Codes and Conventions of a Thriller(AG)

Codes and Conventions

The codes and Conventions of a thriller are what the audience imagine to find to create the horror in the film. Lighting, Sound, Props; Mirrors, weapons, stairs are all used to create the feeling of tention in the film. The whole point of a thriller is to frighten and panic the audience, play on your vulnerability and make your fears realistic.

Using sounds and different music themes produce different moods and feelings for the audience. High pitched sounds such as screeches/screams usually used in death scenes create suspense and horror. In the film 'Scream' during the death scene, Cassy, one of the characters sets out a loud scream which makes us feel the tention.

Thriller films tend to use different camera shots to create an atmosphere for that particular scene. When a close up or an extreme close up is used it usually means to build up the tention before a key point in that film. High angle shot is to create the impression of being powerless or small, the victim is usually used in these shots as they are being victimised and shows they are much weaker. Long shots can help show what the character is surrounded by, isolation can be shown by this, or it could show the danger around the character. Handheld is used to create the impression of believability and makes it more realistic as if you are the characters position. Tracking shot is when the camera follows something that is moving within the scene or shows the setting.

Characters that are used in thrillers mostly include criminals, stalkers, innocent victims, characters with dark past, terrorists, police and more. The protagonist faces death whether its his own or somebody elses. The main plot is based on something that must be solved.

Props used in thriller films include guns, knives, mirrors, showers, dripping taps etc. Using these creates a sense of tention especially in certain scenes. Weapons that are used can also get across to the audience who is the antagonist and who is the protagonist.

Lighting is important in a thriller it creates the mood of the scene. There are many ways you can use light for different effects such as forming shadows or building tension. Light is a way that can grab the audiences attention to a certain area or gensture. High key lighting is a type of lighting that is used in films or television to redice lighting ratio in certain scenes. High key lighting tends to stay free from any shadows and creates an 'up-beat' mood for that scene. Low key lighting is basically the opersite of high key lighting. It uses a key light, a fill light and a black light to create this effect of dark shadows casting. This type of light is mostly seen in thrillers because of dark scenes.