Thriller Research- Genre

Genre :  The concept of Genre:

- A set of conventions - recognisable usually through iconography, familiar narrative, mise-en-scene, actors and style of representation

- Genres are not static, but constantly renegotiated between industry and audience - a combination of familiar reassurance and new twists.

- A creative strategy used by film producers to ensure audience identification with a film - a mean of trying to predict risk.

- Genre functions like a language - a set of rules and a vocabulary with which to organise meaning.

- Genre is a way of working through important myths and fears by repetition, variation and resolution

- Genre offers comforting reassurance in an uncomfortable world. Threat is quashed, outlaws become civilized, and gangsters are punished. Genre is a way of tidying up the mess of life.

- Robert Altman believes that genre is defined in terms of certain signs (iconography)

- Iconography- “Those particular signs that we associate with particular genres- a pattern of visual elements common to genre.” These signs are usually found in the mis-en-scene of a text. For Example Horror Young girls ‘Normal’ setting, use of high and low lighting blood and knifes .ect.

- Hybridisation- Means the coming together of two or more different genres to create a new genre, such as romantic comedy.  As well as hybrid genres there are sub genres to main stream genres for example horror- Gothic Horror.

Thrillers are often hybrids - there are lots of varieties of suspense-thrillers:

-action- or adventure- thrillers

-sci-fi thrillers (such as Alien (1979))

-crime-caper thrillers (such as The French Connection (1971))

-western-thrillers (such as High Noon (1952))

-film-noir thrillers (such as Double Indemnity (1944))

-even romantic comedy-thrillers (such as Safety Last (1923))

-Genre Theorists: Schartz and Wright

These Theorists look at genre in a compartmentalised way, thus no over with specific ways of indentifying the genre.

-Regenrification-  When the boundaries of genre are merged together.

 Codes and Conventions of the Thriller Genre:

Lighting- Dark, spotlights on individuals, varied lighting i.e. dark and light, Film Noir.

Music- Builds up tension, dramatic, fast paced, create an atmosphere, dialogue.

Camera Work – Tracking and pan shots, zoom in and out during action scenes, variety of long and short shots. Close Ups, Bird eye view and worm eye view. Use of high and low angles to place interest and understand characters.

Editing- Jump cut, Quick cutting rate due to multiple things happening, jump cuts fill us in on the story line.

Method Used- Ransoms, captives, heists, revenge, kidnappings etc

Other conventions- Plot twists, Red Herrings, Cliff hangers.

Moods- Adrenaline rush, high levels of anticipation, anxiety, terror, expectation, builds to a climax (keep the audience on the edge of their seats throughout the film.)