Tuesday 27 April 2010

Research on the Thriller Genre

I researched this type of Genre, aiming for a better idea in what my film would need to include, what would be expected and acceptable to be placed under this genre and also, tips in which i should be thinking about when planning my own.

The general definition tends to explain that; 'Thriller' is a broad genre of literature, film and television that include nemorous and overlapping sup-genres. These could include: horror, action, crime, disaster, drama and science-fiction etc.

It is also explained that 'if a thriller does not thrill, then it is not doing its job.'

I aim to concentrate on this insuring that ours does feel thrilling and includes characteristics typical of this genre to achieve this. Examples of these charactersitics include;
  • fast pacing
  • mystery
  • frequent action
  • suspense
  • cliff hangers
  • tragedy
  • hero and villian?
  • misleading
  • disturbing
  • anticipation
  • unexpected/shock
  • dramatic
  • twists and turns

After watching a number of Thrillers myself, as a style of research, i have also found that there is often a mystery/puzzle or even a race against time. There is usually a sense of detective mystery and psychological components are there. The protagonist seems realistic and believable, often using a divergance of abnormality to grab the reader. I have also found, by watching what i believe to be good thrillers and also ones that i did not enjoy, that the audience must feel a link or connection to the character and that there needs to be a large psychological element here. In a typical thriller, there is usually a sense of normality that is diverted by an event which then needs to be solved.

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