Research into Conventions of the Thriller Genre - Miss Miller

Conventions of a Thriller 

Conventions of a thriller film are elements that are in a commonly associated with the thriller genre. For e.g. Flashbacks, a lot of flashbacks are used to let the audience know some truth in the plot/story line of the film but to not know all of it, this creates mystery.

In this essay I will be researching into the thriller conventions used in the film Prom Night. The scene I will be analysing is where Lisa is getting chased by Richard Fenton, Donna's former teacher. In this clip it has alot of suspense and tension which is built up by the use of conventions.

The music was tension music as It had a eerie feel to It. Using this upbeat eerie sound for this particular scene increased the pace. Whilst being accompanied with timing of shots created pace and acceleration for the audience. It also made the audience much more excited and on edge for what was going to be revealed on coming frames. Typical thrillers use sound for all these reasons, to control the feelings and reactions  of the audience. 

All the the tension music impacted Lisa's death. As the sounds built up to a tragedy. Music played a big impact on this scene as It really tied in to what was going on and the music was compatible with the event.

(Lisa from Prom night)

The second convention I picked out from this clip is the chase scene. The chase scene does connect with what I said with the music/sound but to watch the chase scene without sound It still has impact on the audience. The typical chase scene in thrillers involves the villain walking slowly to catch the victim whilst the victim is running away.    Which is what we see in this situation; Lisa is dashing around, sprinting, tripping over and has no control or power. Whilst the villain Mr Fenton is calmly strolling which to the audience come's across as 'power' and 'authority' over Lisa's life. The chase scene also has a large amount of different angles and timing of shots to again increase the pace; Making the audience anxious and nervous for what they think will come (murder scene) 

 The chase scene has a very similar impact on the audience as it creates pace and acceleration. The audience then feel excited and nervy towards the film. 

(Lisa and Mr Fenton)

In this clip I also see props which is 'Iconography' Iconography is a visual art which Isn't just there for nothing but it symbolizes something and has a meaning that relates to the film. Thrillers use iconography for a visual effect, it has a impact on the audience by alerting them that something dangerous is going to happen. Causing the audience to be scared for what is going to come. 

Iconography used in this scene is the knife. In any thriller you always have a sharp or dangerous object typically a 'knife' or 'gun' but not always. In this instance its a knife, A knife is used as it creates gory sounds, actions have to be made so senses can be connected. Something like sounds will impact the audience as gory sounds and actors sounds will increase the terror level of the film. This can cause the audience to sympathise with the victim as its a scary action to watch. 

Finally, I'm going to analyse the Shadows with the low-key lighting. In this clip there are A lot of shadows, It really wakes up the audience as you see a shadow and wonder If that's the killer - Mr

Fenton or if its an object because in the basement there were quite alot of shadows made from the blinds and other objects. Shadows in this instance were trying to represent Mr Fenton's inner darkness. Shadows in thrillers are used to create enigma and tension. The effect of shadows was successful in prom night as It was very mysterious and increased suspense. Shadows can cause confusion for the audience as we don't know where the killer is. However the confusion has a positive impact towards the film as the audience become nervy and anxious. 

To conclude, Conventions of a thriller show different meanings to an audience but at the same time entertain the audience and keep them wondering. Conventions are used to build up shock,suspense and tension for the audience to carry on watching. Conventions of a thriller are not done because they have to but they are done all for the sake of the audience and to make it more realistic and much more frightening.

By Blessing Dada