A thriller is usually a film about justice vs. injustice involving a price to be paid near the end of the story. The structure of a thirller usually involves an everyman character being drawn into a dangerous situation- the movie builds and builds with tension until a dramatic climax occurs.
Our film adheres to this structure- Matthew is a normal man at first, but with the murder of his girlfriend, he is drawn into a world of drug warfare and the movie would end with a climatic battle between he and these men.
Technical conventions
- Often, thrillers are told from two points of view- the protagonist's, and the villain's. This is to allow insight for the audience, for instance, to know whether the main character is about to walk into a trap. It can also be to gain empathy for the villain.
- The dialogue is often cryptic so as not to give away critical plot points too easily. This is done to build tension and suspense.
- The damsel-in-distress stock character is a regular feature in thrillers- there is frequently a woman that the male hero is required to rescue.
- Dim lighting, dark colours and shots obscuring something are also common- this is to add to the mystery of the film, and also the danger that the protagonist is in.
- Fast cuts are the most regular editing feature- this is to keep up the fast pace of the film and show the audience the contrast between characters.
- Colour is used to signify emotion- for instance, red means danger, blue means mystery.
Character stereotypes
Matthew fits in very well in the role of everyman protagonist drawn into an extraordinary situation. He responds with shock at first, but then faces up to his task with resolve and is unwilling to let go until he has unravelled the mystery. Often, this kind of character has a weakness that will affect him during the plot in some way. (For example, Scotty in Vertigo is afraid of heights and is unable to save a woman from suicide because he cannot climb some steps.)
Our film adheres to this structure- Matthew is a normal man at first, but with the murder of his girlfriend, he is drawn into a world of drug warfare and the movie would end with a climatic battle between he and these men.
Technical conventions
- Often, thrillers are told from two points of view- the protagonist's, and the villain's. This is to allow insight for the audience, for instance, to know whether the main character is about to walk into a trap. It can also be to gain empathy for the villain.
- The dialogue is often cryptic so as not to give away critical plot points too easily. This is done to build tension and suspense.
- The damsel-in-distress stock character is a regular feature in thrillers- there is frequently a woman that the male hero is required to rescue.
- Dim lighting, dark colours and shots obscuring something are also common- this is to add to the mystery of the film, and also the danger that the protagonist is in.
- Fast cuts are the most regular editing feature- this is to keep up the fast pace of the film and show the audience the contrast between characters.
- Colour is used to signify emotion- for instance, red means danger, blue means mystery.
Character stereotypes
Matthew fits in very well in the role of everyman protagonist drawn into an extraordinary situation. He responds with shock at first, but then faces up to his task with resolve and is unwilling to let go until he has unravelled the mystery. Often, this kind of character has a weakness that will affect him during the plot in some way. (For example, Scotty in Vertigo is afraid of heights and is unable to save a woman from suicide because he cannot climb some steps.)
Rachel is also an example of the damsel-in-distress stereotype- however, the plot does not revolve around rescuing her, as she is already dead, but rather avenging her murder, which makes for the same conclusion.
How well our film fits in with the conventions of the genre
As our movie is only the opening two minutes, we were unable to include cryptic dialogue, as we wanted to focus on establishing complete normality before the brutal murder of Rachel to create a contrast. For this reason, we also used reasonably bright shots throughout the two minutes- except the opening shot, indicating a darkness surrounding the couple's loving relationship, and the last, where Matthew discovers Rachel's corpse and it has become night time. We did, however, think about use of colour- we based out costumes around this.
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