Thriller Opening (Research): Conventions of a Thriller Film

In a thriller film, the producers do many different things to make sure that the audience knows that the film is indeed a thriller film. For example, they will dim lighting, making it quite low key, many quick cuts between scenes will make it so that the tension would rise as it would be quite snappy at showing things. Shadows give off a sense of darkness and can sometimes give the audience a sense of thrill, alongside music that slowly builds up, creating a sense of tension. Many conventions for thriller movies do raise the tension as it’s practically their job. There would be dramatic changes in the angle of shots, showing power at points for certain characters, them trying to think or doing a certain action which would set the scene and mood. Diegetic sounds of breathing can easily make a person tense up and is quite good for a dramatic effect and to make the audience sit at the edge of their seat.

Black and white shots alongside a mixture of montage shots show us of time passing by and can make things seem more dramatic, even a falling glass can be seen as a movement that would definitely be a part of a thriller film. There is also a lot of fast paced editing within certain scenes which can bring out the excitement of an audience or anxiety, or even make them a bit nervous though it depends on the scenes that are finishing.

Though the most cliché thing to happen in thriller movies is the scenes where protagonists are at the mercy at the antagonists, this can give the audience a sense of thrill as though hope is lost but obviously, the protagonist will triumph in the end, whether it means risking their life or sacrificing it, it shall be done in order to defeat the villain. A typical example of this would be Jaws, a thriller film of a man-eating shark but in the end, they do, of course, beat the shark, a thriller film which I have recently watched.

Depending on the genre type may vary on what is to be involved in a thriller movie as there are many different sub-genres in the world of thrillers which gives us a variation in movies and can make it so that we don’t know what to expect next.

According to a site known as MindMeister, there is five areas for conventions and codes within thriller films which are the feelings thrillers create within their target audience, thriller narratives, iconography, characters and of course, themes. These are important in the eyes of the people that post on this site as there are many types that fall under each category. For example, under ‘Feelings thrillers create’, they believe that thrillers should cause the audience to feel excitement, suspense, anticipation, anxiety, uncertainty and should be, of course, nerve wracking for the audience to watch at points where there is high tension.