What makes a thriller?
- Acknowledgement from actors of the climax
- Climax - Suspense
- Potential for jump-cuts
- Violent acts but an absence of blood/gore
- Killings
- Ominous, low level lighting
- Plot - driven storyline
- Music full of suspense
- Conflict - binary oppositions (Hero/Villain)
- Fast-paced editing
- Fight scenes
- Unpredictable elements
- Women are saved/victimised
- Idea of chased/on the run
- Female protagonist often has a theme of isolation and trust that leads to a twist.
- Cliffhanger moments
- Narrative resolved
- Todorov = Equilibrium, Disruption, Equilibrium
- Protagonist/Antagonist
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Binary Oppositions
light/dark
red/white
man/woman
crime/justice
hero/villain
slow/fast - pace
ALONG CAME A SPIDER
Along came a spider is a psychological thriller that is typical of the thriller genre and conventions. It uses techniques such as below to indicate thriller conventions:
- The film contained an abundance of plot twists, as well as the concept and idea of ‘being on the run’. This is first shown when Mr Soneji is escaping as Jezzie speculates what is going on and tries to find him.
- Low level lighting throughout the film indicates the genre of a thriller film quickly for audience members.
- Pathetic fallacy is used to echo the mood and atmosphere of the character’s emotions, and is also a typical thriller convention used. For example, throughout the film the weather would use stuff such as heavy rain, thunder, and lighting.
What do we know about film openings?
- Learn the actors names
- Learn about the characters
- Name of the film
- Opening credits
- Tells us which film studios/ productions are involved
- Establishing shot
- Introduction
- Narration
Psychological Thriller
Psychological thrillers are a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is used with films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting.
Some Examples Include:
- Fight Club
- Split
- The Girl on The Train
- Black Swan
- Donnie Darko
- Shutter Island
What are the conventions?
- Reality
- Perception
- Mind
- Existence
- Purpose
- Obsession
- Identity
- Death
- Vast Landscapes.
Fight Club
Unhappy with his capitalistic lifestyle, a white-collared insomniac forms an underground fight club with Tyler, a careless soap salesman. Soon, their venture spirals down into something sinister.
The Bone Collector
Lincoln, a detective who has quadriplegia, is on the case of a serial killer who abducts his victims and brutally kills them. Soon, the killer begins to leaves clues for him and his partner.
Panic Room
Meg and Sarah hide in a panic room in their house when intruders break in. Unfortunately for them, the intruders want something that is hidden inside the room and will stop at nothing to claim it.
Crime Thrillers
Crime films are a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection
Some examples include:
- The Hate You Give
- Blue Story
- Knives Out
- Seven
- The Departed
- The Dark Knight
- 12 Monkeys
What are the conventions?
- Police
- Violent Scenes
- Guns,Weapons
- Murder and Violent Murders
- Male Protagonists
- Investigation in which the audience is invited to help try and figure the plot out.
- Low-level lighting
- Chase sequence
- Weather works against the protagonists, potentially to isolate the characters
- Time constraints, protagonists need to solve the crime before a specific time
- Resolution, person caught
The Dark Knight
Gordon, Dent and Batman begin an assault on Gotham's organised crime, so the mobs hire the Joker, a criminal, unhinged mastermind who is willing to kill Batman and fill Gotham with mayhem and chaos.
Political Thriller
A political thriller is a thriller that is set against the backdrop of a political power struggle, with suspense being the core of the story. The genre often forces the audiences to consider and understand the importance of politics.
Some Examples:
- The Firm
- The Pelican Brief
- Vantage Point
- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
- The Net
- Enemy of the State
What are the conventions?
- Power Struggle, Hierarchal
- People that hold powerful positions are normally antagonists
- Protagonists are isolated as the "good people", and are normally clever and innocent.
- Chase Sequences
- Explosions/Gun threats
- Conspiracies being kept SECRET by those in power
- Audiences are in the position of protagonist, so they feel omniscient
- Suits, briefcases, courtrooms, the secret
- Surveillance - CCTV footage within film.
- Political Aspect
The Firm
Mitch is a lawyer, lured by a big law firm with the promise of a bright future. Things do not go as planned after he finds himself embroiled in a murder case.
Technological Thrillers
Technological thrillers are a thriller that plot relies on modern technology.
Some examples include:
- iRobot
- The Net
- Ex Machina
- Enemy of the State
- Nerve
- The Circle
- Minority Report
- Die Hard 4
- The Thirteenth Thriller
What are the conventions?
- Technology, normally against the protagonist for majority
- Isolation is usually a theme, and the technology is either used to create or correct isolation.
- Chase Sequences, usually using fast paced editing
- Non-diegetic music works alongside the chase sequences to raise heartbeat
- Non-gruesome deaths, guns
- Protagonists are female and male, but usually solo.
- Protagonists against the group/organisation, use wit and strength
- Resolution with the protagonist taking them down
- Computers, Databases, CCTV, potentially dates the films
- Sets in big city, high tech locations, that help to isolate the characters in busy settings.
The Circle
Mae is employed in the biggest tech company in the world. She gets involved in an experiment that pushes the boundaries of privacy, ethics and personal freedom, and she realises its questionable consequences.
Action Thriller
Thriller is a genre of fiction, defined by the moods they elicit, giving viewers heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety.
Some Examples Include:
- James Bond
- Sicario
- Air Force One
- Lucy
- Collateral Damage
- Kingsman Films
- San Andreas
- Red Sparrow
What are the conventions?
- Explosions, weapons, guns, machine guns/rocket launchers
- Usually male protagonists, female protagonists are usually sexualised.
- Chase Sequences, involving high action content, normally involving things such as cars and helicopters
- Some form of love interest
- Protagonist is normally in relation to spies, secret agents, or retired solo agents
- Usually they contain fight sequences
Red Sparrow
Ballerina Dominika faces an uncertain future after she suffers an injury that ends her career. She turns to Sparrow School, a secret intelligence service that trains people to use their minds and bodies as weapons. Egorova emerges as the most dangerous Sparrow after completing the sadistic training process. As she comes to terms with her new abilities, Dominika meets a CIA agent who tries to convince her that he is the only person she can trust.
Disaster Thriller
A disaster film is a film genre that has an impending or ongoing disaster as its subject and primary plot device.
Some examples include:
- The Fifth wave
- Chernobyl, 1986
- Deep Blue Sea
- Underwater
- Crawl
- Ice Road
- Sharknado
- Contagion
- I am Legend
What are the conventions?
- Global Impact
- Antagonist is the natural disaster- a disaster/an earthquake/tsunami/meteor
- Protagonist- solo/group of friends/ family (male)
- Isolation still a theme -> focus on the need to unite
Chernobyl,1986
After reuniting with a lost love, firefighter Alexey retires to begin a new life , but the Chernobyl disaster suddenly plunges him back into danger.
American Psycho
Patrick Bateman, a wealthy investment banker, hides his psychopathic ego from his friends.Until, his illogical fantasies escalate and he submits to an uncontrollable bloodlust.
The Girl On The Train
Rachel, a divorcee, idealises Scott and Megan, a young couple who live next to her ex-husband. However, when Megan suddenly goes missing, Rachel gets dragged into the ensuing investigation.
Glossary
- Hybrid: hybrid genre is a genre that blends themes from two or more genres together.
​- Iconography: the way an audience describes the particular signs that identify a particular genre.
​- Intertextuality: a deliberate reference in a text to another media text which is already known to audiences.
​- Parody: a film that mocks films of a particular genre through comedy.
​- Pastiche: a film that borrows a number of themes and styles, or codes and conventions from other films, even to the extent of imitating some scenes.
​- Plot: is a media term that refers to a sequence of events that happens through cause-and-effect.
​- Postmodernism: reflects the way wester society changed in the 20th century. The changes were centred around traditional values such as religion, family, race and class. People began to question their identity and role in society and the media reflects this.