Conventions of a Thriller

The research which I have carried out into thrillers has helped me to understand them better & make a list of conventions which my group & I will consider for use in our own thriller.

Conventions of a Thriller

• Female victim
• Male villain
• Male hero
• Secluded setting
• Colour conventions
• Alot of the time titles do not appear over the top of the film but are shown before it begins or after a short amount of film
• Chilling music (often piano or strings)
• Graphic match (featured in Psycho)
• Sense of being followed/stalking
• Watching 
• Fear of the unknown
• Colours tend to have a meaning eg. Red = blood, White = innocence
• Gun/knife
• Slow paced editing to lull the viewer into a false sense of security
• Fast paced editing to build up tension
• A character's fixation with something/someone
• Mystery