Thriller Sub-Genres

In a Thriller there are many sub genres for example a crime thriller is a genre that normally involves a crime being committed and then detectives trying to find out what has happened normally involves normal attributes of a thriller for example mystery but with extra murder , heists or robbery a film in this genre for example would be se7en. Another sub genre is that of a psychological thiller in which  the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical. Characters, either by accident or their own curiousness, are dragged into a dangerous conflict or situation that they are not prepared to resolve, a film in this genre woulld for example be phone booth. Another would be an action thriller in which there is a strong storyline with violence and normally a antagonist and protagonist for example the batman trilogy.

A list of Sub-Genres of a thriller are listed below:

- Action/adventure
- Disaster
- Historical
- Medical
- Religious
- Serial Killer
- Techno
- Crime
- Psychological
- Conspiracy
- Mystery

Conventions of Thriller Films

What do we expect to see in the first 5 minutes of a Thriller film?

Thrillers will create a sense of suspense, tension and uncertainty. They will do this by using different light, music, shot types.
Most of the films I have studied include the opening of credits presented on a black, dark background with some non-diegetic sound playing to set the scene. Another convention of titles is that usually the most important film companies or actors in the film are shown first in the credits.
Tracking and pan shots are commonly used at the beginning of Thriller films, particularly a certain group of people who we should be interested in as an audience. The most typical shot used in thriller films seems to be the close up, greatly used in Se7en to build suspense and mystery at the beginning.


A list of Thriller Conventions are also shown below:

- A Crime at the core of the Narrative (E.g. Murder) which will keep the viewer captivated in the film.
- A complex narrative structure, with false paths, clues and resolutions. This will have an effect of leaving a strong enigma by keeping the audience questioning the film and keeping their full attention by having them trying to solve the mystery.
- A narrative pattern of establishing enigmas which the viewer expects to be resolved. This will keep the audience's concentration as they will not want to stop watching the film without finding out what happens.
- A Protagonist who is systematically dis-empowered and drawn into a complex web of intrigue by the antagonist. All thrillers have a protagonist against an antagonist at some point in a thriller.
- Themes of voyeurism.
- Themes of mirroring.
- Themes of Identity.
- A thriller film can also be closely related to a horror film.

What is a Thriller?

A Thriller film is a genre that revolves around anticipation and suspense. The aim for a  Thriller is to keep the audience alert and on the edge of their seats. The protagonist in these films is set against a problem which could be an escape, a mission, or a mystery. No matter what sub-genre a Thriller film falls into, it will emphasize the danger that the protagonist faces. The tension with the main problem is built on throughout the film and leads to a highly stressful climax. There are many sub genres for example crime , action and psychological thrillers.
Some examples of Thriller films are shown previously which were analysed, for example, The Sixth Sense, Shutter Island and The Dark Knight.

Openings- What to expect?

In all film openings you expect for the audience to know what genre the film is by the opening 2 minutes for example there may be a joke in one of the first scenes of a comedy or maybe a jumpy scene in a horror. This is so the audience can be under no illusion of what they are seeing. This can also be portrayed to the audience by the type of actors who are in the film for example Adam Sandler is normally in a Comedy whilst somebody like Neve Campbell is normally in thrillers.

Also in the opening you as the audience should be introduced to the main characters in the film. This can be by introduction, this can be by seeing them and finally them introducing themselves. It also kind of gives an overview of the characteristics of each of the main characters and if they are the good character, bad character, or a mysterious character who nothing is revealed about.

Another thing introduced in the opening two minutes of a film is the setting of the film. This can be shown in daylight or at night for example a thriller is sometimes shown in the dark in the opening to show the effect of a mystery. For example the dark setting of The Da Vinci Code in the gallery shows its a thriller and that it has something to do with art. Whilst a different genre like comedy my start with a brighter ore clean look at the scenery, to show a more overview of the setting and not the effect of mystery like in a thriller.

Audience Research: I Am Legend

Is a 2007 film starring Will Smith, in which a plague which either kills or transforms the people into monsters has taken over the world and he is the last person left in New York city and maybe even the world. He struggles to find a cure for the plague.

The cast of this film was headed by Will Smith who is famous for his roles in thriller films. A added attraction to this film was the inclusion of Willow Smith, the daughter of Will Smith in her acting debut. This gained alot of publicity for the film even though she had a small part. This was a bonus to the film because it was free advertising and marketing.

The film was marketed by a comic book release which was done by dc and vertigo comics which will then be followed up by online featurettes on the official website. Another way in which the film was marketed online was a virtual video game the largest of its kind in conjunction with a film release the film involved a 60 acre virtual new york where you can either be a survivor or one of the infected.

The films market i think was thriller lovers of all ages because the film was certificated 12a so children could see with parents if under 12 and all other ages can see. Another target market was Will Smith fans because it was a classic Will film with lots of action scenes and jumpy parts with a strong story line. They marketed this by having his name in big bould letters in the film posters.

Audience Research: The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight is the second installment of the Batman trilogy which was released in 2008. In the film Batman attempts to stop the mob with the help of Gordan and Harvey Dent, but comes up against The Joker the Batman's most famous comic book villian.

The film had many big name actors in it for example Morgan Freeman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine and Gary Oldman. Also a major attraction for people to come and see this film was the inclusion of Heath Ledger, this was one of his last films before he died so that was a big draw for the public to come and see the movie.

With this film being the sequal to Batman Begins which had a gross profit of over $370,000,000 the film was guarenteed to have an interest. One part of their target market is the hardcore comic book fans. Those who went to the 2007 comic-con in San diego Where involved in a very interactive chase of clues round the city and at the end of the clues a fan was kidnapped by The Joker and later at the convention a Gotham newspaper (place where film is set) was handed out saying "See you in December" with the fan dead with a jokers card in hand. This got a buzz going about the film. Another big way in which they marketed the film was with the posters of the logo and main characters. One place in which a logo was placed was on the side of an F1 car at the 2008 british grand prix where millions would see it worldwide due to the large audience of the sport. The posters showed the two main characters of Batman and The Joker to build the excitement of the clash between the two

This film was certificated at 12A which ment that people of all ages would be able to come and see this film. This was a positive for the makers due to the film then being able to get out to the biggest audience possible. If rated a 15, this film would of cut out the child audience who all love the character Batman through the comic books, TV animation series and toys. This film gained a massive $1,004,558,444 gross profit due to the size of the audience

Audience Research: The Sixth Sense

The film, 'The Sixth Sense' is a 1999 American psychological thriller film. It is written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The film tells the story of Cole Sear, a troubled, isolated boy who is able to see and talk to the dead, and an equally troubled child psychologist who tries to help him. The film established Shyamalan as a writer and director, and introduced the cinema public to his traits, most notably for his affinity for his surprise endings. The film was nominated for six academy awards, including  Best Picture.

The Sixth Sense is certificated as a 15 therefore indicating that the film was targeting ages 15+. However, from watching the film myself, I believe that the film could be also targeting the late 20's, early 40's. This is because the film deals with themes such as death but in a sensitive manner and are not all about gore and violence which you would expect people of a younger persuasions to watch. -As violence or gory scenes are not shown throughout 'The Sixth Sense' but are replaced with subtle signs of forthcoming danger. The film targets the working class as they like to watch movies which keep them on the edge and with high levels of excitement as the plot thickens. In 1999, 'The Sixth Sense' attracted a lot of females as the film featured "Star Power". The main character of the film was Bruce Willis, a heartthrob in the 1990's. Females were attracted to the film because he was starring in it and they knew the film would be worth seeing as he is known as a good actor.

The marketing of the film included the release of trailers, radio and posters. Due to the fact that the film was produced in the late 1990's, there wasn't a lot of great technology out but in the year of 1999, Web 2.0 was created which enabled the audience to interact with different social activities online. The audience was able to watch the trailer for the film online and get involved with the cast and crew.