Researching into a typical synopsis in a thriller genre

Research into a typical synopsis of a thriller from ChiomaGrace

Conventions of a thriller genre

The thriller genre is contained in wide range of films and is easy to identify the characteristics of a thriller. The aim of a thriller is to keep the audience excited and keep them on the edge of their seats. The popular sub-genres used in thrillers are horror and psychological. The key elements used in thrillers are characters, plot and theme. In thrillers the main character usually comes across death, the plot is usually focused on mystery that needs to be solved or the characters are on a long-term quest that lasts throughout the movie. Thrillers are also filmed from the main’s character point of view so it’s easier for the audience to follow and understand the character’s story. Thrillers are normally stories that the audience can relate to, but are just exaggerated a bit more to make the story more interesting. There’s also a villain that is corrupting the world in some way and a hero that serves justice.

Programmes which give you an insight into thriller/horror!

The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead  is an award winning series that has got America on the edge of their seats! The Walking Dead is an American TV series  which is based on the comic book series by Robert Kirkman. It's a horror/thriller series which involves the likes of an zombie apocalypse. This programme gives an insight on the thriller/horror genre because it's shows elements of what thriller/horror programmes are about. For example in The Walking Dead they shows a group of people trying to survive having to protect themselves whilst going through obstacles of getting attacked by the zombies. Another key element they include is death, where they show the death of zombies and humans either getting killed by a weapon or getting infected and eaten alive. The series also shows the fights and struggles the group of survivers go through, including the tension between them  which creates enigmas for the audience because they start to analysis the programme and wonder how this all started, which grips the audience, because they want to see more.

True Blood  

Another thiller/horror programme is True Blood which is another programme that has done well in the USA and the UK. True Blood is a little different to The Walking Dead, although both series includes supernatural elements. True Blood is an American TV series created by Alan Ball and is based on the novel called The Southern Vampire. True Blood is a series that follow a woman called Sookie Stackhouse, who can read minds, but her life gets turned around when the 'Vampire Bill' (a group of vampires) comes into her life.  True Blood also shows some conventions of the genre seeing as the main characters are innocent people trying to get on with their life but are targeted by hungry vampires. It also shows elements of death because the vampires can sometimes kill the humans by drinking all their blood. The series also shows elements of tension as they add romance into it which creates also of tension for the audience because it includes the 'Will they or won't they?' story. This is also another popular convention in horror/thriller genre because there is always a strong man defending their girlfriend/partner.True Blood also creates enigmas for the audience aswell as they would anaylsis the series and want to find out who will survive and what will happen in the ending as the series also tells a story which the audience are likely to follow.

Horror film titling analysis

Horror films are movies that strive to elicit the emotions of fear, horror and tension from viewers. Their plots frequently involve themes of death, the supernatural or mental illness. Many horror movies also include a central villain. An example of this is the scream series of films and also creeps.

Titling was shown before the film started only in Scream and Halloween, the tilting of Scream was shown in red, white and bold on a black background with also dietetic sound of screaming. Where as Halloween was shown in white in bold on a black background. Also both do not show credits apart from the film studio who have made the film and whose presents the film e.g. Dimension.
Titling in Creep and Misery appears after setting the scene, in Creep after the first 2 minutes where as in Misery titling appears after 8 minutes. Creep’s titling is coloured yellow/orange in contrast to the on-screen images this fluorescent colour suggests danger because of how strong the colours are where it’s very difficult to look at it directly. This has been done to connote the film, portraying to the audience that it is a horror film in which when people may die the audience may get scared and look away the same way they look away from this strong fluorescent light. Also, it is placed on a black background. However the credits of the key actors in Creep are on a black background but the names of the production and co-production where shown over the on-screen images maybe showing the importance of there role, in terms of taking part in the film. Misery titling appears in the centre of the scream, in red and bold on a background of the scenery- snow on road/cliff, where the red titling connoting danger and blood where at this stage if the audience did not know already, they will get the impression that Misery is definitely a slasher and maybe a horror. The appears to be no credit within the starting of the film Misery apart from who presents the film.

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