Thriller codes and conventions
The main aim of a thriller is to make the audience ask questions about it which makes it mysterious. The genre of thriller is to do with the parts of the movie that uses sound. The music in the movie will add tension and tells the audience that something is going to happen which scares the audience as they know that something is going to jump out at them and scare them. It is made to be jumpy and scary at the same time. The music that is played is usually strings and other low sounds that changes the mood of the audience instantly. Sometimes they will use high pitched sounds such as screams; this technique is used in “Psycho” when the woman is getting stabbed in the shower. This is a prime example of how it is used and shows how it adds suspense and emphasize that something bad is happening.
The camera angles and movement within a thriller are very important as it conveys the feelings and emotions of the characters; it shows their body language and shows us how they are dealing with a situation. For example, if they’re calm or if they‘re panicking. The moving shots are usually used for when someone running away from someone else which adds movement to the scene and makes it seem as something dramatic is happening. This make the audiences know that something is going to happen at fast pace and makes them tense. The movement sometimes mimics the characters breathing and by listening to the heavy breathing this is done in The Bourne Supremacy when the character wakes from a nightmare. This shows the audience that something is wrong as people only breathe heavily after stress or a struggle of some kind. The camera is also used for close ups which shows the facial expression of the character and gives tension to the scene. Some camera shots make it tense and makes them feel like it is happening to them and something might jump out at them even in the comfort of their own home, which makes the audience uneasy and scared.
Editing is another huge part of making a thriller a good product. The short cuts make it exciting a fast paced to make the audience take in lots of information at once. Some of which the editor doesn’t want them to remember until they are reminded of it. This keeps it mysterious and gives details that aren’t needed to try and confuse the audience so they don’t see the plain picture of what is happening until it is explained. By using the fast paced cuts it makes it tenser and gives the film some sort and thrill. This is good as you don’t know what is going to happen next and it means the audience stay on edge.
