UNDERSTANDING OF THE THRILLER GENRE

Ania Tarek

What is a Thriller?■ A thriller is a genre that revolves around anticipation and suspense. The aim for thrillers is to

keep the audience alert and on the edge of their seats. The protagonist in these films is set against a problem, an escape, a mission, or a mystery. There isn’t a specific age rage for thrillers, only above the age of 18 is best. This genre usually makes the audience feel a range of emotions from anxiousness, fear, anticipation, relief and mystery. Directors use a range of ways to make a scene more tense, for example the music which can be something that starts slow then speeds up which usually foreshadows something is either going to happen or pop out. Another way is through the lighting, the thrillers are usually based in a dark area which requires dark lighting, this makes it feel much more sinister. There is also the body language and tone of the character as it portrays what they are thinking and feeling. This allows the audience to gain an insight of the characters mind. The aim for Thrillers is to keep the audience alert and on the edge of their seats. The protagonist in these films is set against a problem – an escape, a mission, or a mystery. No matter what sub-genre a Thriller film falls into, it will emphasize the danger that the protagonist faces. The tension with the main problem is built on throughout the film and leads to a highly stressful climax. f the genre is to be defined strictly, a genuine thriller is a film that restlessly pursues a single-minded goal - to provide thrills and keep the audience cliff-hanging at the 'edge of their seats' as the plot builds towards a climax. The tension usually arises when the main character(s) is placed in a menacing situation or mystery, or an escape or dangerous mission from which escape seems impossible.

Sub-Genres■ A genre is a way to categorise and label movies in to different section, the reason why the thriller

genre has many sub genres is because there is a difference between the categories for example the medical thriller is very different from the political genre, they are based around different concepts and ideas. This also makes it easier for viewers to pinpoint what movie they are looking for. Within the genre of thriller, there are many sub genres such as psychological genres, crime, romantic, medical, supernatural, political and many more. Each genre has their own type of audience members but can sometimes cross paths such as a romantic thriller that contains medial aspects. Beginning with the political sub genre, it is a thriller that is set against the backdrop of a political power struggle. They usually involve various extra-legal plots, designed to give political power to someone, while his opponents try to stop him. They can involve national or international political scenarios. The age range for this is usually more mature and older people as younger viewers may not find this interesting. The religious sub genre is a factor placed in to a movie and playing on it, could be any religion. Can usually cause controversy as it plays with the beliefs of people. The psychological sub genre is suspenseful movie or the emphasizing of the psychology of its characters rather than the plot; this sub-genre of thriller movie or book. This type of movie usually plays with the audiences head and keeps them guessing throughout the end and typically end up with a big plot twist. The techno sub genre is a hybrid genre drawing from science fiction, thrillers, spy fiction, action, and war novels. This is not a very popular type of sub genre but still has high views and good rated movies.

Sub-genres■ The conspiracy sub genre is a sub-genre of thriller fiction. The protagonists of conspiracy thrillers

are often journalists or amateur investigators who find themselves (often inadvertently) pulling on a small thread which unravels a vast conspiracy that ultimately goes "all the way to the top.“ The mystery sub genre is a genre that is full of suspense and adrenalin as it keeps the audience is a state where they are thinking and guessing the plot of the movie or what is going on. The Three Apples, a tale in the One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights), is the earliest known murder mystery and suspense thriller with multiple plot twists and detective fiction elements. The medical sub genre that consists of the theme of doctors, hospitals, meds and the concept of life and death. This usually is based in a hospital or a medical centre and revolves around doctors and the biology of the body. There is also the action thriller which is more common in movies than novels because of the visual appeal of explosions and violence. This usually appeals to the male gender of the younger years, not excluding mature viewers. There is usually an age restriction due to the violent content. The supernatural sub genre there are elements that are introduced, usually as an antagonistic force, but just as in the romantic thriller, the plot line and feel or distinctly that of thrillers. Some characters may have psychic abilities and other supernatural novel elements may be present.

Hybrids

A hybrid in media is a mixture of two genres in one movie, for example ‘The fault in our stars’ and ‘Titanic’ is a hybrid of romance and tragedy/drama. These are common because having only one genre is very limiting and there isn’t a sense of differentiation which is something that the audience is looking for. The formal definition is “A cross-genre (or hybrid genre) is a genre in fiction that blends themes and elements from two or more different genres. As opposed to the (literary and political) conservatism of most genre fiction, cross-genre writing offers opportunities for opening up debates and stimulating discussion.” It is usually 3 or more genres in one movie or TV series.

Codes and conventions Codes and conventions. Codes are systems of signs, which create meaning. Codes can be divided into two categories – technical and symbolic. Technical codes are all the ways in which equipment is used to tell the story in a media text, for example the camera work in a film. Symbolic codes show what is beneath the surface of what we see. For example, a character's actions show you how the character is feeling. Conventions are the generally accepted ways of doing something. There are general conventions in any medium, such as the use of interviewee quotes in a print article, but conventions are also genre specific. Codes and conventions are used together in any study of genre – it is not enough to discuss a technical code used such as camera work, without saying how it is conventionally used in a genre.