Thriller films use tension a lot, and it can be very effective in different situations. It becomes apparent in thrillers when the audience becomes emotionally attatched to the main character. Tension is also created when the villain is unidentifiable.
Hitchcock once said 'The purpose of a thriller is to put their (audiences) totally in the cold water of fear to see what its like.'
A key thriller technique is use of lighting. Lighting is often used as a convention unbeknown to the audience, but is something that can help set a mood. For example, if in every scene of a thriller film, the lights were fully on, and it was daytime with the sun shining bright, there wouldn't be much that is shrouded in mystery because of darkness. Therefore, the contrast in different lights helps play with a certain psychological factor of the audience, and helps them to start making assumptions, which often increases the suspense in a film.
Another key to a thriller film is keeping the identity of the villain from the audience as well a the victims in the film. This is because it psychologically will link he audience with the film, and will leave them guessing throughout, and keeping them entertained in the film more, than if the identity of the murderer was unveiled early on. An example of this would be in 'Scream'. When 'Ghost Face' kills Drew Barrymore, she removes the face mask of the killer, but as she pulls it away, the camera changes angles so that all the audience can see is her reaction to whoever the villain is. After the secret is revealed to her, she is then killed, trying to show that no one is aloud to be aware of their identity.
Another technique used in thriller films is the different types of camera angles. The main one of these being the point of view (POV) camera angle. This is the biggest way to emotionally involve a member of the audience with a film, usually when its a feeling of anxiety, or isolation. It can also help cut off certain parts of the set, in which the villain may be lurking. Without the POV, the audience may usually see this villain full on, but whereas the camera angle acts empathetically, you are unable to see them. A good use of POV is in the film 'Stake Land' when the boy re-enters the house that his mum and dad have just been killed in, and he is looking for the now missing culprit.
Jamie this is by no means detailed enough, you need to provide examples to support each of the conventions. Go back to our class notes and read over all of the thriller conventions again.
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