JAKE MACLEODVARNDEAN COLLEGE

THRILLER THEME RESEARCH

THRILLER, INTRODUCEDThe Thriller genre is designed to stimulate the viewer , make them thoroughly engaged and feel high levels of anticipation. Though, thriller is technically a mother genre, it is the hub for many other sub-genre’s; for example, crime thriller, psychological thriller, action thriller, horror thriller, sci-fi thrillers, mystery thriller, western thrillers, political thriller and many more.

Despite there being many different kinds of thriller, the narrative is generally always pretty similar. For example, The protagonist in these films is set against a problem – an escape, a mission, or a mystery. No matter what sub-genre a thriller film falls into, it will emphasize the danger that the protagonist faces. The tension with the main problem is built on throughout the film and leads to a highly stressful climax. The cover-up of important information from the viewer, and fight and chase scenes are common methods in all of the thriller subgenres, although each subgenre has its own unique characteristics and methods. This is universal way of entertaining an audience.

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVEOne of the first thriller films to hit cinemas was the The Cat and the Canary (1927). It is an American silent horror film adaptation of John Willard's 1922 black comedy play of the same name. Directed by German Expressionist filmmaker Paul Leni, the film stars Laura La Plante as Annabelle West and Forrest Stanley as Charles "Charlie" Wilder, The plot revolves around the death of Cyrus West, who is Annabelle, Charlie, and Paul's uncle, and the reading of his will 20 years later. Annabelle inherits her uncle's fortune, but when she and her family spend the night in his haunted mansion they are stalked by a mysterious figure. Meanwhile, a lunatic known as "the Cat" escapes from an asylum and hides in the mansion. The Cat and the Canary is part of a genre of thriller/comedy/horror films inspired by 1920s Broadway stage plays. Leni's style of directing made The Cat and the Canary influential in the "old dark house" genre of films popular from the 1930s through the 1950s. This film has later been filmed 5 times.

Though, however early some thrillers were made, no list of thriller films can be complete without mention of English film-maker/director Alfred Hitchcock. He helped to shape the modern-day thriller genre, beginning with his early silent film The Lodger (1926), a suspenseful Jack-the-Ripper story, followed by his next thriller Blackmail (1929), his first sound film (but also released in a silent version). Hitchcock would make a signature cameo appearance in his feature films, beginning with his third film The Lodger (1926), although his record was spotty at first. After 1940, he appeared in every one, except for The Wrong Man (1956). Although nominated five times as Best Director (from 1940-1960), Hitchcock never won an Academy Award. He also when on to make famous films such as Vertigo (1958) and Phycho (1960)

NARRATIVE THEMES AND CONVENTIONS

The normal narrative structure of a thriller film is filled with false paths, clues and resolutions – this will keep the audience in suspense (e.g Memento, the Usual Suspects, Sixth Sense). A narrative pattern of establishing riddles / problems which the viewer expects to be resolved.The narrative will twist and turn keeping the audience guessing about the outcome e.g Sixth Sense

Thriller films are normally shown from two character points of view. The first being that of the protagonist, which involves the audience more in events and creates empathy for the character. Or the story is occasionally told from the view of the villain, which can lead to empathy for the villain also at their twisted understanding or perhaps disturbing past that has led to the present. Although it can also create a sense of guilt. Lastly thought the story can also be told from the point of view of an onlooker, detaching the audience from events so they perhaps are more observant.

MISE EN SCENEMise-en-scène (‘placing on stage’) is an expression used to describe the design aspects of a film production, which essentially means visual theme or "telling a story“, both in visually artful ways through storyboarding, cinematography and stage design, and in poetically artful ways through direction. Mise-en-scène has been called film criticism's "grand undefined term". When applied to the cinema, mise-en-scène refers to everything that appears before the camera and its arrangement; composition, sets, props, actors, costumes, and lighting. Mise-en-scène also includes the positioning and movement of actors on the set, which is called blocking. These are all the areas overseen by the director, and thus, in French film credits, the director's title is metteur en scène, "placer on scene."

EXAMPLES OF MISE EN SCENE IN FILM

Position within a frame can draw out attention to

character/objectThe director can use camera

shots to describe the relationships between

people.

BY JAKE MACLEOD