This document discusses conventions of the thriller genre. It notes that camera movements in thrillers are rapid and use quick cuts to maintain a fast pace. The protagonist is typically an average person who gets drawn into dramatic events, while the antagonist remains anonymous for much of the film. Lighting in thrillers uses low levels and darker tones to create suspense. Common settings include forests, haunted houses, and alleys to make characters feel vulnerable. Soundtracks typically start mellow and get louder to dramatize tragic feelings.

1. Conventions
of a thriller
Aischa Talerico

2. Camera Movements
• The camera movements are rapid, quick paced and done
in quick cuts in key parts of the action to emphasise the
fast past that Thriller’s are oriented in.
• Tracking shots are a key method of shooting as it goes
along with the action.
• In our open sequence we will make sure to use these
camera movement conventions to interest our audience
and keep them gripped to the action.

3. Characters
• The thriller film protagonist is usually a standard average
citizen who often gets pulled into the drama and bravely
seeks to restore the equilibrium.
• The Antagonist often can be anonymous to the audience
and also to the protagonist throughout the film. As the
drama progresses the intensity of secrecy causes the
protagonist to sway from the plot to try to unmask the
antagonist. They are often holding on to previous events
and looking for lasting vengeance towards the
protagonist.

4. Mise-en-scene
• Lighting and use of colours
• Different levels of low lighting help create suspense and
an atmospheric mysterious element to the plot
• Many black and white, darker toned shots are used as the
conform better to the dark themes within the genre
• Many title fonts are chosen to represent certain elements
of the story. E.g. Se7en, the font chosen is similar to
handwriting of somebody who stereotypically is within a
struggling period. This is an important foreshadowing of
the fact the main antagonist is scrapbook enthusiast.

5. Shadows and anonymous figures
Darkened street with
streetlights
Knives with usage of blood
Confined Spaces
iconography
Dark Woods
Barred Windows/ Closed off areas

6. • Stereotypically, the Thriller genre start with a very
mellow, slow tempo score. It can often be at a low
volume and consistently get louder.
• It often can have classic themes within the music, This is
a dramatisation of the tragic feelings of a thriller and can
often be very effective.
• Silence kills, sometimes silence and just a handful of
diegetic sounds can be the most effective, especially if as
the viewer you are thrown straight into the narrative.
SOUND

7. • Depending on the sub-genre, the make up tends to vary
but often is very plain and minimalistic. This is usually
because Thriller’s tend to play on realism.
• The lack of exaggeration portrayed in appearance can
often have an effect on how audiences perceive them and
make them more relatable.
• If make up is seen to be smudged/ruined, this can have
emotional messages and can either create feelings of
sympathy within audiences or within the narrative.
COSTUME AND MAKE
UP

8. • Many locations include:
• Forest
• Haunted Houses
• Dark Alleys
• Farms
• City (Night)
• Location is key in maintaining the intended feeling of vulnerability and yet
switching of power within narrative.
• Props used within the plot can determine how we identify the characters and the
sub-genre.
• Knives and other weapons are often associated with the climatic point in the film
where the battle between antagonist and protagonist is encountered .
• Often using small spaces and can exaggerate the feeling of being trapped within
the situation, perfectly connoting victim connotations.
SETIING AND PROPS