conventions of a thriller film

Conventions of a thriller film

The objective of a thriller is to obtain the audience/crowds attention and create excitement and suspense for them.

Thrillers are all to do with good against evil with a hero and a villain who are known and defined from the start. They usually begin in the normal life of the hero/es and the villain plotting something, then there is a disturbance in the of an order of event and somehow the hero has to save the day.


Thrillers tend to occur on a much bigger scale than mystery films, and can be defined by the mood that they create. Thrillers have, fast pacing, frequent action & resourceful heroes/villains.

They use simple yet effective devices such as:

Suspense -  When someone is in a state of uncertainty or excited about what is going to happen.

Red Herrings - This something that causes distraction or causes someone to be mislead or misinformed.

Cliff Hangers - This is a technique used by a director which persuades the audience to come back and see what happens because the character has been left in a awkward dilemma.


Good examples of thriller are 'North By Northwest' by Alfred Hitchcock and 'Avengers' by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

 

Sub Genre's 

Action Thriller
  This is more common in movies than novels because of the visual appeal of explosions and violence.

Conspiracy Thriller
In this subgenre the hero must confront a larger, powerful organisation who usually has more resources and money, whose threat only he sees. Usually he must do so alone.

Crime Thriller
This is based more on crime, and most of the time from the criminal’s point of view. Physical action and eluding the police take the place of gathering evidence and trying to discover the criminal.




Disaster Thriller
 (usually) natural disaster is taking place, and the antagonist is either trying to stop the disaster, the extent of the disaster, or just save themselves before time runs out and the disaster has run its course. 

Eco-Thriller
In this sub genre the protagonist must prevent a threat to the environment that will have consequences for society if left unchecked. The damage could range from local level, to national level to the whole world.

Romantic Thriller
This is a sub-genre fits into both thrillers and romantic novels. The plot line follows a typical thriller’s tension, suspense, and excitement, but a main element is the growing love relationship between two characters, who sometimes start off as two complete strangers.

Legal Thriller
This sub genre takes place in and around the courtroom. Usually the protagonist is a lawyer who has found their case threatening death for either them or their client 



Examples of Thrillers