Research- Codes and conventions of a thirller

Definition

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(genre)

History of thrillers

       1920s-1930s; 

• In 1926 Alfred Hitchcock was the first direct to make a film under the genre of thriller, it was named "The lodger"The story line was filled with suspense and based around a mass murderer whom targeted women. 
• In 1929 another thriller was release named 'blackmail' it was the first British film to Incorporated sound.

       1930s-1940s; 

• In the 1940s Hitchcock continued to direct thriller films these include the Oscar winning 'Rebbecca', 'suspicion' and his personal favorite 'shadow of a doubt' which was based on a real life serial killer in the 1920's who was known as 'The merry widow murderer'
• George Cukors produced a psychological thriller in 1944 named 'Gaslight' which was about a man who made a plan to make his wife insane in order to gain her inheritance when she was had died
• There were numerous other thrillers released in the 1930's and 40's such as 'The stranger on the third floor' in 1940, 'kiss of death' in 1947' and 'cry of the city' in 1948

       1950s-1960s

• In the 1950s Hitchcock was still making thriller films, however he started to evolve his technique one of his most famous experiments was with technicolor. He produced various films in this period some of which are 'Dial M for murder' in 1954 which was about a man who attempted to murder his wife, he also produced 'rear rainbow' which was about a man in a small town who was adamant that his next door neighbor was a murderer and 'vertigo'
• In 1953, Marlyn Monroe stared in the thriller 'Niagara' which was about a women who made a sick plan to kill her husband. 
• In 1965 Stanley Donens produced a 'stylish thriller' which involved numerous plots and twist about 2 men who's mission was to find hidden loots and sneak them into Paris.
•  In 1968 a french film directed by François Truffaut named 'The bride wore black' was released. It told the tale of a widow who set of on a mission to kill the five men who killed her husband on her wedding day.
  

       1970s-1980s

• The 1970s was a landmark year in film making, there was a drastic shift in how films were made. Thrillers in particular became increasingly eary, violent thrillers became a huge craze,The genre thriller had never been so brutal. A sense of realism that had never been see before had been added to them.
• Robert Fuest directed the film  'And soon the darkness' in 1970, which was a story about two women's adventures France. After losing each other one goes to the police for help, after finding her friends body she realizes that the policeman on the case was actually the attacker.
• In 1972 Hitchcock released the film 'Frenzy' this was rated 'R' for its explicit content. Yet again it was about a mass serial killer who targeted women. 
• One of the most remarkable thrillers was Clint Eastwood 'Play misty for me'...

     1990s-present

• As you can tell the thriller we have seen today has evolved hugely, it has become more intense, more savage and due to the advances in technology, a lot more realistic. If we watch a thriller made in the 1960's today we are unlikely to find it as scary as viewers of the time. 
• One of the most horrifying thrillers of the 1990s was Johnathan Demme's 'The silence of the lambs' 

Codes and conventions

      The main conventions of a thriller include;

• Quick cuts
• shadows
• mirrors
• suspense filled music
• constant changes in camera angles
• Low key lighting
• Diegetic sounds of breathing
• Black and white shots
• disorientation of time and space
• montage editing
• The protagonist being in fear of antagonist

         Themes; 

• Terrorism/political conspiracy/psychological mind games/supernatural events/crime/spies/assassination/torment/stalking

     Charecters;

• The protagonist is usually a innocent male/female which makes the audience empathize for them
• The antagonists have darker and more sinister motives than ones in other genres, there identity is usually hidden and is slowly revealed throughout the film they have usually been put in bad situations themselves, so therefore their aim is to seek revenge.
• The 'femme fatale' is a theory used to describe the main female characters in thrillers. They are seen as being colder and more ruthless than the typical representation of a woman.

     Edititing;

• The editing is usually based around creating an uncomfortable and suspenseful atmosphere for the viewer. This is usually done by a combination of quick cutting and changing of camera angles this is used to unhinge viewers.
• Cross cutting is also frequently used to build suspense as we see are able to see things which are hidden from the characters.
• Continuous editing is another editing style incorporated a lot within thrillers, this helps the audience gain a better understanding and can add tot he realism of the event.

       Mise-en-scene

• Mirrors are used a great deal within thrillers, this is used to show the characters reflecting on what they've done or what has happened to them. This usually shows a sense of voyeurism as we are seeing the characters in a more personal light.
• The use of stairs represents an almost hierarchical structure within the genre thriller, they show the power distribution between the antagonist and protagonist. For instance the connotations from climbing up or falling down stairs could show the power shift of a character. 
• The location is important as it helps the audience establish the setting and therefore attach their own opinion to the scarceness of the situation.
• Low key lighting is used as it unsettles the viewer as they are not fully aware of who/what may be around the characters.
• The protagonist will usually wear ordinary clothes, this is because it adds a sense of realism and gives the audience the idea that this could happen to everyone. The antagonist stereotypically wears black as it has connotation of death.
• Black and white is commonly used to show the sinister style of the film

      Sound

• Sound is an extremely important feature of any film though especially thriller. Music is used to create tension or and eerie feel, this can be through diegetic or non diegetic material within the scene.
• High pitched screeches are commonly used to unsettle the audience and makes them believe something unpleasant could happen. 
• Sound are frequently associated to characters, for instance in Spielberg's 'Jaws' we can always tell when the shark is going to attack through the distinct sound which plays as soon as it is approaching. 
• The tempo of the sound usually speeds up within a tense situation as helps make the audience feel more frightened. 

       Cinematography 

• A variety of extreme closeups and closeups of the characters is frequently used, this can show their reactions to situations but also their emotions as this helps add to the atmosphere and makes the audience more able to emphasis.
• The shots of the antagonist will usually consist of quick cuts in order to keep their identity hidden from the viewer. They are usually scene from shots such as; from behind, of their silhouette and low lighting. 

Whats the difference between thriller and horror genre?

There are actually various differences between a horror and a thriller movie, although they may look visually similar, there are numerous factors proving otherwise. Thrillers are more psychological and requires more thought and explanation to what is happening in the film. However horrors usually involve masses of blood, gore and unexplained violence, the narrative lacks the extent of depth that thrillers offer. Thrillers involve a lot more plot twists which leave the audience thinking and questioning so therefore they are seen as being more stimulating to watch. Though in a horror there is a huge lack of logic and it simply aims to scare the audience without making them think to deeply as to what/why things are happening, they are usually a lot less realistic. To conclude horrors are made to 'horrify' so the viewer is screaming, shouting and literally jumping of their seats however a thriller is intended to 'thrill' so although they are on the edge of their seats, they are not falling of them.