Thriller Conventions

Thriller Coventions and Key Components

In the genre 'thriller', devices such as suspense,tension and excitement as its main elements. Thrillers also try to stimulate the viewer's moods, often giving audiences a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty,suprise and anxiety.
Usually thrillers are fast- paced, adrenaline and gritty.

The primary elements of the thriller genre:

• The protagonist faces a terrible fate or death.
• The antagonist is usually more powerful and/or clever than the protagonist, it is up to the protagonist to over come the obstacles set by the antagonist.
• The quest set for the protagonist is usually one that is forced upon him, he can not back out of it/
• The main plotline focuses on a mystery that must be solved.
• The narrative is usaually told from the protagonist's point of view, focusing on his experiences and reactions to the events in the story.
• The two major themes that underpin the thriller genre are the desire for justice and the morality of individuals.
• One essential factor, which is often unnoticed, is that the protagonist is portrayed as innocence in a more or less corrupt/dark world.  
• The protagonist and antagonist may battle, themselves and each other, not just on a physical level, but on a mental one as well.
• Either by accident or their own curiousness, each character is dragged into a dangerous conflict or situation that they are not prepared to resolve.

Protagonist are often characters who lead normal, ordinary lives, which do not encounter risk or danger whereas antagonists are usually powerful criminals, assassins, stalkers or any powerful influence.

Some Key Components of A Thriller

Macguffin
This is an object, event, or character in a film or story that serves to set and keep the plot in motion but in reality it does not have any self value or importance.

Red Herring
This is a clue which is unimportant but is used to stop people from noticing or thinking about something important in the story. It is used to distract viewer from the real culprit, it could be a character that has the traits of the culprit, only to discover later that he/she is innocent.

Enigma
This is a question, character or action, which is thrown into the thriller to make audiences think and answer why it was done. It is usually hard to explain or answer at first but gradually the answer is revealed throughtout the thriller.

Suspense
This is a feeling or state of nervousness or excitement caused by wondering what will happen. Thrillers can cause this happening by adding a sense of mystery in narrative such as knowing that the protagonist has a limited amount of time to perfom a task, usally set by the antagonist.

Cliff hanger
Ofren thrillers end on cliff hangers, this means that the future for charcters after the events in the story is unresolved or certain;this leaves the audience eager to know what wiil happen next.