What is a Thriller?

Definition of a thriller:

Genres can help classify films according to their codes and conventions. This allows audiences to understand the aspects that create a certain movie. In the case of a thriller, conventions such as the narrative, characters and locations are the key justifiers of this genre. A thriller's main purpose is to evoke suspense, anticipation, uncertainty and create high levels of tension amongst an audience.

Thriller's are a very controversial genre as the embody the aspects of some of the other film genres. Thriller's have a vast amount of sub-genres. This is when two significant genres are combined together. In the case of thriller's examples are; horror-thriller's, medical- thriller's, crime-thriller's, action- thrillers and many many more.

The conventions of the thriller genre are as follows:

Narrative:
The narratives of the thriller genre all follow the concept of the protagonist averting the antagonists plans. The plot may contain twists and other complexities. This is what ensure that the audience is on the ' edge of their seats'. A good example of this narrative is in "Departed" by Martin Scorsese. Generally, the main character or the protagonist is made to succumb to the authority of the antagonist. The climax of a thriller results when the protagonist defeats the antagonist.

Characters:
The characters in a thriller vary depending on the sub-genre of the movie. There is predominantly a hero and a villain in most thrillers. The hero is usually depicted as a fearless person. A good example would be Leonardo DiCaprio in "Blood Diamond". They all appear to hone an attribute to assassination. This is evident in movies such as "Tomb Raider" and "Blade". As the protagonist faces threats, the director adapts the traditional conventions to the characters personality, thus increasing the tension and anticipation amongst the audience.

On the other hand, the antagonist can be portrayed in many different ways, regarding the sub-genre. They can be depicted as convicts, psychopaths, criminals or depressed individuals. Examples of these types of villains are; Jigsaw from "Saw", Mike Myers from "Halloween and Robert Mitchum from "Cape Fear". These characters all have different motives such as revenge and hate. The presentation of a character will make the sub-genre teeter to either side of the hybrid. Thus reinforcing the controversy of the thriller genre.

Location:
Location is a key aspect of the thriller genre. The setting varies from sub-genre to sub-genre. For example, if the film was an action-thriller then the audience would most likely the areas of a city. It can also be said that the thriller genre does not conform to a set location. The location provides the atmosphere for the audience. It helps create angst amongst the audiences by giving depth to the narrative.

The main conventions (camera, sound, editing and mise-en-scene) are a key aspect to the thriller genre. This is what help create the tension and suspense. The camera would be effective in creating suspense as the director may choose to undertake longer clips in order to create anticipation amongst the audience. the editing would be very effective in terms of an action scene, the use of jump cuts allows tension to be created. The mise-en-scene is vital in terms of creating a variety of emotions. This could be done through the use of the lighting, props, costume and the characters body language and facial expressions. For example, if it was a crime-thriller, then the obvious mise-en-scene would consist of handcuffs, police, 'rough' looking men, guns and convicts. The sound is, in my opinion, what actually creates the tension. It adds depth to the film. The musics parallelism is vital in order to create tension.

Overall, the key aspects that create thrillers are the location because without it the film would make no sense. The mise-en-scene is effective by establishing the key sub-genre and provide an atmosphere for an audience. Lastly, the sound is imperative as it applies a base for the movie by helping guide the audience and creating tension and continuity throughout the media.