Research into conventions of thrillers - Miss Miller

Film conventions are elements that are common within different film genres - patterns that can be seen or used in different films from the same category. I will be analysing the different thriller genres used withing the clip 'Kiss the girls - Kate escapes'

Instantly, in this clip I can see that this is a chase scene. Chase scenes in thrillers are typically between a female victim and the murderer which is the case in this clip. Kate, the female victim is escaping to defend her life from the unknown obsessive, stalker like male keeping her hostage. As Kate is running in desperation this connects the audience to her as their hearts would be racing in hope she gets away, the audience would be feeling great empathy for her as it is life or death. This is both effective and conventional to the thriller genre as it builds up masses of tension and suspense which leaves the audience feeling anxious like Kate.

Also,in this clip enigma is used. There is great mystery throughout as the man chasing Kate has a hidden identity, a masked murderer. Masked murderers are typically found in thrillers as it is the fear of the unknown. This makes it more chilling and tense for the audience as they are unaware of what kind of person is hidden underneath. Furthermore the audience also sympathise more for Kate as she does not know what to expect from the man chasing and obsessing over her which makes running away from him more frightening as she does not know the way he thinks or anything about his character nor does the audience, which leaves them feeling on edge.

Another thriller convention used in this clip is iconography, knives are typically used in thrillers as it it makes them seem more bloody and gory. However, in this clip the iconography used is a surringe intending to drug the victim Kate this is because it is a psyhcological thriller. The surringe held by the masked man gives the audience a feel of uneasieness and anxiety for Kate as she is about to be made even more weaker and defenseless than she already is, it also gives the audience an insight into the mans emotional and mental state. Another clever use of iconography used in this clip is the visual image of woods. Woods are locations often used for thrillers. This is because they create a sense of being lost as the characters find themselves trying to figure out how to escape. Woods are often isolated too, which creates a sense of vulnerability and it seems inevitable that the characters will ever find any help. Kate being in the woods is effective for connecting the audience to her as she is sorrounded by nothing but trees which puts more focus on her, and the situation she is in.