Conventions of a thriller film

Examples
The Dark Knight Rises The Impossible The Bourne ultimatum Inception Skyfall Memento Pulp fiction

Sub genres
Conspiracy (The Bourne legacy) Crime (Reservoir Dogs) Disaster (The Impossible/2012) Mystery (Vertigo) Political (State of play) Psychological (Psycho) Religious (The Da Vinci code/Angels and Demons) Supernatural (The others) Techno (Matrix/Irobot/Terminator)

Plot
The narrative may be centred around a crime/murder The protagonist may have an Achilles heel which is exploited by the antagonist e.g. memento The protagonist will be seen in danger before a resolution

Characters
Males tend to overpower women, in solving crimes for example. However this sometimes not the case, in order to prevent stereotyping. Females are also commonly objectified. Character types:
o Protagonist o Antagonist o Victims

Sound
Non diagetic plays a key role in thrillers as it can have a number of effects. Music, for example, can used to increase tension gradually. (e.g. an orchestra is common)

Iconography
The mise en scene would generally be relative to the sub genres, in a crime thriller, an agent may dress up as a janitor but equipped with explosives.

Camera
Plenty of close ups are used to display the emotions of characters and to amplify suspense. Between characters, Front reverse shots are used to show both facial expressions and get the audience thinking During scenes that are fast paced e.g. action in the Bourne ultimatum, editing is quick and sharp, while intense and scenes of tension may have smooth panning and less cuts.