Thriller Films.

 What is the purpose of the opening to  film?

 The opening of a film is used mainly to attract the audiences interest and make them want to continue watching, but it also sets the tone of the film and identifies the genre. 

What techniques can a director use to create suspense in a film?

Directors often use Music to create suspense and tension. strings and 'low' music are popular.  Low key lighting is used, as is intimate cinematography. Editing is a popular way to create tension, by using jump cuts and cross cutting. False shocks are also a popular way to intrigue the audience and get them sat on the edge of their seat to emphasize tension futher on in the films. 

How do you think a 'Thiller' is defined?

Thriller is a genre of literature, film, and television that uses suspense, tension, and as the main elements.excitement. A genuine, standalone thriller is a film that provide thrills and keeps the audience cliff-hanging at the "edge of their seats" as the plot builds towards a climax. The primary subgenres of thrillers are: mystery, crime and psychological thrillers 

What films can you think of that would fit into the 'Thriller' genre?

The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)

Se7en (David Fincher, 1995)

The Departed (Martin Scorsese, 2006)

The 'Thriller' film can be divided into sub-genres, what different types of thriller do you think exists?

1. Thriller involving murderous passions'; a husband, a wife, a lover. One gets murdered. The motive for crime is usually passion or greed. An example of this is 'What Lies Beneath' (Robert Zemeckis, 200)

2. A political Thriller: the assasinations of leaders of government conspiracy. The motive for crime is usually power and domination. An example of this is 'Salt' (Phillip Noyce, 2010)   

3. Change of identity thriller. Where the main character changes or conceals their identity and deals with the consequences. The motive is often hiding the crime. An example of this is 'The Bourne Identity' (Doug Liman, 2002)

4. Moral confrontation thriller. This is the 'good v evil' thriller. The motive is usually evil wants to defeat good. An example of this is 'Law Abiding Citizen' (F. Gary Gray, 2009)

5. Psyco-traumatic thriller. this is where the main character is traumatised by past events, causing them to commit crime. The motive is often the character trying to deal with the events. An example of this is 'Se7en' (David Fincher, 1995)

6. 'innocent on the run' thriller. This is where the hero is falsly accused and has to escape to prove his innocence. The motive is usually that the hero's bosses want them out of the way. An example of this is 'Salt' (Phillip Noyce, 2010)

What are the characteristics or conventions of a thriller film?

The conventions of the thriller genre are often to do with the editing.  Quick cuts and camera angle changes are used and music that creates tension. It can also be to do with lighting, especially the use of shadows and low lighting. Thrillers often involve the use of mirrors or stairs and they tend to make things we use everyday, such as the bathroom, and make them creepy.

What do you think is the audience pleasure of a thriller film?


The audience pleasures are the suspense, and not knowing what is going to happen. I also think that guessing whos fault it is or who's committed the crime is a pleasure. The fact that throughout Thrillers the audience is often kept on the 'edge of their seat' is also a pleasure.

What do you think are the differences between  a horror and a thiller film?


Thriller films are more about the story behind the action and building the suspense without too much happening whereas Horror films are about the blood and gore. Horror films often have little story line, whereas thrillers are often confusing and keep the audience thinking.

Using the internet, research the 'Top 50 Thriller Films' Look at the top twenty. How many have you watched and which ones? If not many, why is thi the case:?


I found a list of the top 50 thriller films and in the top twenty I have only seen one - The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan). I think this is because I don't tend to watch the older films, and 16 out of the 20 were made before 2000.