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The genre of a film relies on the content and style of the film. Different kinds of genres will often have certain aspects like the kind of atmosphere it creates, actors they cast or the settings they choose that makes it individual to the genre it is. For example, horror films use Gothic-style buildings and involve lots of gore. The key to thriller films is to include lots of suspense and excitement. This excitement throughout the film intrigues and entertains the audience. 'Thrillers are my favourite. I like stuff that keeps you on the edge of your seat or maybe makes you jump.' Corey Feldman Feelings that thrillers create: excitement, suspense, anticipation, anxiety, uncertainty, tension. The main purpose of a thriller film is to keep the audience in an 'edge-of-their-seats' mode as they create such a tense atmosphere. They often continuously build towards a climax and will often end with a twist or a cliffhanger. Threatening situations and mysteries are often used to create tension.
Typically, thrillers are crossed with another genre: - Common hybrids are action thrillers. These are much more action-packed than the average thriller film. Examples are 'Die Hard', 'Kill Bill: Volume 1' and 'The Fugitive'. - Sci-fi thrillers usually include ideas that wouldn't work in the real world like time-travel or aliens. Such films include 'Alien', 'Serenity', 'Gravity' and 'Sunshine'. - Crime thrillers usually focus on the effects of law-breaking on the protagonist, like 'Reservoir Dogs', 'Pulp Fiction' and 'Fargo'. - Psychological thrillers feature intense action in the plot as well as the characters' mind. 'Shutter Island', 'Black Swan' and 'Psycho' are good examples. - Comedy thrillers combine humour, suspense and action. These include 'Get Smart' and 'Rush Hour'.
Safety Last! was the first thriller film ever made in 1923. Every thriller film made since contains elements from this film or it wouldn't be considered thriller. The Lodger was a film directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1927, who is considered one of the greatest thriller directors of all time. It was the first thriller based around real events – Jack the Ripper. Psycho, a horror/thriller film, is another one of Alfred Hitchcock's films. It has one of the most famous movie scenes ever. These are some of the most well-known thriller films. Other great ones include: The Third Man, Silence of the Lambs, Fargo, Se7en, Shutter Island and The Usual Suspects. Here is a time line I have made on timetoast.com about the history of the thriller genre: https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/the-history-of-the-thriller-genre
Mise-en-Scene: Often in thrillers, you see the locations to be urban-based because these areas typically have more crime which is a key aspect of thriller films. However, forests are also common choices in thrillers as they give an isolated feeling and give the audience the idea that no one will hear you scream, playing with their emotions. 'Se7en' is a film that is set in an urban area. Props in thrillers often contribute to the narrative of the film and are therefore very important; at the beginning of 'Collateral', it is made clear whatever is in the bag has some relevance. Certain props you would expect to see in thriller films are: cars (often for chases), guns (life-threatening objects increases tension), blood (can shock or disturb the audience) and cameras (part of uncovering mysteries). Props also offer an insight into the character eg. In 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre', the antagonist wears a mask of human skin, telling us they are probably insane and want to conceal their identity. Costumes and makeup can show the time the film is set in, the type of characters in the film and emphasise particular characters. The makeup of the Joker in 'The Dark Knight Rises' connote the character to be insane and dangerous as they highlight darkness around his eyes and gives a red, bloody colour to his mouth, which represents untrustworthiness. In thrillers, the protagonists are often dressed in casual clothes, as this supports the idea of normal character being dragged into dangerous situations. Meanwhile, antagonists are often in sophisticated attire like suits because it makes them seem wealthier, as if they have many resources at their disposal, making them more threatening. Hans Gruber in 'Die Hard' is an example of this type of refined character.
Mise-en-Scene: The figure expression of characters often tells the audience the relationships of characters and what state of mind they are in. In thrillers, it is common to see the characters in strong stances as there is often a fight for power between the protagonist and antagonist. In 'Se7en', the character John Doe, is a very calm character, even at gun point, which gives the impression that he is an intimidating and threatening person, and also could indicate that he is not sane. Meanwhile, in 'Psycho', the character Marion gives an expression of fear, making her appear more vulnerable. Her defencelessness makes her a typical victim in thrillers. 'Always make the audience suffer as much as possible.' Alfred Hitchcock The lighting in films is very important to create the right kind of atmosphere to suit the scene. The most commonly-used lighting in thrillers is low-key lighting. This is of a high contrast and very dark. This makes any light bits harsher and the dark bits conceal parts of the frame in a shadow, which adds mystery and eeriness to the film. This kind of lighting makes the audience very uneasy, because it gives them the idea of something lurking around the corner or being watched. Films that use this kind of lighting are 'Shutter Island' and 'The Sixth Sense'.
Cinematography: • The cinematography can vary in thrillers, depending on who is in the shot and what is happening in the scene. • Often, low angle shots (filmed from below the subject like it is above you) are used to display the villain, to make him look threatening. Or, in the moment the protagonist is victorious, they will be shown in a low angle shot to show power; this is seen in Spider-Man, when the hero puts on his mask. • Close-ups (the subject takes up full frame) are seen a lot in thrillers as they display the emotion on the characters face so we can understand the character more, as shown in 'The Blair Witch Project' where the character's fear is emphasised by the close up of her face. They are also used to focus on an object. Point of view shots (filming from the subject's perspective) are also use because if the audience feel as if they are the character, they will feel more emotions, which is the aim of thriller films. This is seen in 'Inglourious Basterds' • Fast-paced camera movement can be used in chase scenes, so it feels as if we are the character running. On the other hand, slow camera movement can be used in tense scenes in which the character could be hiding or uncovering a mystery. Another movement of cameras is the hand-held technique, which creates a shaky effect. This is used in 'The Hunger Games', which is designed to help the audience experience the film through the protagonist's eyes. Tracking movement (moving parallel to the character) is often used in thrillers so as to keep up with the action. For example, in 'The Bourne Supremacy', there is a foot chase so tracking is used to follow the character.
Sound: • Music in a thriller film is key to creating the right atmosphere. Often, the music will build up to a climax, which is most common in action scenes, by speeding up the pace of the music. This increases the feel of anticipation and excitement. Music in thrillers in an example of non-diegetic sounds (meaning the sounds location is not seen on screen and is not related to what is happening in the film). Other non-diegetic sounds you could expect to hear in thrillers are voice-overs as these help the audience keep up with what is happening, as the narratives are often complex in thrillers. • The diegetic sounds (this means they are relevant to what is happening on screen) in thrillers help set the scene of the where the film is. Ambient sounds eg. city sounds can tell us where the film is set before the place is even shown. Additional sounds that are often heard in thrillers are: gunshots, police sirens, cars and screams. Silence is also important in thrillers because it creates suspense or a feel of isolation. • Thrillers more commonly use pleonastic sound (this means it matches or suits what is happening on screen), rather than contrapuntal sound (this is sound that doesn't fit with the action on screen to confuse or disorientate the audience), as this reinforces the tension and suspense in the film.
Editing: • The editing in thriller films focuses on making the spectators feel uncomfortable with a suspenseful atmosphere. • Quick cuts and many different camera angles make the audience feel disorientated. Also, jump cuts means events that are happening quickly can all be shown so the audience won’t be confused. • Cross cutting is a technique usually used to display action happening in two locations at a time. It can suggest a link between the two events. For example, in Inception, there is cross-cutting between a car-chase scene and a fight scene. It is used to add tension, because there is so much happening at once which makes the scene more dramatic. Match on action is an editing skill in which one shot cuts to another whilst still portraying the same action as in the first shot. This is particularly important in thriller films because there is a lot of action like fighting and chases so the shots need to match for continuity. This method can be seen in The Matrix.
Bibliography: Www.film4.com Www.timetoast.com Www.slideshare.net Www.filmsite.org Www.mindmeister.com Www.tiki-toki.com Www.brainyquote.com Www.youtube.com
