Genre: Thriller

 Camera Angle, Shots, and Movements. 

-Thrillers focus on portraying the feeling of tension and suspense, they do this by using various camera angles, movements, and shots 

These are: 

-High angle and Low angle- to enhance power imbalance between victim and antagonist 

-Close-up shots- to show reactions and dramatic details that move the audience 

-Tracking shots/Panning- build unknown and suspense; could show a character being followed 

-Dutch angle- adds dramatic tension and confusion/uneasiness 

-Over the shoulder shots- suspense and tension 

Common Mis-En-Scene 

-Thriller films often strive for realism and suspense to increase audience fear. This is achieved through Mis-En-Scene 

These are: 

-Props/Setting- often very dark and claustrophobic spaces that give an uncomfortable feeling 

-Lighting- enhances darkness and shadows; low level lighting to create fear and tension 

-Clothing- everyday, common clothing to promote realism 

-Make-up- limited amounts of makeup that could be worn every day to show realism; smudged/messed up makeup is also commonly used to show distress of female victims 

Common Editing 

-The key to thriller editing is focusing on increasing suspense, to do these directors often hold back information from either the audience or the characters. 

-Common ways to do this are with flashbacks and strategic placement and order of shots. As well as blunt/dramatic changes to portray being skiddsh 

They also use techniques like:  

-Cut-aways- to provide vital context only when it is necessary 

-Eye-line match- to show characters view and feelings of fear and uncertainty 

-Fade out- can be used with things like a character closing their eyes passing out 

-Shot/reverse shot- to show contrast between victim and antagonist 

Common Sound 

-Sound is a crucial factor in creating an eerie and suspenseful thriller 

-This is done with both diegetic and non-diegetic sounds 

-It is common that directors use percussion or intense, dramatic sounding instruments like Pipe Organs and Theremins to increase suspense and tension. These are non-diegetic 

-They also utilize diegetic sounds like creaky door hinges, footsteps, or simply just silence to amplify uneasiness and tension 

Likes 

-I like how there are so many methods and specific ways to create tension and suspense, while still being unique to every movie. 

-No thriller is the same and utilizes the same techniques so it would be fun to explore how we could achieve the classic uneasy feeling. 

-The Mis-En-Scene being realistic is smart and achievable for us as students with limited resources. 

Dislikes 

-They often require advanced editing and sound design that could be hard to achieve. 

-They also often take place in dark settings which, without the correct equipment, can be hard to film in. 

-Can be hard to produce original ideas and new, unique ways of portraying a story.