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What makes up a thriller?
What makes up a thriller?
Here are some of the codes and conventions of films within the thriller genre
Orchestral Music
Orchestral music is used in thrillers to add tension and tell the audience when something bad is going to happen to the protagonist
An example of this is in Black Swan where diegetic orchestral music is used to add suspense to the scene and is intensified when a threat to the protagonist enters.
Extreme Close Up Shots
By using an extreme close up, a director is able to create a relationship between the characters and the audience that the audience are uncomfortable with because they feel too close to the protagonist. This shot type also clearly shows a characters emotion, which is usually fear within the thriller genre, and gives the audience the impression that the character is in serious danger. This can be found in thrillers such as Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock.
Montage Editing
Montage editing is used in thrillers to keep the audience on edge and make them feel anxious about the scene. It involves at least two layers of the film being played simultaneously and can be found in thrillers such as Se7en.
Rapid Cuts
Rapid cuts are used to create the feeling of tension within the audience and make them feel distorted because they cannot fully see what is going on; these are often used in key and thrilling scenes within films.
Hand Held Camera Shots
Low Key Lighting and Black and White
Hand held camera shots are often used in thrillers in tense scenes, for example, it is used in Black Swan when the second dancer enters the scene to make the audience feel uneasy and show that they have no control over what is going on.
Low key lighting and black and white shots are used to create a tense atmosphere within the scene and can portray the inner darkness of characters. Using low lighting can also make the audience feel uneasy and claustrophobic as they do not know what is going on around the protagonist.