Chosen genre and conventions within film trailers

The genre I've chosen to emulate in my movie trailer is a...

" If a thriller doesn't thrill, it's not doing its job."

Conventions of a thriller:

• Use of shadows- Shadows add to the ambiguous nature of the thriller genre. It allows us to know that a person or figure is there without revealing too much about the story line and plot.
• Use of staggered clips- A trailer's purpose is to wet the audiences appetite, it's not supposed to reveal in full the content of the plot.
• Use of protagonist vs victim- This is a very typical convention in a thriller, there is almost always a protagonist and a victim, it's often the victim that is chasing after the protagonist after a wrong or crime they have committed.
• Voice overs-  Voice overs are often used in thrillers to create suspense. Listening to a voice that has been exzadurated for dramatic effect is very intriguing to listen to, it also helps viewers to stay on track with a often unjointed trailer.
• Eerie music- Music is VERY important in thrillers, watching a trailer without music is very boring, it doesn't create the same suspense and mystery that trailers with music.
• Non diegetic text/ Captions- The use of non diegetic text appearing on blank frames in-between clips is very effective, it poses questions and gives the viewers information to take in and ponder allowing them to have their own understanding and perspective of the trailer.
• Distorted shaky camera use- This camera shot style is very effective when it comes to making the trailer seem real, it adds verisimilitude and makes the viewer feel as though they're there. It also portrays and illuminates the gritty side of a thriller.
• Ghostly transition between clips- This fading effect is common in a lot of thrillers, it illuminates the eerie and ambiguous side of a thriller and makes you anticipate the next clip that is to be shown.
• Fast paced editing between clips- Fast paced editing is very common in thriller films it runs parallel with the fast paced and exiting story lines, it leaves viewers on the edge of their seat predicting what will happen next.
• Cut of sound-  Cut of sound is sometimes as effective as having sound in a thriller film. Even if it's for a smal', brief few moments cut of sound at the right point of tension allows viewers to take in and comprehend everything that has took place throughout the trailer.

Usual themes of thriller films:

• Fear, revenge, terrorism, politics , secrecy, the idea of the 'private eye', someone pursuing a goal

Alfred Hitchcock

No list of suspense films can be completed without the mention of Alfred Hitchcock. He helped to shape the modern day genre of thrillers, beginning with his early thrillers one of them being 'Wrong Man'.

"Alfred Hitchcock is considered the acknowledged auteur master of the thriller or suspense genre, manipulating his audience's fears and desires, and taking viewers into a state of association with the representation of reality facing the character."

This is a key skill when creating a thriller film and one I wish to emulate when I create my thriller trailer.

Hitchcock often placed an innocent victim or an average person into an absurd, life threatening or terrorizing situation. He also established many of the conventions that still exist in thrillers to this day. Shadows are used in this clip through the contrast in low and high lighting to show the ambiguity of the situation. There are also close up shots that allow you to feel the tense and alarming position the character is in. A voice over is also used in this trailer, this is a way of emitting a tense and mysterious tone through a narrative talking the audience through what's happening. The music also helps to establish the fact this is of the thriller genre.