what is a thriller

What is a thriller film?

One of the main codes and convention of a thriller film is the enigma, this gives the audience a question in their for example in the film saw 1, the enigma would be “why is there a dead body in the middle of the bathroom” and this is a mystery for the audience. The use of mystery builds suspense within the thriller. Another convention of a thriller film is that is always a good and evil. For example in the film strangers the women that is getting attacked by the strangers is vulnerable but seen as the good and the strangers are seen as the evil because they are attacking a weak and scared women. The use of enigma in thriller films gets the attention of the target audience because they feel more involved in the film because they want to solve the mystery. In this thriller, the female character is represented to be the weaker of the characters, something that is very conventional to thriller films and something the audience would expect to see. Also in thriller films they use iconography for example in the film scream 1 when the attacker is chasing the women, you can see he has a knife in his hand which signifies he is going to kill her, its shows the audience that something bad is going to happen to the girl, which surprises and shocks the audience, elements that are very conventional and important to thrillers and elements that the target audience would expect to feel when they watch the thriller. This appeals to the target audience because the iconography used in scream 1 makes the audience scared and tense, which is something the expect and want to feel when they watch a thriller film. The character of the killer is represented to be powerful and strong because of the iconography used and this is conventional to thrillers because the killer is usually the most scary and powerful character within the narrative.

In the thriller film Saw 1, the opening scene helps define the genre of the film because the iconography that is used in the film is a gun and a tape recorder, the gun would signify to the audience that someone has been or is going to be killed. The enigma for this thriller film is the two characters are tired up with large steel chains, and another man is dead on the floor, this would be a mystery for the audience because they would wonder why there would be a dead person in the middle of the room, which would build the suspense of the thriller. This is what would make the audience know that the film is a thriller. Because these things are conventional to thriller films, they are something the audience would expect to see, which would make the target audience enjoy the thriller more. The location for the film is an abandoned bathroom, you can tell it is abandoned because the walls are all dirty and the man says, “no one can hear you” this shows that the bathroom is abandoned also, this would shock the audience and build the suspense as they would realise that the characters are all alone. This is another convention of thriller films and the audience would expect to see this because an abandoned location creates fear and mystery as the audience know that the characters are in a place where they are alone, so no help can come to them, which builds the suspense even more, something that the audience would  

This film (Saw 1) is going to help me when doing my own thriller film because in the film it has dark colours at the start and I would want dark colours in my thriller because it is conventional to thriller films, so the audience would expect to see that from my thriller. Also I would want a good enigma, for example the killer could stalk the victim before killing or attacking them. I would include an enigma because it is conventional and draws the target audience into the thriller, making the target audience enjoy my film more. Also I would use a range of different camera shots that will help me focus on the attacker from different angles so the audience do not know fully who the attacker is, until the attacks takes place. Also I would represent the killer in dark clothes to show they are the the villain and the victims in bright happy colours to show that they are innocent victims. This would help me to make my thriller film successful because conventions such as this are things that the target audience would expect to see from thriller films, so including these conventions would make my thriller more enjoyable for the target audience.

In the thriller film the ring, the opening scene explains to the audience that it is thriller film because the fridge moves forward and the television turns on, this makes the audience want to know who this mystery character is. Also when she looks into the turned off television she sees a shadow moving in the background, this also makes the audience want to know what this character is and what it is doing in the house. The mystery is conventional to thriller film, so is something the audience would expect to see. The location of the thriller is in a dark and gloomy house; this is conventional because this is a place for a thriller film to be take place because it sets a dark and gloomy atmosphere for the scene, which makes the audience begin to suspect  something bad will happen in this room. There is also a vulnerable girl on her own in the house; she is obviously the victim in this thriller, at the end of the opening scene clip the girl is walking to her bedroom and there is water on the floor and the handle of the room the audience would be thinking why is the water there? Along with the mystery and questions, the character of the young girl is represented as the victim because she is vulnerable, this is also conventional because women are seen as the weaker sex, so most thrillers have a young female victim so this is something the audience would expect to see from a thriller film. When the girl opens the door the sound squeaks and the girl is changing into something. This shocks and surprises the audience as they do not expect this to happen, these are again conventional elements that the audience expects to feel when they watch a thriller film.

This analysis will help me during my thriller because it has taught me when to use conventions and code during my thriller because they are what the audience want to see and expect to see, so that will make my thriller more successful.