CONVENTIONS OF THE THRILLER GENRE

Storyline

Show the difference and outcome of justice and injustice (good v. evil). The story is shown from the protagonists POV following the events that he/she/group must overcome; this makes the audience feel involved in the events and characters. However, to make the story make sense, the POV will often go to the antagonists POV so we can understand his perspective.

Characters

There are usually two main characters, the protagonist and the antagonist. The hero, protagonist, usually fills a role that support their dangerous characteristics, such as a policeman, spy etc., or ordinary citizens that have been dragged into a dangerous lifestyle by coincidence. The antagonist usually has some type of physical deformity which sets him apart from other characters; they usually work alone.

Settings

Usually take place in a dull, grey urban city; they can take place in quiet country villages which create a sense of loneliness. They often have very little colours, which means when colour is involved in a shot it’s important. For example, if the scene contains more red than other scenes it connotes that the character is going to die or is in danger.

Themes

The main themes include:• Desire for justice• Innocent people involved with dangerous people• Protagonist facing death• Morals of people• Antagonist overpowers the protagonist mentally and/or

physically at the start

Sound

Most thriller films have lots of non-diegetic sound which is usually used for sound bridges or to create atmosphere in the scene. As of most genres, this genre contains dialogue to help move the story along and to create relationships with other characters. Silence is occasionally used to build up tension.

Editing

Obstructive editing, which contains jump cuts, blurred screens, shaky camera etc, creates suspense and tension for the viewer. There are also tend to be fast paced quick cuts. Lastly, continuity editing is key as it allows time to pass and not elongate the storyline.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(genre)• http://

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• http://www.slideshare.net/Valvainolivi/final-codes-andconventions11

• http://www.slideshare.net/bobsled/conventions-of-thriller-films-3300791