What is a thriller?

Since I now have a genre for my film opening, I decided that I should probably do some more genre research on thrillers. While I already did research on horror films, thrillers are basically a subdivision of that, and to get a deeper understanding of what I will be doing, I wanted to learn some more.


In order to begin, it's important to understand the purpose of a thriller, which is to keep the audience at the edge of their seat. While horror films' objective is to scare you, a thriller will keep you nervous the entire time. Some common conventions of a thriller include low key lighting, quick cuts, and tense music. Based off of just life experience of watching thriller/horror movies, I know that music does often play a huge role in building that tension. For instance, the infamous shower murder scene in Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho," imagine that without music! Watch the clip one time with sound, and the next without. https://youtu.be/s22lNU5jXM4 While there are many silent films within the thriller genre that exist, and are well made, this scene just wouldn't have been the same. Hitchcock is a fantastic director and does a lot more than rely on music to make the scene interesting of course, but it most likely would have had to be completely reimagined if it was a silent film. It is just interesting how music can change the dynamic of an entire scene. It is also interesting to see how much silence can change things as well. The film "A Quiet Place," reinvented how a thriller can be told, by playing with silence, and how much silence can leave a viewer feeling even more nervous. We are used to the eerie music telling us something is about to happen, so we almost expect it. But when that music is taken away, it leaves our brains confused, and can give a film a new type of edge.

When it comes to common characters in a thriller, there isn't really a unique aspect. There is usually a protagonist, and usually an antagonist. When it comes to the mise-en-scene elements, it usually varies based on production. Maybe there is a villain with a specific hairstyle, or the setting has to be based in a medieval castle in Russia. There isn't a common theme in mise-en-scene because there are really all sorts of thrillers out there. It is quite common to use low key lighting, or black, and white, as it sets a somber, and nerve-wracking tone for the film. Plot wise, some sort of event usually takes place, and there is usually violence. Odd shots, and angles are also usually played with in order to make viewers unsettled. These angles are especially used on the protagonist, because their identity is usually typically hidden from the audience. So this can force a directors to think creatively in letting us in on who the protagonist is without revealing their identity. While this is a TV show, I think Pretty Little Liars is a good example at keeping the protagonist from the viewers. The protagonist also has a signature costume look, being its black hoodie.

Overall, the thriller is a pretty simple genre that relies heavily on setting the tone. For my project, I will definitely be considering how I can properly, and interestingly set the tone within a 2 minute time frame. I also, am quite interested in conducting more research on thrillers, found footage films, and watching some good examples that maybe I had not already seen, or films that I have seen, but from a  different perspective. Below are some of the sites I drew facts from for this post.

https://www.slideshare.net/JasonsA2Media/codes-and-conventions-of-the-thriller-genre
https://prezi.com/_bkrwwzfisyh/codes-and-conventions-of-the-thriller-genre/
https://www.mindmeister.com/685037204/conventions-of-the-thriller-genre