Conventions of thrillers

Conventions - Narrative

• Thrillers are supposed to create suspense and excitement for the audience.
• The narrative resolves around the investigation of an enigma or the hero is the only person who can solve the enigma.
• They mostly involve violence.
• If often reveals the workings of particular institutions such as the police, the army or the Government.
• The thriller centres on injustice in society but solves these wrongs.
• There will be a rational rather than supernatural explanation of the puzzle.

Conventions - Setting

• A thriller can be set in an urban environment or a rural environment.
• They can be set in old abandoned buildings or new city buildings.
• They are usually set over big areas as there are usually chases.
• They can also be set in abandoned buildings and asylums.

Conventions - Characters

In a thriller there is usually:

• A Protagonist - They are usually a detective or someone on the run.
• A Antagonist - They are usually a villain or a prisoner.
• A Damsel
• Villains - They are usually English, Russian or German.
• Innocent victims/Bystanders
• Characters with dark pasts
• Psychotic people
• Terrorists
• Spies
• Special organisations (MI6 or the CIA)

Mise-en-scene

- Props

• In thrillers there are usually guns, knives and others.
• Cars are usually used for police chases or as a signal to the hero to run.
• Technology is used especially when organisations are involved.

- Costumes

• The main character tends to wear black clothing to hide their face and look inconspicuous.
• There are a lot of people wearing suits in some thrillers to show their authority.
• Police uniforms are worn in most thrillers too.

- Camerawork
Thrillers feature a lot of different camera shots.

• Long shots which allow the viewer to see the location and the setting which can make them wonder why or how they are there.
• Mid shots to focus more on a certain area.
• Close ups to capture the facial expressions of the character or to make them the centre of attention.
• Cut-Ins to show the characters hands or injuries.
• They might also have high and low shots to make the hero or villain seem more, or less powerful.
• Two-shot which usually features the boss and their aid.
• They also feature cutaway shots which takes away the attention of the main character onto something different (like a S.W.A.T team).
• They feature lots of quick cuts.

-Lighting

• The lighting in thrillers is usually dark and mysterious to compliment the story. 
• The darkness allows the characters to hide their identity.
• Lighting helps to connote emotions and thoughts             

Conventions - Sound

• Thrillers use a lot of dramatic music and face pace music.
• The music usually starts off at a slow pace and gradually speeds up which helps to create tension and build up climax.
• The sounds in thrillers change from loud to quiet depending on the pace and action. 

                 

Overall, the key elements of a thriller are to have an ongoing investigation and someone on the run from the government. It should be set in an urban environment and it must have a protagonist and antagonist. They should also contain a damsel and a villain. A thriller must contain weapons and cars to create fight and chase scenes. Police uniforms, suits and civilian clothing is another key aspect of any thriller.

There should be lots of different camera shots in a thriller that hide or show certain parts of the story. The lighting in a thriller should be low-key to create tension and the sound must be very dramatic.