Research into thriller conventions

Introduction

Conventions are elements that are common within different film genres. They are patterns that can be seen or used in different films from the same category.
Examples of conventions used in thrillers are:

• Jumpy scenes
• Masked antagonist
• Death
• Chase scenes
• Enigma
• Unknown/eerie location
• Mentally unstable antagonist
• Timing of shots - slow/fast

The clip I will be analysing is from Saw 2:

The following conventions are used in this thriller clip:

• Blood
• Tense music
• Unknown/eerie location
• Masked antagonist
• Defenceless victims

The convention of blood is used in this clip when she falls into the needle pit and all the characters have blood on them. This shows that they have all been through some sort of pain where they have been hurt. This helps the audience build up a relationship with the victims as they start feeling sorry for them. This is conventional to the thriller genre as the audience begin to feel anger towards the antagonist. The blood shown on the girl in the needle pit proves she is scared and in a lot of pain. By there being so much blood on the female victim, it creates an enigma for the audience as they don't know whether she is going to die or not. As a result, the audience stay engaged within the thriller to find out. In this clip, it shows the needles going into the victim and as they go in she screams. The blood seems to be coming out all over her body showing that the needles are stabbing her all over. This builds up tension for the audience as they because scared for her life as she is stuck in there when she is innocent. Blood is conventional to the thriller genre because it shows the audience that something bad has happened. Therefore, the audience want to find out what has really happened so stay engaged in the rest of the thriller film.

The convention of an unknown/eerie location is used in this clip as they have no idea where they are. By them not knowing where they are creates tension for the audience as they also don't know where the victims are. As a result, the audience can build up a relationship with the victims as both of them are thinking the same thing. It looks like the victims are in some kind of basement. This type of location is conventional to the thriller genre because it is quiet and there is usually only one way out. This means that if the antagonist locks the only way out then the victims are stuck there and are most likely going to die. This makes the audience feel hate towards the antagonist because they know that all the victims are innocent and don't deserve to die. The unknown location creates an enigma as the audience and the characters are confused as to where the victims are. This helps the audience relate to the characters as they feel like they are in their position. By having an unknown/eerie location creates suspense as it makes the audience think that anything could happen. It also makes them believe that something bad will happen. This is because they know the antagonist won't care if the victims die.

The convention of tense music is used in this clip when she is about to be thrown into the needle pit and when she is actually in the needle pit. As she is about to be thrown into the needle pit, the music gets louder creating tension. This shows that she is going top be thrown in so she will be hurt by the needles. As a result of the music getting louder, the audience begin to feel nervous and frightened for the female victim as they know she is going to be hurt. Therefore, they feel sorry for her as she doesn't deserve to be injured. Once she is in the needle pit, the music isn't as loud anymore which tells the audience that she has realised the needles have gone into her. This helps the audience realise the pain she is going through. This helps the audience build up a relationship with the victim because they feel scared for her life as they know she could die any minute. When she is in the needle pit, the music gets louder each time they show the needles in her. This creates fear for the audience as they can see how much she is suffering. By the music getting louder as they show the needles in her, it creates tension for the audience which is conventional to the thriller genre as it helps the audience build a negative relationship with the antagonist.

The convention of having a masked antagonist is used in this clip as the characters can only hear his voice and not see his face. This creates tension as both the audience and the characters don't know who is making them suffer so much. This helps the audience build a relationship with the characters as they are both thinking the same thing. This is conventional to the thriller genre because it creates tension for the audience as they are left wondering who it really is. By them not knowing who the antagonist is makes them question what he might do so the audience stay engaged in the rest of the film. As they don't know what's going to happen next, the audience will think the worst, that all the victims are going to end up dying. This helps the audience build up a lot of hatred towards the antagonist as they know he doesn't care whether they suffer or not before dying. By having a masked antagonist, it creates an enigma which is conventional to the thriller genre as it builds up suspense.

The convention of defenceless victims is used in this clip as they have to do what the antagonist says otherwise they will be locked in there and most likely end up dying. This creates tension as they have to go through pain to find a way out. This is also because the audience and the victims don't know whether what they have to do will be worth it. It helps the audience build up a relationship with the victims because they feel sorry for them and want them to stay alive. As a result, they stay engaged within the film as they want to find out whether the victims live or not. By them being defenceless, it means that they have to do what the antagonist tells them or they will be hurt and suffer anyway. This creates panic for the characters as they have to rush which makes the audience also panic so they feel like they are in the victims position. This is conventional to the thriller genre because the audience build up a negative relationship with the antagonist as he is making the victims do horrible things which he knows they will do if they want to make it out alive.

Conclusion

This clip from Saw 2 was successful in terms of creating a conventional sequence because it built up tension and helped the audience relate to the characters differently. I will use the tense music in my opening sequence because it helps build suspense which is conventional to the thriller genre. I will also use defenceless victims as they help the audience build a relationship with the characters because they feel sorry for them.