Research Summary

From my research I have learnt the following things about different aspects of films under the genre of Thriller:

Target Audience:
The majority of thriller films are aimed at audiences of above 12 year olds, 15 year olds or in some cases 18 year olds. This is due to the common use of guns, bombs, violence and bombs in thriller films as a lot of them involve tense action. Films which have a subgenre of action tend to appeal a male audience. Thriller films tend to target younger adults such as 20-30 year olds, as they sometimes include unrealistic storylines and action sequences which would turn older viewers away. However thrillers with a psychological sub genre tend to appeal to older audiences as they are slower paced and involve the viewer to figuring out the plot, this might not appeal to younger audiences as it gets confusing and tiring for them.Thrillers with a subgenre of comedy would be aimed at younger audiences as they are lighthearted and can be viewed as immature and stupid by older more mature audiences, for example The Inbetweeners Movie.

Opening Credits:
From the three thriller films I analysed: Saw, Cabin In The Woods and The Dark Knight, it is demonstrated that lots of thriller films makeover their production logo to give it a more frightening feel using different colour themes and animations. For example the both of the common company logos of Lionsgate and Warner Bros have a different colours scheme to the usual, this immediately sets the tone for the film. The logo for Saw has animation of lightning and barbed wire which again shows the tone of the film and immediately presents the genre.

Mis En Scene: 
For thriller films Mis En Scene used varies between sub genres. Horror thrillers are set in dark, grimy rooms with a cold, damp tone to it, they also use low level lighting, this puts the audience on edge as it isn't a comfortable environment for the characters. For comedy thrillers that appeal to teenagers and young adults the surroundings tend to be places they relate to such as teenagers homes or high schools. For action films, the Mis En Scene tends to be bright lighting, creating a modern feel to it with elaborate locations such as London, New York, Los Angeles or the south of France. This appeals to male target audiences (who most action thriller films are aimed at) as it presents the lavish life which young boys aspire to have, these lives have been presented as desirable through games such as Grand Theft Auto which are popular amongst young males.

Sound:
Like Mis en Scene, sound tends to change with the subgenre of the film. Action thrillers use sharp intense, loud music to build tension and get the audiences adrenaline pumping. Horror thriller films tend to use music that builds up to gradually build tension and suspense, this gets the audience on the edge of their seat making it easier to scare them, therefore having a lasting impact on the viewer. Psychological thrillers use eery music, this makes the audience unsettled. Comedy thrillers tend to use modern well known music, this adds an upbeat feel to the film. However some comedy thrillers will use over-the-top dramatic music to mock the stereotypical thriller genre an example of this is Spy (2015).

Editing:
A common editing technique used in action thrillers is jump cuts. Jump cuts are often used during action sequences for example a car chase, these are common in James Bond films. Crime, horror and psychological thrillers often use cold, grimy filters in their films, this adds to the gritty feel of the film and plays a large part when setting the tone.