Research into conventions - Miss Miller

Conventions of thriller are used to show the audience what they might expect to see. They are used throughout the film to create suspension and keep the audience engaged. Convention are very important for the opening scene as they need to intrigue the audience and they set both the narrative and the setting. There are many typical conventions for a thriller film, such as a death and an unknown killer. These two things are always shown in thriller films and keep the audience engaged to find out what happens during the rest of the film. Conventions in thriller films are always cliche as you need dark lighting to set a dark atmosphere however the conventions also make the plot seem unexpected and the jumpy scenes are always used when the audience least expect it. Types of conventions that you would expect to see in thriller films is jump scares, lots of blood from both the victim and the killer, weapons and a male antagonist and female victim. These are typical conventions that the audience would expect to see when watching a thriller film.

The film Annabelle is an example of a film that contains lots of conventions of thrillers. Annabelle is about a couple that are expecting a baby. The husband gets his wife a doll for the baby, however one night everything goes wrong and supernatural things start taking place. The couple walk into the room with the doll to find that it i covered in blood. The doll has been said to be a demon and the couple try to stop the doll from hurting them. In the film, there is a scene where the wife is eating dinner and she goes to turn off the music but then it turns on again. She walks around the room and becomes spooked out by a shadow in the window. As she goes to look it in, a girl runs out. The girl comes running at her but then disappears.

During this scene low key lighting is used when the wife is in her house on her own. This instantly makes the audience think that the women is vulnerable because she is alone and is already seen as a victim which shows that something bad is going to happen to her. The idea of her being alone suggests that no one can hear her scream and she is in an isolated place which implies that she can't get help and this creates a dark atmosphere because she is seen as weak and unprotected which means that the killer can strike at any point and she will be helpless. This is conventional as the low key lighting makes it hard to see the rest of the room which intrigues the audience as they would want to know if she actually is alone or not. This is typical for a thriller film because the victim isn't usually alone and this creates tension straight away as the audience wonder what is going to happen during the film. The audience are engaged as it builds suspense whether she is alone or not. The audience are also intrigued to find out if or when the killer is going to strike.

The setting is also conventional as the camera shows the rest of the house. The camera follows the house round and shows dark corridors and a dark loft. This shows that everywhere is dark which emphasises the fact that she is vulnerable and weak. The dark corridors also make it hard for the audience hard to see what is there and so this creates enigma. This is conventional as the dark rooms suggest that something is lurking there as the shadows from the lighting make is seem like someone is standing there. There is also a build up of tension as the audience are waiting for something to jump out and so are left in suspense. Dark rooms are conventional for a thriller film as they create vulnerability and make it seem like something is going to happen. Thriller films always show the location to set the scene. They also always have locations that are in isolated areas to stop the victim from escaping and this is conventional as it implies to the audience that a death is going to take place. This engages the audience as the house makes it seem like anything or anyone can be there and the audience are left in suspense to see if anyone is in the house. The killer will also strike when the audience least expect it which engages the audience as it creates a sense of thrill.

The scene also contains shadows and this is shown when the wife is turning of the music and she sees a shadow in the corner of her eye. The shadow looks like a figure and so it gets the audience wondering whether it is a person or something else. The shadow creates a dark and mysterious atmosphere as the audience start to become worried as to what it could be. This is conventional as it makes the scene seem more serious and sinister as the girl was meant to be alone however the shadow implies that she isn't and so gets the audience on edge as to what to expect. This is conventional to thriller films because there is usually an unknown character that no one knows about or can see, it makes the film seem less of a cliche as the audience don't know when something bad is going to happen. This engages the audience as they are left in suspense to find out whether the shadow is a person or something else. The audience get put in the victims shoes as they feel worried for the victim because they don't know if the shadow is a killer and so they are worried that a death is going to take place. They start to feel worried just like the characters do and this builds up tension as the person gets closer to the shadow.

Tense music is used in the scene and this is shown as the curtain is opened and the women falls on the floor. A girl runs past which is when the tense music is used. This is conventional as it builds up suspense and the tense music suggests that something bad is going to happen. The music also creates a sinister atmosphere as the audience know now that there is a girl in the house and this makes the audience worried for the character as the girl could be anywhere. The tense music also created a jumpy scene which was unexpected and kept the audience on edge. This is conventional to thriller films as they always include tense music to make the audience jump and to suprise them with something unexpected. The audience are now scared as they know the girl is in the house and so they are expecting a death scene. This engages the audience as they got an element of surprise and shock as they didn't expect the girl to come running out. The tense music leaves the audience in suspense as to what is going to happen next and so it intrigues the audience as they enjoy being thrilled.

The scene contains slow editing and this is shown when the wife is walking around the room and she turns around to find the girl staring at her. This is conventional as it builds up tension as she walks around the room , the audience don't know what to expect and are surprised to find the girl standing there. This creates an element of shock and makes the audience jump to find the girl there. Slow editing is also used as it symbolises that death is waiting for her and it creates suspense as the audience know that she is going to die, The slow editing makes the killer look more powerful than the wife as the wife stares at the killer hopelessly.
This is conventional as the wife is seen as powerless and hopeless while the killer is getting ready to attack and the audience can see this through the slow editing. This engages the audience as they become scared for the character because they can see the killer is determined to attack but the audience wait nervously as to when the killer is going to strike. The slow pace editing makes the audience sit in suspense as they have no idea what is going to happen and the slow pace editing makes the wait seem even longer as it builds up tension. The audience also feel intimidated by the little girls scare and the slow pace editing means that the audience have to wait longer for the killer to attack and this puts the audience in the characters position as they know what the character is feeling like at that moment in time.

To conclude, conventions of a thriller are used to create surprise, shock and suspense as they keep the audience engaged in the film. Conventions of a thriller help the audience to understand what is going on in the film and to show them what they mighty expect to see in the film. Conventions of a thriller create tension within the audience as they make the audience jump when they least expect it. Conventions of a thriller also create a dark atmosphere for the audience as typically in thriller films, there is low key lighting and set in an isolated area where nobody can hear you scream. In my sequence I would include an isolated setting so that it makes the victims seem more vulnerable and helpless. It also creates an ideal location for a killer to strike because the victims can't escape and so are trapped which means that the killer is more likely to capture and kill the victims. I would also include an enigma so that the audience are left in suspense as to what is going to happen during the film. It would also intrigue the audience more as there would be a lot of scenes in which the audience didn't expect and they would want to watch the film to find out who the killer is. Finally I would also want to add camera techniques of point of view shots and this would make the audience feel more involved in the film and they can also relate to the characters in the film as they would understand how they feel. It would also build up more tension and suspense as to if anything is going to jump out. The audience can feel empathy towards the characters as they would be in their shoes and know how scared they feel.