Research

Researching the Thriller Genre & Conventions...

Definition - 'A thriller provides the sudden rush of emotions, excitement, sense of suspense and exhilaration that drive the narrative, sometimes subtly with peaks and lulls, sometimes at a constant, breakneck pace thrills. In this genre, the objective is to deliver a story with sustained tension, surprise, and a constant sense of impending doom. It keeps the audience cliff-hanging at the "edge of their seats" as the plot builds towards a climax. Thrillers tend to be fast-moving, psychological and threatening, and they will have chase scenes, and at times involve larger-scale villainy such as espionage, terrorism and conspiracy, alongside action.'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(genre)

Themes & Characters - The main themes and characters within a thriller film often depend on which sub-genre the film falls into.

• Crime Thriller - Captivity, ransom, kidnappings and revenge.
• Mystery Thriller - Investigations & the whodunit technique.
• Psychological Thriller - Mind Games, stalking, confinement & obsession.
• Spy Thriller - Threats to countries, gadgets/technology & assassins.
• Action Thriller - Violence, race against the clock & an obvious antagonist.

Other themes include terrorism, political conspiracy, pursuit, or romantic triangles leading to murder. Characters include criminals, stalkers, assassins, innocent victims, characters with deep dark pasts, agents, terrorists and cops.

Thriller Conventions:

Thriller films tend to be adrenaline rushing and fast-paced. Red herrings, plot twists and cliff hangers are used extensively as them main aim for a thriller film is to keep the audience alert and on the edge of their seats. The protagonist in these films is set against a problem (an escape, mission or mystery), and will always emphasise the danger the protagonist faces. The tension continues to build throughout the film and will lead to a highly stressful climax near the end of the film. Many thriller films tend to be combined with the action or horror genres.

The most common conventions of a thriller film are:

• Task/Mission
• Tension building music (often including theme track)
• Quick cuts during editing
• Low key lighting during tense scenes (often in horror thrillers)
• Shadows
• Victims (male or female)
• Heroes & Villains
• Backing Sounds - both diegetic & non-diegetic