Thriller Genre Overview

Thriller Genre OverviewBy Natasha TsawayoHistory of the Thriller GenreSafety Last! vas the first ever thriller film made. It was directed by Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor . This was the first time to significantly create the whole new thriller genre. The Lodger was made in 1927 as one of Alfred Hitchcocks films based on the famous Jack the Ripper. He is particularily famous for Psycho (1960) as it introduced the usage of thriller SFX in the soundtrack to create drama and tension.

One of the most famous thriller/horror franchise that audiences love is the Scary Movie franchise first made in 1962. These movies were made purely to add a humorous element to the thirller genre by making parodys to previously made thriller and horror films such as Scream, The Sixth Sense and more recent thrillers like Clover field.

THRILLER SUB-GENRES / HYBRIDSCrime thrillerDisaster Thriller Mystery ThrillerPsychological ThrillerReligious ThrillerSupernatural ThrillerTecho ThrillerCrime thrillerThe hybrid between crime and thriller has created a more suspenseful element to the over all thriller genre. Crime thrillers often focus more on the criminals and their activities leading up to the crime and they usually emphasise action over psychological aspects. Central topics of the films include serial killers and murders as well as chases, shootouts and double-crosses. Crime thrillers tend to be the most famous type of thrillers. Se7en Official Trailer

Disaster thrillerThis particular genre is more hard hitting as most disaster thrillers are based and adapted around ordinary lives and locations, making the audience almost fear for their own lives because of the realness emitting from the story line. This certain type of genre follows a certain group or persons survival in conflicts with natural or artificial disaster like floods, earthquakes' he characters within the film would be ordinary citizens living their ordinary lives until something bad happens making it feel more realistic to the spectators. The Earthquake Scene in 2012The Day After Tomorrow Tokyo Hail Storm scene

MYSTERY THRILLERSThis sub-genre related a lot to crime thrillers. It focuses mostly on the efforts of the detective or private investigator in order to solve the mystery. Mystery thrillers' tend to look particularly at mystery and tend to constantly drop hints throughout the duration of the film either to confuse the audience or steer them towards the right path to unravelling the mystery. This genre gets into the psyche of the audiences as the audience would follow as the protagonist trying to find out information as well. Shutter Island Trailer

Psychological thrillerThis is the quintessential sub-genre of thriller as it plays with the audiences mind and produces suspense in the film because it reflects the main characters conflicts being mental and emotional. It shows the mentality of a character and the thought processes that they go through which makes this sub-genre so suspenseful. Alfred Hitchcock is famous for creating thrillers in this particular sub-genre. Psycho Famous Shower Scene

Religious thriller AND SUPERNATUAL THRILLERReligious thriller plots connect closely to religious objects, institutions and questions. Many religious related films usually unravel the good and bad points about religion (catholic beliefs in particular). Supernatural thrillers tend to bring an otherworldly element that shows something out of the ordinary happening to a protagonist that has to overcome this powerful factor. The protagonists or villains usually have a supernatural gift that help them get to the source of the problem. This subgenre is very closely linked in with the religious thrillers as its usually demons entering the human body or a possession of a character.

An example of a religious thriller hybrid is The Da vinci Code (2006). The Da Vinci Code Trailer

TECHNO THRILLERTecho thriller look into the manipulation of sophisticated technology playing a important part in taking over the world giving the new world order where mankind is over run by robots. Common themes linked in with this sub-genre is world wars, action and science fictional occurrences like aliens taking over technology. The Matrix Trailer

Thriller Narrative ConventionsSome of the characteristics of a thriller are the setting which often takes place in exotic or a remote location. Sometimes the narrative presents ordinary situations where extraordinary events occur, this is becoming more popular in thriller movies as audiences like to relate to the situations in the film as it is more realistic. Some thriller films are more complex and break away from a normal conventional thriller for example a ordinary guy would start off as the protagonist and would end as the antagonist. Also in thriller movies enigma are set in the opening sequence of the film and is then further complicated and resolved at the end. This attracts the audience right in the beginning so theyd want to keep watching and find out how it ends as well as finding out what state the characters are left after the narrative reaches a close.For example in the film Fight Club the enigma is : why has Brad Pitts character aimed a gun at Edward Nortons character? and is this resolved at the end of the narrative?

Narrative Theory Syd FieldSyd Fields 3 act narrative structure: Act 1:The set up of what the film is going to be about, introduction to the genre narrative and characters.Act 2:Confrontation- where we see the main character in a number of more extreme problem situations that they seek to resolve. Act 3:Our hero will take control, confront the enemy and achieve a final and decisive victory .Narrative Theory - Todorov Tzvetan Todorovs 5 stages to a narrative structure Equilibrium A disruption of this equilibrium by an event (problem)A realisation that a disruption has happenedAn attempt to repair the damage of the disruption (problem is solved) A restoration of the equilibrium Vladimir Propps Narrative StructureFunctions:ABSENTATION: A member of a family leaves the security of the home environment. This may be the hero or some other member of the family that the hero will later need to rescue. This division of the cohesive family injects initial tension into the storyline. The hero may also be introduced here, often being shown as an ordinary person.INTERDICTION: The hero is warned against some action (given an 'interdiction').VIOLATION of INTERDICTION. The interdiction is violated (villain enters the tale). DELIVERY: The villain gains information about the victim.TRICKERY: The villain attempts to deceive the victim to take possession of victim or victim's belongings (villain disguised, tries to win confidence of victim). MEDIATION: Hero is dispatched, hears call for help alternative. The hero now discovers the act of villainy or lack, perhaps finding their family or community devastated or caught up in a state of anguish and woe.BEGINNING COUNTER-ACTION: Seeker agrees to, or decides upon counter-action. The hero now decides to act in a way that will resolve the lack, for example finding a needed magical item, rescuing those who are captured or otherwise defeating the villain. DEPARTURE: Hero leaves home;

FIRST FUNCTION OF THE DONOR: Hero is tested, interrogated, attacked etc., preparing the way for his/her receiving of a magical agent or helper (donor);HERO'S REACTION: Hero reacts to actions of future donor (withstands/fails the test, frees captive, reconciles disputants, performs service, uses adversary's powers against him);RECEIPT OF A MAGICAL AGENT: Hero acquires use of a magical agent (directly transferred, located, purchased, prepared, spontaneously appears, eaten/drunk, help offered by other characters);GUIDANCE: Hero is transferred, delivered or led to whereabouts of an object of the search;STRUGGLE: Hero and villain join in direct combat;BRANDING: Hero is branded (wounded/marked, receives ring or scarf);VICTORY: Villain is defeated (killed in combat, defeated in contest, killed while asleep, banished);LIQUIDATION: Initial misfortune or lack is resolved (object of search distributed, spell broken, slain person revived, captive freed);RETURN: Hero returns;

RESCUE: Hero is rescued from pursuit (obstacles delay pursuer, hero hides or is hidden, hero transforms unrecognisably.UNRECOGNIZED ARRIVAL: Hero unrecognized, arrives home or in another country;UNFOUNDED CLAIMS: False hero presents unfounded claims;DIFFICULT TASK: Difficult task proposed to the hero (trial by ordeal, riddles, test of strength/endurance, other tasks);SOLUTION: Task is resolved;RECOGNITION: Hero is recognized (by mark, brand, or thing given to him/her);EXPOSURE: False hero or villain is exposed;TRANSFIGURATION: Hero is given a new appearance (is made whole, handsome, new garments etc.);PUNISHMENT: Villain is punished;WEDDING: Hero marries and ascends the throne (is rewarded/promoted).Vladimir Propps Character FunctionsHe also concluded that all the characters could be resolved into 7 broad character functions in the 100 tales he analysed:

The villain - struggles against the hero.The dispatcher character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off.The (magical) helper helps the hero in their quest.The princess or prize and her father the hero deserves her throughout the story but is unable to marry her because of an unfair evil, usually because of the villain. The hero's journey is often ended when he marries the princess, thereby beating the villain.The donor prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object.The hero or victim/seeker hero reacts to the donor, weds the princess.The false hero takes credit for the heros actions or tries to marry the princess.[6]Location/DECORThe location in which a thriller takes place would normally be in a remote place where there isnt a large population or the location could be set completely disconnected from civilisation like on a island. However, they are more likely to be set in an urban space but the main action takes place in an isolated area.

A good example of a decollate location is the film The Island where the characters spend most of the time on a remote island away from modern technology. However some thrillers also base their stories in popular well known cities, making the story even more realistic. Such as the Dawn of The Planet of The Apes. Another example would be 2012, which was set in famous cities like New York and Sidney but the main action occurred mostly in America despite the fact that the tragedy was a worldwide phenomenon . This is just used to entice an audience into watching as they are tricked into believing the events that take place in the film may actually happen to us in the near future, hen e the reason why they called it 2012 and released it in 2009. 2012 TrailerCostume/Make-up of the ProtagonistA detective is one of the most used examples of a protagonist. The costume would consist of a trench coat, a suit that would be worn underneath and smart shoes although, it depends on the characters personality. This costume is typically used because the male protagonist would more or less be above the adolescence stage and will be in some sort of occupational job thus, their costume would have to determine their job and class as well as their personality.

Another example of a protagonist is the typical high schooler, that could be male and female but typically male, that would wear casual day to day comfortable clothes. The make-up would not be elaborate and their clothing would depend on their class, time period set and geographically where they live. For example, a British teen aged 11-16 would most likely have to wear uniform whereas a American teen would not because of the different standards the characters will have to meet. The protagonist, as a ordinary character, would have ordinary clothes or clothes that outline their profession.

A perfect example is Joseph Gordon Levitts character in the film Brick who is the stereotypical geek character and does not wear flashy fashionable clothes a mainstream teenager would wear at the time. Costume and Make-Up for the AntagonistThe antagonist either has elaborate make-up and costume or is also toned down with their appearance to blend into the crowd. Vincent in Collateral is a good example as he wears a commonly tailored grey suit and is well groomed which allows him to blend in with the crowd without any suspicion.

Most antagonist s tend to have a feature or piece of clothing and prop that is considered as an iconic element to the thriller genre or a iconic element to their character. Heath Ledgers Joker is a good example as he has his iconic messy, colourful make-up as well as his scars.

However, some antagonists may chose to stick out from the crowd and wear a significantly different piece of clothing or make-up to purposely be supreme, intimidate and memorable to their victims or spectators. Lighting/colourDe-saturated colours such as greys, whites and navy are often used, however yellow grading are also often used to reflect the grunge and disgusting plot and/or story line. Thrillers use a range of lighting techniques such as:

Low key lighting to give a high contrast between where the lighting is focusing on and the parts where there are more shadows, this makes the lighted up side strong to the human eye.

Back lighting is used often to give a certain character a Godly or even inhuman look by silluhete them. This would commonly be used in tense scenes. High Key lighting is the brightest and most influential light. The purpose of this light technique is to highlight the form and dimension of the subject. An examples of this used is within the film Gravity where the character is spinning out of control in space. This technique allows the audience to clearly see the features of the figure and understand the situation they are in. This lighting technique allows the audience to see the facial expressions of the character clearly. Gravity SceneFacial expression/ActingProtagonist:Antagonist:As, in most cases, the antagonist is a psychological character or is a sociopath with no sense of concern or remorse so their major acting shows either expressionless gestures or over exaggerated happy gestures.

Over exaggerated happy

Expressionless As, in most cases, the protagonist is a ordinary character that has been put in life challenging situations. Their overall gestures would be negative (i.e, frightened, scared and confused) until they reach a point in the narrative where they transform into a heroic character.The damsel in distress:

The damsel in distress is almost always a family member, related to the protagonist or the girlfriend of the antagonist. They would most likely have been kidnapped or held against their will to the antagonists purpose. Theyd be helpless and frightened. SoundSound within thriller movies are used specifically to create tension and suspense in order to make the audience feel scared and frightened. The music and sound helps to build up a climax when approaching a scary bit of the film. Almost all thrillers use diegetic sounds against silence to generate a suspense, in order to push the audience to the edge of their seat. For example, theyd have a suspenseful scene where the character is alone in a house and the audience would be able to hear diegetic sounds such as a clock ticking, a creak from a floor board or a door.

Thrillers use non diegetic sounds mostly as well as incidental and pleonastic sounds where the sound imitates whats taking place on screen. For example in Psycho when a brutal shower murder scene occurs, the deep low sounds to imitate the character slowly dying by decreasing the pitch and pace as she slides down the wall. Psycho 1960 Shower scene

However if the director chose to use non diegetic sounds to create effect theyd have the music usually start off in a slow pace at first whilst gradually speeding up the pace helping to create tension. EditingThrillers use continuity editing, match on action editing, shot reverse shot as well as eye-line match to emphasise the drama. Continuity editing is purely used so that the cuts between shots look smooth and are unnoticeable, this can therefore keep the spectator focused on the drama rather than questioning the vast amount of random cuts between shots.

For example sucker punch uses eye-line match in numerous occasions during the film. This method of editing is useful to show the importance of a object or character within the scene as well as emphasising the emotion and reaction displayed from the character.Sucker Punch Eye-line match example (from 1:15)Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter shot reverse shot example

Thriller s use fast shot transitions and match in action shots to draw the audience into paying attention rather than them watching a intense scene in only one take, which may be boring and unappealing CinematographyIn order to create a atmosphere for the audience right at the beginning of the film, most thrillers do not include a establishing shot to set the scene. The director would want the audience to feel disorientated and unaware of where the film is set just to add the effect.

However some thrillers would use a establishing shot to outline the situation the antagonist is in, for example: in Donnie Darko the camera pans across a desolate and isolated scenery before showing the main character. This makes the audience ask questions right before anything even happens. Thrillers tend to use associated point of view shots, wide shots and long shots to establish the main antagonist character and their personality judging from their clothing and body language. Point of view (POV) shots are commonly used when, for example, a character is being chased or stalked. As it is a over the shoulder shot at a angle that allows you to see the whole scene, It puts the spectator in the action thus drawing them into the action with suspense. Close ups are specifically used to convey emotion from that character. Angles show the importance of the character and/or their status of power. For example, if a character was filmed from a low angle it would give them a dominant, empowering look whereas if they were filmed from a high angle it would belittle them completely and make them look weaker.