adapted from Thurston Community College work

1. The Thriller Genre
► Why is genre so important?
► What are the codes and conventions of
Thrillers?
► What films do I know about?
► What directors do I know about?
1

2. Institutional use of genre
► Film producers use genre
as a means of minimising
the economic risk in
making films
► Film distributors/exhibitors
use genre as a means of
advertising and promoting
films
► Both depend upon
audiences’ foreknowledge
and past experience
2

3. Audience use of genre
► Audiences use genre to
give them predictable
pleasures when
consuming/watching a film
► Audiences have certain
expectations of genre films
► Audiences expect genre
films to involve innovation,
inflection/subversion of the
generic conventions
3

4. Generic conventions
► A film genre is defined by its codes
and conventions and these must be
present to make a film a genre film
but should involve some aspect of
innovation, subversion and/or
inflection (otherwise it becomes a
formula film)
 Mise-en-scene
 Setting
 Visual style
 Themes
 Ideology
 Stars
 Character-types
 Narratives
 Iconography
 Cinematography
 Special effects
 Sound/music 4

5. Definition? James Patterson, June 2006, "Introduction," Thriller
►
...Thrillers provide such a rich literary feast. There are all
kinds. The legal thriller, spy thriller, action-adventure thriller,
medical thriller, police thriller, romantic thriller, historical
thriller, political thriller, religious thriller, high-tech thriller,
military thriller. The list goes on and on, with new variations
constantly being invented. In fact, this openness to expansion
is one of the genre's most enduring characteristics. But what
gives the variety of thrillers a common ground is the intensity
of emotions they create, particularly those of apprehension
and exhilaration, of excitement and breathlessness, all
designed to generate that all-important thrill. By definition, if a
thriller doesn't thrill, it's not doing its job.
5

6. What is a Thriller?
► Uses suspense, tension and excitement as
the main elements
► Includes many sub genres: Mystery,
Crime, Psychological, Political and
Paranoid.
► Atmosphere of menace, violence, crime
and murder.
► Society is seen as dark corrupt and
dangerous
► Literary devices like plot twist, red herrings,
and cliff hangers 6

7. Thriller Methods?
► Crime: ransoms, cativities, heists,
revenge, kidnappings
► Mystery: investigations, ‘whodunit
technique’
► Psychological: mind games,
psychological themes, stalking,
confinement, deathtraps, horror of
personality, obsession
7

8. Thriller Characters?
► Criminals, Stalkers, Assassins,
Psychotic individuals, escaped
cons
► Menaced women, innocent victims,
private eyes, world weary people,
► Cops, people involved in twisted
relationship
► Characters are often not black or
white (bad or good), grey is
dominant! 8

9. Thriller Films
► The Departed
► Inception
► The Prestige
► Fight Club
► Bladerunner
► Pyscho
► Se7en
► Silence of the
► Reservoir Dogs
Lambs
► Bourne Identity
► Memento
► North by Northwest
► Dark Knight
► The Shilling
9

10. Others?
10

11. Thriller Directors
► Alfred Hitchcock ► Roman Polaski
► Brian de Palma ► Ridley Scott
► Stanley Kubrick ► M Night Shyamalan
► David Fincher ► Steven Spielberg
► Orson Welles
► Quentin Tarantino
► Christopher Nolan
► Tony Scott
► John Carpenter
► David Cronenberg
► Jonathan Demme
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12. Techniques
► Use of tracking ► Strong directional lighting
► POV ► Over exposed or colour
manicpulation
► ECUs/CUs
► Fast paced editing esp for
► Reveals (track in/ zoom
chase scenes
in)
► Jump Cuts
► Dramatic angles
► Parallel editing
► Eerie, tense music
► Obtrusive Editing
► Off screen sounds
► Silence
► Low key lighting
► Exaggerated sound
► Chiaroscuro
► Disorientation of time/space
12

13. Narrative Techniques
► Plot twists and turns ► Deadlines
► Multiple lines of ► Principleof
action concealment
► Flashbacks ► Mysterious
► Narrative retardation characters
► Red herrings ► Morally complex
characters
► Chases/pursuits
► Making the audience
► Mis direction
work 13

14. Activity
► Think of a thriller film you know well and like
► Explain in writing why you think this film
should be watched by everyone at Reigate
College because it is the best example of a
Thriller film. Make links to the codes and
conventions we have talked about.
14