What Is A Thriller Film?

Codes&Conventions:

Themes&Settings -

- Urban/cities     - Modern Setting   - Crime   

- Paranoia   - Betrayal   - Real life problems   

- Greed

Characters -

- Protagonist VS Antagonist   - Sidekick   - Love/sex interest   - Victim

- False Hero   - Stereotypes   - Minor Characters   - Comic relief

Narrative -

- Murder   - Twist in the plot   - Mystery 

- Protagonist threatened/captured    - Chase scenes    

- Clues   - Gun fights/violence    - MIND GAMES

Effect on audience -

- Tension    - Suspense    - Fear

- Shock    - Excitement 

Technical Codes -

- Camera shots, angles and movement    - Editing, cuts/fades 

- Sound   - Colour&lighting, often cold and dark colours.

All of these codes and conventions are important when identifying a thriller film. The use of each of them are used to make the audience feel a certain way to the events happening. For example, the use of mind games are a common convention of a thriller film. The effect mind games have on the reader are shock and suspense and since thrillers are often based around real life scenarios, it allows the audience to relate or even wonder how they would feel in that situation. Thrillers use the characters of a Protagonist and Antagonist in a narrative however, the audience is never really sure of who the antagonist is, which adds to the twist in the plot, the use of the good vs bad is a good convention which allows the audience to understand the narrative clearer. Themes and settings are important as it allows the audience to understand what genre of film they are watching and sets an idea of what may be about to unfold in the narrative. For example, a thriller set in the city or in a local estate as an audience we presume crime or a murder may have happened. If it was a horror thriller and was set in the woods, as an audience we would presume someone is lost there, is being chased and clues will lead them to their answer. Colour and lighting are important as it sets the mood for the audience, thrillers often focus around dark lighting and cold colours such as greys and blues. This gives an erie mood and the colours are often associated with mist or cold evenings, which in a thriller film would add tension or suspense.