A thriller is a film genre that uses suspense and anticipation to keep audiences alert and on the edge of their seats. Thrillers often involve a protagonist trying to solve a mystery or escape from danger. They are typically set in isolated locations like woods or homes. Common characters include criminals, stalkers, victims, police, and deranged individuals. Thrillers usually center around crimes or mysterious incidents, with plot twists to maintain engagement. Stylistically, thrillers employ close-ups, low lighting, synthesized sounds, and editing techniques to build tension and suspense.

1. GENRE
RESEARCH
THRILLER

2. WHAT IS A THRILLER?
A thriller is a type of film that is filled with anticipation and
suspense.
Thrillers also keep the audience alert and on the edge of their
seats and they often involve the protagonist in he film escaping
from somewhere, solving a mystery or on some sort of
mission.

3. SETTING
Thrillers are set in a range of different
locations such as abandoned and/or
isolated areas and even family
homes; an example of this would be
Paranormal Activity, a psychological
thriller (which is a thriller sub-genre).
In regards to an isolated area, a
woodland is often used; an example
where this setting is used in a thriller
would be the Blair Witch Project.

4. CHARACTER
Examples of characters that are often in thriller films include:
‣ Criminals
‣ Stalkers
‣ Innocent victims
‣ Agents & Police
‣ Psycho- fiends
‣ Menaced women

5. NARRATIVE
In a typical thriller film, there is usually some sort of crime or
mysterious incident, such as a robbery, kidnapping or murder
which occurs, the protagonist of the film then normally sets out to
uncover the mystery.
The plot of a thriller also, often has a lot of plot twists; this is done
as it is an effective way to keep the audience engaged in the film.
A theory used in thriller films is the Levi Strauss theory; this is
about the opposites for example, good vs. evil. The whole point of
his theory is that opposite characters drive the narrative forwards
and make the film more engaging for the audience.

6. ICONOGRAPHY
Iconography is the symbolism, imagery and props that appear as
conventional tropes or reoccurring themes of certain movie
genres.
Examples of Iconography in thrillers:
▸ Weapons
▸ Finger prints
▸ Confined spaces
▸ Something or someone that the victim fears
▸ Shadows

7. STYLE
Camerawork
Close up's are used in this type of genre to show reactions on the
actors/actresses face.
High Angle Shot: These kind of shots are used in thrillers to make
the body or object that is being looked down as completely
powerless and vulnerable.

8. STYLE
Lighting
Low Key Lighting is created by using the key and back lights.
Used together, they produce a sharp contrast between light and
dark areas on screen. This creates deep shadows which is often
a common technique used within thriller/horror films as they
creates sinister and dark tones.

9. STYLE
Editing
Thriller films use both slow and fast paced editing, they also
include:
▸Titles
▸Match On Action
▸Continuity
▸Montage
▸Transitions

10. STYLE
Sound
In Thriller films, the music is used to create tension and
suspense within the audience and to make them feel
scared and frightened. Therefore they often use
synthesised sounds, this is because it helps to create
the mood of the scene in the film and causes the
audience to feel certain emotions.
The most commonly used sounds in thrillers are dark,
eerie sounds.