What is the Thriller genre?
Defined by tension and acceleration, also by appealing to pathos, it is required to elicit strong emotions. A story becomes part of this genre when the elements used, such as suspense, mise-en-scene, cinematography, and editing, are taken to such an intensity that they define the entire story.
Fun Fact: The term “thriller” became established in the late 19th century, as modern literature and consequently films began to focus on more direct stories that create strong feelings.
Why does it appeal to me as the Editor?
As an editor, this genre appeals to me because the transitions used must directly create logic with what is happening. The edits I can make in the color or how long something appears on the screen control those emotions in the audience. For example, I can use wipes to create a seamless transition between shots or dissolves that can create continuity of suspense. I think my work has weight here since I can't distract the audience, or the thriller will fail.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo- Opening Scene
To test the research, I decided to use this extract because we can see the elements already mentioned, such as concealment, since we begin with what appears to be a threat amidst confusion, and what is happening is hidden from us; only the effect is shown. However, we also see how the threat gradually becomes more and more involved with one of the protagonists, who seems to be the detective. The reality of the situation is also evident, allowing us to visualize, understand, and become more immersed in the story. And the editing, with its straight cuts, keeps the audience's hearts racing. It also can be seen that the moments are reflected in our feelings, and they intensified progressively.
Why would we incorporate this genre into our production?
This genre has conventions and structures that give us a clearer guide: order-threat-escalation-confrontation-resolution, but since we are focused on creating the opening scene, our job would be to start from order-threat and that's it, without explaining much.
One of the essential aspects of this genre is that the threats and dangers are based on reality, which consequently provokes real reactions. Furthermore, we can "break" and "follow" genre theory—specifically Neale's theory—since we don't necessarily have to start with order but with the threat, which, although it creates repetition and follows the structure of this genre, could offer something "new." This would adapt to our needs since we could engage the audience, "follow" the theory, and the conventions, which would clearly be controlled ambiguity, misdirection, and psychological pressure, and plan how to implement the three C's (thriller conventions), which are:
Concealment – Key information is hidden from the audience, creating tension and suspense.
Confrontation – The danger increases, escalating after an "incident," to confront the protagonist or the new victim directly.
Consequences – The final outcome reshapes the character's life, even when the resolution is partial or ambiguous.
We would focus only on the first two to continue with our goal.
Takeaways and lesson: Now I understand why my Production Team was driven to apply this genre. I have learned that its conventions, structures, format, essence, and anatomy directly affect the audience and are very useful for our needs: to engage, captivate, and present an opening scene that is clear in genre, attractive, and consistent in its elements, and that is plausible to combine with the mystery since its elements can be molded to fit even better for instance maintaining the structure of the Thriller gerne but mixing mystery elements like the intrigue and confusion..
- Now that I understand this genre, my next task is to investigate its opening techniques.
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