Thrillers An overview of the genre.

What is a thriller? A thriller is a type of film. A type of film that keeps it’s audience in suspense with a good plot. It also uses tension and excitement to keep it’s viewers on edge until the end with plot devices such as twists and cliff-hangers. Good examples of thrillers are Taken, Collateral and Silence of the Lambs.

Subgenres. Thriller has a lot of subgenres, and can merge with other genres to create special ones. There is a psychological thriller, which uses it’s characters minds and similar things to keep the viewer on edge, such as Silence of the Lambs. There is also horror-thrillers, which are a mix of horror and thriller, like The Shining, or The Woman in Black. And there is many others such as Sci Fi thrillers like Looper and Blade Runner, and action thrillers like Taken or any of the James Bond films.

Themes and conventions of a thriller. If you think about it, you’ll notice the plot elements are similar in many thrillers. For example, it is often based around crime and the law, a perfect example is The Departed It also tends to have a title character who is in the wrong place at the wrong time, like in Collateral.

Typical characters. The protagonist. – The main character and usually the hero of the story, who has to go through a lot to achieve victory, like James Bond, for example. The antagonist. – The main character’s rival and villain, is usually able to mess around with the antagonist in some way, again like James Bond’s many villains. The lender. – Someone who helps out the protagonist, like Liam Neeson’s friend in Taken. Girl in trouble. – Usually related in some way to the protagonist, they need saving from the antagonist, like in Taken, Liam Neeson’s daughter is kidnapped to be sold in human trafficking.

Mise En Scene typical to a thriller. Mise En Scene means everything on the stage. So for a crime thriller, this would usually mean guns, money, and other things with connotations to crime. For a political thriller, everything would look very professional and official, wearing fancy clothes like suits and carrying breifcases. In most thrillers, the general look of the film is very dark, for example in The Matrix, all scenes set within the matrix have a green filter on them. And the film Brick has a very grey look to all of it to make everything look quite unfriendly and dangerous.

Thriller cinematography. Thriller probably has the most diverse amount of different camera shots it can use. There are many shots that can be used to create fear and tension in the viewers. Low and high angle shots are probably the most frequently used in thrillers, they can make things look very big and powerful, and also small and weak. Establishing shots are also used, but can be not used at all, to make the audience feel unfamiliar with what they’re seeing. There is also a shot called a canted angle or a dutch tilt, where the camera is leaning to one side, like in the picture behind this text. It can be used to make the view an uncomfortable one and make the audience feel awkard.

Sound in a thriller. Sounds vary a lot in thrillers, but are never happy sounds. Thrillers will usually be set in and around urban areas, the sounds heard are usually diegetic and typical to a city, such as crowds, voices and cars. I am going to use Collateral as an example. At the beginning of the film, everything is quiet, despite it being set in a very public place with lots of people, until they bump into each other, then the natural busy sounds of the airport are introduced. The next scene is a man getting ready for his job driving a taxi, when he closes his door, the outside noises of his colleagues shouting stop completely, showing he’s very dedicated to his job and focused, but is also a bit of an escapist, he wants more out of his life. This is an example of parallel editing, two scenes next to each other but almost unrelated, we know these two characters will meet later on.

Sound in thrillers continued. Sound is very important to a thriller. It is needed to help to set a particular mood, which can be for a particular scene, or the whole film. Having no sound can create a feeling of peace, as if nothing’s wrong, alternatively, it can create a horribly tense atmosphere before something else happens too. Music is also very important. Music can be used to emphasize an event, or juxtapose it. Example of musical emphasis (pleonastic.)

Music in a thriller. Almost any music can be used for a thriller, so it’s hard to explain and write about, but it’s usually pretty minor sounding music, happiness wouldn’t suit a thriller. Very fast paced music can be used for an action scene, like this car chase from The Matrix ReloadedThe Matrix Reloaded There can also be tense music with very low pitch and tone to create fear and tension, like this famous music from the film Jaws. The viewers know something more is coming from the music, and it plays into the film as well, the viewers know a shark’s coming, making it pleonastic, meaning it emphasises what’s happening on screen.Jaws. The music can also be completely contrapuntal like this scene from Quantum of Solace. Contrapuntal means it’s opposite to what’s on screen, opera music really doesn’t suit people being shot. Quantum of Solace. A lot of films have an original theme tune for them, often recognisable, like Jaws or the theme from Vertigo. The theme’s are always associated with the film afterwards, and always sound very mysterious, if they didn’t, they wouldn’t suit the films they were written for.Vertigo

Target audience. Depending on it’s sub genre, a film can really be aimed at anyone. But it’s most likely to be aimed at a teenage / young adult audience. With films like No Country for Old Men and Silence of the Lambs. The themes explored in thrillers are usually too inappropriate and violent for a children’s audience. Some thrillers are aimed at a much more mature audience, such as Se7en, which is extremely violent, however teenagers would also enjoy it. There are classic thrillers, many by Alfred Hitchcock, are only rated PG, but still aimed at adults more than children.

Target audience according to certificate Most thrillers receive a 15 certificate, however there are others that receive an 18 instead. There are also some thrillers which are suitable for a 12 or 12A certificate. James Bond is a good example, the films have matured, but they never receive higher than a 12. The reason some can receive an 18 instead of a 15 is because of the BBFC.

The British Board of Film Classification. The BBFC watches every film and gives it a certificate depending on its content. Films with little to no violence, sex, bad language or drug use are often given a U or a PG. However, films with a small amount of these can be given a 12A or a 12. Moderate amounts of these can receive a 15, and are intended for anyone above that age, a majority of thrillers are in this category. Films with a lot of these are often given an 18, for example Se7en, Pulp Fiction and The Silence of The Lambs.Se7enPulp FictionThe Silence of The Lambs

BBFC continued. They formed in 1912, soon after films were invented. They have the responsibility of rating every film that goes through theatrical release. It’s actually illegal to exhibit or broadcast a film that hasn’t been rated by them yet. They also have the power to cut films or deem them too inappropriate for release. Films are often cut to achieve a lower rating so as to make more money from a bigger target audience.

Todorov’s theory of narrative. Todorov was a strucuralist linguist, who suggested that all films start and end with an equilibrium. There are 5 stages to each narrative in his theory. 1. Equilibrium, 2. Equilibrium’s disruption, 3. Recognition of disruption, 4. Attempting to repair said disruption, 5. The reinstatement of equilibrium.

Editing in thrillers There are many different sound and editing techniques used in thriller films. Match on action is one of them. Match on action is when there are many shots of one thing happening, usually a significant event. Here's a small example, watch the woman lighting the cigarette. Here's a small example, watch the woman lighting the cigarette.

Brick OTS analysis. The film starts out with an establishing shot in the entrance to a sewer or storm drain, everything looks grey, dingy and dull. There are two people in the shot, a teenage boy crouching, and a dead girl, which he is staring at. It’s unclear how they got there or what happened. The music at the beginning sounds quite western, but also mysterious and unhappy, it suits the tone of the OTS. The music stops quite abruptly, as a school bell acts as a sound bridge to cut to a few days earlier, and a graphic match shows the dead girl leaving a note in the boy’s locker. There are various shots used, for example the POV of the boy looking at the bracelets on the girls wrist shows he recognizes them, he has not just found any normal dead body, but it’s still ambiguous as to who she is right now.

Donnie Darko OTS analysis. The first thing heard is just thunder, thought it’s unclear whether this noise is diegetic or non diegetic. The first thing we see is a nice landscape, then a body lying still in a long shot. The thunder has gone, and a very sombre, mysterious and eerie soundtrack has begun. Donnie is ok, he has stood up and smiled, but it’s still very mysterious as to what he was doing there. Throughout this OTS, ambient noises such as birdsong and general noises from the forest are heard, it’s all really peaceful, but also very tense, at first we do not know if Donnie is dead or just asleep. The music is also very unsettling and pleonastic.

My thriller OTS idea. Aftermath of a car chase through some big city like New York or LA. One criminal’s car, crashed is filled with bags of money. Only 2 of the people in the car survived, both of which are unconscious. One of the people they were trying to escape from, also criminals, takes the bags and drives away, we do not see who this person is.