As the main task within my AS course is to create a 2 minute opening to a thriller film, we were given the task of looking into the conventions of thriller films. When we think of thriller films we stereotypically expect to see a number of things: eerie music, dim lighting, an abandoned house, the list goes on! Thriller is a broad genre used in literature, film, gaming and television and is usually fast paced, full of suspense and frequent action.
There are many sub genres to the thriller genre itself:
+ Spy thrillers - Spy saving the world, e.g. James Bond.
+ Political thrillers - Conspiracy movies, can be based on real events.
+ Military thrillers - Set at war, e.g. Saving Private Ryan.
+ Conspiracy thrillers - Discovers something they shouldn't.
+ Medical thrillers - Hero fighting drug companies etc.
+ Forensic thrillers - Forensic experts with their lives at risk.
+ Psychological thrillers - Conflict between characters is emotional rather than physical.
+ Horror thrillers - Can incorporate other elements, not that realistic.
Hybridisation is the mix of different thrillers meaning they could belong to many different sub genres. Thrillers usually overlap with mystery stories but the crimes are on more of a grand scale. The standard plot elements are violent confrontations where in a thriller, the villain is defeated, whereas, in a mystery, the mystery is solved. The idea of thriller films is influenced by noir films.
Other elements of thrillers:
+ Protagonist vs. Antagonist - Conflict between hero and villain.
+ Levi Strauss binary opposition - Good vs. Evil.
+ Cheap surprise - Jump scares in horror films.
+ Make it personal - Something personal happening to the main character.
+ False ending - Thinking the film is over but there's still time left for things to go wrong or get better.
+ Theatre of mind - Not telling the audience anything to keep them guessing throughout.
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