The Thriller Genre common conventions

The thriller genre can be seen in the films Silence of The Lambs (1991) and Zodiac (2007). The aim of the thriller genre is to create suspense and to entice the audience.

Conventions

• A thriller film usually consists of a battle between the protagonist and the antagonist,  which creates a disruption in the equilibrium and then the film follows events which could effect the outcome of the film. The aim of the protagonist is to try and restore normality and create a new equilibrium and the aim of the antagonist is to create destruction and to stop the protagonist. 
• Low key lighting
• quick cuts within editing
• shadows
• music which creates tension
• black and white shots
• montage of shots
• diegetic sound of breathing

Common conventions within characters and theme of the film

• protagonist is normally a heroic male who tries to restore the equilibrium
• The antagonist normally has a secret identity which will be uncovered by the protagonist which could help them solve the mystery and defeat the antagonist.
• The storyline will normally include an event in which could happen to the audience (a real life scenario)this would then make the audience feel scared and would make them react to the film more, this would also make the film more successful and effective. 
• The antagonist would normally wear dark or black clothes and the protagonist would usually be found in everyday attire to highlight their normality (symbolic codes).

Common conventions within filming and cinematography (technical codes)

• A lot of close up shot will be used to increase tension and show importance to specific characters of objects/props. Close up of characters are used to show their reactions and their emotions which could be important to the storyline and scene.
• Shots which will include the antagonist will be short shots and shots which are obstructed in some way either by editing or lighting or even in which the way it is filmed (dirty shots). This will hide their identity to the audience creating mystery.

Common conventions within editing

• Jump shots are used when editing to hide vital objects and masks their importance to the audience.
• Cross cutting is used to build suspense for the audience which helps the thriller to have its unique effect.
• Continuity editing is also used to make the audience able to follow the film better and helps them understand the narrative. 

Common conventions within music/sound

• Music in thrillers is used to highlight characters emotions and their reactions also it is used to hint at the importance of selective scenes or parts within the film. 
• Speeding up of the music is also normally used to create tension and suspense. So at the start there will be slow music and then the pace of it will increase when importance scenes would appear.