How I Plan to Use and Abuse the Code and Conventions of Thrillers

In my thriller opening, I plan to use a number of different codes and conventions which I have noticed whilst researching different thriller openings such as Argo and Black Swan. 

Technical Construction

During the opening scene, I plan to use a number of quick cut shots to create suspense and increase the pace of the scene. This editing technique can be used to make the audience feel uneasy as they are not quite sure about what is going on because everything happens at such a fast pace, this shot type is often used in the most thrilling parts of films. I plan to use shots from the perspective of both the killer and his victims so the audience can see the scene from a variety of perspectives and angles. By using this shot type I can create a sense of moral ambiguity as the audience will not know whose perspective they are witnessing the events of the film from. This will make the audience feel uncomfortable with the scene as it emphasises the brutality of the murder.

Another code and convention of the thriller genre which I noticed when analysing different openings was the use of low lighting. I will use low lighting in my thriller as darkness carries connotations of danger and death therefore I am giving my audience the impression that something very bad is going to happen early on in the thriller. I think this will be effective in scenes shot indoors as the audience will also feel anxious because they do not what is around the characters and make them wary of what is around them. 

Camera Shots

I noticed that in the famous thriller Psycho, extreme close ups are used by Hitchcock; I plan to use this technique to make my audience feel dangerously close to the killer's victims. I plan to use extreme close ups in my thriller similar the shots which Alfred Hitchcock uses in psycho. By using this shot type I will be able to clearly present the character's emotions such as fear and show that the character is in a dangerous situation. This camera shot also creates a relationship between the characters and the audience which the audience will find uncomfortable as they will feel too close to the characters in the film in a dangerous situation.

Sound

Orchestral music is used in cinema, especially thrillers, for a number of different reasons. Orchestral music can be used to show the audience that something bad is going to happen to the protagonist and signifies a threat to that character. I also plan to use dietetic sounds of footsteps in the third scene. By only using the diegetic sound of footsteps, I am able to create a tense atmosphere and when the killer stops walking there is no sound whatsoever. By using complete silence I am creating tension in the scene as the audience are given the impression that something terrible is going to happen and, because of what the audience has already seen the antagonist do, they will be under the impression that the antagonist is going to kill again. 

Mise en Scene

When analysing different openings of thrillers, I found that Se7en's use of mise en scene was very effective as the dark, dingy city in which it takes place emphasises the danger that the characters are in. I plan to emulate this use of mise en scene through using a dark hotel-like room and a disgusting alleyway. By using an alleyway and one dark room I am creating a liminal location which will make the audience feel isolated and disorientated as they will not know where they are in the film. Another way that I will use the codes and conventions of thriller through mise en scene is through the costumes I will use. 

Similar to American Psycho, my antagonist will be dressed in a suit with slicked back hair connoting that he is wealthy and not just some lowlife looking for money. By using this costume, the audience will first assume that the character is trustworthy and innocent however the narrative to the story with the sound and editing will then tell the audience that this is not the character that they first thought it was. This is supported by the shot types as the antagonist will be viewed from behind suggesting that he is being closely followed and that he is in danger when in fact he is the danger in the opening scene. Propositions will also support this at the beginning of the opening as the killer will be wearing headphones which the audience will be able to quietly hear suggesting that the killer cannot hear anything around him and is in a very vulnerable position. 

Character and Narrative

However I feel I am also playing with the codes and conventions of modern day thrillers as I plan to introduce the antagonist of the thriller during the opening sequence. It is typical of thrillers for the antagonist to uncovered towards the end of the film however I plan to introduce the villain instantly, similar to The Dark Knight which starts with The Joker committing a bank robbery, to give my audience a strong impression on what the film will be about. In my thriller opening, the first victim of the killer is a blonde woman who will not try and defend herself against the antagonist and is savagely murdered. By using this typical feature of a thriller which the audience will know I'm showing the audience that I know this as well. This creates a post-modern juxtaposition between the first two characters as the antagonist will be presented as completely different to what the audience will be expecting whereas the woman will be presented just as the audience would expect in a thriller.