My chosen genre.

The Thriller Genre

• The thriller genre is a genre that revolves around anticipation and suspense.

• Thriller films aim to keep their audiences on the edge of their seat.

• Conventionally the protagonist comes up against a mission, mystery or an escape.

• Usually a highly stressful climax to the film

Sub-genres

• Action Thriller- Die Hard, Kill Bill

• Crime Thriller- Usual Suspects, The fugitive

• Film-Noir- Sunset Boulevard

• Psychological Thriller- Taxi Driver, Fight Club

• Sci-fi Thriller- Alien, Inception

Conventions of a thriller• Low key lighting

• Violence

• Enigma

• Tension building scores

• Props of guns, knife and other weapons

• Longer shots to build tension

Notable Thriller films• Pyscho. Alfred Hitchcocks 1960’s classic thriller film was revolutionary

in the thriller genre. The iconic shower scene sparked controversy, however paved the way for what the genre would eventually evolve into.

• The Sixth Sense. M. Night Shyamalans 1999 film was the pinnacle of the psychological thriller genre. Having one of the most notable twist endings in recent cinema.

• The Silence of the lambs. Jonathan Demme’s 1991 crime thriller introduced one of cinemas greatest antagonists, as well as becoming the first horror/thriller film to win a best picture Oscar.

Thriller audiences

• Due to the nature of thriller film, most features in the genre are rated over 15. Therefor the target audience of thriller films are typically young adults, from the ages of 15-30. This age range go to the cinema for visceral thrills, as well as the thrill of solving intellectual puzzles

Distribution of thriller films

• Thriller films range in budget and target audience. Some thriller films aim for a tent pole audience, such as Zodiac and Silence of the lambs. Films such as these will primarily be distributed by one of the big six distribution companies and have a blanket release.

• Alternatively, some thriller films aim for a smaller audience and are distributed independently or by a smaller distribution company, which will distribute to a smaller and more local audience.

My film

• Idea 1

• I plan to plan, shoot and edit a short thriller film. I plan to produce a found footage film, where a protagonist is filming a home invasion taking place.

• The film will contain minimal soundtrack and score, there will a small amount of cuts, these will primarily be jump cuts. The shots will mostly be POV due to the nature of the found-footage genre.

My film• Idea 2

• I plan to plan, shoot and edit a short thriller film. A protagonist will document a series of strange events happening around him, where he feels he is being followed.

• There will be a mysterious score, complimented with ambient sounds. I will use both high key and low key lighting. The VLOG of the protagonist will cut in and out of the rest of the film. There will be several wide shots to try and encompass a certain emotion.

My film

• Idea 3

• I plan to plan, shoot and edit a short thriller film. A troubled young writer, after suffering an undisclosed trauma, starts seeing incidents and events that occur in his work. Twist ending.

• This film will have a low key lighting, and to keep a sense of ambiguity will use blurred and saturated filters. POV shots will be used to allow the viewer to see through the mind of the character.