genre research

1. Slide one: my chosen genre.
My chosen genre is thriller, the forms and conventions of thriller, the
form and conventions of thriller include the use of suspense and tension
as one of the main elements, however some thrillers will use mystery
and crime as their main theme instead. Thrillers should create tension,
provide thrills and keep the audience on the edge of their seats.

2. Slide 2: characters.
Usually, characters in thrillers include; one or many criminals, usually
who have killed, these criminals could perhaps be characters with a dark
or deep past or maybe have something to hide, police men and women,
investigators, the main antagonist and the main protagonist.

3. Slide 3: imagery, costume and props.
The costume is important in film as it allows the audience to recognize the characters role,
personality and status in the film. Most characters in thrillers are in normal clothes,
however some character may be wearing a uniform like, for example, the bishops, priest
and pope in the title sequence of Angels and Demons. Because most thrillers are set in
normal everyday environments the props that are used are also normal objects that are
seen everyday. An exception to this would be the use of guns in a fight sequence or a car
chase as these are not seen everyday by the average person walking down the road.

4. Slide 4: colour and use of lighting.
Thriller movies usually use very low lighting to create a dark and mysterious atmosphere.
This can create tension as the audience cannot see what is happening in the surroundings
of the character/s.
An example of this would be in the opening titles of Seven where the lighting is very low
and dark, and the key subject matter is the only thing lit up.

5. Slide 5: fonts.
In the opening titles of Seven the font used is quite sketchy and messy, almost
handwritten. It is white so it can be seen on a dark background, and is animated, it
moves around and jumps backwards and forwards.
The titles of Angels and Demons are quite neat and professional looking, they are
medium to small in size and are also white. They transition on and off by going out of
focus.
The font used in Compulsion is also quite neat and tidy, it is medium sized and is golden
in colour. The titles fade off and on to the screen.

6. Slide 6: location.
Thrillers usually take place in normal cities and everyday locations, however some
thrillers may be an exception and are set in a surreal environment which would not be
seen everyday.
In seven the location seen in the title sequence could perhaps be at a house or a lab of
some sort.
The location in the credits for Angels and Demons is in Rome following the popes death.
The credits of Compulsion are also set in a home, in the kitchen.

7. Slide 7: sound.
During thriller movies most sound will be conversation or gunshots, however when this is
not the case the sound used is normally quite ambient and harsh, this creates panic and
tension.
In Seven the non diegetic sound of the music is quite harsh and sharp, sounds like static on
the radio. We associate connotations like scary and robotic with it.
In Angels and Demons there is the diegetic sound of conversation, however towards the
start of the credits there is music that sounds quite angelic and heavenly.
There is also dialogue in Compulsion as well. The music sounds quite robotic and there is a
drumming rhythm.

8. Slide 8: narrative themes.
Some themes used throughout the genre of thriller include:
• Screaming
• Crime
• Blood
• Panic/tension/suspense
• Guns
• Danger
• Death
• Low lighting and dark colours
• Plot twists
• Protagonist VS antagonist
• Justice
• And a mood of violence and crime

9. Slide 9: what I must include in my opening to make it known as
a thriller.
I must create tension and suspense for my audience, include the aspect of crime, danger
and violence, include low lighting and dark colours to add to the tension.
I will be showing my character and telling a story during my opening titles. I will be looking
at different film credits to use as inspiration.
An example of how to make my opening known as a thriller could be to use a scream
during the credits and have harsh sounding music, as this is normally associated with
thriller and horror movies