Evaluation Question 1

Within thrillers there are general conventions of the genre, which are expected to be seen during these films. These generic conventions include things like blonde female victims, low-key lighting, unknown locations and hidden identity. Hidden identity is used in the film Scream through the main antagonist wearing a mask for the duration of the film. The fact the identity of the antagonist is unknown creates tension and a heightened element of fear and mystery. This is also the case in films like the Texas chainsaw massacre, where again a mask is used to cover the murderers identity. By not knowing who or what the protagonist in the film is up against the fear of the unknown creates an effect on the audience, which can also lead to an increase in empathy for the main character who has to combat the antagonist in most cases. Low key lighting is seen throughout many popular thriller films. One of these is paranormal activity. Most of the scenes which are considered 'jumpy' and suspenseful in this film take place during the night where the lighting is low key. The low key lighting makes the familiar relatable setting of the house seem more sinister and unknown, which in turn created a dark atmosphere and increased tension within those scenes.

Within our own film we aimed to include these generic conventions in order to help us produce a successful thriller opening. We included low key lighting, the use of a knife as a prop, a clear antagonist, the setting of a house and the use of typical sounds both diegetic and non diegetic. Low key lighting was used throughout the duration of our clip. Due to the fact we had only 2 minutes the low key lighting immediately set the sinister and dark tone that we wanted to achieve. One scene in particular where this was effective is the scene where our main character, played by Reece, came through the front door from the outside. The lighting made it seem as though he was stepping in to a dark and eerie place, despite the fact it was the familiar and relatable setting of a house. This was intended to make the audience feel on edge from the beginning and from there we could begin to build the suspense. The knife as a prop, which we saw used in films like Psycho and Halloween, was used as a sign of foreshadowing in our product. The scene in the kitchen near the beginning of our clip, where the food is being cut, put a large focus on the use of the knife. We used a close up shot to put more emphasis on it and suggest to the audience that it may be significant later on in our thriller opening. One piece of data we collected was primary data in the form of a pie chart. Most people that we asked stated that they prefer to see a supernatural antagonist such as a ghost or spirit rather than the more common murderers and monsters. This is why we included the conventional clear antagonist and made this a ghost. Paranormal activity used this sort of antagonist effectively and allowed them to be more creative with what they could do, such as things moving around the room and doors slamming etc. We included similar elements in our clip such as the scene where all of the doors in the house slam or the scene we included where the radio begins to play music unexpectedly. This had the effect of almost making the house come to life, turning it from the familiar cosy setting of a home that the audience can relate to, to something much darker and more dangerous.

I feel that because of these generic conventions being included we managed to define the thriller genre quite accurately through what we produced. Things like the sound also helped achieved this. When looking at the thriller Halloween the use of sound made the clip tense and suspenseful, something seen in many other thrillers as well. The sound in the Halloween clip quickened as the camera neared the tension before finally reaching the climax with the murdering of the woman. By including sound in the same way as Halloween. Thrillers are commonly known for having a clear antagonist, protagonist and some sort of conflict or problem to either escape from or solve. Our thriller opening includes all of these things, which makes it typical to the genre and defines the genre itself.