What makes a thriller?

Narrative:How it's told. Shows story lines, paths, clues, resolutions, happy endings and events.  How they get the story from the content. The plot comes from the key events and what we actually see. Normally crime or psychological. they normally have a high amount of suspense and anticipation.

The Protagonist: The Hero of the narrative, a person in which is normally fighting for good or is trying to reveal the truth.

The Antagonist: The villain of the narrative, a person in which is against the protagonist. 

Conventional Characters:hero, villains, victims, psychotic people, terrorists and characters with dark pasts.

Editing: Pan, Tilting, cross cuts for example car chases.Jump cuts, examples flash backs. Straight cuts, for example conversation.Jump cuts are used a lot in thriller films. This is usually used to show all of the events that are actually happening, or also to remind the audience of what is going on, which builds up a bigger climax.  
 

Mise en Scene and Titles:

The lighting in thriller films is usually dark and mysterious.

The props vary from weapons in Crime Thrillers and everyday house hold objects in Psychological Thriller.

The sound in Thriller films vary from diegetic sounds (such as police car sirens, traffic and sudden loud bangs) to non-diegetic sounds (such as suspenseful music and orchestral screeches.

Costumes are not specific in Thriller films as they range from Police or army uniforms in Action-Thrillers and everyday wear in Psychological-Thrillers.

wide shots for action scenes, extreme close ups for suspense.

Themes:
Action Thriller 
Crime Thriller 
Film Noir 
Psychological Thriller Driver'
Sci-fi Thriller
Religious Thriller 
Paranormal Thriller 

Settings:

The settings/location of the majority of thrillers is set in rural places such as a town or city. the action is normally centred around a particular house and family home. This works well in a thriller as a home is seen as a safe place. Therefore when this place gets invaded, the safety and security is broken and it becomes tense and unsettling. these ordinary locations allow the audience to understand and relate and empathise.

Sound:

Thrillers are typically noisy. They use a lot of diegetic sound during the course of the film. Commons sounds like bangs, ticking, and screams. the build up of these sounds help create suspense and tension. These sounds are heard by both us and the characters, and normally are jumpy. Non-diegetic sound is used regular during thrillers. A steady drone is used, which creates unease. there is normally the of a crescendo which takes place nearer the action. As the action increase and the tension builds the music speeds up and increase in unison.


sound can either be parallel or contrapuntal

Psycho Analysis

Psycho Analysis

The shower scene in Psycho houses a variety of key camera angles and shots which create tension for the audience. These include several mid-shots showing body language and also facial expression, many close-ups and extreme close-ups of  objects or characters’ reactions and pov shots putting the audience in the position of the victim and the killer. Sound is also key factor in creating suspension and shock for the viewer. This is done by adding non-diegetic sounds such as a tense music and also sound effects that sounds of objects’ movements in the scene.

This shot is a mid-shot. It creates tension by the use of the curtain, it shows the killer’s distorted silhouette making the audience worried. It also shows the victim. The lighting is still bright at this point which symbolises life and the only sound we hear is that of the natural splash of the shower spraying her body signifying cleanliness. This is an effective use of sound because it gives the impression that everything is ok.

Another vital shot used is the extreme close-up on the victims hand as it grabs the shower curtain. This shows that the victim wants to and their last final move before they die. The shot could also be seen as a pov shot of the killer as he watches the victim die. The viewer is able to clearly see red nail varnish on the victims’ fingers and this could represent blood. The shower curtain is also effective use of props in this scene as this might signify a barrier between life and death.

In this part of the scene the murder pulls the knife up in a thriller like fashion.The music suddenly kicks in with powerful playing of stringed instruments, just like nails scratching someone’s skin, which raises the heat and creates an overall horrified atmosphere. The lighting is cunningly placed so that the light bounces off the knife so that it is well lit and to show the killers’ silhouette but the audience isn’t able to their face. This is a good use of lighting because the audience are left in a position of unsureity as to who the killer could be this creates tension. The camera angle used is a medium-close up just so that we can see the killers’ hand holding the knife and from their shoulders upwards.

Edititng Notes

Transitions:

The way two shots are joined together. The most common is a straight cut.

Dissolve- A gradual transition.

Indicates time passing, moving from one place to the next.

Fade to black/white- One shot fades in or out to or from black or white.
Creates a sense of time passing, or if done quickly, flashbacks.

Fade in/out- Progression of time, montage effect.

Cross-cutting- Action cuts between two sequences to create links, parallels or contrasts between two storylines and their settings. Can create tension.

Wipe- A line moves across the scene to show a transition from one to another.

 

Jump Cut-

An abrupt cut between shots.

Adds dramatic effect.

 

Sound:

Diegetic sound- Sound from the recorded footage.

Non-diegetic sound- Sound that is added afterwards, e.g. sound effects and music.

Thriller genre-screenshots

Batman (2008)

In this screen shot it shows a scene from the thriller movie batman (2008). One of the common conventions that make a thriller movie thrilling is to have a villain or a hero or an explosion. In the screen shot we can a dark figurer riding a motorbike. Also the lighting also creates the thriller atmosphere. The trailer follows the typical conventions of a thriller film. It creates tension because the audience doesn’t know what he is doing, is he running away or is he chasing someone.

This screen shot shows the character Harvey Dent, he has his hands tied and he is lying in petrol, this is thrilling because you don’t want an innocent man to be set on fire. This also becomes thrilling to the audience because they want to know what happens next. This close up shows the scared expression on his face.

 http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi324468761?ref_=ttvi_vi_1

The Equalizer (2014)

This screen shot is from the movie The Equalizer (2014) of the thriller genre. The shot shows a guy trying to steal money from a cash register using a gun, this is causes the audience to feel uneasy creating tension. This is because this suggests there is going to a robbery. This makes the movie thrilling because it followes the usual conventions of a thriller movie.

This screen shot shows a man holding a knife, he has tattoos on his knuckles/, this could suggest that he is a part of a gang. This close up of the weapon suggest that is about to be used. This is another example of what makes a thriller movie thrilling. Crime is a major aspect of a thriller movie this is because it causes the audience to be curious and makes them feel tension.

 http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3462179865?ref_=ttvi_vi_1  

Into The Storm

This camera shot is an extreme long shot and a close up. It does this to show the viewer the large approaching tornado and the struggle of the two people to survive. This follows the usual conventions of the genre thriller, this also creates tension by making the viewer wonder that is about to happen. Also the light in the mise-en-scene suggest that something bad is about to happen, because the colours grey and black connote with death and sadness.

This camera shot is a long shot; it shows the audience the school students cowering from the storm. This creates suspense because the audience wants to find out if the students survive the storm that is hitting the school. This follows the traditional conventions of the thriller genre. There are sheets of paper flying around to suggest that it is chaos.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2106361/