The document discusses conventions of thriller and action films. For thrillers, it notes they often take place in confined locations, have unprepared protagonists, use point-of-view shots to immerse viewers, and dim lighting to create mystery. For action films, it notes they typically have multiple urban locations, muscle-bound male protagonists, quick editing to build urgency, and use of special effects and star power. It also provides examples of iconography used in each genre, such as knives in thrillers and explosions in action films. Famous directors of each genre are listed, including Hitchcock, Spielberg for thrillers and Bay, McTiernan for action.

2. Thriller conventions
• Can, and does frequently take place in constricted locations.
• Protagonists tend to be unprepared for the situation so it’s
easier to relate to the protagonist.
• Tracking to inform the audience of who they should be
interested in
• POV Shots to immerse the audience in the film
• Slow panning shots to maintain mystery and/or tension
• Close-up shots to convey character emotions
• Usually uses dim lighting to convey mystery and maintain the
audience’s fear

3. Action film conventions
• Usually takes place in multiple locations (usually urban
areas)
• Protagonists usually muscle-bound men
• Racing against time
• Quick-cut editing to convey urgency or tension
• Star Power: Particular actors known for action films
cast, highlighted in posters and trailers
• Big budget for special effects (True Lies cost $115
million to produce)

4. Thriller Iconography
Knives have connotations of
pain, death and brutality.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho
immortalized this as a weapon
synonymous with keeping
audiences scared.
Silhouettes and shadows create
mystery for the audience because it
indicates that the protagonist is being
watched by someone/thing.
Woods are often used for
thrillers as they make the
audience feel as if they are
lost. The woods also have
connotations of isolation
and vulnerability.
Street lights at night are
used in thrillers to
emphasise the fact the
protagonist is surrounded
by darkness.
Using confined spaces makes the
audience feel as if they are trapped.
The protagonist starts to breathe
heavily and wonder how they can
escape.

5. Thriller Iconography

6. Action Iconography
Explosions are synonymous with action
films as they are exciting for the
audience. The effect is increased when
the character walks away from an
explosion, as it makes the protagonist
seem much cooler to the audience.
Car chases are one of the most exciting sequences that are
created in action films. Bullitt is considered to have the first car
chase, The French Connection increased the tension by having
cars drive against traffic and the Watchowski Brothers
discovered that tension can be increased by having characters
on top of cars while they’re moving in The Matrix Revolutions.
Spy gadgets such as the underwater
car in The Spy Who Loved Me
immerse the audience in the idea
being a secret agent.
Guns are one of the most integral parts of action
movies and are usually absolutely essential to
creating action scenes. They are even used in
“gun-fu”, a sophisticated form of close-quarters
gunplay. This is used in The Matrix trilogy.
Muscle-bound protagonists are
very commonplace in action
films. They are the ultimate
image of masculinity and it
draws immerses men into that
character. It makes the audience
want to be them. The 80’s were
the golden age of action movies
and most big blockbusters such
as Predator had muscle-bound
actors like Arnold
Schwarzenegger, Sylvester
Stallone and Jean Claude Van
Damme in them.
Hand-to-hand fighting is very
common in Asian action films.
Kung-fu in particular is popular
amongst that industry. Bruce
Lee is a legendary martial arts
actor who appeared in 33
movies prior to his death at 32.
Jackie Chan was a martial arts
superstar in the west in the
2000s.

7. Action Iconography

8. Notable Thrillers

9. Notable Action films

10. Notable Thriller directors
• Alfred Hitchcock (Rear Window, Psycho,
Vertigo)
• Marin Scorsese (Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, The
Departed)
• Steven Spielberg (Jaws, Raiders of the Lost
Ark, Minority Report)

11. Notable Action directors
• Michael Bay (Armageddon, Bad Boys II,
Transformers)
• John McTiernan (Die Hard, Predator, The Hunt
for Red October)
• John Woo (Hard Boiled, Mission Impossible II,
Hard Target)

12. Thriller poster analysis
The complete and utter darkness on
the left side of the poster presents
the main threat of the movie: Space.
No oxygen, no air pressure, nothing to
carry sound, no friction to stop you
from tumbling through it and utterly
dark.
The words “Don’t let go” are small so
they don’t downplay the threat of
space by taking up most of the poster.
It simply works as a tagline as the
movie presents the idea that if you’re
not holding on to anything in space,
you’re effectively dead.
You can see that this is from the point
of view of one of the astronauts. This
may encourage people to see this
movie in 3D. POV shots are used often
in thrillers in order to keep suspense.
The light from the sun obscures any
immediate threat, yet it’s made very
clear that there is one. This
emphasises the idea that life is
impossible in space. You can see
debris flying at high speed however,
so you know that something is going
to create this tension.

13. Action poster analysis
This references to a line in the trailer
“Remember when I said I’ll kill you
last? Yeah, yeah that’s right! I lied.
This was a favourite amongst fans of
the film and is very prominent in
marketing material.
This poster was released when the
movie was being released on home
video, which means that it will be
marketed to those who like the film.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was a
megastar when this film was released;
just his surname is enough to make
fans excited enough to see most films.
In order to easily appeal to fans, a
picture of John Matrix in his combat
attire was used to recall memories of
the most memorable section of the
film, the finale.

14. These words are the first thing you see in the
trailer, giving the scientific reasons why space is a
scary place.
This sentence simply serves to put a fine point on
the previous information. It does create a slight bit
of suspense because it’s on a black background.
The first bit of sound in the trailer is an explosion
caused by some debris hitting a space station.
Despite the fact that there’s no sound in space, it
still scares the audience.
The debris has caused the station to start spinning, and
there is someone caught on an arm. They are practically
fixated to it, preventing them from getting off. If they
were to get off somehow, they’d probably be flung off
into space, so they have to stay on.
Suddenly, another piece of debris hits the arm, sending
the arm spinning around on it’s own. The astronaut on it
is terrified as you can briefly hear her scream. There is
now a lot more debris around, which could foreshadow
more collisions.
Dr Stone, the astronaut on the arm is repeatedly asking
“What do I do?” She has been horrified by all of this. In
the background, another part of the station explodes,
leaving very little for her to get to in case she survives
this.

15. This part of the trailer pulsates along with Dr Stone’s terrified panting. There is no
additional sound currently in the background which adds tension.
The viewpoint now stays in front of Dr Stone who
is still spinning on the arm. You can see the Earth
in her visor which may give the audience a sense
of how much she misses it.
The viewpoint now shifts down to Dr Stone’s clasp. Another
astronaut keeps telling her to detach otherwise she will die.
The intense background music continues to heighten. Keep in
mind that everything since the first explosion has been done
over one consistent shot. This highlights Alfonso Cuaron’s
ability as a director.
Dr Stone detaches and you hear her voice echo
for a split-second. She begins to tumble into
complete darkness, which may make the
audience question if she will be able to come
back.

16. One of the following shots shows Dr Stone
simply spinning in space. There is light on some
parts of her spacesuit, but otherwise she has
been submerged into darkness. She has been
contacted, but is still scared out of her mind.
This shot also promotes the potential for
great cinematography that really takes
advantage of the amazing CGI alongside
all of the tension, as this is set in space.
You see Dr Stone colliding with some
equipment that she’s trying to grab onto so
she can briefly be safe. It quickly goes wrong
so the audience’s relief is turned into worry.
One of the following shots shows Dr Stone
simply spinning in space. There is light on some
parts of her spacesuit, but otherwise she has
been submerged into darkness. She has been
contacted, but is still scared out of her mind.
The juxtaposition of this shot and Dr Stone saying “I had
a daughter” makes her seem more human instead of
something that millions aspire to be. The fact that she’s
not wearing the spacesuit makes her seem more
vulnerable to the explosion inside the space station.
George Clooney’s character, Matt Kowalski is holding a
rope for dear life. You can see the utter darkness
behind him. If he lets go, he will start drifting into
space. The darkness creates fear of space, the ultimate
threat in this film, despite how quickly this shot is
shown.

17. The pieces of debris travelling quickly while
ignited may suggest that they’ve begun to fall
through the atmosphere. Could Dr Stone have
gotten into one of these and on the way home?
And if so, can she survive the heat?
The first-person POV shot here suggests the
immersion that this film may present the
audience with. It may make some people want
to see this movie in 3D.
You can see that one of the astronauts is simply hanging
from some wires. They can do very little to help
themselves other than hope that these wires will pull
them back. It shows how easily you can slip away from
any kind of foundation in space.
The destruction that the debris causes in this
scene is catastrophic and goes to show just how
well the CGI is used in this film. It may make
some people want to see it simply for the eye
candy.
This portrait of Dr Stone and her family
gives both her and the audience
something to lose; a reason to survive all
of these catastrophes.
You can see that that one of the astronauts is holding
onto a structure, and the motion blur makes it very
clear that both it and her are moving very fast. It’s a
very raw kind of thrill in comparison to simply watching
the space station get utterly destroyed.

18. The first shot is a helicopter flying over the
camera. The voice-over artist says “They hunted
him down…”, suggesting that whichever force is
hunting the protagonist is a powerful one.
“They hunted his friends…” is used with this
shot of someone running running a salesman
over and crashing through a window, which
suggests that they are ruthless.
“…and they took the only thing he’d kill for.” is used
with this shot of a small girl strapped to a chair with a
man in dressed in dark colours standing over her. This
gives both the protagonist and the audience something
to lose. The use of darkness in the background
compliments the rest of the shot, making it seem more
dangerous.
There is a sequence of three shots of the protagonist gearing up and preparing to fight for his daughter. His
face is concealed throughout most of this sequence, adding suspense. This particular trope is extremely
common in most action movies, not just ones created in the 80’s. However, their popularity has dwindled.

19. The juxtaposition of the protagonist’s rival saying
“He’ll do what he’s told.” and this shot of him
running from a group of soldiers while the
buildings around them explode suggest that either
he’ll have to fight for the wrong side or it works as
irony.
This woman in the car saying “Will you please tell
me what’s going on now?!” hints at the idea of
Schwarzenegger having a sidekick/love interest in
this movie. It also suggests that the film will have
a touch of comedy, despite the possibility of the
protagonist losing a daughter.
This shot of the protagonist firing a gun works to
promote Schwarzenegger as an actor; you can see
him firing the gun, but not who he’s firing it at. If
you saw his enemies being hit it would make the
protagonist seem more like a merciless killer, but
the camera focuses on Schwarzenegger.
The juxtaposition of this the protagonist telling an
air hostess not to bother this man because he’s
“dead tired” after hitting him in the face with his
elbow. This keeps up the tradition of puns in 80’s
action movies. These days you’re more likely to
hear them in throwbacks like The Expendables.
Now there is another shot that promotes
Schwarzenegger, this time without his combat
jacket. This is juxtaposed with him crashing
through a window, so despite his proficiency as a
killer, he may be facing a truly deadly force.
This is a shot of the protagonist’s sidekick/love
interest firing a rpg in the wrong direction. This
indicates that there will still be a focus on comedy
in the film.

20. This is a shot of the protagonist hanging onto the
back of an airplane while it’s taking off a runway.
It indicates that he will do whatever he can to find
and rescue his daughter. It maintains a steely
glare while he hangs on. He is utterly unfazed
while he tries to find his daughter.
This is a shot of the protagonist holding an enemy
by the ankle over a cliff. This scene contained one
of the most iconic lines: “Remember when I said
I’d kill you last? Yeah, yeah that’s right! I lied.” This
indicates once again that he will do whatever he
can to save his daughter, and that he will kill
whatever stands in his way. One of the most
prominent tropes in a “Damsel In Distress” action
movie.
This is a shot of the protagonist holding a metal
plate to defend himself from his rival’s attack. This
time, he is bare-chested. This indicates that
despite his proficiency as a ruthless killing
machine, there are those who can kill him, making
the audience worry about his wellbeing and that
of his daughter.

21. The British Board of Film Classification

22. Who are the BBFC?
• The BBFC is an independent body which has
classified films since 1912 and home video
media since 1984 within the UK.
• They sometimes rate video games but only in
circumstances where they depict human
sexual activity, human genital organs or gory
acts of violence.

23. Symbol Name Description
Universal Nothing unsuitable for anyone.
Parental
Guidance
All ages admitted, but some scenes may be
unsuitable for young children.
12A Cinemas only. Unsuitable for very young
people. If aged 12, must be accompanied by
an adult aged at least 18.
12 Home media only since 2002. Nobody
younger than age 12 can rent or buy home
video of this rating.
15 Only those aged over 15 are admitted to
watch/buy this film, be it at home or in the
cinema.
18 Only adults allowed. Nobody younger than
age 18 can buy/watch this film, be it in the
cinema or at home.
BBFC Rating System

24. How the BBFC affects genre
Thriller
• The focus on thrillers is
threat instead of violence. A
15 rating is warranted if
disturbing scenes are
frequent or sustained.
• An 18 rating tends to be
warranted if said threat is
sadistic or sexualised.
Action
• Depending on the type of action film, the rating may be
relaxed. Lack of blood, for example can lower a film’s
rating. This doesn’t work to the advantage of superhero
films like The Wolverine because he spends most of the
film cutting people, yet there’s no blood. FOX have
decided not to have any because they couldn’t have a 12
rating and the movie wouldn’t make as much money
because it would reach a limited audience.
• On the other hand, macho action films like The
Transporter series and The Expendables can easily have
a 18 rating because that’s it’s key demographic. B
movies such as Machete and Sharknado have gory
sequences.

25. The Advertising Standards Authority

26. Who are the ASA
• The ASA is the UK’s regulator of advertising in
all forms of media.
• It was originally founded in 1962 after the
Advertising Association established the
Committee of Advertising Practice. To draft
the CAP Code. (British Code of Advertising
Practise)

27. How the ASA affects genre
Thriller
• Trailers for films that carry a 15 or
18 certificate are not allowed to be
broadcast around programmes that
are targeted at under 16s which
means that more thriller trailers
can be shown around then, but
they’ll probably be directed at
adults watching television at those
times, and even then, you’re more
likely to see an advert for
blockbuster at that time.
Action
• Trailers for films that carry a 15 or
18 certificate are not allowed to
be broadcast around programmes
that are targeted at under 16s,
which means that if any action
film trailers are being shown
then, they’re probably for action
comedies or superhero films, so
those are more likely to get
money.