CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF A THRILLER

Conventions of a Thriller

Mirrors, low key lighting, shadows, obtrusive editing, quick cuts, changes in camera angle, tension music, stairs, flashbacks, use of photographs, black and white, disorientation of time and space, montage editing

Specific to psychological thrillers: two or more characters preying upon one another’s minds, deceptive mind games, trying to demolish each other’s mental state

Mirrors Mirrors are used as a convention of a thriller film through the use of

reflection of one’s soul and inner self Mirrors represent the darkness within some characters An example is ‘Mirrors’ directed by Alexandré Aja

We didn’t use any mirrors in our movie as it wouldn’t fit into the plot.

Shadows Shadows are closely related with low key lighting and are used as a

convention of a thriller film They are used to represent the inner darkness within beings, and can

also add to tension and eeriness that is created

We wanted to add tension. So we always tried to have our gangster (the kidnapper) to have a larger shadow than the druggy. This shows his superiority and power over the person being kidnapped. This is especially the case at 1:23-1:31. This makes the audience realise that he is a man of power and in control of things. Also the violent characteristics of the gangster and how he has no mercy shows that he has an evil soul. We wanted the person being kidnaped to seem small as if he's powerless and cannot do anything so the audience sympathises with him. Which is why the camera is mostly looking down on him (high angle shot) so his shadow does not seem as big as the gangsters and due to him being tied up and isolated throughout the film. We also used low cut lighting as it gave our movie a dark and scary tone and conforms to the mysteries and tense thriller conventions.

Obtrusive Editing Quick shots and obtrusive editing are used frequently in thriller films to

accentuate the feelings of suspense and tension They are often used during an important or particularly ‘thrilling’ scene

– sometimes creating a disorientation of time and space, by using montage editing

We did this when it cuts between the druggy and the gangster. (Cross cutting editing at the beginning). This is so we see both characters leading up to one point as the gangster is walking towards the druggy as he is helpless and trying to escape. This is so that it builds tension and keeps the audience on the edge of their seat. The way we create a disorientation of time where two things are happening at once as the kidnapper is walking to the druggy we want to know what's going through the druggy’s head, how he's feeling, what he's thinking, and how he ended up in the position he is. We could only do this by having different shots of him moving around like he's suffering and is in pain without being tortured in the beginning. Also we used a disorientation of time when we included flash backs after the druggy was hit. This leaves questions in the audiences head and makes them want to keep watching.

Flashbacks Flashbacks contribute to a sense of time and space disorientation in a

thriller and this confuses the audience It is also a convention of a thriller film because it can display what has

happened in the past to give the audience an insight into characters’ pasts

An example is in ‘Momento’ by Christopher NolanOur film conformed to this idea of having flashbacks because we wanted our movie to have more depth and more of a personal touch which connects the audience to the actors. Also the flashbacks give no information as to why the druggy is in the position he is but does link to it so the audience are confused how the flashbacks are related, which makes them want to find out. We also wanted to make sure that it is clearly visible that a scene is of modern time and a flashback. We did this by making the flashbacks black and white like in Momento. Flashbacks are also good because it can be used to make a movie a lot more successful. This is by giving a little information about certain things such as characters, but it should give too much away. This is because it ruins the story when it gets to present time in a movie.

Black and White Black and white is another of the conventions of a thriller, because it

accentuates the use of shadows, and can often appear quite eerie and ‘dark’.

The use of black and white gives thriller films a sense of mystery as it is different to the usual colour films that audiences usually see, showing that the scene is different and creates suspense. (Also used so that the audience do not get confused but are left wondering why there is a flashback). This is what makes the audience want to watch the film. Its usually used in horrors especially in movies that were made in the 20th century. We used this is our flashbacks. The mystery added as well will help us make our film more successful as we don’t talk over the black and white flashbacks but rather show what’s happening. It takes the audience to figure it out themselves.