Research into conventions - Miss Miller

Conventions are elements that are common and repeated through thrillers and things that we would expect to see in them. Some of the elements that are conventional to thrillers are shock, surprise, suspense, tension, knives, blood, screaming, protagonists (usually female) and antagonists (usually male). I have chosen to analyse the Here's Johnny clip from The Shining. I'm doing this one as I can see that there are lots of thriller conventions in it.

The Shining

A male antagonist and female protagonist is common within thrillers. We see this when a man is walking towards the bathroom where the woman is trying to escape and cry's hysterically. It is commonly thought that men are stronger then women which makes the audience feel anger towards the male as the situation is unfair. This is very common in thrillers as it adds to the tension. The man is clearly stronger then the woman, he walks very dominantly and this makes him appear like an over powering person. Whereas the woman is cowering away, this makes the audience feel tense as we know that if the man gets to the woman that he could easily over power her. The obvious advantage of the man will make the audience feel hopeless for the safety of the victim. This is a common convention to a thriller as the audience are normally hopeful that the victim will get away but we always know realistically that the antagonist will be able to over power them easily. This creates suspense as its a waiting game for when the killer is going to strike.

A knife is a common weapon used within thrillers. We see this when the lady grabs the knife from the bath room sink. This creates hope for the victim as she has a weapon. However, it also shows her vulnerability as she looks reluctant to use the knife. Which also portrays innocence as a result of this we still fear the safety of the girl. As soon as a knife is seen on screen in thriller we know that someone is going to be killed this creates tension within an audience as they won't find out who the person being killed is until it happens. This will lead to an increase in heart rate of the audience as there will be maximum tension created by the use of a knife. A knife is a conventional weapon used in thrillers as it kills people quickly and takes little effort therefore is convenient for killers. Which creates suspense and tension within the thriller.


Another thriller convention used in this clip is an isolated setting. We see this when there is an establishing shot, when the girl is telling the little boy that she cant get out of the window to escape. This creates tension as we see that there is no one around to help the girl. This shows that there is little hope for her escape and the audience feel that she probably wont be able to get away. In this shot is also shows that its snowing outside which supports that she won't be able to get away as snow slows down any means of transport. This is conventional to a thriller as victims are often trapped with little hope of getting away from the antagonist. This makes the audience feel unhopeful of the escape of the girl, which creates suspense as we are waiting for her to be killed.

In addition to this anther thriller convention used in this clip is screaming. We hear this when the antagonist is axing through the door and the girl is screaming by the door holding a knife. This shows the girl is scared and fears her life. It also shows that the girl knows the man could easily over power her and she can't control her emotions knowing this. Which makes the audience feel sorry for the girl and due to it showing the vulnerability of her they audience will feel like they know her more. In turn this creates a larger emotional effect in the tension created. This is conventional to thriller films as the weakness of the victim creates suspense and tension.

This research into thriller conventions has shown me what I need to incorporate in my thriller and what is expected to be seen. These different conventions make thrillers successful and make the audience subconsciously associate the clips with the thriller genre. The convention that I think is the most vital is a knife as it automatically creates a large amount of tension and suspense, this can be shown in my clip from the shining when the girls picks up the knife. Also I am going to use screaming as it relates to fear and vulnerability which will help to add to the tension.