Monday 30 November 2009

Researching Thriller Films - Forms and Conventions of a Thriller

Examples
  • 'The Hitchhiker' (Ida Lupino, 1953)
  • 'Vertigo' (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
  • 'Psycho' (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
  • 'Blue Steel' (Katheryn Bigelow, 1991)
  • 'The Vanishing' (George Sluizer, 1993)
  • 'Se7en' (David Fincher, 1995)
  • 'The Usual Suspects' (Bryan Singer, 1995)
  • 'Face/Off' (John Woo, 1996)
  • 'Mimic' (Guillermo Del Toro, 1997)
  • 'Sixth Sense' (M. Night Shyamalan, 1999)
  • 'The Talented Mr Ripley' (Anthony Minghella, 1999)
  • 'What Lies Beneath' (Robert Zemeckis, 2000)
  • 'Phone Booth' (Joel Schumacher, 2002)
  • 'One Hour Photo' (Mark Romanek, 2002)
What are the forms and conventions of a thriller?
  • A build up to the action
  • Creation of fear/apprehension/anticipation/unsettling feeling/confusion/doubt over a character
  • Dark, shadowy atmosphere (use of light and dark images)
  • Establishing mood and atmosphere throughout the film
  • Delay in showing the face of a significant character, or the acion of an important event by first showing the hand of a character for instance or a reaction of someone watching the event
  • Creation of suspense using soundtrack music
  • Morally ambiguous central character (e.g. film noir - 'Se7en')
  • Murder encouraging a suspecting audience
  • Realistic settings to create a sense of the 'unusual' occuring within a normal setting
  • Flashbacks
  • Hero in situation of threat or struggle
  • Red herrings (e.g. Hitchcock films)
  • Twists and unexpected turns
  • Making and keeping the audience tense and on the edge of our seats

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