Conventions of Thriller Films - Caroline

Conventions of Thriller films

Conventions of thriller films are all elements that we need to put forward into our film in order to make it a good and true thriller. Our film needs to stay true to the genre that has been built up in order to fit characterisations and expectations.

Titling

• Most films have seemed to have their credits done over a black screen with some non diegetic music playing in the background to set the scene. It is also common for some films to start with a particular event before titles start to show. Another convention of titles is that usually the most important film companies or actors in the film are shown first in the credits.

These are examples from the thriller film 'Se7en', which show white title text with a black background to create a sinister feeling, in fitting with the thriller genre and something we would like to create within 'Sleep Tight'. Not only do these titles create the expected atmosphere, but the simplicity leaves a lot to the audience's imagination, and this builds suspense also. The contrast between black and white also sets up a theme within classical thriller films of good and bad.

Camera movement

• Tracking and Pan shots is what’s commonly used in the beginning of thriller films, particularly a certain group of people who we should be interested in as the audience. 

In this example from "Deja Vu" there is a pan across the boat, highlighting the amount of people aboard which creates suspense as the soundtrack infers a sense a danger. In our thriller short film we will also use music to this effect, and juxtaposition with pan shots of the couple being ordinary people, in everyday circumstances whilst creating a sense of danger similar to that in "Deja Vu"

Framing of shot

• The most typical shot used in thriller films seems to be the close up, greatly used in  'Se7en'  to build suspense and mystery in the beginning. Long shots have also been a commonality among thriller films to set the scene and show the audience where the action will be taking place in the upcoming events of the film.

These are examples from 'Silence of the Lambs', in which the main character (a cannibal) attacks and feasts upon two male policemen. The close ups in the build up to this attack show the character's intent, and also the severity of the situation.

Camera angles

• Things that seem to be quite common are the low levels of framing and the high angles at certain points, the high angle is used mainly to show those in a powerful position. There seems to be a main character in the beginning which seems to have the majority of power and this is shown through the camera angles.

This example is from "No Country For Old Men", and shows a low angle shot effectively creating the desired sense of danger imposed by the man behind the policeman. The use of the low angle here gives the audience a sense of the ignorance of the policeman, and his fall from being in control earlier in the sequence. In our thriller it will be effective to use the low angle shots to signify the man's power over the woman during the dream sequences.

Mise en scene

• The general location used in the thriller movies depends on the story of the movie themselves and because of that there’s a lot of difference in location. Lighting is a key aspect used in most of the films; they all use lighting but for different reasons, while trying to set up a particular overriding tone or atmosphere for the upcoming film. 

Editing

• Jump cuts become a commonality during thriller films. This is usually because multiple things are happening that we’re unaware of and the jump cuts fill us in, they allow us as the audience to make assumptions on what the story or characters will be like. While the jump cuts are built up and eventually draw to a close, however the cutting rate seems to increase which ultimately seems to lead to a miniature climax of the introduction.

Sound

• All films analysed had non diegetic music playing in the background creating a sound bridge to create a certain atmosphere.  This usually gives us an insight to the characters motives or their relationships with other characters in the film.This is very thought provoking and does well to build up tension, which seems to be a strong convention for thriller films.

Actors positioning and movement

• The intro is our first introduction to a character so they normally tend to be in the middle of the frame. Their movement however seems to be very dependent on the situation they’re in at the time. A characters movement usually tells us something about the person, some move frantically while others are slow and calculated. So it seems a convention for their to be two different groups with two different movement patterns.