Wednesday 13 January 2010

Conventions of a thriller

Some of the conventions of a thriller are:

-Location (familiar places create a false sense of security e.g. an abandoned building)
-Lighting (shadowy, Dark lighting, film noir/ neo-noir)
-Complex narrative (flashbacks, not Linear, the speeding up and slowing down of time)
-Mystery (enigma, web of intrigue)
-Voyeurism (objectification of women, pleasure of looking)
-Suspense (music, sound and silence, edge of seat)
-Fear of the unknown (This is what seperates the horror genre from the thriller, the villian often wears a mask or make-up to create mystery)
-Identity (no identity, stolen/ mistaken, obsession, doppleganger)
- Potagonist (flawed hero, in danger, fear in which is exploited by villian)

A classical thriller depicted women as an object of pleasure and as vulnerable 'damsels in distress'. Nowadays, women are seen as more powerful strong figures who are occasionally the flawed hero which is traditionally the role of the male.
Suspense and the fear of the unknown are some of the most important factors to a thriller as this is what makes it exciting to watch.

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