This document outlines several conventions and features commonly found in thriller films. It discusses how thrillers build suspense through techniques like low-key lighting, shadows, tense music, quick cuts, and violence. Flashbacks are also used to disorient audiences and provide backstory. Character roles can vary but often involve a protagonist and antagonist pitted against each other, though lines may sometimes be blurred between the two. Tension, mystery, and an unsettling atmosphere are key in keeping audiences engaged throughout the thriller genre.

1. THRILLER CONVENTIONS

2. BASIC
• Darkness
• Quick cuts/angle changes
• Shadows
• Seen from multiple POVs
• Suspenseful and building music
• Stairs/mirrors/shadows
• Claustrophobic feel

3. THE GENRE
The genre is heavily reliant on building and delivering
suspense, sometimes even having a money shot similar to
horror. The two genres can be considered interchangeable
with both being reliant on the creation and development of
suspense. This keeps the audience on edge and engaged as
enigma is created about plot and characters

4. FEATURES
Tension
Tension and suspense is the main convention of thrillers and play a massive role in establishing the genre.
The technique of tension and release is used to assure the audience focused on one aspect of the
film/shot. This would leave the audience intrigued and captured
Mise-En-Scene
Low key lighting – This can be used to shroud certain shots in mystery or misdirect the audience’s
attention to another part of the scene. This builds the conventional tension of the genre.
Shadows – these go well with the low-key lighting and can represent an inner darkness of characters and
accentuate the mystery. It also helps create tension and suspense
Colours – the colour pallet of thrillers is key in establishing the genre. A series of blues reds and blacks
help to build suspense and make clear the mood of the scene
Music
Music plays an important role in thrillers, helping to create tension. The use of musical stings provides a
vent for the building suspense. I will endeavour to use these in moments of sudden action or for a change
of pace.
Black and white:
Black and white filters can represent opposing sides and the battle between good and evil. This can be
seen in the likes of Kill Bill and most other Trantino films. I intend to use a B&W filter in some of the
action scenes.

5. MORE FEATURES
Flashbacks
Again, like film noir, flashbacks are used to disorient the audience and keep the enthralled in the enigma. They also
provide insight and exposition into the characters of the film
Violence
Thrillers are conventionally based around the theme of violence. This will usually be extensive and drawn out, making the
viewer feel uncomfortable, similarly to the tension created through the film. This violence can also act as a release for the
tension.
Editing
Montage – This consists of short shots complied into one long sequence in order to condense the information.
Sometimes even 2 or 3 shots may be played at the same time, making the audience feel uneasy and on edge.
Obtrusive – This will be a series of short, quick shots in order to communicate the suspense and stakes of the scene. I
plan on using this in the scene where the girl in the house is shot.

6. CHARACTERS
These can vary quite drastically depending on sub-genre. While there is often a
protagonist and antagonist pitted against one another, at times lines can be
blurred much like in the noir genre. I chose to portray this with the protagonist
Chris being affiliated with Robber 1 – the main antagonist – until the end of the
film. The main conflict comes from the disillusion of the robber’s leadership.
This adds a more interesting dynamic between the pro/antagonist.
The characters of thrillers may also have a previous history that is later explored
through flashbacks or the unravelling of the mystery.