Codes and conventions

1. Aspects of a thriller

1.1. Changes in angle shots

1.2. Quick cuts

1.3. Low key lighting

1.4. Shadows

1.5. Black and white shots

2. Sound

2.1. Non-diegetic sound is the opposite to diegetic sound for it's audio only the audience can hear and the characters in the film are oblivious of it. This could be sound like a monologue or a soundtrack.

2.2. Diegetic sound is anything that can be heard by the characters in the film. This is usually produced by something in frame or some mysterious out of frame.

2.3. Synchronous sound is when sounds are made in conjunction with movement in the frame. For example a simple one would be footsteps that can be heard when the character is walking.

2.4. A sound bridge occurs when a sound carries on playing through a transition or cut to a different scene. This could be something as simple as a soundtrack overlapping through multiple shots, or maybe like gunshots echoing through different shots of the scene.

2.5. Pitch being the wavelength (frequency) of the sound wave. A high pitch sound would have compact high waves whereas a low pitch sound would have fewer waves and would be more distributed along the waveline. These pitches can be used to create different moods, and create suspense for example take Alfred Hitchcock's psycho stabbing scene which contains high pitch noises when the woman is being stabbed.

2.6. Ambient sound is used in the background of a scene and is not meant to be listened to as such, it's just there to make the environment sound more alive and create a mood in the scene.

3. Workflow

3.1. Makeup

3.1.1. Used alongside costumes to further enhance the feel to a character in a film and is also used to define facial features more prominently

3.2. Costumes

3.2.1. Important to give a character a backstory and feel in a film, costumes are used as a subtle way of representing the time of which the film takes place or what type of culture the characters in the film may have.

3.3. Lighting

3.3.1. Key, fill and high key lighting are three main points in lighting. They all give off different themes and are used for different scenarios.

3.4. Location

3.4.1. important for the film because it helps the audience establish theme and understand the simple premise of the film.

4. Cinematography

4.1. Essentially cinematography is how the camera is used to shoot the film. This includes such things like camera movement, angles and position. The cinematography of a film is really important for using it correctly will convey the theme that the film is trying to achieve, as well as hidden meanings and messages which the audience can look into and begin to make theories about. This keeps their attention to the film and engrosses them in the world the film has created therefore making it a more enjoyable experience.

4.2. The shots that are predominantly used in thriller films are CU shots (Close up shots) for it shows the emotion of characters which enriches the drama and creates an element of suspense. Focus pulls are used quite often too for when a specific character or object is of importance the camera will focus in on that blurring everything else around so the audiences attention is on that character/object so they don't miss out on any plot.

4.3. Movement in thriller films usually consist of such techniques like: Tracking shots which follow the character/object through a scene (usually used to create a level of suspense), Panning which is usually used to establish a location showing the audience the location of the scene and zooming in on characters to either show something they possess or show their emotion to a situation. This is done to increase dramma and develop the tension in the scene.

4.4. Angles also add another layer of detail to the cinematography. Angles can be used to convey messages to the audience such as if a character is in frame and the shot is a low angle shot it could resemble that this character is of high importance as the camera looks up to them, and the opposite can be said for high angle shots. If the character is in frame on a high angle shot it could be said that that character is less important or is inferior to other characters in the film.