Codes and conventions

1. THRILLER GENRE
Codes and conventions

2. GENERIC CONVETIONS
• A film genre is defined by its codes and conventions and these must be present to
make a film a genre film but they should involve some aspect of innovation,
subversion and some form of differences otherwise it becomes a formula film.
• Mise-en-scene, Setting, Visual style, Themes, Ideology, Stars, Character types,
Narratives, Iconography, Cinematography, Special effects, Sound music

3. DEFINITION
• James Patterson, June 2006 – “Introduction” Thriller
• There are all kinds. The legal thriller, spy thriller, action-adventure thriller, police
thriller… The list goes on and on, with new variations constantly being invented. In
fact, this openness to expansion is one of the genre’s most enduring characters. But
what gives the variety of thrillers a common ground is the intensity of emotions they
create particularly those of apprehensions and exhilaration, of excitement and
breathlessness, all designed to generate that all-important thriller. By definitions, if a
thriller doesn’t thrill, its not doing its job.

4. WHAT IS A THRILLER?
• Uses suspense, tension and excitement as the main elements
• Includes many sub genres: Mystery, crime, psychological, political and paranoid.
• Atmosphere of menace, violence, crime and murder.
• Society is seen as dark corrupt and dangerous
• Literary devices like plot twists, red herrings, and cliff hangers.

5. THRILLER METHODS AND IDEAS?
• Crime: ransoms, captivities, heists, revenge, kidnappings
• Mystery: investigations, ‘whodunit’
• Psychological: mind games, stalking, death traps, confinement, obsession, horror of
personality, psychological themes

6. NARRATIVE TECHNIQUES
• Plot twists and turns
• Multiple lines of action
• Flashbacks
• Narrative retardation
• Red herrings
• Mis direction
• Deadlines
• Principle of concealment
• Chases/pursuits
• Making the audience work

7. THRILLER CHARACTERS
• Criminals, stalkers, assassins, psychotic individuals, escaped cons
• Menaced women, innocent victims, private eyes, world weary people
• Cops, people involved in twisted relationships
• Characters are often not grey or white, grey is dominant!

8. THRILLER FILMS
• Inception
• Fight club
• Psycho
• Silence of the Lambs
• Memento
• Dark Knight
• The shining
• The Prestige
• Se7en
• Taken
• Shutter Island
• The Usual Suspects

9. THRILLER DIRECTORS
• Alfred Hitchcock
• David Fincher
• Orson Welles
• Steven Spielberg
• Quentin Tarantino
• Tony Scott
• David Cronenberg
• Jonathan Demme
• Ridley Scott
• Brain de Palama

10. TECHNIQUES
• Use of tracking
• POV
• ECUs/Cus
• Reveals
• Dramatic angles
• Eerie, tense music
• Off screen sounds
• Low key lighting
• Strong directional lighting
• Silence
• Exaggerated sound
• Parallel editing
• Jump cuts
• Over exposed or colour manipulation
• Obtrusive editing