Conventions of the thriller genre
Thrillers make use of horror and action to create tension in
a film. The audience's emotions and feelings are “controlled”, often
subliminally, through the use of shadows, perspective and music to build to a
climax or to raise focus on a particularly important plot point.
In recent years, the advancement of digital editing has
allowed new conventions to grow. The Bourne trilogy, for example, uses
differing camera angles and quick cuts to keep the action interesting and make
the pace of certain scenes seem quicker than others, making Jason Bourne's
journey juxtapose itself with the viewer's experience.
Although the thriller genre and action genre are similar;
thrillers almost always have a problem for the protagonist to overcome: be it
terrorists, murder mysteries or a difficult mission. As an effector of this,
thrillers are often quite intellectually made, and the producers expect their
audiences to keep up with the fast pace of the plot. Multiple storylines or the
same event from multiple points of view are staples of the genre. Knitting the
storylines back together and making sense of the situation at the end of the
film is a part of the enjoyment of the film. Cliffhangers or unanswered
questions can be used to provoke thought or leave room to manoeuvre in a
sequel.
Due to the pace of the film, scenes are shot in a way to
create a sense of adrenaline, such as car chases or gunfights with seemingly
impossible odds. The actors that play the main characters need to be relatable
to the audience and do not necessarily need to be much of a physical presence,
as this makes their plight and struggle seem more real.
Featured film: Pulp
Fiction (1994)
Pulp Fiction, directed by Quentin Tarantino, is often seen
as an outstanding example of the thriller genre, as it encapsulates, expertly,
many of the conventions of the genre while having a deep yet understandable
plot, with subplots relating to the background of the characters leaving much
to the watcher's imagination.
This shot is in the opening minutes of the film. The two
characters are discussing their plans to rob the restaurant they are in, and
much in the spur of the moment, Ringo pulls out his gun and puts it on the
table. This tells the audience that the couple are serious and are confident of
their ability, as he puts the gun on the table in plain sight. The absence of
music and the echo of the gun hitting table gives the watcher a moment to
comprehend that the couple are the villains in the situation and the title card
following this frame builds tension as the action is frozen while the audience
wants to see how the robbers act. The clothing of Ringo is flowery, which is
not promoting the image of a killer, and so the revelation of the gun is made
more of a shock.
The camera moves backwards as Jules and Vince walk through
the corridors. This long shot draws attention to the actors as there is no
distractions in the background. This scene firmly shows that Jules (left) is
the leader and Vince is the partner. You can see this by the stance of the two
characters, Jules is much more upright and commanding. While the two characters
are dressed in the same clothing, it is clear that Vince takes the job less
serious as he has long, unkempt hair and has an ear ring. In this two shot,
Jules leads the way and walks in a much more professional manner, while Vince
asks questions and shows his lack of knowledge in his job.
This scene follows straight from the last scene. Jules is
calm and composed during the interrogation of the people in the room, despite
their guns pointed at him. It is obvious he has been in this situation many
times before, as he chats casually to the businessmen. The man he is pointing
the gun at is clearly intimidated, and responds negatively to Jules' witty
quips. The stance of Vince in the background (hand in his pocket, cigarette in
hand) shows that Jules does this all the time, and is not scared in light of
the situation.
As soon as Jules shoots the man in the chair, Vince joins
in. This shows Jules' authority over Vince, as Vince does nothing to help Jules
prior in the scene, but he doesn't need to. Although the two men have the same
job, it is clear Vince is a spare part and is only there in case anything went
wrong. Throughout the scene, both men keep their attire smart, which shows they
do not crack under pressure. As the two men shoot, the screen flashes orange.
This is done to emphasise the muzzle flash of the guns. The scene immediately
ends, with no words spoken, into a slow fade to black. Again, this is to give
the audience a moment to soak in what has just happened.
Soon after, Vince is sat at a bar when he is confronted by a
character he has had previous experience with. You can tell straight away the
men do not get along, with stern expressions and negative body language. This
is another two-shot, but this time, the two characters are in the foreground.
This gives the whole scene an air of animosity as the quiet
friendship of Jules and Vince in the background gives way for confrontation.
The red light on Butch (left) is a connotation for danger. Butch has the
authority over Vince in a similar way to Jules; he is dressed smarter yet
again, wearing a jacket. Vince is leaning back, indicating he wants to avoid
talking to him and not give an important facet of his personality away.
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