Conventions Of A Short Thriller Film

Conventions Of A Short Thriller Film

In a short thriller film the cinematography is usually following on one character, this means that it is easier for the audience to be aligned with one character usually the protagonist, this is because because alignment must be faster and easier for the audience due to the shorter time scale. This affect is achieved with tight close ups on the protagonist coupled with low angles to make the audience feel the action from the protagonists point of view. In a short film cinematography is perhaps the most important part of the film this is because it allows the audience to experience what is happening more in depth, it brings the audience into the diegesis allowing them to experience the full story and impact in a shorter space of time.

Sound in a thriller is usually very sharp and usually has a high volume; this includes any dialogue spoken and the soundtrack. The tone of the soundtrack is usually high pitched to add to the suspense of the action happening on screen. The beat of a soundtrack can be timed to match what is happening on screen this is used in thrillers to create a larger impact upon the audience.  Dialogue in a short film is usually restricted to words or short sentences, this is because the actions of a performers in a short film are usually emphasised more to get the narrative and message across to the audience. This means that the story and action can be told more through visually imagery seen imagery than dialogue.

Mise-en-scene is key in short films for showing the audience what is happening in the diegesis. Usually in a short film the mise-en-scene has a story verisimilitude, this is because usually short films occur in the world the audience sees. The thriller genre is usually has strong verisimilitude, this is usually to subconsciously include the audience in the diegesis because if the audience could believe that it could happen to them they are more likely to believe the narrative. Lighting in the thriller genre is usually dark casting shadows on the antagonists this shows the audience that they are on the darker side of society it also shows the audience that the antagonists don’t have much hope for them in the narrative. This is usually in stark difference to the lighting on the protagonist, which is usually light, and direct this shows that in the narrative the protagonist has a glimmer of light and will be able to complete their mission and resolve the narrative. Colours in a thriller are usually black and white even if the short film its self is colour. Black is usually associated with the antagonists and white is usually associated with the protagonists because not only because it creates visual opposites between the characters but it also creates a visual representative of Levi Strauss’ theory of ‘Binary opposition’ with hero vs. villain.

Editing in a short thriller film is usually mainly comprised of cuts, this is because it speeds up the action on screen but it also serves to disorientate the viewer so they find it more action filled but do not necessarily know what is going on. However to build tension thrillers will usually have long shot durations which build tension. The tension built by the longer shot durations acts as a climax for the scene, which is then broken by the rapid action and cuts between shots. Jump cuts are sometimes used because in a thriller suspense can be created by what the audience does not see but gets the impression of seeing, this means that the audience have to fill in the blanks imagining something usually worse that what occurred. Shot reverse shot is used heavily because it is not only be used in conversations between characters but can also be used during action scenes or when the action reaches a climax.

The narrative structure of a short thriller film is usually the Todorov structure because there is usually an equilibrium, which is then broken by a disruption usually the antagonist committing a crime, or a character going missing. There is then a re-equilibrium as the protagonist solves the problem and things return back to how they where before the disruption.

A short film in general tends not to have a complex narrative, this is because it can be difficult for the audience to understand what is happening, it also means that it is easier to film and conclude the narrative in a shorter space of time. Short films also tend to have producers who take into account the capabilities of the film crew and also the budget of the short film. Usually the producer in a short film is also the director because most short films are low budget. Most short films are created for a specific audience; this means that they are tailored to get an emotional response more out of those audience members than others. However because a short film has to have a simple narrative they can appeal to wider audiences than intended.

The spectator’s interpretation of the short film may not be the intended one but it is the interpretation that the spectator gets from the film, this means that this interpretation understood becomes the meaning of the film to the spectator. To help with interpretations of the short film simple narratives are used so that the spectator can get the intended interpretation that is wanted by the director.