Characteristics of a thriller are known generic conventions these are the aspects that we expect there to be in a thriller such as;
The plot- a thriller will generally show justice and injustice (good and evil) fighting against each other, adding the overall feel of suspense. Most commonly the identity of the antagonist (villain) is known and the role of the protagonist (hero) must intervene with their plans. Thriller films usually have a growing sense of threat and danger, and mainly show a clear sense of pursuit.
The Characters- generally in thrillers there are two main characters; the antagonist (villain) and the protagonist (hero) whom is set apart from each other according to how the audience views them. Most commonly the heroes are men who are accustomed to danger in their everyday lifestyle or job (for example; policemen, spies, etc), but can be ordinary people who are dragged into danger by accident. The aim of the hero is usually to defeat evil and will prevail even if nothing goes accordingly to their plan. Moreover the villains are most commonly men also, and are typically tall or well-built and have a shady sense around them that gives the impression to the audience that they should not be trusted. If their identity is secret for the majority of the film the villain tends to have a physical deformity, or a traumatic experience that has changed their outlook on life or humanity, they usually work alone.
Other supporting characters are usually on the heroes’ side and will either attempt to help him or betray him and leave to support the villain. Female roles are often innocent and helpless (damsel-in-distress) until her help is needed, when she will become the savoir of the hero(es) and support them.
Often the villain wears a form-fitting costume to emphasize their build and therefore their power (i.e: leather trousers or/and jacket) this creates a contrast with the hero. Depending on the sub-genre of a thriller, female characters will either wear a costume that covers them up or reveals a lot. One prominent feature of the costumes are the colours used as they represent the personality of the character; villains appear in dark colours (black), while innocent young characters wear pastel or light colours (white). A bright and shocking colour is used for the hero (red) to draw attention to them and show their differences to the main party. Red is also used for an alluring female to show that they are attractive.
Iconography (setting, mise-en-scene, props, colours)- The general setting of a thriller is an urban city.
The plot- a thriller will generally show justice and injustice (good and evil) fighting against each other, adding the overall feel of suspense. Most commonly the identity of the antagonist (villain) is known and the role of the protagonist (hero) must intervene with their plans. Thriller films usually have a growing sense of threat and danger, and mainly show a clear sense of pursuit.
The Characters- generally in thrillers there are two main characters; the antagonist (villain) and the protagonist (hero) whom is set apart from each other according to how the audience views them. Most commonly the heroes are men who are accustomed to danger in their everyday lifestyle or job (for example; policemen, spies, etc), but can be ordinary people who are dragged into danger by accident. The aim of the hero is usually to defeat evil and will prevail even if nothing goes accordingly to their plan. Moreover the villains are most commonly men also, and are typically tall or well-built and have a shady sense around them that gives the impression to the audience that they should not be trusted. If their identity is secret for the majority of the film the villain tends to have a physical deformity, or a traumatic experience that has changed their outlook on life or humanity, they usually work alone.
Other supporting characters are usually on the heroes’ side and will either attempt to help him or betray him and leave to support the villain. Female roles are often innocent and helpless (damsel-in-distress) until her help is needed, when she will become the savoir of the hero(es) and support them.
Often the villain wears a form-fitting costume to emphasize their build and therefore their power (i.e: leather trousers or/and jacket) this creates a contrast with the hero. Depending on the sub-genre of a thriller, female characters will either wear a costume that covers them up or reveals a lot. One prominent feature of the costumes are the colours used as they represent the personality of the character; villains appear in dark colours (black), while innocent young characters wear pastel or light colours (white). A bright and shocking colour is used for the hero (red) to draw attention to them and show their differences to the main party. Red is also used for an alluring female to show that they are attractive.
The main colours are usually grey, black and white to emphasize the helplessness of the first character we see, they can also be set in quiet country villages where everyone leads poor and simple lives; often the villain will come from a small village. There are only a small range of colours used, the main being black and grey if set in a city environment to show how normal and mundane life is. The colours used also reflect the scene, for example if there is a recurring theme of red it represents danger.
The key camera shots used in thriller films are either shots with many movements or a steady (still) shot, in many cases, scenes with a lot of dialogue have a steady shot to focus more on the characters than the background. When there is more than one character in a specific scene the director will use a range of camera shots such as; mid shot, two shot and close up to represent how they relate to each-other. When there is an action scene taking place the camera moves around a lot, and increasing cut rate allows the audience to feel more involved in the action, this therefore keeps them on the edge of their seat as they do not know what is going to happen next. Movement shots are also used when something has gone wrong in the scene and there is a sense of vulnerability, this builds up the suspense the audience expect and want.
The lighting, more often than not is dim and can hide parts of the character or environment which gives the sense of mystery to the audience and the sense that the character is not who they originally thought, this is used mainly for villains as it creates a feel of suspense and anticipation for the audience.
Weapons are usually used for the main props in thriller films, either large weapons or easily identifiable weapons such a knives or swords or loud and threatening such as guns or bombs.
The key camera shots used in thriller films are either shots with many movements or a steady (still) shot, in many cases, scenes with a lot of dialogue have a steady shot to focus more on the characters than the background. When there is more than one character in a specific scene the director will use a range of camera shots such as; mid shot, two shot and close up to represent how they relate to each-other. When there is an action scene taking place the camera moves around a lot, and increasing cut rate allows the audience to feel more involved in the action, this therefore keeps them on the edge of their seat as they do not know what is going to happen next. Movement shots are also used when something has gone wrong in the scene and there is a sense of vulnerability, this builds up the suspense the audience expect and want.
The lighting, more often than not is dim and can hide parts of the character or environment which gives the sense of mystery to the audience and the sense that the character is not who they originally thought, this is used mainly for villains as it creates a feel of suspense and anticipation for the audience.
Weapons are usually used for the main props in thriller films, either large weapons or easily identifiable weapons such a knives or swords or loud and threatening such as guns or bombs.
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