Thriller Genre Codes and Conventions

By Joe Hawker

What is Thriller?Thriller films include numerous and

often overlapping sub-genres other known as a genre hybrid. Thriller genre tends to provide a suspenseful adventure within the narrative. The sub-genres mainly consist of elements of action and horror, hence why most thriller films are characterized by fast pacing and frequent action. Thrillers usually have a protagonist that must travel and journey by planning to overcome the more powerful and better equipped villains.

Thriller AssociationsOne particular generic feature of a thriller is entrapment. Thus claustrophobic spaces are a

key generic signifier in thriller. Thrillers that include this sense of tight proximity are:• Flightplan - location - plane• Snakes on a Plane - location - plane• Phonebooth - location - phonebooth• Kill bill 2 - location - buried in a coffin• Jeepers Creepers – location – the pipe• What Lies Beneath – location – underwater in bath tub• Panic room – location – the panic room• Speed – location – on the bus• Final Destination – location – in the sun bed

Thriller Association Continued…

Thrillers, similar to Horror can also show signs of iconoclasm. This is where a theme of religion is commonly evident and religious symbols act as a motif throughout the narrative. This can make the audience digest a sense of spiritualism and where super natural activity can allow the imagination to evolve into reality. Example of films such as these include ‘Devils Advocate’, ‘Van Helsing’ and ‘The Exorcist’.

Thriller Narrative and Target AudienceMost thriller films are classified either 15 or 12A where as horrors are

usually rated 18. However, as thriller is a hybrid containing various generic elements there has to be a consideration to the target audience. As thrillers can be seen as being less graphic than horrors, the rating is suitable for teenagers to view and therefore has an aim for this particular target audience. However despite a younger target audience, this genre can also attract older generations as some consider horrors to be too overwhelming whereas thriller can consist of a more complex narrative and this is where this genre receives the reputation. Films such as ‘Silence of the Lambs’, ‘Memento’ and ‘Seven’ all show signs of a twisting plot and this involves the spectator as a participant to the narrative as the audience begin to respond to the enigma.

Cinematography• The micro-element cinematography is a key ingredient that helps

define a thriller film. Hitchcock’s ‘Vertigo’ is arguably one of the best thriller films of all time and is notorious for the creative cinematography. This film was the first to introduce the iconic camera technique ‘reverse-zoom’ and in this particular scene played an excellent representative of the character’s fear of heights.

Vertigo

Cinematography in Thrillers

What shot? What is it? What does it mean?Canted shot A camera position that is on a sloped

angle.Conveys a sense of disease or illness towards the characters position.

Hand-held ‘Shaky- cam’ or unsteady camerawork. It suggests unprepared or unrehearsed filming and can provide a sense of dynamics, immersion, instability or nervousness. Gives the reader that what is being shown is a ‘live’ recording which enhances the feeling of reality.

Vertical or birds-eye shot A steep camera image that is usually constructed through the use of a crane.

Portrays a disorientated and uncomfortable feel for the spectator. Can often be used to intensify scenes that include large heights.

Duality shot An image that involves a reflection (e.g. in a mirror or a reflection in water).

Is affective to illustrate two sides of an individual or plot. Can sometimes filter a clear image, hiding a ‘killer’s identity’ which creates questions to the audience to whom the culprit is.

Reverse- zoom shot a.k.a. The Hitchcock shot.

A camera technique when the cinematographer uses the ‘zoom’ control but moves backwards with the camera.

Emphasises the idea of "falling-away-from-oneself feeling" or a feeling of unreality, or to suggest that a character is undergoing a realization that causes him or her to reassess everything he or she had previously believed.

Mise-en-scene• The micro-element mise-en-scene is a broad sector that refers

to the lighting, setting, costume, props and character movement, expression and performance.

In the thriller film ‘Kill Bill’ (Tarrantino), the mise-en-scene plays a key role throughout the narrative. The use of black costumes and masks in the picture shown is an indicator to the unity of an evil force and in this case represents the villain(s). Distinguishable by the unique hero costume, the character movement within the protagonist is significant. In this scene despite being a female associated as the weaker gender and the fact the male dominate in numbers, she learns to overcome the more powerful and better equipped villains which is a convention often used in thriller films.

Mise-en-scene continued…• In the film ‘Seven’ (Fincher), the Mise-en-scene is particular significant as it

becomes a representative of the deadly sin lust. The picture below shows the scene where they enter an underground brothel. In this specific scene the lighting is deliberately altered and a strong tint of red is utilised. The colour red is often associated with danger or indeed the sin lust and in this case symbolizes both. This exaggerated lighting also denotes the blood of the new discovered murder and conveys this sense of evilness within the narrative, which is why Mise-en-scene is a key component in Seven by constructing sub-conscious clues to the spectator allowing us to attempt tosolve the investigation ourselves.

Editing• When used appropriately, the editing in thriller films can help develop

a purpose in the narrative. As editing is a mirco-element operated during post-production, certain editing tools can be applied to modify an image after its original caption. In the thriller film ‘Sin city’, the whole film was produced in black and white, however the colour red was the only colour deliberately filtered in some scenes to again emphasize a sense of danger and the emotion of lust.

Other conventional editing techniques used in film which tend to act as narrative devices are:•Transitional fades to help move the narrative on•Slow or fast motion to exaggerate a key image or point•Special effects to perceive unrealistic images to seem ‘real’

Sound• Sound is a major participant in films and can almost articulate the mood

or emotion of a narrative. In the sci-fi thriller Terminator 2 (Cameron), the non-digetic music is imperative throughout the film as it enhances the villain’s representation. The music also acts as a motif and is continually repeated throughout the narrative especially in the scenes where the villain is shown as it is employed to embellish the villain’s command to ‘terminate’, which engages the audience with the motive ‘I’m coming to get you’. The sounds in this thriller film tend to quite dissonant and asynchronous as it contains a considerable use of percussion instruments to symbolize the futuristic background.