Seb Hallett
Thriller Foundation portfolio
research document
The Thriller genre – an overview
The term thriller is actually a loose term that refers to any film that generates
suspense and excitement as a major part of its narrative. Many films that are
considered thriller films are not always just thriller, what I mean is that there
are many types of thriller movies. For example you can have a psychological
thriller, an action thriller, a horror thriller and many more. A film which has
two genres such as a horror thriller movie is called a hybrid genre. Thriller
movies can create many emotions one being a form of escapism. This means
when you can almost escape the real world and get lost in a great movie.
Sub Genre and Hybrids
• A Sub Genre and a Hybrid Genre, is a case when a movie has 2 or more
genres. For example, a Rom Com. This is a cross between a Romantic and
a Comedy film such as 500 days of Summer. You can also get Thriller
Horror’s. No Country For Old Men is a good example of a Thriller Horror
and so is Shutter Island.
• Definition – “Cross-genre (or hybrid genre) writing blends stylistic and
structural elements from two or more literary genres in an experimental
format”.
Narrative Themes & Conventions
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Many thriller movies tend to have a similar narrative, a narrative was defined by Tzvetan
Todorov’s and he theory of narrative was the order of the story “a chain of events”. This is
the story of a Thriller and what happens in it. Crime is usually at the core of the narrative and
the structure of the narrative is usually complex, twists and turns become a regularity.
Thrillers also tend to have a Restricted Narrative. This means you only know what you see or
have seen. No more. The narrative is usually developed through certain characters, i.e. the
villain causes the narrative problem then the hero solves it.
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The reason I say that many Thriller movies have a similar narrative; a man called Todorov
used his ideas about narrative in literacy and English, and media can also relate to his theory,
so the Thriller genre follows his ideas. This is why in most cases the structure of the narrative
is similar. Todorov had a literacy theory, and a theory on folk stories and tales, and this was
that narratives get played out in one common way. For example in media the Thriller film will
start off with a state of equillibrium (everything is good and normal and how it should be)
then the disequillibrium occurs (this is when something disrupts normallity, i.e. a villain) after
that you recognise the disequillibrium, this is followed by the repair of disequillibrium then
finally the re equillibium. This is known as Todorovs Theory of Narrative. An example of his
theory would be King Kong it starts of well however the rest of the narrative falls together
and in place just how Todorov describes.
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Furthermore a man called Syd Field had a theory, however more simple (3 stages). intro,
confrontation then victory for the hero. Thriller movies also tend to have similar conventions
i.e. character types, sounds (non diegetic and diegetic), costumes the character’s wear.
Thriller Character profiles
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Propp had a theory on character types, He believed that there were 7 different types of
character; the villain, the hero or victim, the donor, the helper, the princess, her father
and the dispatcher. However his theory related to folktales not Thrillers. Once people
began to hear about Propp and his theory directors and writers began to use some of
these characters or at least the majority within Thriller movies and this is why Propp is
still such a big influence on Thriller’s and Media as a whole. In almost every Thriller
movie there is the villain, and the hero. These are two such iconic roles which are
portrayed in many ways in many Thriller’s. E.g. Batman – The Dark Knight. Bruce Wayne
(Batman) is the hero and his “princess” is Rachel, However the villain (The Joker) uses
Rachel to get to the Batman and this is an example of Propps theory. Because now
Batman (Bruce Wayne), has to save his prize which is Rachel.
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There are other character types also, i.e. the protagonist, this is another term which
means the good guy/hero/victim. They often have a floor which the antagonist targets,
for example in the movie “The Taking Of Pelham 1 2 3” the protagonist “Garber” has
just been found guilty to accepting a bribe which could put his company in jeopardy,
and the antagonist “Ryder” uses this floor against Garber. The protagonist is often close
to death at some point in the narrative. Another character type is the antagonist. This is
the bad guy or more well known as the villain in the Thriller film. The characters in a
Thriller genre will be wearing clothes which can be easily identified and linked to their
profession. For example in shutter island, Leonardo Dicaprio’s character ”Teddy
Daniels” is wearing a long suit and a top hat. By seeing this you immediately know he is
a detective. Another example is again Batman, you immediately know that batman is a
superhero.
Mise-En-Scene
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Meaning; “An expression used to describe the design aspects of a theatre or film
production” Essentially what is on screen at one time. In the Thriller genre everything is
on screen for a reason. There are five areas of M-E-S; Setting, Costume, Props,
Lighting/Colour, Figure expression.
Setting – You will tend to see the location of the film almost straight away, this sets the
scene immediately. E.g. in Shutter Island you see the two main characters on a boat
travelling to a derelict and run down island, in the middle of no where, this sets the
scene and hints at the narrative to come.
Costume – The costumes which the characters wear is also highly important because it
helps you understand the line of work they are in and also their personality. E.g.
Shutter island “Teddy Daniels” wears a silly green colourful tie and his partner wears a a
dull colour tie which is hidden under his suit. This not only hints at the personality of
the characters but you can also understand that although they both work together they
are opposites, both in characteristics and personality. By seeing both “Teddy Daniels”
and his partner wearing the iconic detective suit you understand that there has been a
murder and also the genre of the film, M-E-S is highly important for the audience to
retrieve useful information about the narrative to come.
More Mise-en-scene..
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Props – When props are used they are usually one of the most important features
which are occurring on screen, and the director will make this very obvious. I say this
because props hint both at the narrative and the plot and finally the genre. Characters
wouldn’t be holding a prop if the prop had no significance would they? E.g. Collateral in
the OTS of collateral there is a close up shot of the briefcase. This is because the
briefcase is very important to the narrative to come and the director wants you to
realise that. So he makes this as obvious as he can.
Lighting/Colour – The colours and the lighting of the OTS are also significant because
this sets the scene and once again hints at the narrative, for example in the new
Batman Dark Knight Rises trailer and OTS the majority of the time the lighting is dark
and footage is at night. This is because of the genre and is relevant. Where as if you
watch an OTS for a movie such as Shrek the lighting and colours will be the opposite
because of its respected genre and it wouldn’t make sense If the lighting was dark
throughout.
Figure Expression – The figure expression which the characters show in M-E-S is very
important; It shows their personality, genre, and the narrative I say this because in a
Thriller such as Shutter Island the figure expressions and facial expressions in the OTS
are faces of worry and disbelief because of what has happened, although in other
genres the expression of characters differs.
Cinematography
Cinematography – “is the art or technique of movie photography, including both the
shooting and development of the film”.
• Thriller movies use many shots which are conventional to all Thrillers and these
shots help show and contribute to a characters; emotion, figure expression, the
narrative and the genre of the movie. For example the Shot-Reverse-Shot is a shot
of two people usually in conversation and the camera will stay on one side of the
characters, i.e. if they are opposite each other it will appear on one characters left
hand shoulder and then the other characters right hand shoulder. This way the
camera doesn’t cross a line and the audience can understand what’s happening
with more ease. This shot is used famously in Thrillers for many reason however
arguably most importantly is because it show’s the body language of both
characters well. In Thrillers the body language of two characters is very important
because usually the narrative plays on many emotions of the character.
• This shot is used very effectively in the Dark Knight between Batman and The
Joker. It shows both of the characters APOV of the situation and you can see the
difference in facial expression of the two characters because of their difference in
roles.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiXOectaT9U
• Thriller films also almost never have an Establishing Shot, this is because of the
genre. In other genres such as comedy or a romance an establishing shot is
common, however for Thriller it isn’t.
Sound, how it is used in Thriller films.. Diegetic sound
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Diegetic sound is the sound which is already in the shot and hasn’t been added in, for example speech and
dialogue between characters.
In Thriller films typical diegetic sounds include:
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Dialogue – this is an important factor of Thriller because you get a feel of what’s going on, the characters
emotions and what is going to lead on in the remaining scenes.
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Ambient sounds – the ambient sound of a shot is just as important also, this is so the audience get a feel
for the atmosphere of the scene and how the characters are feeling.
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To be specific in the film Collateral you hear ambient sounds of echo’s and of tannoy announcements
which suggests that they are in an airport or train station, furthermore there are many people in the
background out of focus speaking to each other, with hand luggage in their hands. this is another
suggestion that they are in an airport perhaps.
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However, in a film such as Shutter Island it is based in a completely different environment so the diegetic
sounds will be different. For example it is based on a remote island so you may here sounds of birds,
trucks driving, helicopters flying, the sea and the waves. This is the ambient sound of the island, this
contrasts well to Collateral.
Sound, how it is used in Thriller films.. Non Diegetic sound
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Non Diegetic sound is the sound which is added into an existing shot when editing. This
is to improve the shot In some ways and create certain feels to the film. Sound is crucial
in many scenes.
In Thriller films typical non diegetic sounds include:
Pleonastic sound - this type of sound is music or a music effect which interprets an
action in a scene, such as a piece of music to replicate the sound of a gun being fired.
Contrapuntal sound – this type of the sound is the opposite to pleonastic sound, i.e. it
doesn’t match what’s on screen, it is supposed to contradict what’s happening on
screen to create a disharmony.
So if you look at the chase scene in Taken 2 the scene is really intense and fills you with
anxiety. So the music matches the scene and helps you bring out these emotions. The
music is high In volume and pitch to fill the audience with anxiety and suspense.
Although this film has a narrative of reassurance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXm2rV6YCM0
Editing, how is it used?..
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The editing which is used in a Thriller movie is key for the audience. You can understand the genre, and
differentiate from other genres. For example in Thriller movies there is a lot of fighting and battles
between the protagonist and the antagonist, scenes like this require quick editing so the pace of the scene
is crucial. An example of this could be Batman Begins when Bruce Wayne is fighting Ra’s Al Ghul. A scene
such as this needs to be fast pace, with high volume. Furthermore a Romance may have slower editing,
this way you can differentiate between the genres by looking at the style of editing and identify if a
Thriller is a Thriller.
Editing also links in with camera work and sound because of how angles and shots are bought together to
make a scene in the editing.
Continuity editing will feature throughout, this is so the audience and viewers can get lost in with the
action. Continuity editing flows really well and the viewer can watch it with more ease.
Shot Reverse Shot’s are key to editing because the audience can see the faces and reaction of two
characters in one scene.
The narrative of a Thriller film tends to be tense and full of action, this means that the editing will be fast
paced, this matches the action.
Many other techniques such as Parallel Editing and Match On Action are also used to produce effects and
to play on different emotions for the audience.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnFJiEPxwbg
Thriller Target Audience
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People watch thriller movie’s as a form of escapism, To be thrilled, The tension,
The climatic moments and as an emotional test.
Anyone can watch Thriller movie’s, however the main target audience tends to be
early teenagers through to middle aged adults at the age of 30. Other ages enjoy
Thriller movies also but they are not considered the target audience.
Both men and women enjoy Thrillers but they have different reasons why. The
women tend to enjoy the thrills which are offered and the strong male character
who tends to have the main role. For example Liam Neeson in Taken and Taken 2.
The Men also enjoy the thrills, but they may not enjoy the male character which
the women do. Men enjoy the action as well as the tension in the film and also
the twists and turns offered on the way. You don’t have to be apart of a certain
social class to enjoy Thrillers.
Any person despite their social class background can enjoy this genre. Although if
you are high up in the social class hierarchy, you may want the narrative to
challenge you intellectually for example Donnie Darko and Momentum. If you are
lower down in the social class ranking you may want the narrative to be more
simple.
The Dark Knight Certification
Sub Genre: Action/ Thriller
Certificate 12A
Horror
Moderate physical and psychological threat may be permitted, provided disturbing sequences are not
frequent or sustained.
The Dark Knight - The Joker’s personality and mannerisms, bring this to the film frequently.
Imitable behaviour
Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could
be copied, or appear pain or harm free. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.
The Dark Knight – The joker again brings a lot of this to the film because of his motive.
Theme
Mature themes are acceptable, but their treatment must be suitable for young teenagers.
The Dark Knight - The theme of the film is quite strong because of what the film is about and what’s
happening throughout. Concerning the joker and who he kills.
Violence
Moderate violence is allowed but should not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or
blood, but occasional gory moments may be permitted if justified by the context. Sexual violence may
only be implied or briefly and discreetly indicated, and must have a strong contextual justification.
The Dark Knight – has a few glory moments and has the aftermath of someone’s injuries however you do not
see how they get to that state.
Casino Royale Certification
Discrimination
Discriminatory language or behaviour must not be endorsed by the work as a whole. Aggressive discriminatory language or
behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly condemned.
Casino Royale Drugs
Any misuse of drugs must be infrequent and should not be glamorised or give instructional detail.
Casino Royale Horror
Moderate physical and psychological threat may be permitted, provided disturbing sequences are not frequent or sustained.
Casino Royale – is full of threats and fights, that’s apart of the fabric of the film and all Bond films.
Imitable behaviour
Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied, or
appear pain or harm free. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.
Casino Royale – towards the end when Bond is captured, there is a lot. Throughout there is a little but mainly fighting nothing too
severe.
Language
Moderate language is allowed. The use of strong language (for example, ‘fuck’) must be infrequent.
Casino Royale – there isn’t too much bad language but some is used, nothing too strong.
Nudity
Nudity is allowed, but in a sexual context must be brief and discreet.
Casino Royale – Bond always has affairs with women but never total nude is used. Usually the scene involves the reaction from
when they did make love.
Sex
Sexual activity may be briefly and discreetly portrayed. Sex references should not go beyond what is suitable for young teenagers.
Frequent crude references are unlikely to be acceptable.
Casino Royale – some sex is shown however mainly kissing and the scene before they actually make love.
Theme
Mature themes are acceptable, but their treatment must be suitable for young teenagers.
Casino Royale – As Casino Royale is rated a 12 teenagers of all age can watch and it is suitable.
Violence
Moderate violence is allowed but should not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood, but occasional
gory moments may be permitted if justified by the context. Sexual violence may only be implied or briefly and discreetly
indicated, and must have a strong contextual justification.
Casino Royale – The film is very violent but mainly fist fighting and gun shots, the scenes are never overly graphic.