Research: What Is Thriller? -Miss Begum

                    

                   What is Thriller?

What are genres? Why is it important to know this?

A genre is a particular category that a film is placed into according to regular patterns, filming techniques and conventions such as themes, plot and settings. A genre is dependent on the various factors such as storyline, who the director is and what the audience expectations are. Some common examples of genres include horror, action, thriller, adventure, science fiction and fantasy. It is important for the audience to know the genre of a film before watching it as they can make a decision as to whether they want to watch it depending on the content involved and how appropriate it is for their age.


What is the thriller genre?

The thriller genre is an extremely broad genre and consists of certain characteristics. These include fast pace action, intense story lines and suspense. Thriller films are usually created in order to mess with the audiences psychological state of mind.



Examples of thriller films.
Some examples of thriller films include Se7en and I spit on your grave:

Se7en- Se7en is a thriller film due to the common conventions present in the thriller. There are a number of victims who are killed by a demented serial killer for committing one of the seven deadly sins. Throughout the film there is suspense and tension due to a psychological twist in the film. There is a clear structure throughout the film as it begins with a clear equilibrium at the beginning with the detectives following their daily routines, then disruption is caused when the killer beings murdering in the duration of seven days. Then there is a new equilibrium when the killer is shot dead putting an end to the chaos. The conventional characters include a killer antagonist, two detective protagonists who save the day and the victims who are killed.

I spit on your grave- I spit on your grave is thriller film involving a female victim who is kidnapped, tortured and physically abused by two psychopaths. The victim sacrifices her body by raging into a river washing her away. The antagonists believe she is dead however, she survives her ordeal and gets vengeance on them by horrifyingly torturing them. The violent scenes and the conventional characters make the film a thriller with continuous tension and suspense present.






Sub genres of thrillers

A sub genre is a subcategory within a main genre. Thriller films have subgenres within them including crime, disaster, mystery, psychological and conspiracy. Examples of films with these particular sub-genres include:

 

       Se7en is a crime thriller as there is a psychopath committing crime which is murder.

 

2012 is a disaster thriller as victims fight to save their lives due to a natural disaster taking place and cannot determine their future.

 

 

vertigo is a mystery thriller due to a detective investigating a female who he becomes obsessed with. This a mystery as the audience also take part in uncovering the crime apparent.

Psycho is psychological thriller as it plays with the audience mind and shows the mentality of the antagonist.

Awake is a conspiracy thriller as the mother of a victim wrestles her own demons as a turn of events unfold around her.


Common themes of thrillers

All thriller films have certain themes throughout including death, revenge, violence, obsession, guilt .

In psychological thrillers the main themes evident include guilt and obsession. In the film "Shutter island" the main character experiences guilt leading to his mental state deteriorating and making him fantasise.





 In the film "Se7en" the main theme is death as the psychopath kills the victims and is killed himself by the detective.







 In the film "I spit on your grave" the main themes are violence and revenge as the psychopaths violently attack the female victim, she then gets her revenge by torturing them painfully.

In the film 'Seven Days' one of the main themes include rape as a man rapes a young girl leading to her father seeking revenge.

Audience response to thrillers

The audience response to a thriller film depends on the age and gender of the audience, generally the younger audience are more likely they are to be frightened while the male audience are more likely to be less effected by it as they have dominant gender role they have to follow. However, in general the common responses thriller films create is a chilling response from the audience. The audience are left in suspense and tension builds throughout the film creating excitement and adrenaline. The audience may also respond psychologically by feeling emotional by the events that occur such as murders or deaths which affects the audience mentally.

    

 

How has the research helped your understanding of thriller films and the coursework requirements?
I now understand that when creating a thriller film all factors must be taken into consideration including genre, sub genres, the audience it is aimed at and the response wanted from the audience. Common conventions must be followed in order for thrillers to have the same impact on the audience. Conventions include high tempo music creating suspense during the disequilibrium, conventional characters, which includes victims, an antagonist and protagonists. Having these conventional characters allows the film to adapt to its genre. The antagonist frightens the audience by their appearance and their behaviour towards the victims while the protagonist is seen as dominant and heroic, and the audience can sympathise with the victim who is distressed as their life is a risk.  The location is likely to be in suburban areas such as demolished houses, fields and empty factories creating more fear and uncertainty for the audience. The lighting is expected to be low lighting causing more threat and under lighting creating shadows causing tension. This research has enabled me to understand what is required in order for my coursework to be successful and achieve its thriller status.