Psychological Thriller Conventions 5j204a

PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER CONVENTIONS There are identifiable features in the style and content of films that are shared across the industry that make them prototypical of their genre and easily identifiable to an audience. ​My chosen genre is psychological thriller which is a sub genre of thriller and has conventions that cross with the horror and mystery genres

NARRATIVE STRUCTURE • A typical structural element to the plot includes an inciting incident that makes the main character investigate or somehow involve themselves with the equilibrium disruption • A climax or darkest hour ; psychological thrillers present dangers generally as emotional and mental rather than physical, and if they are physical enemies, conflicts are usually played out through deception and manipulation. Characters don’t generally engage in physical battles but rely on mental resources, and often times the enemies are internal

• Denouement; the ending provides a conclusion to tie up loose ends but it is common to provide a plot twist that is unexpected to the audience. They are designed to prompt them to rethink characters and events, and foreshadowing can help subtly point the audience towards this in retrospect.

• Common themes are death, reality, and identity, and are interwoven with the main plot • Flashbacks are sometimes interspersed with the present day and disrupts the timeline, giving it a fragmented feeling that often reflects a disturbed sense of mind

NARRATIVE STRUCTURE CONT’D • A common narrative feature of psychological thrillers is Roland Barthes five codes that are woven into most forms of narrative. The two most important of these that apply to this particular genre are… • The Hermeneutic Code : This refers to elements of the story that aren’t fully explained and purposefully obscured, so to become a mystery to the reader. ‘Snares’ are used to deliberately avoid exposing the full truth especially in psychological thrillers as it is common to keep the audience in the dark about the existence of a secret in the first place. It is typical for subtle hints to be dropped through out the story to gradually provoke suspicion that something isn’t quite right. The purpose of this is to keep the audience guessing until the reveal and all loose ends are tied off and the narrative is given closure. • The Proairetic Code: This code is designed to also build tension, referring to cumulative actions or events that indicates something else is going to happen, and hence gets the audience guessing as to what will happen next. The Hermeneutic and Proairetic Codes work together to develop the story's tensions and keep the audience interested.

CHARACTER TYPES • Vladimir Propp developed a character theory that identified seven broad character types that are widely applicable to most narratives. There are a few that are especially relevant to the psychological thriller genre… • Hero (protagonist) vs. Villain (antagonist) – In psychological thrillers, there is a clear main character that the film is centred around. The audience are invested in their story and root for them. However unlike horror or general thrillers, there is not an obvious contrasting antagonist but usually as a collective force or a malevolent influence that threatens their mental state. • The false hero – This is someone who is perceived as good in the beginning but turns out to be bad. In psychological thrillers this is often someone who is trusted by the hero or even revealed to the hero themselves. Sometimes this role is inverted to throw off the audience (E.g. In Shutter Island, as the story unfolds all clues point to the character ‘Dr. Cawley’ as the villain, however at the end he is revealed to be similar to the helper, aiding the main character)

TECHNICAL CODES • Shadows and low key lighting are used to portray a sense of danger and provoke unsettlement within the audience. Grading in post-production editing is used to increase shadow/light contrast and deepen colours for a more dramatic effect. • Sound, and often the absence of sound, is significant in creating atmosphere and evoking strong emotions. String instruments are famous for their use in building suspense; particularly low or high notes accompanied by minor-key piano chords and tension-filled silences • Non-naturalistic/obtrusive editing like montage editing, fast cuts, high/low camera angles etc. Typically designed to emphasise key points, themes or moments within the story and make the audience feel a particular way towards certain characters.

SETTING & ICONOGRAPHY • Location is important with thrillers as they are most often used to invoke atmosphere and represent themes in the form of semiotics. For example in the film ‘Black Swan’, mirrors are used to signify a darker side to the characters • Bars, windows and fences are commonly used to show entrapment of the character and represent the mind turning in on itself

• Isolating places are used to distance the character from reality, the truth, or people who can help. This is sometimes shown literally with the film set on an island, in cabins or rural houses, but it can also be interpreted as more metaphorical by directors, who choose to set their films in everyday urban areas but isolate their characters socially. This is sometimes more effective in creating emotional resonance within the audience due to it’s relatability. • Settings are usually dark with low lighting. However, sometimes characters find themselves in complete darkness and a limited amount of light is typically given in the form of torches, matches or street lamps. As well as being practical, it creates tension as the audience know the match will eventually burn out, the torches batteries will run flat, or the lamp will flicker and die, and there is a timeframe between the character striking another match or the street lamp turning on again where they are completely vulnerable