Genre Research: Thriller

 Commonalities:

Camera Angles/Movements: Canted angles and creative medium shots such as from between staircase rails are excessively present in these films and add to the intrigue of the story. Close ups are often used to highlight important props and expressions. Finally, pans can be found throughout for establishing shots.

Mise-en-scene: The costumes, makeup, and props all resemble everyday, normal life such as a t-shirt and leggings or a cell phone. The acting is also subtle in that nothing is over-dramatized. It is essential to note choice of wording or body language when watching these movies. Additionally, the setting resembles the averageness of the above subjects, almost always taking place in a small town.

Editing: Shot/reverse shots and cutaways are the most common editing tactics in these movies, and sometimes the only editing tactics. There are maybe an action match or eye-line match occasionally, but these movies use very limited variety in editing.

Sound: Dialogue, ambient sound, and a general focus on diegetic sound is the highlight of what you'll hear in thrillers. It adds to the realism thrillers try to achieve by using as little non-diegetic sound as possible. However, to compensate for the lack of non-diegetic sound, thrillers use ambient sounds to create various moods such as tension or suspicion.

Film Examples:

- The Woman in the Window

- Escape Room

- Ma

- Unhinged

- The Little Things

The Positives: Thrillers leave their viewers in intriguing suspense, putting special attention on keeping viewers watching. This is an affect I want to replicate in my own film. I would also like to copy the creative medium shots and how the ambient sound is used in my project. I believe this will make my own product more unique and immersive.

The Negatives: Things I want to avoid in my own project are the editing and costume/makeup tropes. While I still want to include cutaways, I want more variety in editing than the average thriller. Plus, the typical costumes/makeup are too simple or subtle for what I want for all of my characters in my film. I need the freedom to give my characters more, well, character than a simple shirt.