key lighting contrasts with the purity of the dancer’s white costume, signifying her virginity and purity. This is representative of Levi- Strauss’ concept of binary opposites (darkness vs. light and Good vs. evil). Another Archetypal reference is the female protagonist dressed in white indicating the angel concept and the male antagonist, who signifies the devil. The change of pace in the camera movement from slow/ soft to fast/unsteady indicates changing dynamic in the dance. As the antagonist enters it provokes fear in the protagonist and as a result, the unsteady/ quiver-like movement signifies the fear within the female. Lastly, the prologue of Black Swan uses thriller conventions and codes such as sharp cropping and quick cuts between scenes of high and low tension, creating suspense. The prologue also uses shadow very well through the usage of the on-stage lighting technique changing from low-key to high lights.

V for Vendetta is a 2006 Crime thriller film about a vigilante who fights against the oppressors of the world, starring Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving. In the prologue the camera zooms out of what appears to be a man speaking on the news. The camera cuts into a long shot of room, props and a person sitting down. The room seems quite antique and the main colours are burgundy, browns and blacks. The room is vaguely lit by a mirror and lamp. The lighting still remains very low-key making the room quite dark, as is the convention of the thriller drama. There is a point of view shot of inside the mask as ‘V’ puts on the mask. The view of the mask is quite thrilling and eerie and engages ,the audience. As V puts on the mask the shot then changes to a mid-shot of the character in the mirror as he places the mask on his face. This creates an enigma that keeps the audience wanting to see more. The camera pans across the room and cuts into a different room with a female character putting on lipstick in the mirror. This echoes the scene before and signifies some link between the two characters, as the camera goes to and from the scenes and both characters seem to be getting ready, i.e putting on shoes at the same time, e.t.c; The room of the female also has low key lighting, but has considerably more lighting, however still low key. This signifies that the woman is perhaps more virtuous. The camera switches between these two rooms and the tv gets louder, as both character seem to be watching the same thing.As the TV gets louder and the man on the TV says “no one escapes judgement- no one escapes the past”, along with the non-digetic sound effect of V’s dagger; this is an action code that signifies that something (disequilibrium) is about to happen. The man of the TV expresses quite radical views of certain people in society, setting the scene that is prior to world war. Both the characters turn off the TV at the same time, with he fame character exclaiming “that’s quite enough of that”.

Shutter Island is a Psychology thriller directed by Martin Scorsese. Here is a Synopsis of Shutter Island. from ‘Rotten Tomatoes’: “The implausible escape of a brilliant murderess brings U.S. Marshal played by Leonardo DiCaprio and his new partner (Mark Ruffalo) to Ashecliffe Hospital, a fortress-like insane asylum located on a remote, windswept island. The woman appears to have vanished from a locked room, and there are hints of terrible deeds committed within the hospital walls. As the investigation deepens, Teddy realizes he will have to confront his own dark fears if he hopes to make it off the island alive”. Directed by. prologue of Shutter Island begins with an establishing- wide shot of a lake. There is natural lighting, however the lighting isn't bright, but rather low key. There is also an eerie, non-digetic soundtrack, a convention of the thriller genre used to build tension. As the camera zooms into the pier; figures in black appear more prominent, signifying impending danger. There is a quick change in shots and angle from wide-establishing shot to side-long shot, as the camera pans in the direction the men are walking in. The guards seem to be control in this shot as one of the guards lead and one walks behind suggesting that either the two men may be in trouble or they are being protected. As the men walk out of the gates the guards continue to corner them . The men are both dressed in brown coats and hats, suggesting that they may be playing the role of detectives or law enforcement. No one speaks in the prologue, just like in “V for Vendetta” and “Black Swan”, indicating that this may also be a code/convention of thriller that creates suspense and tension, keeping the audience on the edge of their seat and making them want to continue watching. There are lots of quick change in camera angles and shots, which (even though the camera movement is relatively slow) makes everything seem like its happening much faster, engaging the audience. There is a long shot of guards holding rifles threateningly towards the men. The camera moves in a circular motion as POV shot, as if the guard is circling around the men. Then the other guards begin clicking their rifles, indicating that the men are about to be attacked and there is cross-cut to another scene where there is a fast-paste zoom n time with the music, as it gets more dramatic, signifying danger drawing closer. The camera zooms to follow a speeding car. Some men in dark clothes are seen going through the grass opposite which intrigues the audience. There is an overhead shot of the car and a quick cut to a mid-shot of the men in the back of the car. As they are in the car, the camera cuts to show the audience iconography such as a plaque saying “hospital- cemetery. Remember us for we too have lived, loved and laughed”. This is quite mysterious and adds to the build in tension. It is quite sinister. A master shot of the car and a tall, towering grey building can be seen and makes the scene quite dark as grey is quite a symbol of melancholy.