Opening Scene
Conventions of a Thriller!
Cinematography
Mise en Scene
Shots and movements would usually include clever use of framing and interesting angles to really tell the story in a thriller. The movements might be hand held to emphasize panic, the framing might include the setting, eg. railings etc. to create atmosphere. The angles as well might be symbolic to power and position or to hide or reveal clues. For example a thriller would use close ups to perhaps hide the full identity of the character or extreme long shots so the character/clue/object is obscured. The idea of the shots would be to reveal clues bit by bit.
In a thriller, the mise en scene is typically dark and mysterious to help get that mysterious feel across to the audience. The setting would most likely be deserted or eerie. The director would use low-key lighting, with fog and mist too create a damp uncomfortable feel. Costumes would be dark and mysterious, perhaps covering the face with a hood, or wearing a dark outfit.
Sound
The sound of a thriller is extremely important because its the sound and music that seperate thriller from action adventure or horror. The sound has to be ominous and maybe quite spooky. Typically using an orchestra to create the full emphasis. Often thrillers feature wind like sounds to create the cold atmosphere that matches with the mise en scene of the film.
By George Blewitt
Editing
In an action adventure the editing duration would porbably be fast through out to highlight the action. A rom-com would have a steady slow duration to ease people in to the comedy. However a thriller would most likely feature a build up from slow and steady to fast and uneven. This really help accent the intensity of what is going on. First everything is misterious so the director uses long paced shots, but when something is about to happen, the shot duration speeds up accentuating the problem. The uneven durations as well would also suggest the complexity of the situation.