What is a thriller?

Problems Raised in Brief

I did not know what a thriller genre film was, I always thought that horror films, were classified as thriller films because you are getting a thrill watching the film. However after researching into thrillers, it has become clear on the differences between horror and thriller genre. In Horror films the plot is mainly about a murder, you do not know who the killer is until the end of the film. Whereas in a thriller film, the plot is about a crime, you usually know who the antagonist is, but you have to go through difficult obstacles to take them down.

What is thriller?

The definition of thriller is fearful excitement. It is highly associated by frequent action and fast movement. Thrillers have been influenced by psychological horror and film noir, to create high levels of suspense and anticipation.

Film noir is a term that was given by french film critics. In 1946 it was applied by the french critic Nino Frank in Hollywood movies. A thriller consists of dark plots and low- key lighting, the lighting adds a vibe of tension. Its goal to keep you 'at the edge of your seats', while the plot assembles to the climax. A thriller has to excite you, make you breathless and exhilarate you, 'if a thriller doesn't thrill it's not doing it's job.' (James Patterson june 2006)

A typical convention of a thriller, is a protagonist that is revolved around a dangerous situation e.g conspiracy, which seems impossible to avoid, he\she has to face obstacles to reach to the antagonist. Over the years women have become leading characters, e.g. Sigourney Weaver's character Ripley in the film Alien (1979). Thrillers commonly are suspenseful, dangerous, fast paced and mysterious. The protagonist (hero) has to make moral decisions, there are car chases, weapons, dramatic music to match the scene and special effects.

There are a variety of characters like Criminals, F.B.I (Federal bureau investigator), psychotic people, mobsters and stalkers.

It has many sub-genres such as: Action thriller, Drama thriller, Eco thriller, Religious thriller, Psychological thriller, Techno thriller, Medical thriller, Crime thriller, Sci-Fi thriller, and Western thriller.

An action thriller is a race against time it contains a lot of violence and an obvious antagonist and protagonist. There are powerful props such as guns and explosions.

A drama thriller has more character development along with the plot twists. It's usually slower paced than an action thriller.

An echo thriller is when a protagonist must mend an environmental calamity while dealing with the antagonist who created it.

A religious thriller is when the plot of the story is attached to religious objects. The problem involves a religious or philosophical disaster. E.g. Da Vinci Code

Techno thrillers involve advanced technology (usually from the military) that goes wrong, e.g. The hunt for the red October.

Psychological thrillers are all about the conflict and past of your mind. Suspense is created by antagonist and protagonist who prey on each others mind. They play mind games, trying to find valuable information that will lead them to their destination.

Medical thrillers are about scientist/doctors who come up with medicine, to help save people's lives, unfortunately the medication transforms into something deadly; changing the characteristics/DNA of people.

Crime thrillers revolve around the criminals, their life, and felonious plans. The main storylines consist of double-cross, murder, rape, drug dealing and robbery.

Sci-Fi thrillers are about scientific experiments that go wrong, causing abnormal and dangerous microorganisms. They can involve problems between aliens and alternative planets.

Most western thrillers are set in the early 19th century. Women are usually in danger and the cowboy must face the hidden agendas of close friends, and finally battle it out to save the young beautiful women.

What is a genre?

What is a genre?

Film genre is the categorization of films, based on the elements it contains. There are many types of genres such as Romance, Comedy, Musicals, Sci-Fi, Adventure, Horror, Fantasy, Action, Crime, Epic, Drama, Western and Thriller - (this is the genre of our film).

A romance genre has two characters that develop a 'romantic' relationship, usually their relationship is threatened by another, in the end they manage to resolve their problems.

Comedy genres are humorous, they are aimed to make the audience laugh. Characters exaggerate body language, facial expression and the situation there facing. Comedy films have many sub-genres such as slapstick, parody and screwball.
Slapstick exaggerates movement and physical violence, parodies mock films or certain scenes; they usually intimidate singers, movie stars or characters from other films, and screwball combines an absurd situation with slapstick.

Musical genre films have dance routines and songs sung by the characters, the performances are usually a part of the narrative.

Sci-Fi genre is based on scientific fantasies such as an alternative universe or aliens, the technology is advanced.

Adventure genre films are set in exotic locations they have exciting storylines such as treasure hunting.

The aim of a horror genre is to make the audience afraid, it summons up our worst fear. There are many sub-genres of horror such as teen terror, serial killers or Dracula.

Teen terror is aimed at an audience of teenagers, the film usually has a group of teenagers who are on the run from something supernatural or someone, in the hope that they will survive.

Serial Killers are about killers or a killer who murder people, they usually have a reason for the killing and their reason is not reveal until the end. The last remaining character would either find out who the serial killer is and die with the secret or manage to escape alive.

Early horror movies were based on gothic characters such as Dracula, in this sub-genre Dracula would either be an evil blood sucking character, or misunderstood character who does not feed on blood. Whatever type of character they are, people would try and kill them by piercing a stake through their heart.

Fantasy film genre is based on imagination, the limitations are endless, it has elements of myth, wonder and magic. There are a variety of different storylines such as dragons, princesses, flying carpets or legends which are retold.

Action genre films are faced pace, they have mass destructive weapons, car chases, physical stunts and special effects such as explosions. The protagonist always has victory in the end because they manage beat the antagonist.

Crime genre films are revolved around sinister plots of underworld figures, such as criminals, gangsters, robbers and many more. The criminal always has an illegal masterminded plan (containing money) and the protagonist interferes with the plan and brings the criminal down. E.g a drug dealing film has a drug dealer shipping out drugs, the F.B.I (federal bureau of investigation) sends someone undercover to find out where the drugs are being shipped and to find evidence to prove the drug dealer is behind it.

Epic film genres are films that are set in a certain time period to retell history, or the myths of history. It draws attention to human drama on a elevated scale.

Drama genre focuses on social realism, such as racial prejudice, poverty, addiction to drugs and domestic violence. It is dependant on the characterisation of actors to emphasise the emotional themes.

Western genres are immediately recognised as 'cowboy and Indians', they were popular during the 1950s but as time went by their audiences were lost.

Finally, our film has to be based on the thriller genre, as it is the coursework brief. This genre always maintains suspense until the end, heroes are typically men.

AS Coursework Brief

AS Coursework Brief

Create the titles and opening sequence, of a new fiction film, in the thriller genre, to last a maximum of two minutes aimed at a 15 or 18 certificate audience.

Maximum group size 4.
The coursework is worth 50% of the course.
The production itself is worth 60% of the marks.
The coursework also comprises a written component on a blog worth 40% of the mark.

Marks are awarded for the following:
-Planning and research (20 marks)
-Construction (20 marks)
-Evaluation (20 marks)