The Typical Characteristics of Thriller Films

What is a generic convention?

This term describes traditions for each genre. These conventions help to define each genre. Generic Conventions are the features within a film that allows it to be classified into a specific genre, such as thrillers, comedies, action and other sub-genres. The sound and music, camerawork, lighting, editing, mise-en-scene, plot, characters, locations and conventions all contribute to the production of a Thriller Film.

https://literaryterms.wikispaces.com/generic+conventions

What is Mise-en-scène? 

The arrangement of everything that appears in the framing – actors, lighting, décor, props, costume – is called mise-en-scène, a French term that means “placing on stage.” It originated in the theatre, although for film it has a wider meaning and refers to almost everything in the frame, including the composition itself, the movement of the camera and characters, the frame, the costuming, props and makeup, lighting, set design and the general visual environment, the actors used and

even sound, as it helps elaborate the composition, even though the mise-en-scène is mostly visual. The camerawork also makes up the mise-en-scène of a movie. Even though many professionals are involved in its creation, the director is the one that oversees the entire mise-en-scène and all of its elements. Not just that, but during the early stages of pre-production, the director sits down with set designers, prop masters, location managers, costume designers, and scenic artists to determine the look and feel intended. In some instances, the mise-en-

scène is used to create lasting feelings throughout the movie and not just for selected scenes. Mise-en-scenè in thrillers are very important because it is almost everything that we see on the screen in the film. Usually, in thrillers clothing and makeup are very important for creating effects such as injuries or making an actor look evil and portraying the danger that a person is in. Also the use of props such as weapons help the audience to establish the film to be thriller. Good actors are always important, no matter what the movie is about and often there are actors that are associated with thriller movies which automatically lead us to believe it is a thriller. The set design is also very important in a thriller as it is an important factor in setting the scene for events that are about to happen in the film.

http://www.elementsofcinema.com/directing/mise-en-scene.html
http://userpages.umbc.edu/~landon/Local_Information_Files/Mise-en-Scene.htm 



Lighting

Lighting in thrillers is mainly low key which is usually used to create harsh shadows on faces, bodies and props. It also sets the scene for thrillers and portrays the main themes of the genre. Low key lighting is normally used during the more sinister, scary scenes to emphasise the suspense and tension. It helps provide detail, making the viewer unsettled as they can't see whats going to happen until its too late. This exaggerates the impact of the sudden event which is often frightening and is enhanced by climactic music. Low-key lighting relies on shadows, deep blacks and darker tones, with very few whites and middle tones. It is somber, mysterious and moody, dramatic or even ominous depending on the subject.


http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/tip/3558/using-lighting-style-to-create-mood-high-key-and-low-key-lighting/

Sound                                                                 Typical Thriller Music From the Film Psycho

This is crucial to make up the atmosphere of a thriller. For example different music themes produce a different mood and feel for thriller films. For example jumpy and frightening music which is played in each scene, can be named as themes/stings as they produce different moods and settings. Another sound element which is very important is high pitched sounds/orchestral stabs such as screeches. For example orchestral stabs such as screeches are used in thrilling films such as in 'Psycho', when the lady in the shower is being stabbed. This adds suspense and horror/thriller to the film to give it its thrilling genre. Psycho was written in 1960 by Alfred Hitchcock. Other sound elements which are used to give the films their thrilling genres are; diegetic/ non-diegetic sounds, synchronous/asynchronous sounds, ambient sounds etc…..

http://blogs.thegrangeschool.net/06hawkinss/2011/03/22/codes-and-conventions-of-a-thriller/

Camera work

In a thriller film, the camera work is usually either really steady or moves around frantically. When there is a scene with dialogue the camera would focus on the characters and not the background unless the mise-en-scène was significant in this scene. Common shots used are over-the-shoulder shots to emphasise the idea that someone is following the victim, close-ups and extreme close-ups which are invading and will make the audience feel uncomfortable and anxious as to what is going on. However, generally, they are used to show different aspects of a films setting and are extremely important in shaping meaning into the film. Camera angles are used to position the viewer to help them understand the relationship between characters.

http://www.skwirk.com/p-c_s-54_u-251_t-647_c-2411/camera-shots-angles-and-movement-lighting-cinematography-and-mise-en-scene/nsw/camera-shots-angles-and-movement-lighting-cinematography-and-mise-en-scene/skills-by-text-type-film/film-overview

http://www.slideshare.net/ReginaOkeke/codes-and-conventions-of-thriler-films

Editing

Quick cuts are very common during thriller films. This is usually because multiple things are happening that we're unaware of and the quick cuts fill us in, they allow the audience to make assumptions on what the story or characters will be like. These quick cuts can also be seen in films such a psycho, when the women in the shower is getting stabbed. There is a lot of fast cuts, as it shows different angles of her being stabbed. This makes the film fast paced and makes it more tense. Another one is fade to black. This has been used in the film Three Monkeys, at the end when the final shot is of a man standing at the top of a ramshackle building, looking out on a dark horizon; thunder tolls; a train runs in from the left side of the screen, and appears to enter the side of the building, then the screen fades to black. This film was written by Nuri Bilge Ceylan in 2008.It makes the film more suspense, because you don’t know what is going to come up next. Another type of editing that is common is obstructive editing. The accentuate the feelings of suspense and tension. They are often used during an important or 'thrilling' scene, sometimes creating a disorientation of time and space, by using montage editing.

http://blogs.thegrangeschool.net/06hawkinss/2011/03/22/codes-and-conventions-of-a-thriller/
http://www.slideshare.net/CharlotteEmmaVicki/codes-and-conventions-of-thrillers