What are the key Codes and Conventions of the Thriller Genre?
The conventions of the thriller genre are based on sound, editing, lighting, mise-en-scene and cinematography. .
The codes and conventions are mainly what the audiences expect to see within a thriller this includes all types of thrillers, including its subgenres, (psychological, action, etc)
What audiences expect to see is what producers need to include to attract an audience. The codes and conventions in a thriller always includes a victim, which most of the time is a vulnerable female protagonist and a dominant male character. This lets the audiences relate with the stereotypes and therefore this produces more audience appeal and realism.
Psychological thrillers usually play with audiences minds by giving a false sense of security, using red herrings, or manipulating a character keep audiences guessing.
Sound is a large factor in creating tension in a thriller sequence. High pitched strings are usually used to heighten suspense, and eventually the suspense is released with a loud diagetic noise.
If the theme of the film is water or ice for instance, the sound used may be similar to the noise you get when circling a finger round a glass, this is a convention of a thriller because the image and sound are contrapuntal (synchronous). A good example to see these codes and conventions are in the opening of the film "Scream".
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