1. Thriller Conventions
By Olivia Kelly

2. General narrative features
Often within a thriller, the general narrative features
allow the audience to follow one certain character
throughout and the concept of the story line is usually
seen through the eyes of them. The audience can relate
to the protagonist, as they too have little knowledge on
the events unfolding within the film and as these
particular events begin to unfold, they also do with the
audience as well. However, an enigma narrative may be
used in order to present the audience with many
different fragments in which there are to piece together
to follow the protagonist as they uncover further steps
within the narrative.

3. Openings
Openings within a thriller can be used for a variety of reasons, for
instance, the main characters role may be established, usually the bad
guy therefore we may learn their role of a murderer or criminal, for
example Lucky Number Slevin or Leon.
The audience may learn a key aspect which will follow throughout the
film such as a police investigation in Se7en, however we also learn the
murderer in which they are dealing with has severe psychological
issues, which can also be seen as another important aspect.
Other thrillers may include one of its key facets within the opening,
however at times it may seem irrelevant in the film. For example, in
Leon, the main character possesses many child-like features which
only later it becomes extremely important in building the audience’s
understanding of the character.

4. Trigger events
The opening events which appear towards the
beginning of a thriller are never the main event but a
build up to the rest of the film, mainly used to entice the
audience to follow on with the film, this can be seen in
the opening of Luck Number Slevin.
An air of mystery is usually portrayed within the opening
and many of the key details are often kept from the
audience as it focuses on a key aspect that triggers a
series of events. For example, knowing someone has
been murdered but not knowing who killed them, why
they were killed or even how they might have been killed.

5. Importance of Enigma Codes
An enigma code is an interesting way of
enticing the audience to follow the narrative,
this is why it is one of the most commonly used
narrative structures within the thriller genre. As
the film progresses, they feel that are
discovering new things, as well as the sense of
suspense and drama is slowly being built.

6. Technical Features of a Thriller Opening
Long and wide shots are often used within the opening
of a thriller as it depicts a seemingly normal situation,
location or unusual events that may be occurring in a
what seems to be a normal environment. Take for
example, Leon, we learn the nature of the main character
within the opening, as things seem relatively normal in a
setting of a hotel suite. However, it is often that the main
character may be situated within what appears as the real
world such as detective working in a crime investigation
in Se7en or in Black Swan, the opening scene of a long
continuous shot of the main character dancing with the
black-feathered evil sorcerer from Swan Lake.

7. Lighting
Lighting depends mainly on the nature of the film, often
there are set conventions in which thrillers tend to follow.
Usually with the bad guy within a thriller, dark, confined
lighting is used to follow line of sight of the individual in
order to follow the point of view of the protagonist.
Lighting is used to highlight the actions of the protagonist
in the opening to present the series of events in which
are to occur. Often something is always hidden in a
thriller which the audience are yet to find out, therefore a
key component for this type of genre is to establish a
chain of key events without revealing anything to the
audience.

8. Shots
There are a wide range of shots which can be used in a
thriller, often the type of shots used depends highly on the
narrative or nature of the plot line such as a long shot may be
used to show the location paired with a slow tracking shot,
making the setting appear as harmless, helping build the
audiences pre-beliefs of this specific genre that something
bad is evidently going to happen.
Close-ups and medium close-ups are usually used to show the
protagonists face, such as features, particularly the eyes, and
emotions – to give the audience a small idea of what may
occur or even no clue whatsoever, close-ups can help express
how the protagonist feels about this specific situation, often
with the emphasis of the expression shown in the eyes.

9. Editing
Long edits; panning and tracking shots are often
held by the Director in order to create a sense of
tension, as the audience may already know
something is about to happen but they’re not sure
what exactly.
The audience may feel confused when short violent
cuts are used, glimpses of the main event are
shown but any key details are not yet valid which
would clearly reveal the narrative, for example who
is it holding the knife.