First things first, researching. But what am I researching you might ask? The important things to research when filming is researching the movie genre, genre conventions, and target audience. Here is what I have found: Thriller films revolve around anticipation and suspense and the aim is to keep the audience alert and on the edge of their seat. Protagonists in thriller films are set with an obstacle- a mission, an escape, or a mystery.
The Silence of The Lambs, directed by Jonathan Demme, is a perfect example of a thriller movie. An FBI agent in training, Clarice Starling, develops a sort of relationship with a notorious serial killer, Dr. Hannibal Lector, in order for her to gain his help and assistance to hunt for Buffalo Bill, another serial killer. I looked up "What makes The Silence of The Lambs a thriller?" and to my surprise, there is some controversy on what genre this movie is and should be. People who have watched the movie claim that it is a crime thriller or a psychological thriller because of the plot, but some argue that the movie is apart of the horror genre. This is because there are serial killers which to terrible things to mutilate their victims, such as skinning their bodies or eating someone's face off and wearing it as a mask. This production is also referred to as "The only horror film to ever win an Oscar for Best Picture." So there are debated whether or not the movie is a thriller, it sure did keep the audience alert and on the edge of their seats.As said before, the goal for thriller movies is to create suspense and excitement for the audience. Thriller genre conventions include: low key lighting, quick cuts, shadows, tension music, changes in the angles of shots, diegetic sounds of breathing, black and white shots, montage of shots, protagonists is in the mercy of antagonist. Also, the protagonists in thriller movies are typically a brave male who seeks to restore the equilibrium while the antagonist will have a hidden identity that will be revealed to the audience as the film progresses and usually they seek revenge from a past event. Music is essential to help create tension and suspense in thriller films and will often start at a slow pace and then builds up to make the shots more dramatic for the audience. In thriller films, the director will often use jump cuts because there will be things happening that the audience is unaware of but it will help make the film make sense. Cross-cutting is also used a lot in thriller films to build suspense. As for the cinematography in thriller films, close-ups and extreme close-ups of the protagonist helps to show their emotions as well as to focus on props to aid the narrative. Shots of the antagonist character will be cut quickly and will aim to hide their identity.
The thriller genre consists of sub-genres which include psychological thriller, crime thriller, supernatural thriller, political thriller, horror thriller, and action thriller. The thriller genre as a whole is targeting adults, mainly males.
After researching the thriller genre and what techniques are used to help establish the suspenseful tone thriller films have, I am now more well informed about the thriller genre and I am ready to utilize what I have just researched to start planning our production! :)
Citations:
Buffam, Noelle. The Script Lab. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2017.
"‘Silence of the Lambs’ Is an Unnerving Thriller." NY Daily News. N.p., 17 Feb. 2015. Web. 12 Mar. 2017.
"Is The Silence of the Lambs a Horror Film?" Is The Silence of the Lambs a Horror Film? N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2017.
Lewisharland Follow. "Conventions of the Thriller Genre." LinkedIn SlideShare. N.p., 01 Feb. 2012. Web. 12 Mar. 2017.
JasonsA2Media Follow. "Codes and Conventions of the Thriller Genre." LinkedIn SlideShare. N.p., 10 Sept. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2017.
Productions, Panorama. "Target Audience - Thriller Films." Prezi.com. N.p., 11 Nov. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2017.
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