Research into Conventions - Miss Miller

Chloe Eustace

Research into Conventions

Introduction

Conventions are a variety of different things that you see are typical within that specific genre of film.  Conventions conform to specific standards of a genre. In films conventions are elements that are common with different film genres - patterns that can be seen in different films from the same category.  Conventions are needed in films in order for the genre of the film to stand out from others for example: within action films some typical conventions are explosions, Aeriel shots and iconography of which within a thriller film may not be the same.  The scene from a thriller film that I have decided to use for this analysis is Scream 2, as there is a scene where I can see that there is a variety of conventions within it that relate to the thriller genre. 

Chosen Film Sequence:  Scream 2  - Reckless Driving Scene

Convention 1: Non - Diegetic Sound

There is non-diegetic sound within this scene mostly throughout the scene as Non - diegetic sound is sound that has been edited into the scene after the filming. The sound is tense music with a beat that has been added to the background when the masked man jumps on the car and then it remains for the rest of the scene. This adds effect to the scene as it is tense music when something bad happens and as the music builds up and gets faster it might lift the audience and this may create excitement for the audience as they feel part of the film as they see what is happening. This is conventional to a thriller film because the tenacious music also creates tension which is something that thriller films need to create for the audience for them to want to engage to the scene and the rest of the film. Excitement is also conventional to thriller films as again it helps to get the audience excited and want to engage with the film and it helps the audience to create a relationship with the characters as the music is tense and makes the audience feel sorry for the four victims.

Convention 2: Darkness/ Low Key Lighting/ Setting

Another convention within this film scene is darkness/abandoned setting/ and the use of low key lighting. The setting is dark and in an abandoned street when they are in the car which is typical because there is no one around to witness the murders and because it makes the audience feel tense for the victims knowing that something is probably going to happen to them and they are in an abandoned place. The low key lighting is apart of this as it creates darkness and shadows which are also tense as the audience don't know whats going to or is moving. The dark setting is in an abandoned place because the two men in the front of the car were planning on taking the two girls in the back away and they didn't even know where they were going when the masked man appeared. The low key lighting is typical of thriller films as it creates tension for the audience as they don't know whats going to happen, but darkness normally insinuates that something bad is going to happen. The audience can create a relationship with the 4 victims because they are typical female victims that is conventional to a thriller but the two men are untypical of thriller films. The audience can build a relationship with these characters  because they feel sorry for them knowing that something is going to happen and that they are going to die.

Convention 3:  Antagonist/ Main Character/ Killer an Iconography

Another convention of thriller films is the main antagonist. There is always an antagonist in thriller films because the antagonist is the murderer, if there wasn't then there would be no one killing people. The main antagonist from this scene is the masked man as he jumps out from the dark and attacks the people in the car. This is conventional to thriller films as there is typically someone with a hidden identity trying to murder people. Another convention linked to the antagonist of thriller films and in general in thriller films is the weapons used by the antagonist, this is iconography. The weapon that the masked man uses is a knife as he appears and jumps on top of the car with a knife. This is conventional to thriller films as there is the need for weapons otherwise someone wouldn't be murdered. The weapons help to hook the audience as this is excitement as they know that there is going to be someone murdered probably and this makes the audience want to carry on watching. The audience can gain a relationship with the main antagonist as they know that he is the masked man and that when he appears in the scene that something bad is going to happen and that someone will be killed. With the antagonist comes the tense music which again engages the audience to the scene as it makes them feel tense about what may follow. The audience can also build a relationship with the main antagonist as there is a masked antagonist and he has a hidden identity which is conventional to thriller films. The hidden identity is exciting for the audience as they know that there is something hidden from them and makes them want to find out who the masked man is. It leaves a lot of unanswered questions to the audience.

Convention 4: Female Victims 

Within this scene there  is two female victims in the back of the car which the masked man is originally going for however the two men get in the way and so the man kills them first and drives away with the women. This is typical to thriller films because there is typically a female victim because women are seen to be vulnerable and nieve, they are seen as the typical type of victim in thriller films becasue they are easy targets. The audience can build a relationship with the two female victims because they know that they know that something is going to happen, and the audience may feel sorry for them as they know they are going to be victims. The audience may feel sorry for the other two victims who were the two men in the front seat however they are not seen as typical victims becasue the audience may assume that they can take care of themselves and fight with him, which they do but die anyway. This is conventional to a thriller because there is always a female victim that is chased or hunted or to be killed and it tends to keep the audience's attention.

Convention 5: On screen sound

Within this scene of the film there is the use of on screen sound which is conventional to thriller films. On screen sound is where the audience can hear a sound and know where the sound is coming from. In this scene it is when the car moves hurridly down the road. The audience can see and hear the car so they know what the noise is. This effects the scene because it makes the audience excited as the car drives and they can see and hear that it is driving quickley down the road, it makes the audience experiance the movement as it is happening. This is conventional to thriller films becasue the masked man who is driving the car is in a hurry to outrun everyone and wants to hide and this makes the audience feel sorry for the victims in the car but also as the car is moving hurridly they feel tense about what is happening.

Conclusion

In conclusion there is a number of conventions within thriller films that make them specific to the thriller genre, this clip shows this because there is the use of typical conventions of thriller films such as victims, female victims, weapons, an antagonist and sound. These conventions all make a thriller film because they make the film exciting, shockeing, tense and suspicious for the audience who are watching the film, they engage them. I will take some of these conventions and elements of the this clip in order to create my own thriller sequence and make sure that the elements chosen are conventional of a thriller film and the thriller genre. For example I may use diegetic sound becasue this is typical to a thriller and makes the audience more excited when they hear different music. I will use weapons in my thriller sequence because again this helps the audience to engage in the film and is conventional to a thriller film as there is typically weapons used in most thriller films.