Thriller film convention

What is a thriller film?

A thriller has mystery and suspense, it makes the audience think what is

going to happen next and keeps them guessing on the edge of their seats. A thriller takes the audience on a roller

‘coaster ride’ where it builds up emotion and then a release.

Thriller conventionMost thrillers start off with a normal, happy beginning however

when you get to know the main characters Things usually go wrong and you begin to suspect and conjecture what is going on.

You might have characters that pose a threat. Also there are lots of twist and mystery to the story and therefore this allows the audience questioning to themselves.

There are lots of enigma codes put in, this is when a scene is put in to make the audience think of a question such as why did he do that? Or who did it? The thriller builds tension up using different effects.

For example they might use sad music this is called (non– dietetic sound) or the sound of thunder to build the suspense up slowly which is (dietetic sound). Therefore this makes the audience frighten for the character, and it makes the audience worried what if something happens to the character.

What are the genre signifiers?

• These are signs that point to the type of film. In thriller films it would have lots of enigma codes and mystery like for example heavy breathing, or a mystery call from no where. There are some sounds effects that possible can make the audience question or wonder such as foot steps, a window smashing, or a character weeping. All of those effects make the audience questioning themselves and it makes it apprehension.

How do they show the setting and characters?

• The way they show the setting in a thriller film would be taken scenes in old fashion looking school or places in a city or town. for example like London eye or a mystery looking place such as an unknown office.

• These setting grab audience tension because of the way the

scenes is set out and the way it looks. For instance it might have colours to emphasis the meanings for example blue; black, grey. Those colours in the setting might represent mystery and thriller Therefore this makes the audience to encourage watching the film.

The way they show the characters in thriller film is by showing how intense and how mysterious they are. Therefore it makes the audience want to know more about them.

What sort of characters do they have?

• The sort of characters in a thriller film would be characters such as protagonist this means the main character in the film and the one that has to face the threat of the enemy in the film. This builds up more tension and suspense to the audience.

• However the antagonist character is the one who brings up the treat or danger to the protagonist character which the character that has to deal with the fear in the film. This makes the film more emotional and confusing to the audience because it will make them think and wonder what might happen next.

What sort of music/sound do they use?

• The sort of music or sound thriller films uses is sometime emotional sounds like for example a piano playing when a character is crying and upset. This makes the audience drawn their tension to the scene because of the sound effect. This makes it sound more attention-grabbing and affective.

• Also this can be know as a (non– dietetic sound) this refers that the sound is played by an instrument which makes the sound effect more non-dietetic.

• However sometime in thriller films they use mystery sounds for example a thunder or a lightning from the sky. This makes it more exciting and very tension grabbing to the audience because it makes them wonder what’s happening. However this sound effect is known has (dietetic sound) because it’s more pragmatic and real.

How do they show narrative?

• The way they show the narrative in a thriller film is by showing different scenes. For example they might show the beginning then after there might be different parts of mystery plots of the film. Such as the beginning might be cheerful and ordinary after that there might be scenes of mystery and crisis.

• However in some mystery scenes they sometimes show the enemy which is the antagonist character who tries to threat the protagonist character who will be fighting against the enemy.

• This builds up tension of the thriller film, because of the mystification and the shocking moments in the film.

What is the editing like?• The editing is like they try to create suspense or build up

tensions by having sound effects or music as this is important in the film and in trailers. However at the beginning is always calm and normal after it builds up mystery and suspense by showing show all the mystery and nervous parts of the film The reason for this is that as it create tension it makes the audience to watch it more or be more engaged with the trailer. In trailers they show quick clips because they don't want it to be boring but want to show short clips of the film as this will give the audience a clear idea of the film .