Analysis of the Conventions of the Thriller genre

According to Saul Bass a thriller should 'settle them down and create a sense of anticipation.. hit the ground running'

A thriller should follow a set of rules/conventions that are needed to make a good thriller film. There are many conventions that the thriller genre should have. Using an example I shall see how it conforms to the set conventions.

EXAMPLE: Flight plan

• One convention of a thriller is to build up to the action, flight plan does this very well as there is not much dialogue and the use of music and action makes the films' action build up.
• The creation of fear and uncertainty is made by the non diegetic sound as it is very loud and abrupt.
• Dark and shadowy atmosphere is used lots and it is used a lot on the people in the film, especially the girl as it shows that she is the one to watch.
• The mood and atmosphere is established very well as again there is not much dialogue, and this shows that the film is going to be very uncertain and mysterious.
• Another convention of a thriller is that there is a delay in showing the face of a significant character, or an significant piece of action. This is used in the opening sequence of flight plan and works well, the girl has a delay in being shown and when she is shown we get a sense of her being very vulnerable and scared.
• The creation of suspense using soundtrack music is used also very well in flight plan as the soundtrack music is very childlike and this reflects the girl in the film. Action and suspense is used by the soundtrack going up and down in pitch.
• In thrillers there is usually a morally ambiguous central character. There is a character in flight plan that stands out in the opening sequence and it is the male flight attendant, as he shows up every now and again in the sequence. This gives us a sense of mystery.
• There is also usually murder in a thriller and therefore a suspecting audience. In this film, the murder (or disappearance) is of the girl, and this then gives a suspecting audience.
• The realistic setting is created by the credits being on the side of a train, as if they were actually there. Also they follow the background action by, for example moving with the closing of a door.
• The opening sequence has many flashbacks, for example when there is a close up on an eye, we go spinning into a flashback that they saw.
• There are many twists and unexpected turns in the sequence, mostly from the flashbacks.
• The opening sequence keeps me on the edge of my seat and makes me tense, this is because we never know what is going to happen next, the sequence is quite fast and keeps you interested.