1. Conventions of a
Thriller:
Characters

2. Introduction
• The thriller genre holds many different character types, as
there are various sub genres within it. There are the crime
thrillers such as ‘the godfather’ which hold typical gangster
characters– long jackets, blower hats, and smoking cigars to
give them a sense of power. There is also the action thrillers
such as ‘James Bond’ which embrace the stereotypical
dominant male characters – physically trained, charming, and
always with a pretty girl. However the particular sub genre we
wish to explore is the psychological thriller. This is because we
believe our short film will embody many of the characteristics
involved in its stereotype. The film ‘fight club’ is of this genre,
and therefore embraces the character stereotypes of – a
disturbed and mentally unstable main character, wearing suits
with a serious manner, and the journey to find the truth for
the main character.

3. Crime Thriller Characters
The hard man gangster boss (as shown on the
right). This character is stereotypically an elder,
who has gained power all his life, until the point
were most people owe him a favour, or are too
afraid to reject him. He controls a vast number of
criminals, who are called upon to help him with a
job. This character never gets his hands dirty
directly, so he reduces his chances of taking the
fall. The males of his family work for him, and are
really the only trusted members of any operation.
He is usually very protective of any women in his
family, however will not flinch to torture or kill
someone else's wife or children. He stereotypically
would wear a powerful dark suit and tie, black
leather shoes, smoke cigars, and sit behind a large
desk while anyone who entered stood.

4. The main gangsters working for the
boss (as shown on the right). These
characters are deemed very
disposable by the main boss. They
are the characters who get their
hands dirty, and are likely to take
the fall if something goes wrong.
They are usually depicted as macho
fools, as they seem to believe they
have a lot more power then they do
– which is normally their downfall.
They would stereotypically wear
dark suits, long jackets, and bowler
hats. There manner of speaking is
usually very inferior to the style of
the main gangster boss.

5. The right hand man (as shown
on the right). This character can
be the number two of the main
gangster boss, or to the
gangsters who do the jobs.
Usually the aspiring family
member looking to take the
place of power – so an
imitation of their father.
However, the right hand man of
the gangsters can be a very
naïve character who has
bought into their charade of
false power. Usually wearing
the clothing of the person he
aspires to be.

6. Action Thriller Characters
The hero (as shown on the right). Even though
the hero of action thriller genres is attempting
to become a much more complex character, the
fundamental still remain the same. For example,
the hero usually has some sort of mission given
to him. He is a muscular and charming character
who can pull off a tux. He always in some for has
a love interest which either spans over the film
series or just the film. His love interest in the
film usually forces his to make some sort of
choice between saving her with little time to
complete the mission, or complete the mission
but risk losing her. The hero doesn’t really have
stereotypical clothing as he seems to adapt to
the location or situation he finds himself in.
However this character at some point in the film
appears in a tuxedo or suit where he charms his
love interest.

7. The advisor or mentor to the hero (as shown below). This
person is stereotypically a very clever and morally righteous
person who advises the hero against certain situations, or helps
in the process of the mission. It usually is evident that this
character does not obtain the physical prowess to undergo the
trails of the hero. This character doesn’t normally get
emotionally involved with the missions, and can therefore
advise the hero from moral ground.

8. The beautiful woman (as shown on the
right). This character is extremely
attractive. Often continental to add an
extra stroke of mystery into their life.
Their character draws in the charms of
the hero, and become romantically
linked with them for the film. In some
cases the ‘beautiful woman’ is a
character who exploits her own beauty
against the hero as a trick. However in
most cases this character is more of a
one-dimensional object for audience
appraisal. She often wears a red dress
of desire, or a green dress of envy.
These dresses are worn with the
compliment of striking red lipstick to
heighten her sex appeal, and make her
character more obvious in objection.

9. The Villain (as shown below). This character is in binary
opposition to the hero. Their goal is destruction and power in
comparison to moral justice. They are often very unique
characters who prize themselves on being different to
everybody else. In this way they may dress or style themselves
in a less than ordinary fashion. The downfall of the villain
character is that in the end the hero will always overcome them
no matter how hard the challenges they put forth are. They are
generally greedy and unemotional characters who seem to have
followers who care.

10. Psychological Thriller
Characters
The mentally disturbed main character (as shown below). He is a
man with many flaws which he and the audience do not fully
understand. He spends the duration of the film searching for
something or even himself. Usually wears quite normal clothing,
but with the hint of a carless attitude for his appearance. This
may be reflected through his unshaven facial hair, messy head
hair, and general manner towards other people.

11. The penny-dropper/ man with power
of knowledge (as shown on the
right). He is the man who reveals the
secrets of the plot. Sometimes the
penny-dropper can be portrayed as a
villain, however sometimes they
seem to be the genius bearer of the
resolution. They do not particularly
have and sort of stereotypical
clothing, as they can come in many
different forms. The penny-dropper
is normally the person who has
reacted and adapted to a situation to
find themselves at a point of clarity.
In many ways the penny-dropper is a
tension tool on the film, as they have
pieces of information the audience
do not.

12. The helper (as shown on the right).
They are the characters who stick by
the mentally unstable character as
they look for the answers to the
plot. Having put up with much abuse
from the main character, they can
sometimes have ulterior motives.
This means that in many respects
the audience and the main character
shouldn’t really trust this character
even if they are showing a positive
exterior. The helper themselves are
either in very average attire, or
presented with their own sense of
insanity.