What is a Thriller Film? - Miss Georgiou

Thriller Opening Analysis

Salt

Codes and Conventions

In the opening scene of the film you see the protagonist being tortured. This kind of violence is conventional to a thriller film as it makes the audience wonder why the protagonist is being tortured and want to continue watching. The use of blood also emphasises the violence of this scene and shows the protagonist's exhaustion. The close-ups allow the audience to see the protagonist's facial expressions and the diegetic pleading from the protagonist shows her frustration, exhaustion and pain. These elements are conventional to a thriller as they make the audience feel sympathy for the protagonist and puts them in the mindset of the character, however because she is being accused of being a spy the audience wonders whether she is the antagonist or the heroin. This hooks the audience and puts them on the edge of their seats wanting to continue watching. These elements would also attract the target audience (PG 13) as they grip the audience to the screen.
              The low-key lighting contributes a lot to this scene. It creates extremely dark shadows making the surrounding barely visible. This is conventional to a thriller as it creates mystery and secrecy as it is hard to make out what is going on and leaves the audience feeling on-edge and eager to find out what is happening and why it is happening.
              A lot of 'point-of-view' shots are used to show the audience what the female is seeing. This is common in a thriller as it puts the audience in the mindset of the character and creates a response from them. Many 'hand-held' shots are also used to create a chaotic atmosphere and makes the audience feel as mentally erratic as the character.
              The music is non-diegetic and has a very 'sad' sound to it which portrays the females emotions. As the music grows louder towards the end of the scene, it shows the females negative emotions growing stronger and also creates suspense as you know that she is going to be tortured and hurt even more. Suspense is conventional to a thriller film as it the purpose of this genre of film. Suspense is also what the audience expects to feel when watching a thriller as suspense increases the viewer's anxiety and excitement.

Throughout this opening sequence the audience is unsure of whether the female is the protagonist or the antagonist therefore it is difficult to predict whether the theme of this film is going to be pursuit or terrorism. However, this indecisiveness and curiosity is what helps attract the audience and make the want to continue watching.