CONVENTIONS OF THRILLERS

There are many different characteristics that are used in films that make them of the thriller genre. here are some examples:

-Cliffhangers

-Criminals

-Foreshadowing

-Suspense/ mystery

-Danger

-Cryptic/ harrowing back stories and their reveal

-Music that creates tension

-Shadows

-The diagetic sound of heavy breathing

Roland Bathes was a literacy theorist, (amongst many things). h wanted to establish what the structures of different genres of story (thriller in particular), and did this by coming up with codes- these were:

The Hermeneutic Code

This is the idea of creating mystery in a film, only revealing some of the truth at a time to do so, in order to keep the audience engaged. Also known as the enigma code (enigma meaning something is mysterious or difficult to understand) this is used in almost all thrillers as uncertainty and tension is the basis of this genre.

The Proairetic Code

This is how tension and suspence is built up in a thriller. this closely linked to the hermenutic code above as an enigmatic story line generally leaves the audience guessing and at the edge of their seat.

The Semantic Code

This is the idea that a story or image/ sign (typically in film) has more than one meaning being portrayed with the intention to create depth and mystery. An example of this is the imagery of a mask. This may not only suggest that someone in the movie owns a mask but that, perhaps the mask might imply that there are themes of deception or betrayal, even hint at a character putting up a facard.

The Symbolic Code

similar to semantic code, this is the idea that an image or sign has a greater meaning in the thriller, symbolic code creates more depth and meaning to the story.

The Referencial Code

This is the a way of changing an audiences perspective on something by perhaps portraying it in a paradoxical manner in film. an example of this is how zombies are normally perceived to be slow (both mentally and physically), but in the film 28 days later where they are the opposite.

The different code in thriller movie posters: