Research into conventions - Miller

A convention is a stereotypical thing in a movie or a way it is usually done, it helps us understand what genre the film is as we associate certain conventions with certain genres, for example, in thriller movies conventions would be:

• Slow editing 
• Fast editing
• Violence
• Enigma
• Isolated - No one around to help
• Suspense
• Shock
• Surprise
• Low key lighting

I have chosen the scene from Halloween : Resurrection where Laurie Strode is murdered by Michael, I have chosen this scene as it has many of the conventions of a thriller so it is easy to analyse

Slow editing - As he walks up to the bed thinking she is there, you can just see the bed and the bump in the duvet, implying the protagonist is under there, this is used to build up suspense in the audience, it allows the audience to analyse the situation and realise how much danger the protagonist is in, the audience, it allows the audience to build a relationship with the protagonist as they feel sympathy for her and hope she survives the ordeal, this is used in lots of thrillers and is very conventional, the audience fear foe the protagonists life and begin to lose hope of her escaping, this is done by making us assume she is there because of how in control the antagonist seems to be due to the slow editing, creating the effect he is slowly walking towards her, preparing to murder her.

Low key lighting -  while he is next to the bed, preparing to attack low key lighting is used, this again build suspense but also a sense of enigma, you cannot properly make out the surroundings but get the basic idea, also you cannot see whether the protagonist is under the sheets or not, creating suspense again, the audience get a sense of the dark tone of this scene fue to the lighting, also the audience fear for the characters safety, creating a relationship with her, this type of lighting is very conventional to thrillers, the audience are still on the edge of their seats, wondering if there is any possibility of the protagonist escaping as we think it is her due to the antagonist thinking it aswell, we are just as clueless about her not being there as he is, the lighting is dim so we cannot make out 100 percent what is there, this also adds to stopping us knowing she is not there.

Eerie music - Still while walking towards the bed, the same surroundings can be seen along with the eerie non diegetic sound,  this music is used to create suspense and make the shock much more effective, this music makes us realise that the protagonist/ victim is in serious danger, this is conventional to thrillers as it keeps the audience on edge and they really want the character to escape, this is done by not actually showing what is under the cover but impllying who/what it is by the music used, we assume it is the protagonist and fear for the character.






Enigma - She captures the antagonist in a trap and he is hanging over the edge of the building, the mask used by Michael is keeping his identity a mystery, this is done to create suspense and if his face is ever revealed, shock and surprise, enigma is constantly used in thrillers, typically masks like in this movie, it creates suspense and we are weary of him. The audience feel fearful of the antagonist due to this as they don't truly know who he is, stopping any sympathy/liking of him



Isolation - As she is running away from Michael, the fact that no one is around to help her is eerie, especially as it is based in a public building, we can see her trying to escape and running through numerous corridors, it seems as if she doesn't know where she is going, she is isolated and has no chance of anyway helping her, this creates suspense and surprise that there is absolutely no one, the audience feel sympathy for the character as to how unlucky and in danger she is, this is conventional to the thriller genre, allowing the scene to be as suspense filled as it can and making the antagonist always look on the upper hand, the convention does this by making her isolated and in serious danger

This has helped me understand when, how and why conventions are used in certain scenes of a thriller, also it has helped me decide what conventions I shall use in my opening sequence and what will go well with my idea, I shall use the isolated protagonist as it creates a lot of suspense, eerie music, again, for suspense and more shock/surprise and finally the hidden identity, this creates an enigma and puts the audience on edge.