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Codes & Conventions
Of The Thriller Genre
Chloe Randall

2. A thriller usually consists of a battle between the protagonist
character and the antagonist, when there is a disruption in the
equilibrium. Then the story shows a chain of bad events
building tension and suspense for the climax. The aim of the
protagonist is to restore justice, while the antagonist seeks to
destroy it.
Dictionary: a book, film, play, etc, depicting crime, mystery, or
espionage in an atmosphere of excitement and suspense
This links to Todorov’s theory that stories begin with an
equilibrium or status quo where any potential opposing
forces are balanced.
What is a Thriller

3.  Low key lighting
 Quick cuts
 Shadows
 Tension music
 Changes in the angle of shots
 Black and white shots
 Montage of shots
 Protagonist is in the mercy of Antagonist
Overview of Conventions

4.  The protagonist is often a brave male who seeks to restore
the equilibrium
 The antagonist will have a hidden identity that the
audience will uncover as the film progresses. Often the
antagonist goes out for revenge from a past event
 Some characters can be seen to have dark sinister motives
and are usually trapped in a situation and ight feel like they
have hit rock bottom
 Occasionally characters go against their stereotypes for
example Mia Wallace from Pulp Fiction goes against gender
role as she smoke and does drugs
Characters

5.  Music is essential in any film to understand the mood of the
characters and hint at a significant part of the film. In A thriller it
adds suspense and tension. It will often start at a slow pace and
the then build up to make the shots more dramatic for the
audience
 Eerie or intense music will be played as either diegetic or non
diegetic
 High pitched sound is often used as it makes the spectator
uncomfortable and shows how the scene might not be pleasant or
something unexpected happen
 Many thrillers use sound within the dialogue this creates a more
direct tension making it as if they are experiencing the film from
the characters point of view
For example Steven Spielberg's ‘Jaws’ uses sound to create a suspenceful
atmosphere.
Sound

6.  There will be lots of close ups and extreme close ups of the
protagonist character , this is often used to show emotion, it
also can be used to focus on props to aid narrative
 The shots of the antagonistic character will be cut quickly
and will aim to hide their identity
 High and Low key shots will be used to the power between
the two characters
 Dutch angle shots will also be used to make the audience
feel uneasy and to build up tension
 Tracking and pan shots is commonly used in the beginning
of thriller films this creates interest in different characters
 Low level framing and high level framing are used to show
who is in power in the scene which can dictate how the
scene will go.
Shot Types

7.  Flashbacks contribute to a sense of time and space disorientation
in a thriller and this confuses the audience
 It also a convention of a thriller film because It can display what
has happened in the past to give the audience an insight into the
characters past. An example of this in in ‘Momento’ this can be
show through a dissolve when 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 particular thrilling
scene – sometimes creating a disorientation of time and space by
using mintage editing
 The director will also include a lot of jump cuts and cross cutting
as it is used to build suspense
Editing