This document discusses the thriller genre and its key characteristics and conventions. It notes that thrillers use suspense through techniques like lighting, sound, and camera work to create tension. Common thriller settings include confined spaces. Conventions include the use of mirrors, low lighting, shadows, quick cuts, and music to generate negative emotions. The document also outlines several thriller subgenres like conspiracy, crime, political, and psychological thrillers and provides examples of themes typically found in each.

1. Thrillers
Genre Research
By Margaret Ansu

2. Characteristics of a
Thriller
The “Thriller” Genre is a genre that uses a lot
of suspense, through the use of lighting,
sound, shot types, use of angles, mise-en-
scene ect. By using these techniques it gives
the text that tangible sense of doom and
surprise, as well as that feeling of
sustained tension. Giving the audience that
cliff-hanging, at the “edge of their seats”
feel as they wait in anticipation to see
what will happen next as the plot moves
towards the climax.

3. Usual Settings within a
Thriller
Thrillers usually take place in similar setting because they
are the types of settings that gives that give the unsafe,
unstable feel to the thriller. These typical thriller
settings include:
• Costa-Phobic Areas; Elevators, Tunnels,
Underground/Subway system
• Tiny Rooms; Garages, back room of a shop, Restaurant
Freezer
• Alley Ways and,
• Abandoned Buildings; schools, warehouses, docking bay
etc.

4. Conventions of a Thriller
• Mirrors: are used as convention
because they can be used to
represent the darkness within a
character also suggest there is
more to the character than to
what meets the eye.
• Low Key Lighting: gives a darker
atmosphere, which is mysterious.
Due to a sharper contrast of light
in darker areas on screen which
produce deep shadows and
silhouettes formations.
• Shadows: gives the sense of
darkness and sinister behaviour.
• Obtrusive Editing: to accentuate the

5. Conventions of a Thriller cont...
• Quick Cuts: sense of uncertainty as
well as what Obtrusive Editing
does.
• Quick Changes in Camera Angles:
sense of tension
• Tension Music: music that causes a
sense of negative emotions such as
uncomfortable.
• Stairs
• Flashbacks: sense of time and space
disorientation to confuse audience.
Ida of what has happened
beforehand in relation to
characters.
• Use of Photographs
• Black and White: accentuates use of

6. Sub-Genres
The Thriller Genre falls into many sub-
genres that are used to categorise
what type of thriller a film is. Here
are the Sub-Genres of Thrillers:
– Conspiracy Thriller
– Crime Thriller
– Political Thriller
– Psychological Thriller
– Spy Thriller
– Supernatural Thriller
– Techno Thriller

7. Conspiracy Thrillers
The protagonists (main character) of conspiracy
thrillers , tend to be journalist or amateur
investigators. They often find themselves dwelling
into something they shouldn’t be, such as:
– A lead for a story that’s more on the risky side
– Or a case they’ve been hired to look into
Through this they uncover a vast conspiracy most likely
to do with a secret organization. Which they try to
exploit trying to let the public know . However the
organization makes it very hard for them to do so
but in the end the Protagonist eventually defeats the
supposedly evil organization.

8. Crime Thriller
Crime Thriller, is a cross between Crime films and Thrillers.
This combination has created a more suspenseful feel whilst
the storyline follows the success or failure of a crime.
Crime Thrillers usually concentrate upon the criminals
rather than the “good guys” the Police.
Crime Thrillers usually include:
– Serial Killers/Murders
– Robberies
– Chases
– Shootouts
– Heist and
– Double Crosses ( a person who pretends to be for one team but is
secretly working for the opposition)

9. Political Thriller
Political Thrillers, consist of the stability of a government
being upon the shoulders of their hired personal who is
the Hero/Heroin of the film. They employ the protagonist
to prevent bad occurrences from happening. Typical
Scenarios include:
– US Presidential Elections
– The prevention of World Wars happening

10. Psychological Thriller
This sub-genre is some how within all the sub-genres of thriller. Psychological
Thrillers, show the conflict between the main characters in a mental and
emotional state rather than physical. The characters usually either
accidently or through their own curiosity are dragged into a dangerous
conflict or situation that they are not ready to resolve. To overcome
characters realise on their mental ability.
At times the characters or character are involved in someway in the relation
to a mystery.
The aspect of suspense within Psychological Thrillers are usually created from
two or more characters preying upon each others minds, either through
deceptive games with the other or by merely trying to destroy the others
mental state.

11. Spy Thriller
In Spy Thrillers, the protagonist is usually a Government
Agent, who has no choice but to take violent action
against the agents of a rival government or against
terrorists (very new choice of opposition within the sub-
genre).
Spy Thrillers, also contains aspects from the “Action” and
“Science-Fiction” genres. To some extent some of them are
considered to be action films and end up coming under
the “Action Genre”.
Spy Thrillers, is a sub-genre that the British film making
scene are very successful in.

12. Supernatural Thriller
Supernatural Thrillers, consist of otherworldly elements
such as (fantasy and the supernatural stuff) effecting the
protagonist and they must overcome. Most of the time
the protagonist and/or the villain has some form of
a psychic ability and or even superpowers.

13. Techno Thriller
Techno Thriller, is a sub-genre that plays upon
suspense. The manipulation of sophisticated
technology plays a prominent part in these
films as they are used in taking over the world
giving the new world order where mankind is
over run by robots. There is a bit of action and
science fiction.
They are mainly based on fictional life speculations such as:
– World Wars
– Action
– An Aliens invasion where they are taking over the world