Thriller Genre research

What is a thriller film?

Thrillers are a type of genre of film or media which uses, as it main elements, suspense, tension and excitement. They put the viewer in a high sense of anticipation, suspense and terror. These films often use the cover up of important information and cliffhangers to put the viewer in suspense and also to draw the viewer into watching the rest of the film. The director can also disrupt the equilibrium so it throws us into the action then we get a flashback of how we got into this which makes the audience want to carry on watching the film.
The thriller genre can include the following sub-genres, which may include elements of other genres, some examples of these are:

- Conspiracy Thriller: In which the protagonist confronts a large, powerful group of enemies (usually law) whose real side is only apparent to the protagonist.  prime example of a conspiracy thriller is Enemy of the Sate
Enemy of the State trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXtUjWkhbcw

-  Crime Thriller: This particular genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the crimina rather than a policeman. Crime thrillers usually emphasise action over psychological factors. Two prime examples of this hybrid genre is the Oceans series and Reservoir Dogs.
Oceans 11 trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GpFKUxebH8&feature=related


- Political Thriller: These are where the protagonist must ensure the stability of the government that employs him.This is usually set against the backdrop of a political power struggle. Political corruption, terrorism and warfare are common scenarios. An example of a political thriller is State of Play also Vantage Point which is an assassination based political thriller.
State of Play trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHUbTS7B9J0


- Psychological Thriller: In which (until the often violent resolution) the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical. Characters, either by accident or their own curiousness, are dragged into a dangerous conflict or situation. Characters are not reliant on physical strength to overcome their brutish enemies, but rather are reliant on their mental resources, whether it be by battling with wits or by battling for equilibrium in the character's own mind. The suspense created by psychological thrillers often comes from two or more characters playing deceptive games with the other whilst trying to demolish the other's mental state. Two examples of this type of sub-genre is Shutter Island and Panic Room.
Shutter island trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iaYLCiq5RM


What does a thriller need to achieve?

A genuine, standalone thriller is a film that provide thrills and keeps the audience cliff-hanging at the edge of their seats as the plot builds towards a climax or a big finale. The tension usually arises when the character/characters is placed in a menacing situation, a mystery, or a trap from which escaping seems impossible. Life is threatened, usually because the principal character is unsuspectingly or unknowingly involved in a dangerous or potentially deadly situation.


How has the genre developed historically?

The thriller genre has developed massively over the years, the main reason for this is the increase in technology (it has become much better) The quality and the equipment used has been improved and editing software has made it so we can do loads of different editing techniques and make films run smoother. Also an improvement that links with the software is the computers we can use now a days, back in the earlier film making years. Another way in which thrillers have changed over time is the plot/narrative, when the genre was first created it was often based on true stories, so people believed them to be much more realistic whereas nowadays it has become much more exaggerated and imaginative which captures the audience, makes them want to watch more of the film or even more of the thriller genre and lets the audience escape into the film. There is better knowledge on how the human mind works so directors can now use this to their advantage to produce better films and draw the audience in, with hybrids such as psychological thrillers which play with the mind. Alfred Hitchcock helped to shape the modern-day thriller genre, beginning with his early silent film (a film like this usually has title cards or uses gestures transmit its dialouge) labelled the lodger (1926) In the 1950s, Hitchcock added technacolour to his thrillers and also added exotic locales and glamorous stars. He reached the peak of his career with a succession of classic: an example of this is Strangers on a Train (1951) The 1970's and 80's saw a violent start in the thriller genre, with Frenzy (1972), Hitchcock's first British film in almost two decades, being given an R rating for its violent scences also Steven Spielberg umped onto the thriller scence with his low-budget early TV movie Duel (1971) Until today, thrillers do borrow themes and elements from those in the past decades. However, to cut the repetitiveness, there are a number of recent thrillers that maintain the contents of other genres to create a hybrid so the audience is still engaged within the thriller genre.

Codes and Conventions of a Thriller

The narrative centres around a crime eg. a theft or a murder.
The protagonist usually has a weakness that the antagonist exploits
The protagonist will be seen 'in peril' in one or more scenes before the resolution.
The narrative presents ordinary situations in which extraordinary things happen.
All elements of the film such as mise en scene, lighting and camera angles and movements combine in a build up of suspense.
Themes of identity are common: mistaken identity, doubling/doppelgangers, amnesia.
Themes of seeing, reflection and mirroring. Manipulation of perspectives and optical illusions are common.
The start of the film usually seems complicated but then can be resolved at the very end.