Codes and Conventions of a thriller movie- Information from online

Codes and Conventions of a thriller movie
Reference 1: http://blogs.thegrangeschool.net/06hawkinss/2011/03/22/codes-and-conventions-of-a-thriller/

• Different camera angles create different senses of body language and emotions
• Facial close up shots and mid-range shots
• Fast paced camera movement known as Dolly shot
• It will make the audience tense and makes them nervous as they know something is about to happen next
• Quick cuts were seen in the movie Psycho, when they woman got stabbed in the shower. They showed different angles. It makes the film fast paced.
• Different music themes produce a different mood for thriller films.
• High-pitched sounds or orchestral stabs such as screeches
• Mise en scene: Props are very important, Objects such as knives glass and guns. These weapons show what the characters are up to. They also show the personality of the characters.
• Knives in the scene could show that the character is going to kill someone.

Reference 2: Yahoo Answers
• Quick cuts (editing with flashbacks)
• The camera angle changes
• Music that causes tension
• Lightning
• The use of mirrors, stairs, and shadows.
• Dark Setting
• Blurred imagery
• Under lighting of the face to make it look scary

Reference 3: http://amynolanmedia.blogspot.com/

• Claustrophobic spaces to provide a sense of entrapment
• Claustrophobic spaces such as:
• Planes
• Coffins
• Under water
• Boot of a car
• Elevator/lift
• Walk in freezer
• Tube trains
• White van
• Small room
• Car
• Prison cell
• Narrow alleyways
• Car parks
• Dark lightning

Improved Anamatic Board

Story Board

Above is my storyboard. It shows a rough idea of the types of shots I hope to produce to create my thriller. I have stated the type of shot I want to create, if there is dialogue, sound or movement and also the duration of time the shot last for so it will give me a rough idea on how much time i have left to use.

Psycho

Psycho

As a class, we watched the thriller movie ‘Psycho’ and had to take note of the different codes and conventions used to make the film a thriller. The main element I noticed throughout the whole film to create a thriller mood was the background music.  As soon as something bad or significant was about to occur, the background music would start to form.  The music that would develop was fast and repetitive. The beat of the music added a feeling of tension and in some ways a feeling of mystery. It made the viewer wonder what exactly is going to happen.

The costumes were another code and convention used to create a sense of thrill in the film. Marian is wearing white which gives the audience the impression that she is innocent and the colour white represents purity. This is conveyed at the start of the film when she acts like a loving, kind and innocent woman who just wanted to marry her lover but because of his debts she couldn’t. However, when she decided to steal the money, she suddenly is wearing black which implies to the audience a scenes of evilness and a newly formed bad side to her that no one has seen prior to this point. 

I used the internet to research other ways codes and conventions are used in thrillers. In a video on ‘YouTube’, other techniques were given. One was the lighting techniques. The backgrounds of a scene are usually dark and the light is only shown to the people who are talking or maybe a few objects. I noticed in various scenes of 'Psycho' like when Marion and Norman (the man who owns the motel she is staying in) are talking in the room where she is eating, the light is only focusing on both of their bodies and their facial expressions while they are talking. The contrast between the light and dark colours created shadows which gave a sense of mystery, unknown circumstances and unknown answers. The shadows are sometimes used to represent the inner darkness within human beings.

Another convention is in the way the film is edited. Quick cuts and quick angle changes challenges the human eye to think quickly to what has just happened or what is going to happen. This creates a feeling of suspense or excitement and makes the audience wonder what is going on.

I really enjoyed watching ‘Psycho’ as it gave me a very good insight into what codes and convention to use within my thriller.