Tuesday, 28 October 2008

Codes and Conventions of the Thriller Genre

Key Concepts
  • Codes and conventions of mise-en-scene (everything within the frame e.g. costume, location etc)
  • Representation of particular social groups and ideology (values and messages)
  • Audience - Every media targets a specific audience
  • Institutions - film, place of exhibition (i.e. cinema, dvd)


Generic feature of a thriller is entrapment. Thus claustrophobic spaces are a key generic signifier in thriller.

Flightplan, Snakes on a Plane, Phonebooth, Kill Bill 2 and Panic Room all have claustrophobic spaces and a sense of entrapment

Flightplan - location - plane

Snakes on a Plane - location - plane

Phonebooth - location - phonebooth

Kill bill 2 - location - buried in a coffin



Claustrophobic spaces such as:

  • planes
  • coffins
  • under water
  • boot of a car
  • elevator/lift
  • walk in freezer
  • tube trains
  • white van
  • small room
  • car
  • prison cell
  • narrow alleyways
  • multi-storey car parks

Lighting

  • Noir - very dark
  • Chiaroscuro - light against dark - creates a sense of illusion, nightmare whilst also being aesthetically pleasing.


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