Conventions of a Thriller - Miss Miller

A thriller film has certain conventions in order for it to be classed as a thriller.  Conventions are qualities of what the audience would expect to see in a specific genre.  For example conventions of a thriller would be low key lighting, shadows, slow/fast editing, different uses of camera angles and elements of shock, suspense and surprise.

A scene in SAW 1 called the reverse bear trap conveys many conventions of a thriller:

Low key lighting is used in many thriller genre films, it is used to create an eerie atmosphere and sets the tone of the scene. Throughout the scene, the lighting seems to be quite dark which creates an suspenseful atmosphere for the audience as they do not know where the victim is.  When the victim has succeeded by managing to unlock the padlock in time, at 5:00 a black figure shows behind a sheer curtain with light behind it so a shadow was able to be formed, this creates suspense as the audience does not know who or what it is.  It is also used to show shadows which can be made visible to the audience, this creates suspense as they wonder who it could be.   Low key lighting is also used to show shadows are used to emphasise the shape of an object or character. Shadows are conventional to the thriller genre as it sets the mood of the scene and can immediately build up the tension that is needed.

Iconography are objects which give off ideas and messages into the audiences mind.  In a film, iconography could be anything, it's used to send ideas to the audience.  Behind a piece of iconography is a conventional meaning attached to an object or image. In this scene, the victim finds a knife by a body of a man, this creates suspense and tension as in thrillers, they have connotations of death, murder, pain and brutality.  It indicates to the audience that someone is going to be killed and keep the audience engaged.  

Timing of shots take place through a scene, shots are edited quicker or slower to be able to add suspense. Fast editing is when shots are put together at a faster pace than it normally would.  From the point of where the video message has stopped, it shows the camera going quickly around the victim as she tries to get free from what is restricting her from movement, this gives a sense of chaos and urgency, in order for her to survive.  Fast editing also occurs when the victim realises that a timer has been set off, as she the padlock trying to get it off. Fast editing is conventional of the thriller genre as it creates suspense for the audience making them think what will happen and keeps the audience engaged in the film.  Slow editing is done when she walks towards the body, this creates tension for the audience as they would not know what she was going to do.

A close up shot is when a certain feature or part takes up most of the shot, they are useful for showing detail in a characters emotion as they able to emphasise a character emotional state or close ups can also show certain objects which show significance the film and the character.  In this scene, there are many close up shots to show the victims facial expression, so the audience can relate to the fear that she is feeling at that time and also create suspense as they don't know how the victim ended up in that situation.  Close ups are also shown of the knife, timer and the padlock on the back of the trap, this was done to show significance of the objects.  Close ups are conventional to the thriller genre because they make the audience focus on particular things, therefore creating suspense, giving them an idea of why that is being shown.

Conclusively, conventions give messages to the audience to indicate that it is in the thriller genre.  Without the use of low key lighting, an eerie atmosphere would not be created for the audience, which creates suspense and tension.  Without the use of iconography, the audience would not be able to feel suspense without the images of certain objects like knives which are able to send ideas into the audiences mind.   Without the editing technique of timing and shots, the film would not be able to create tension or suspense for the audience.  Without the use of close ups in thrillers, the audience would not be able to relate to the character by not being able to see their expression. Without these conventions in a thriller, it wouldn't have the same impact on the audience than it normally would.