Tuesday, 21 June 2016

Understanding Genre Conventions

Thriller is a broad genre of literature, film and television, having numerous sub-genres.

Thrillers are characterized and defined by the moods they elicit, giving viewers heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety.

Successful examples of thrillers are the films of Alfred Hitchcock such a "Psycho" which is one of my trailer choices to analyse.

Thrillers generally keep the audience on the "edge of their seats" as the plot builds towards a climax. The cover-up of important information from the viewer is a common element.

Literary devices such as red herrings, plot twists, and cliff hangers are used extensively. A thriller is usually a villain driven plotwhereby he or she presents obstacles that the protagonist must overcome.

The three genres are closely related. In each type, a character is trying to get at the truth of something, or prevent some bad thing from happening.

Mystery: The main character is occupied in tracking down the truth about an event, usually a murder. If the protagonist is in any danger, it is usually moderate, and becomes a problem only as the detective approaches the truth.

Thriller: The protagonist is in danger from the outset.


Suspense: The main character may become aware of danger only gradually. In a mystery, the reader is exposed to the same information as the detective, but in a suspense story, the reader is aware of things unknown to the protagonist. The reader sees the bad guy plant the bomb, and then suffers the suspense of wondering when or if it will explode.

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