Conventions

All genres of films have aspects that an audience often expects to see, a part of the film that is typical to its chosen genre, and thrillers are no different. Now knowing we were going to be filming a thriller, we took a closer look at what the typical conventions of a thriller are, to help us in our planning.

The typical conventions of a thriller are as follows:

• Many thrillers start with a scene which gives the audience all the background knowledge they'll need to know, seperating it from the typical horror film, which usually begins with a scene where an unknown victim is killed there and then by the villain.
• The police usually come into the film at some point, either just a minor role, or a more leading role where they are responsible for solving the puzzle, whatever that may be.
• A thriller will often involve a villain of some sort, be it a person or something unknown to the rest of the characters. The film will usually consist of the main characters journey towards finding the identity of the villain, and usually stopping them/it.
• The villain will usually come into contact with the police, but at the time the police won't be aware of their/it's true identity ( for example The Usual Suspects- Kevin Spacey).
• The audience often knows the villain, but all is not revealed until nearing the end of the movie.
• The villain is usually very cunning and clever in a way that leaves the rest of the characters unable to figure it out. This often leads to a scene towards the end of the film when one, or several of the characters click on to who the villain really is.
• There is often a character who is assumed by the rest of the cast to be the villain, when really they're innocent.
• Once the identity of the villain becomes clear, the audience are oftne shown flashbacks to previous parts of the film, whihc subtly hinted at what we now know.