What is a thriller film?

What is a thriller film?

"Thriller is a genre of literature, film and television that uses suspense, tension and excitement as the main elements." Therefore the thriller genre is a type of film which relates to an audience that likes to be scared, excited or to be put on the edge of their seat. Nightmare on elm.ST (2010) Opening. Mise en Scene. First of all the setting, the opening scene is set in a American diner. This will show the audience that the place is local and he is familiar with his surroundings. This as a thriller is not conventional as being in a known place is where you would feel secure and comfortable. From the film doing this is a thriller convention as the setting being a place that you know something new can happen, this is building up the tension and putting the audience on the edge of the seat as they are wanting to know what is going to happen to the person or to this familiar place. Secondly in the scene the audience get to see what the characters are wearing. You see the woman walking past the man sitting down, she is wearing a red work outfit. The colour red shows different types of things in a thriller genre, mostly danger, blood and death. This is red costume on the woman is conventional to the thriller genre as it shows that she is walking into danger and this is what the audience want to see. The man sitting down wanting to get another drink is wearing a dark casual clothing, this is also conventional to the thriller genre as usually the protagonist of the scene therefore he could be the one in danger. As the clothing is dark suggests that he doesn't want people to know much about him therefore he has a hidden identity, which again is conventional to the thriller genre as not knowing someone is creates a mystery. The characters in the scene are very stereotypical to the thriller genre. At first in the scene you see a woman who is walking through the diner, the way she is dressed shows that she is working. The man who is sitting down is the first to speak which shows he is the main attraction of the scene. The man being the main part of the scene shows that he has all power of what goes on and what can happen. This builds suspense to the film as it shows that everything is down to him and the audience will be thinking about what he is going to do in the scene. Further on in the scene you get to see part of another person. Only able to see part of this person is highly conventional to the thriller genre as it creates mystery to the scene and hides the identity of the person. Hiding the identity of someone in the scene creates a excitement for the audience as they have a guessing game of who this person may be. This is also a thriller convention as excitement is something that draws their attention to the thriller. Again going further on in the scene you get to see the other man, this mans face looks like it is ripped apart which also hides the man's identity but this time it shows that something has happened to him. Hiding the man's identity by showing that something has happened to him creates another mystery in the scene and gets the audience thinking on why he is there and what he is doing.

The whole scene is based on low key lighting, this has a natural effect on the scene as it is dark outside. The diner being shown in the low key light shows danger as it is dark a gloomy. This type of lighting is an effective thriller convention as it doesn't give out any  identity and this keeps the mystery on going and keeping the audience attached to the film. The low key lighting used in the diner gave other light sources a great effect on the scene, for example the light from the flames in the kitchen. This type of light coming of the flames is conventional to thriller as it shows some shadow but still keeps the mystery going as the smoke from the flames blocks some of the shadow. Keeping the light the same in this opening scene is conventional to a thriller as it contrasts with the mystery and the suspense of the film and genre. Also keeping the audience thinking and on the edge of their seat.

The only iconography that is noticeable in the scene is the knifes on the mysterious mans hand and the knife that is in the mans hand at the end of the scene. Using these main resources are conventional to a thriller film as straight away it shows danger and death. The knifes on the mans hand are very effective in the scene as it shows that the knifes are apart of the man, doing this allows the audience to get an idea of who the man is and what he is doing there. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it gets the audience thinking and builds suspense. Building suspense by the iconography is a key feature of the thriller genre as the iconography will be the main part of every scene. In this case the knifes.

Sound and Editing.


Non-Diegetic:

Right at the beginning of the scene the non-diegetic sounds the music overlay is heard, the music was shown and effectively used when slowly zooming into the diner. The music was quiet and slow which relates well to how a thriller genre is presented, for example the slow music instantly starts to build up tension but at a slow pace, this happening at the beginning of a thriller straight away puts the audience on the edge. The quietness of the music is used so that you as an audience aren't fully taking notice of it, this is so that you know it is there and it is able to make you feel the scene and enables you to understand the scene.

Further on in the scene the music overlay starts to become faster and louder, you hear this when things in the scene start to become more suspense. When you hear the beat of the music getting louder and faster shows that it is building up to something that is going to thrill you. When this is happening the audience instantly without meaning to become more aware and frightened, this is because they are thinking ahead of what they are seeing. 

The non diegetic is very conventional to the thriller genre as it builds up tension fast and discreetly also as it shows the audience to be aware of what is happening which puts them on the edge and is thrilling. 


Diegetic:

At the beginning of the scene you instantly take notice of the diegetic sound from the rain, hearing this at the beginning informs the audience that it is a dull day/night. The diegetic sound of rain being the first thing you hear is conventional to the thriller genre as it gives the audience an idea of what type of scenery the film will be set in. Doing this to the audience again makes them think ahead and understand the plot more. Enabling the audience to do this makes them build up there own suspense which puts them in the shoes of character.

Secondly you hear the first voice of the character which shows you the main character of the scene and who all the action will be based on. Hearing his voice shows the audience who he is shows his identity which in a thriller will make the character vulnerable and he will instantly become the protagonist in the scene. Further on the mans voice seems to be louder and his tone becomes harder, this shows that he is worried and him being worried brings fast tension to the scene. This is all conventional to the thriller genre. Not all being high tension but it all gets the audience on the edge of their seats and thinking about what he is going to do in the scene and what is going to happen to him. Making the audience do this and thinking deeply about the scene and the characters will make it easier to shock them.

Again in the scene the diegetic sound of the bell above the door is a strong convention to the thriller genre as it is out of the blue which will shock the audience and they will instantly be thinking about who has entered and who is in the diner. As you don't see this person it shows there is a hidden identity which again is a thriller convention as it builds up suspense and creates the first mystery in the film.