Thriller Sub-Genres

Thrillers

Thrillers are characterised by the emotions that they evoke from an audience. The moods that they extract include: excitement, suspense, anticipation, anxiety etc. There are many sub-genres to thriller films and the following are examples:

Crime Thriller
A crime thriller will usually follow with regular thriller codes and conventions. They create suspense, mystery and anxiety through their use of action and violence. For it to be categorised as a crime thriller, we will see the impact of a crime on the protagonist of the film. It is a hybrid of crime and thriller films and it will focus on a crime and the extent of its success. The plot will usually involve a serial killer, murder, manhunt or robbery and will focus on the action and psychological aspects of the characters to create the suspense needed. Close up shots of suspected culprits are effective as they almost pull us into the mind of each character through facial expression. The suspense is usually built through the close up camera angles and dark colour schemes. The dark colour schemes create an atmosphere of mystery and danger, important elements to any crime film. Often there will be close ups of objects that tell the audience that they should pay attention because they will foreshadow later events or conclusions in the film. 

Conventions of Crime thrillers include:

• Suspense, action and violence
• Enigma - a person or thing that is mysterious or difficult to understand
• Chases - cars, on-foot, helicopter
• Guns are used to represent an element of danger 
• Drugs - represent a lack of order due to their effects of changing mental states
• Blood - represents a lack of safety and makes the film more realistic

A classic example of a good crime film is Sherlock Holmes (2009). It's use of dull colour schemes and all of the classic crime story lines create a realistic film that entices an audience to be on the edge of their seats. 

Here is a screenshot from the film 'Sherlock Holmes' and we see the close up shot of Holmes but the attention to the background is also worth looking at as we see someone hidden behind bars. The dull colours and figure in the prison cell, let the audience know that there is a sense of needed freedom that needs to be found. And there is a crime that needs to be solved. 

Other examples of Crime Thrillers: Point Break (2015), The Silence of The Lambs (1991), Now You See Me (2013)

Disaster Thriller
Disaster thrillers involve events that are devastating to all or certain parts of the world. One or more of these events will usually take place: Natural disaster, terrorist attack, or an epidemic. They will focus on characters who are trying their best to survive giving the circumstances at hand and will often see these characters trying to save other survivors. In these types of thrillers, camera angles and editing are vital. For example, tilting the camera will cause disorientation when filming an earthquake scene or something to do with a natural disaster, in a movie about a terrorism attack continuity will be needed to ensure the sequence of events makes total sense and the cuts between scenes are all in line, this will add the the detailed story line and create a feeling of uneasiness.

Conventions and Representations in Disaster Thrillers:

• Small groups of main characters - they will often increase and decrease in number as they find and lose different characters due to events that add to the dramatic event in the movie
• Use a life threatening event to tell the story
• Special Effects - Used creatively to create a film that is realistic and also bring an uneasiness to people watching who may see that things can happen in real life and emphasise the extent of danger 

The movie 'The Poseidon Adventure is a good example of a disaster thriller. In it, a ship is capsized by a rogue wave causing a mass of people to die. But there are survivors. They group up and try their best to survive, but as mentioned previously, people are added to their time of survivors while people are also taken. 

The characters have facial expressions that represent their inner feelings. They're lost and uncertain. The angle of the camera is down low and we are supposed to be focussed on the faces of the characters as the camera is tilted to look up at them. There is a little light, which tells us that we are in a place of darkness but there is something lurking in the shadows. 


Other examples of Disaster Thrillers: Independence Day (1996), Zombieland (2009), 2012 (2009)


Psychological Thriller
A psychological thriller will focus on the mental, psychological state of its characters and the unstable emotions that they possess. A psychological thriller will "dissolve any sense of reality" and bring to light any and all complex and tortured relationships between characters. The characters will usual build or break relationships with other characters. The obsessive and pathological mindsets of characters create the anxious, mysterious and suspenseful film that leaves an audience in a state of ambiguity. What's happening next? Am I the one going insane? Colour schemes in these films are often used strategically to represent a persons mind state. Dull colours create that mysterious atmosphere while black and white space is used to create a void that will need to be either filled or disposed of. Psychological thrillers are often inclusive of both horror and thriller genres, sometimes using blood and gore to portray the insanity of a messed up mind. Editing is important in these films as they sometimes jump between reality and state of mind, meaning the film must be edited well enough for the audience to notice the differences between the two.  Psychological thrillers will also use flashes of light and camera tilts to create a sense of emotional instability. 

Conventions in a Psychological thriller:

• Reality - Creating a world that is real is very important in a psychological thriller. Considering it is a movie focussed on mental states, it has to be believable by audiences to create a sense of fear and suspense that makes them question themselves, they often have normal jobs too
• Perception - Different people see different things in different way. The protagonist of a psychological film will perceive reality very different to those 'normal' characters in the film. Their perceived reality is what will create the psychological insanity.
• Identity - Who are you really? A psychological thriller will question identity and sometimes make the protagonist go on an adventure of mental state to find their true self
• Shadows and low key lighting are used to add tension to a scene and show that there is often something hiding in the dark, they represent a lurking darkness in the character
• Costume - Characters are usually plainly dressed which can represent their 'normal' surface appearance but underneath they are insane

An example of a Psychological Thriller would be 'The Machinist' a film from 2004. Christian Bale plays Trevor Reznik, a factory worker whose lack of sleep causes him to think he's going insane.  

In this screenshot, the use of faded colours (pale face, dark shirt, dull grey surroundings) and a close up shot show the lack of sanity this man has. His dark shirt appears to be normal, he just looks sick but the darkness of the surroundings hint to his insanity and the radial tilt shift has everything but his face blurred, creating a sense of mystery as we see nothing but the man.

Click here to see the trailer for 'The Machinist'.

Other examples include: Se7en (1995), Black Swan (2010), Frozen (2010)

Supernatural Thriller

A supernatural thriller is a hybrid film composed of supernatural and thriller elements. What separates these films from other thrillers is the use of forces, events or powers that are beyond the world's natural capabilities and they cannot be explained by science. The protagonist of the film will usually have an ability that is uncommon in the world, sometimes a super power, or they are on a quest to find the source of a supernatural force. The conflict that arises from the unnatural events creates a suspense and anxiety that is experienced by the audience which keeps them on edge for the entirety of the film. Supernatural thrillers can often be compared to horror thrillers as they incorporate the uneasiness of unnatural beings creating havoc in a place of normalcy. They will often use camera panning to create that 'lurking' effect of a spirt as well as flashing lights to cause disorientation and sometimes place over colour screens to separate reality from other worlds.

Conventions in a Supernatural Thriller:

• Protagonist will have a super power e.g mind reading, telekinesis, flying, speed, strength etc.
• Horror orientated elements - ghosts, vampires, demons, wolves etc. 
• Paranormal activity
• Mysterious - the mysterious element will add the the thrilling nature of the film, leaving the audience constantly on edge as they wonder who or what is at fault for the upset 
• Anticipation is built through casualties in supernatural thriller as the force that is unnatural will hurt and/or kill characters in it's way
• Costume - In many supernatural thrillers, costumes of the protagonist are important as they can tell a lot about the person and their prior life an example is in the film 'The Tattooist'

Though it isn't exactly a 'costume' this woman's skin is covered in tattoos that represent the permanent consequence of a tattoo. The Tattooist is a film in which the protagonist tattoos clients who die after he tattoos them. Though he creates beautiful masterpieces, his supernatural power is the power to kill through his tattoos. 

Click here to watch the trailer to 'The Tattooist''

Other examples include: The Sixth Sense (1999), Ghost Rider (2007)

Mystery Thriller
These films use the mystery to take the element of suspense to a whole new level. Being left in the dark on certain situations leaves a lot of space for ambiguous thought on where the film is going. This can be the effect of the abundance of black space that mystery films seem to use. Full black screens are often edited to separate scenes, the black space taking up the entirety of the screen that relates to the unsolved events that occur in the film. The significance of a mystery film is not just that the protagonist goes on a journey to solve a problem but that the audience is invited to solve the mystery with them. Mystery thrillers usually use a series of wide and aerial shots to give a sense of location as well as close up shots that teach the audience to pay attention to details that may become more important in the future.

Conventions of Mystery Thrillers:

• Unsolved crime 
• There is always a character who wants to solve the crime and the intentions are not always clear 
• Props - Usually there is an object that is used to associate a suspect with the crime
• Costume - Detective wear, jumpers, clothing that leaves mystery and often costume can give a big hint to certain clues in the story line
• Enigma
• Dull, dark days with a lot of rain adds to the dreary 'lack of life'
• Identity again is a convention in a mystery as we see people seeking their own as well as the identity of others 

An example of a mystery thriller is 'Gone Girl' (2014). In the film a man's wife is 'kidnapped' and it is believed she is murdered. the entire movie is a mystery in itself as the accused murderer, the films.. protagonist.. is attempting to figure out the mystery for himself. 

This screen shot is from the film and in it we see a woman (the missing wife) laying blank faced in the bath. It is almost as though she is bathed in cold, dull colours and what we see is just her head. The light glistens on her face but it only pronounces her sad face. Mystery lingers as we are still to find out what happens to her.




Other examples include: Inception (2010), The Maze Runner (2014), The Bourne Identity (2002)

Action Thriller 
An action thriller is a cross over between an thriller and an action movie. The way that it is different from other thriller films is that the focus is on the physical action in the film. The thrill that the audience feels is the excitement and suspense generated from the highly active scenes. In action films, there will always be a lot of tracking and panning of the camera in action trillers as they do their best to create a full awareness of the action packed scenes. The thrilling 'edge of your seat' emotions are created by the constant moving motion of the fast paced action and often the hints to mystery and sometimes horror that is a result of the action. in action films, diegetic sound is used appropriately to emphasise the action. Action thrillers will build suspense through a sequence of fast paced shots that will eventually slow once they have reached a good conclusion. You will notice in a lot of movies when equilibrium has been reached yet again, that the camera movements tend to slow and become soft, creating the effect of a decrease in action and we can find safety now that the drama is over.

Conventions of Action Thrillers:

• Car chase, chase on fit, a LOT of running and good guy chasing/running from bad guy
• Fights and arguments
• Violence - creates a tension that will make the audience feel anxious and unsettled
• Most action films will use coarse language that relates to the stress of the action
• Semi-realistic plots - These are important as they ensure the audience can relate to the film though there are exceptions with films that include Dooms Day or world destruction but they are realistic enough for the audience to relate 

Click here to see a car chase scene from Fast and Furious 6.

Notice how the skidding from the wheels, revving of the engines and screeches from the breaks are are amplified but they are still sounds that we would see if we were in the movie ourselves. Non-diegetic sound is heard in the background as we hear an upbeat and fast paced soundtrack to accompany the action on screen. 



Other examples of action thrillers: Casino Royale (2006), Deadpool (2016), Green Lantern (2011)

Opening Sequences

What is the purpose of opening sequences? 
An opening sequence is shown in the very beginning of a television show or movie. It's time frame is around 2-3 minutes of the beginning of the film and it's purpose is to begin establishing the scene of the movie/TV show. It is inclusive of the title and credits and can often give the audience a broader knowledge of the movie itself. 

A good example of this is in 'Se7en' where the opening sequence is part of the movie itself. We are shown shots of various objects that are foreshadowing events in the film that is about to be displayed. It leaves a feeling of ambiguity to the viewer as they try to piece together the different shots. 

Click here to see the opening sequence of the thriller film 'Se7en' (1995) by Kyle Cooper. 


What is the difference between an opening credits and title sequence?
The title sequence consists of the title and opening credits. It is more focused on the way in which it is presented rather than the information it presents. It exploits the use of sound and visuals to bring the opening sequence to life. There are many different techniques used to present these. For example: diegetic and non-diegetic sound, voiceover, animation, editing techniques and other creative formats. 

The movie 'Juno' has an almost music video like title sequence. It is a combination of real-life and animation shots that are strung together creatively to present the title, cast and key roles of production members involved. The movie itself is about a girl who struggles with growing up and it is clever how the director has incorporated this into the opening sequence. The camera tends to move up and along as the character Juno walks home, which could reference the journey she makes in the film as she travels along the path to adulthood. The mixed-media effect (use of real footage and graphics) creates a double reality that pulls us into the cartoon world of protagonist Juno. This means that we see the world through her eyes. In one way it shows that she is still young and thinks of the world as though it is a cartoon. 

Screen grab from 'Juno'. Shows the composition of graphics that create the opening sequence. 



Opening credits are used in the title sequence. The purpose of these is to present to the audience a list (in order of importance) of the key creative roles in the film. They are informative and used to acknowledge a certain persons contribution to the film. These contributions can include: cast, director, executive production, editing etc. This is important as it gives audience members an idea of what to expect, for example, Michael Cera who is in the film Juno is known for playing and awkward, nerdy guy and that is exactly what we see here. Who makes and stars in a film gives hints to what an audience can expect. For example, Disney is known for making films that are targeted for kids. 

In Juno, when the cast is listed, we can tell that the actress for Juno is Ellen Page. We know this because the her name is displayed during the only close up shot of the character, a shot in which we see a majority of her face. In the other shots, the camera is not directly focussed on her which tells us that that is not her name. But seeing as they are important enough to be on screen in the earliest part of the film, they are obviously going to play significant roles in the movie.

First name in the sequence is the protagonist and main character, Juno, who is played by Ellen Page.


Left: Michael Cera - 2nd main character   Right: Jennifer Garner - Also an important character

Click HERE to view full title sequence of the movie 'Juno' (2007) by Jason Reitman.


Techniques employed in an Opening Sequence: 
As mentioned earlier, there are many different techniques used in an opening sequence that provide audio and visuals that are intriguing to the audience, they're used to creatively capture the audience and bring them into the movie's atmosphere. 

An example of a technique would be diegetic and non-diegetic sound. Diegetic sound relates to the sound in the world of the scene itself. This can include sounds of people (coughs, sneezes, shouting, whispering), animals (barking, chirping, growling, hissing), cars (honking horns, revving engines) etc. The characters are aware of the sounds around them. Diegetic sounds creates a realistic atmosphere that pulls the audience deeper into the movie world. The sounds are all sounds that we hear in every day life, the realistic approach making the film more relatable to its audience. 
Non-diegetic sound is added for special effect and to gain reaction from the audience. For example, an up tempo beat could be added to the beginning of a family film to hype up the eager audience.

A good example of an opening sequence that uses both of these would be Skyfall (2012). It opens with a loud splash noise which is an example of diegetic sound as it would have been heard by the actor (if he was conscious) or surrounding persons. This pulls the audience into the world of the movie, making them feel like they too have just plunged deep into the ocean. It is also accompanied by a backing track of a slow tempo ballad. This is an example of non-diegetic sound as it would not be acknowledged by people in the movie. The effect of the music creates an atmosphere of suspense, evoking a particular fear in audience members who are anticipating what is to come. 

The camera movement is a key area in which creation of the opening sequence stems from. Again using Skyfall as an example, the camera angle begins close and is then distant. A close up and focused camera shot is made on a hand grabbing the hand of the man who had previous plunged into the water and the next clip shows him being grabbed between the thumb and forefinger of a much larger hand as he is being pulled down. This shot is a good example of one that creates suspense and mystery as the audience is left to wonder first of all, where the hand has come from and of course, where the man is being pulled too. The close up shot is used to emphasise this characters emotional state. The petite hand came from nowhere and for some reason, the close up creates ambiguity as we, the viewers, are left to interpret the shot in many different ways. Is he dreaming? Seeing things? Is he being pulled from life? We don't know. But, we want to continue to watch and find out. There is a lot of black space to the right of the screen, creating a sense of mystery and suspense that foreshadows the plot of the film itself.

Screenshot from opening sequence of Bond film, Skyfall. Character is being pulled down by a large hand. 




TV shows often use recurring opening sequences that summarise the entire show itself. The editing techniques used in different TV Show sequences (when used correctly) can be vital to the show. When the opening sequence is supposed to transport the viewer into the show every week or whenever an episode is played, it must be edited to perfection. In the editing process, techniques used can include:

•  jump cuts - create a feeling of unsettledness and confusion as one shot instantly cuts to another
• cross-frames - useful for making the sequence of clips flow to allow a smooth viewing experience
• montages - compact images or short clips to create a series of relative images to a subject, can often give nostalgic effects when used as flashback
• tilting and panning - cause disorientation to the audience and therefore add to the viewing experience

An example of an excellently edited opening sequence would be Sherlock, a TV show that began in 2010. There is a montage of different scenes in London that are also mashed together with close ups of faces, hands and words that leave the audience a little mind boggled and disorientated due to the abundance of varying camera angles, camera tilts and flashes of different objects and places. The camera's flashing adds a nostalgic and also mysterious effect to the film and in some ways foreshadows the coming events of the crime show that is meant to have you thinking and at times completely mind boggled. 

An interesting thing to notice about this sequence is that as it progresses, the camera zooms in more and more on the scene. This creates a sleuth-like atmosphere as we delve into a world of mystery where we are made to dig for detail. We start with a wide shot of London itself and we end with a close up, microscopic shot. Again, this tells us that this show will be taking the audience on a journey to find every fine and microscopic detail. The way this is done in the opening sequence shows an audience that throughout the course of the show, they too need to be on the lookout for the small details.

Left: Opening title - London City

Right: Last shot - Microscopic view of a deep red droplets.




Watch the opening sequence to 'Sherlock' HERE

Comparing 2 Thrillers

1. Gone Girl - 2014 
The moment this movie opens, the audio kicks in and we hear what sounds like a pan flute. It's high tones create an eerie atmosphere which is then accompanied by a man's voice. The voice over is used as a narration and begins to tell a story. The man's voice is low in comparison to the high tuned flute. His words however, bring an even more eerie and unsettling feeling to the audience. "... I picture cracking her lovely skull.." His tone is so calm, as if what he is saying isn't out of the ordinary. The effect of his low and slow voice is calming for an audience but the content is so uneasy and this feeling continues to grow when we see the first camera shot which is of a man stroking a woman's head. Considering he had just been speaking of 'unspooling her brains' and the camera is now close up on her head, the audience is left in a state of ambiguity as they try to decipher his intentions. Close up shots are used to show confrontation and it is almost a P.O.V shot but she looks to the right of the camera, making the audience feel queasy as we cannot see the man behind the voice. As mentioned previously, close ups reveal a persons mental state and in this case, though the unsettling audio comes from the man, it is the woman whose head we see who is about to become the biggest issue of mentality. 

Above: Woman rests on male, Camera is pointed down to look at her, getting a P.O.V shots. 

Right: Woman looks up, camera looking down at her as she looks behind the camera.




Before the title is presented, the main actors names are shown in the centre of the screen. They appear and fade before changing. The simplicity itself is what seems to create an even more spooky and apprehensive atmosphere. The dark colours and black space represent a lurking darkness that foreshadows the rest of the movie. The first landscape image is a wide shot of a beach and this is where we first see the title 'Gone Girl'. It fades in and fades out, just like that, it's gone. In blocks of two seconds, there are establishing snapshots of the surrounding setting which helps to build the scene. The opening credits are written on each of these pictures and it isn't until 3/4 of the way through the opening sequence that a focussed action shot takes place. The man is centred on screen and the camera switches positions so that we can see his surroundings. 

Watch the opening sequence to 'Gone Girl' HERE.

2.  Vertigo - 1958
A dramatic soundtrack is heard as soon as the movie begins, it immediately stimulates the audience's brains and pulls them into another world. The repeating sounds create suspense and as the sequence progresses it gets softer then occasionally returns with an even louder blow of the trombone. There is a symphony of different brass instruments that are used to build up a tense atmosphere. The non-diegetic music is paired with close-up shots of a woman's face. Her lips are the first feature that is focussed upon and then her eyes. As each is focussed on, the trombone sounds which would draw in the minds of audience members who had been wandering. The shot zooms in even more and is now directly focussed on the woman's eye and as the music intensifies, a red tint covers the screen and her eye widens, a technique that shows the fear that has been evoked inside of her. Fear of what? We as the audience are unaware as we cannot see behind the camera. The colour red is usually symbolic of fear and danger and this has been utilised by Hitchcock to bring that uneasy feeling to the screen.

Right: Widened eye of woman in Alfred Hitchcocks 'Vertigo' film. 





If you look deep into the eye, you can see a formation of words that is actually the movies title. This is significant and could represent what's to come in the movie. The title's arrival comes after fear is evoked in the woman, implying that the movie is to be centred around fear. 

Comparison: 
In both movies, audio is used as a big building block to set the scene. In Hitchcock's film, a symphony of instruments is used to emphasised key features on a subjects face. It builds to an intense climax that doesn't really come. It continues through the opening credits that are very well presented through a series of spiracle graphics. This differs to 'Gone Girl' where the most memorable part of the audio is a mans voice. The voice over is like a narration and it begins to tell the story. The graphics in 'Gone Girl' are very minimal compared the the camera movement and graphics in 'Vertigo'. Both films are of the thriller genre however they seem to differ in intent. For example, Gone Girl seems to have a somewhat somber tone to it, implying a silent but slow building thrill. Whereas right from the beginning, Vertigo seems intense and alarming. The camera shots in Gone Girl are from far away while Vertigo's tend to be very, very up close and personal. Though over 50 years apart, both films use audio and camera angles respectively to create an intriguing and creative opening sequence.