Genre conventions for a Thriller.

LIGHTINGLow Key Lighting This technique of lighting creates a very dark shadow like effect across the frame. By producing shadows in scenes; it creates illusions and highlights key features adding tension and suspense. This is an important convention for a thriller movie- it is usually used in disequilibrium to clearly signify equilibrium and disruption of equilibrium to restrict information from the audience about the antagonist. Having a contrast of low key and high key lighting it can make a clear division between the protagonist and antagonist rules.De-Saturated Lighting: Another lighting technique used highly in thriller productions is De-saturated lighting; this creates a pale over-cast to the atmosphere. This dismantles any elements of any confusion on the target audience believing the movie can get a comedic effect. From an audiences’ point of view this connate foreshadowing of bad events or atmosphere, which may be represented later in disequilibrium.

NARRATIVERESTRICTED NARRATION: This narrative style is used mainly in thrillers as if only allows minimal information for the target audience. Overall building up tension and engaging the audience more, creating enigma for them. ANACHRONIC:Anachronic modular narratives use flashbacks or flash forwards to create confusion in the audience.

EDITNGFLASH CUTTING:Editing is a variable concept to making a thriller movie very powerful. One of the popular editing techniques, which can be symbolism for the thriller genre, is flash cutting. This is a short quick shots; producing a weary or, ‘jumpy’ atmospheric mood on the target audience. Mimicking a heartbeat of the target audience or protagonists.

MONTAGE OF SHOTS:A montage of shots is used to juxtapose shots in a fast-pace nature that compresses time and conveys a lot of information in a short time period. Again this can imitate the fast heartbeat of the audience or protagonists as the tension builds through disruption and recognition stages of disequilibrium. Montage shots can also signify some subliminal cuts, as the fast pace of the cuts may reveal hidden information, which is too quick for the human eye.

SOUNDSNON-DIEGETIC:Sound is important in thrillers when needed to build up tension, non-diegetictarget audience engage more to the creating a psychological relationship between the protagonist, antagonistconnate to the audienceSYNCHRONOUS:Sounds in thrillers are most powerful when the movie; meaning they are in time. Once the audience have developed sense of the rhythm they are able to tell when the next tensed scene will occur. PARALLEL:Parallel sounds are used to focus the sound and image together allowing the between the two; letting more up.

CAMERAWORK POINT OF VIEW: Point of view camerawork; directly places the audience in the film, making them nervous as it turns them into the character. CANTED ANGLE:The idea of a canted angle to make the illusion of confusion or something isn’t right- this fits in with the genre thriller as it builds up tension for the peak of the film.

Left: point of view shot and to the right: Canted angle

Left: example of De-saturated lighting Right: difference between high and low key lighting.