2. definition of a thriller
• There are many different types of thrillers such as
legal thrillers, spy thrillers, action-adventure thrillers,
medical thriller, police thriller, romantic thriller,
military thriller, they create a mix of emotions such
as apprehension and exhilaration, excitement all
generates the important thrill of the film. Thriller film
generally all have a very complex storyline and if
they do not “thrill” the audience they are typically
not a thriller.
3. generic conventions
• suspense cinematography
• mis en scene character types
• setting
• stars
• narratives
• special effects
• ideology
• themes
4. narrative conventions of a
thriller
• sub genres: mystery, crime, psychological, political, paranoid
• atmosphere of menace, violence, crime and murder
• society seen as dark, corrupt and dangerous
• literary devices: plot twists,cliff hangers, red herrings (suggests one thing which is
irrelevant misleading the audience
• narrative retardation
• flashbacks
• deadlines
• chases/pursuits
• multiple lines of action
5. thriller characters
• criminals, escaped prisoners, stalkers, psychotic
individuals
• menaced women, innocent people/victims
• policemen/policewomen (cops)
• some characters are neither good or bad and
can sometimes be both in thriller films
6. techniques used in thriller
films
• sound: eerie/tense music, off screen sounds,
silence
• editing: fast paced editing, jump cuts, obtrusive
editing, parallel editing, colour manipulation
• camerawork: tracking, POV, zoom in, dramatic
angles
• mis en scene: low key lighting, costume, setting
