Genre Research: Thriller

Genre: Thriller

Common Camera Angles, movement, and Shots:

Common angles are Dutch, low, and high angles. Low angles are often used in thrillers to emphasize how powerful and intimidating a villain is. Common movements are tracking and tilting. These are used in thrillers and horrors to make it look like one of the characters is being followed or watched. It also helps the audience have a full view of the scene and what is happening but also helps build suspense and tension as the audience needs to learn what could be shown next. Common shots are close-ups, reverse, extreme long shots, point-of-view shots, and over-the-shoulder shots. This is one of the best ways to build up tension and suspense. It is mostly used around mirrors and reflections so the audience can see everything as soon as the character does.

Common Mis-En-Scene: 

Low lighting is common in creating shadows, which builds fear and tension. For props/sets, it is expected to use dark/ claustrophobic places to portray the 'entrapment' of the character's mind. For clothing, everyday clothing is usually used in the thriller genre. This creates realism within a film and makes the audience believe it could be them in this situation. The makeup is limited to make the characters relatable. For women, fear is created by smudged makeup to show they've been crying, etc. 

Common Editing: 

Fast cutting is an editing technique that is commonly used in psychological thrillers, as it creates tension, and the audience will start to suspect something is wrong or something bad is about to happen. Slow motion is another editing technique used in psychological thrillers, as it builds suspense and prolongs the action, making the audience tense as they want to know what happens. 

Common sound in the genre:

Sobbing, screaming, banging, step foots, and more diegetic sounds are used to show tension. Orchestral music and modern/contemporary music are commonly used in this genre. Also, silence is commonly used. The contrast creates more of a tense atmosphere for the audience and the feeling of suspense and unknown.

Examples of films in the genre:

• Sound of Freedom
• Black Swan
• Slender Man

Elements we like:

Some of the elements we like are the low angles because they emphasize the power/ strength of the antagonist. The over-the-shoulder shots are one of the best ways to build suspense in a thriller movie. They allow the audience to react as soon as the character acts. We love that the makeup is not dramatic and instead leans towards realism. This is because it allows for us to relate to certain aspects of these films. Also, one of the elements we like is the soundtracks of these films. The complexity of orchestral music adds tension to these films while being unique to each movie.

Elements we do not like:

Some of the elements we do not like are the diegetic noises. Many of these can be irritating, such as sobbing and screaming, which are loud noises that might cause jumpscares. As an audience, slow motion can become something unlikable because it prolongs the action, making the audience tense.