Codes and Conventions of the Thriller Genre

Aloha!

In this post, I'll be stepping aside from my movie - My Best friend's man - and be talking about the thriller genre. If people are confused with the difference between a thriller and a horror movie, let me explain..


A thriller movie is full of suspense. For example; The Dark Knight, The Maze Runner, Everest, Southpaw, Jurassic World and many more.

Whereas, a horror movie is chilling, spooky and creepy. Some examples would be, 
Sinister, Insidious, The Conjuring, Paranormal Activities and the list is endless.

Now, let's talk about the codes and conventions of the thriller genre. 

Here are some of the main things an audience would find in a thriller movie: 
- suspense and excitement is created 
- usually set in an urban or suburban area
- violence can be central to these films
- the hero and villain will have opposite sides but will have similar characteristics
- a major topic within thriller movies can be said is the injustice within society
- the hero is often an outsider, isolated but has moral values. 

So, what is a thriller exactly?
A thriller movie usually consists of a battle between the protagonist and antagonist. (just to be sure, a protagonist is the leading/main character and an antagonist either opposes the protagonist strongly or is hostile).
The producers leave the tension and suspense for the climax of the movie to keep the audience on edge the entire time. 
As the protagonist is the main character, his/her role is to restore justice whilst the antagonist seeks to destroy it. 

These are the conventions of a thriller: 
- Low key lighting
- quick cuts
- shadows
- tension music
- changes in the angle of shots
- diegetic sound of breathing 
- black and white shots
- a montage of shots


The characters:
- The protagonist is often a brave male who seeks to restore the stability. 
- The antagonist will have a hidden identity that the audience uncovers as the movie progresses
- The antagonist commonly goes out for revenge from a past event. 

Cinematography of a thriller:
- A lot of close ups as well as extreme close ups, mainly of the protagonist character
- These camera angles are often used to show emotions
- The shots of the antagonist will be cut quickly so the audience don't know of him/her until later. For example, a back shot, a lot-key shot, a silhouette or even a shadow

Editing of a thriller:
Many jump cuts will take place as the audience has to be kept unaware but also have to remember them for later on. This will eventually lead to the movie making sense. 
To build suspense, directors regularly use cross cutting and it is also essential for a thriller. 

The sound in a thriller:
Music is essential, whether it be in a thriller, adventure or even romantic movie. It helps to understand the mood of specific characters. 
In thriller movies, music adds to the suspense and tension

Mise en scene:
- For a thriller location is important because the audience can establish the theme 
- Often low-key lighting is used.
- The costumes for the protagonist will be ordinary and everyday clothes but for the antagonist will be in dark clothes.
- Make-up and hair-styles 
- Acting
- Film stoke (Black+white, colorful, Fine-grain or grainy)

At this moment of time, I really hope that all the information above has cleared up any turmoil or has given some completely new knowledge.

Thank you and I'll be back with some more new information!