Conventions for Thrillers

  Conventions for Thrillers

In class today we talked about how different Genres of film have different qualities or ‘conventions’ that create that specific type of film. We discussed what conventions Thrillers have and came up with the following: 

•  Mood – tension, suspense, serious, thrilling, excitement, anticipation, anxiety.
• Narrative – climax(es), cliff-hangers, not necessarily happy endings but sometimes ‘resolves’.
• Characters – goodie/baddie/damsel/idiot that gets in the way/’helpers.
• Music – the type that makes you say ‘no not that way!’, screechy violins.
• Location – urban areas, buildings with lots of corridors to get lost in.
• Plot – “If the genre is to be defined strictly, a genuine thriller is a film that relentlessly pursues a single-minded goal - to provide thrills and keep the audience cliff-hanging at the 'edge of their seats' as the plot builds towards a climax. The tension usually arises when the main character(s) is placed in a menacing situation or mystery, or an escape or dangerous mission from which escape seems impossible. Life itself is threatened, usually because the principal character is unsuspecting or unknowingly involved in a dangerous or potentially deadly situation. Plots of thrillers involve characters which come into conflict with each other or with outside forces - the menace is sometimes abstract or shadowy.” - http://www.filmsite.org/thrillerfilms.html