My Understanding of Thriller Genre – Codes

and Conventions.

What is a Thriller?Thriller is a broad genre of literature, film and television, having numerous subgenres. Thrillers are characterized and defined by the moods they elicit, giving viewers heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety.

What are Codes and Conventions in Media?What are codes? Codes are systems of signs, which create meaning. Codes are split up into two categories: technical and symbolic.

Symbolic codes show the viewers beyond what we can already see. A good example of this would be showing a characters actions in order to emphasise his/her emotions.

Technical codes are the technicalities/methods used in media in order to create a film. E.g. sound, editing, camera angles.

Mirrors

Taken from the movie Divergent (Mystery/Sci-fi thriller), 2014.

Mirrors are used consistently throughout the Thriller genre. Mirrors are reflecting objects, which suggests that the usage of them would imply that a character is reflecting on themselves. Mirrors also do have a rather significant sinister effect to them (especially cracked mirrors). Mirrors can represent a false sense of reality, as everything they reflect are altered compared to what reality really is (alternation of left and right reflection). Mirrors also illustrate consciousness about body image, and obsession with perfection.

Types of Lighting

Low-Key: lighting which is used in order to represent the darker surrounding atmosphere. This type of lighting is normally used to create a gloomy/scary scene and can also be used in order to emphasise shadows.

High-Key: lighting which is used in order to make a subject look more realistic. However, the main use of High-Key lighting is to show scenery such as a sunny day or mood such as love.

Taken from When Night Falls (thriller), 2007

Shadows The use of Shadows are prominent in thriller movies. Shadows are used to hide identity and to portray secrecy, whilst having a sinister effect due to the dark atmosphere created. Shadows will always show minor details about a character e.g. clothing/physique, but they will never focus on something like facial detail as doing so would defeat the purpose of a shadow.

Taken from The 39 Steps (thriller), 1935

SoundThe use of sound effects are used widely throughout all movie genres, as they contribute massively to adding suspense/excitement to a film. Both diegetic and non-diegetic sound are valued greatly in the thriller genre. A lot of tension can be created with the use of sound. For an example we can have a shot where we begin with silence but then have a faint sound get lounder and lounder which would be a build up to an event. This type of non-diegetic sound can help a lot when it comes to creating suspense which is a significant concept of a thriller genre. Diegetic sound is sound that is included in the actual film world, whilst non-diegetic sound is sound that just the audience is aware of.

FlashbacksFlashbacks are great at telling a very long story in a very short amount of time. Flashbacks are more prominently used in the beginning of a thriller film which normally show part of the ending of the film. The use of these flashbacks are very effective when it comes to leaving the viewers confused and excited. Flashbacks can be used in order to show the past or future in the film world, and they don’t necessarily have to tell a story in chronological order.

EditingThe use of editing is an overall major aspect of any film genre. Sufficient editing in media can make any shot look good. The use of editing can for example allow for fast transitioning shots which would in turn create a lot of suspense and anticipation. Editing allows for a whole range of continuity, transitions and other aspects to be incorporated in a film. These aspects can be extremely useful in media when it comes to merging shots or emphasising on a significant shot.

Camera ShotsThe wide range of camera shots available in media allows for unlimited possibilities. Here are some notable shots and their uses:

Establishing shot: used to set the sceneClose-up: used to emphasise on a specific character or aspectTwo-shot: used to show a relationship between charactersWide-shot: used to show the situation at handMid-shot: used to emphasise concepts related to mise-en-scene (e.g. props, costumes, lighting)

Overview – What have I learnt?By completing this activity, I learnt a lot about the core codes & conventions used in the thriller genre. This information has helped me with understanding certain key codes & conventions in much more detail, so that I will be able to incorporate these codes & conventions in my own opening sequence.

Because of this activity, my initial ideas for my opening sequence has changed significantly. I have now thought of many new ideas which I believe will be much more worthwhile to include in my opening sequence, in order to produce a higher level of work.