1. Summary of interviews
I discovered from the interviews that a thriller is a well-liked genre. The interviewees
enjoyed how tension and suspense is created throughout a thriller, and the chilling,
keeping you on the edge of your seat effect that is has on the audience. They also
liked how the thriller genre appeals to such a wide range of target audience, which is
why it is such a successful genre. I also discovered that even if my interviewees
hadn’t watched a lot of thrillers, they were still aware of movies such as ‘The sixth
sense’ and ‘Psycho.’ I think this just shows how much of an impact thriller movies
have on people; even if they haven’t seen many, they still know of many thriller
movies.
Another finding was that my interviewees believe all technical areas (Mise-en-scene,
Camerawork, Editing and sound) work well together within a thriller. They all play a
big part in the creation of a thriller. However, the technical area of sound did seem to
stand out for one of the interviewees. In her opinion this was because it helps to
build suspense and tension quicker, it also helps to build a sense of mystery that is
conventional for a thriller.
I then asked the interviewees if they thought conflict between the protagonist and the
antagonist should be shown within the trailer, or just within the movie. One of them
said that conflict shouldn’t really be shown within a trailer, because this would give
too much away, and take away some of the mystery and suspense from the thriller
genre. The other, said an element of conflict between the two should be introduced
within the trailer, to encourage the audience to see the movie. However they also
said not too much should be given away.
My interviewees believe that an image should be the main focus on a film magazine
front cover and poster. In their opinion, showing an image of a character from the
movie will give the audience an insight of what it’s about, intriguing them to watch the
movie. They also said that the image should remain conventional to the genre
thriller; using an aspect of low-key lighting and introducing the main character within
the movie.
Overall I discovered that all technical areas are important for the creation of a thriller,
especially the sound. I also discovered that not too much conflict between the
protagonist and the antagonist should be shown within the trailer, because this could
give too much away. I then found out that an image of the main character should be
the main focus on a film magazine front cover and poster.