What Makes a Thriller Thrilling

8/10/2019 What Makes a Thriller Thrilling

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What Makes A ThrillerThrilling?


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The thriller genre is very diverse and varied, it oftenoverlaps with horror and action. The most important

part of the thriller genre is suspense, this is created

by a number of different factors. Sound plays a big

part in building suspense and even using differentsound types such as diegetic and non-diegetic can

give a film a completely different feeling. There is

often a lot of mystery involved in the genre, and

tension is built around it. Hope and fear are verystrong emotions of the genre.


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In thriller films there is always a role of a protagonistand an antagonist. Characters are always forced to

do something that compromises their beliefs and

morals, such as killing someone or abandoning a

loved one. Settings in thriller films are generallynormal everyday places that people would know

and recognise. Thrillers emphasise the mystery

aspect of the plot and often clues are given to the

audience so that they can determine the solution orto confuse them further.


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Camerawork in thriller films is generally very fast and usesmany straight cuts and cross cuts. These standard cuts areused to make the scenes look more dramatic and intensifythe viewing experience. The extreme close up and the mid-shot are the most used. The extreme close up allows the

audience to see the emotion on a characters face but alsoblinds them to the surroundings, which builds suspense.Lighting in thrillers is quite often dark in order to disorientatethe audience and blind them to different aspects until thecharacters get up close. This is usually extremely effective inpsychological thrillers. The music is usually synchronised withthe with the camerawork, but sometimes asynchronous musicis used in order to disorientate the audience.


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Silent Hill: Revelation ([IMDB]Horror/Mystery/Thriller)


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This is a close up shot of Alessa

from the Silent Hill: Revelation

trailer. This shot shows quite a lot

about the film, the colouring showsthat its a horror/thriller and Alessas

posture is clearly that of the

antagonist. You cant see much in

terms of mise-en-scene but the

background is on fire and Alessas

make up is extremely contrasting,

with pale skin and black hair and

eyes. The editing between shots is

very quick, this technique is very

effective in dazing the audience so

that they cant get an idea of locationproperly in high action scenes.

Sound is tense, the music is very

loud and the sound effects of the fire

is overpowering.


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This is a low angled long shot

showing Heather standing in the

school corridor. This shot is unusual

because the low angled shot usuallymakes a character or object seem

imposing, but this shot is quite the

opposite. Heather appears small

and vulnerable and the corridor

seems to close in around her. The

lighting is dim, adding tension and

making the audience squint at the

screen. The mise-en-scene is that of

a typical school corridor, nothing is

out of the ordinary which in a way

makes the shot more eerie. Thecolour is quite muted, suggesting

evasion and gives a sense of

enigma.


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The Woman in Black ([IMDB]Drama/Horror/Thriller)


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This is a canted angled mid shot.

This shot has clearly been designed

to scare the audience. The obscure

camera angle and face behind theprotagonists shoulder add fear and

tension, and paired with an eerie

silence it follows the conventions of

the thriller genre. The window is

grotty and so are the curtains, this is

a good example of the look of mise-

en-scene in thriller films. The

colours, much like those from Silent

Hill are muted and quite dim, this

makes the whole shot look glum and

provokes fear and loneliness.


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This is a close up shot of a Victorian

doll. The toy itself is quite a scary

and imposing prop, but by covering

it with dirt and using this cameraangle the shot becomes even more

sinister. Like the previous shot this

one also has very dull colours that

seem to drain the life out of the

scene. This adds to the mood,

making the scene feel cold and

eerie. By making the doll look grotty

it reaffirms the bleak nature of the

film, showing that the house is in a

state of disrepair and nothing has

been used in a very long time. Theaudience would respond to this

prop, feeling uneasy.


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Lucy ([IMDB] Action/Sci-Fi/Thriller)


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This is a mid shot of Lucy having a

reaction to the drug CPH4, there

arent many props in this shot to

analyse, but the chain around herwrist clearly shows that she is a

prisoner. The colouring is quite

natural, although the bright white

light above her does highlight her

arm and face. This angle shows her

vulnerability and the seriousness of

her situation. Shes on the roof and

her facial expression and posture

clearly show that shes having some

kind of seizure of fit. This shot was

designed to worry the audience andto make them feel sorry for Lucys

situation.


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This is an extreme close up of

Lucys eye. This type of shot is hard

to analyse because it doesnt show

much. We can see that Lucys eyeisnt a natural colour and its clearly

related to the drug that has just

entered her system. The lighting is

bright, and the reflection of the lights

is on the right hand side of her eye. I

believe that a filter has been added

to this shot to emphasise the colour

change in her eye, as even her skin

seems to have a blue tinge. This is a

canted angle, which when paired

with an extreme close up can beextremely disorientating for the

audience. This clearly has been

used to mimic Lucys emotions.

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What Makes a Thriller Thrilling