The document discusses several common conventions used in thriller films, including low-key lighting, shadows, quick cuts, dramatic camera angles, flashbacks, and black and white cinematography. Shadows and quick cuts/obstructive editing are used to create tension and suspense by disorienting the audience. Flashbacks provide backstory that may be important later and help create an unsettled feeling by mixing timeframes. Black and white photography can also convey past events and enhance shadows and suspense. Examples like "Psycho" effectively employ some of these thriller conventions.

1. Codes & conventions of a thriller film
By Daniel Crame

2. Thriller Conventions
• Low-key lighting, shadows, quick cuts, dramatic camera angle
changes, tense music, flashbacks, mirrors, obstructive
editing, black & white, disorientation of space/time,
montage editing.
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• To meet the conventions of a psychological thriller two or
more characters have to play on each others minds and
destroy one another's mental state.

3. Shadows
• Shadows relate closely with low-key lighting and are used as a
convention of a thriller film to add tension/suspense to the action
on screen.
•
• A thriller film example of ‘shadow people’ (2013) strengthens the fact
that shadows are effective in this genre and add to the effect very
significantly.
•
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4. Quick cuts/Obstructive editing
• Quick shots and obstructive editing are both modern day techniques
used to create drama, suspense and tension in thriller/horror
movies.
•
• They are both most commonly used at an important moment in the
film (a ‘thrilling’ scene) and helps make sure that the audience are
scared, on the edge of their seat and disorientated.
•
• Quick cuts and obstructive editing are put together by montage
editing.

5. Flashbacks
• Flashbacks help create a timeframe and disorientation in thriller films
which can sometimes be confusing to watch.
•
• They are used commonly in thriller to link past events together with
the present which gives the audience an insight into a particular
characters past which might be important information later on in
the film.
•
• Examples of effective flashbacks are used in the films; ‘memento’
and a lot in ‘inception’.

6. Black and white
• This is another convention of a thriller. It can convey a timeframe as
black and white is commonly associated with the past. It can
incorporate shadows into the film and add to the suspense
significantly.
•
• An example of this used is in ‘psycho’(1960).

7. Black and white
• This is another convention of a thriller. It can convey a timeframe as
black and white is commonly associated with the past. It can
incorporate shadows into the film and add to the suspense
significantly.
•
• An example of this used is in ‘psycho’(1960).