Continuing on into our research into media (specifically films), our class began to focus on theories of genre, specifically regarding thrillers.
What is a genre?
A genre is a general group of media with similar characteristics. There is no line at which something is in a genre or not. Within genres are sub-genres, groups within the larger group with similar characteristics. An example would be the sub-genre of action thrillers within the larger genre of thrillers. Thrillers have the characteristics of being intended to thrill, while action thrillers contain faster-paced action while trying to thrill.
Genres are useful to group media together so audiences know what they consume certain media for while people in the industry know that they have a set audience to make media for. In well-defined genres, this relationship helps producers profit and audiences find certain media they would like.
Genres often have conventions and a repertoire of techniques to create effects that are used by many pieces of media within the genre due to their effectiveness. For example, in thrillers, sound is either used to create suspense or fear depending on the speed. Lighting is carefully adjusted so that there is always a feeling of uneasiness through not being able to see the full picture.
Hybridity is when hybrids of genres are created. Genres can be combined with each other to create new and sometimes unexpected media. The Matrix (1999), for example, is a combination of science-fiction and the thriller genre, drawing on its thriller roots while being set in a science-fiction world.
The thriller genre, being a very broad genre, does not have very many set conventions, but some thrillers use techniques such as tense music and handheld camera movement to show high-octane action or suspense.
Theories of Genre
Steve Neale theorizes that although an important part of genre is in the repetition of certain shared characteristics, genres also change to innovate within the field, creating sub-genres and hybrid genres. Genres are constantly developing and overlapping. He thus argues that genres are a combination of difference and repetition.
Christian Metz theorizes that genres go through different stages – Experimental, Classical, Parody, and Deconstruction. In the experimental stage, the genre has not yet found its footing. It tries out new things and effective techniques are found and developed into conventions. In the classical stage, the genre cements itself and finds certain conventions to root itself to. It is now much more well-defined, and iconic media is produced during this stage. Then, in the parody stage, the genre moves forward through ironically mocking codes and conventions, and in the deconstruction stage, the genre becomes more spread-out, combining with other genres and creating sub-genres.
Examples of Metz's stages in the thriller genre (in film) would be:
Experimental - Hitchcock's early thrillers, like The 39 Steps (1939), or other experimental works like Fritz Lang's Spies (1928). Thrillers have not yet found their footing in film yet.
Classical - Hitchcock's best-known thrillers like Vertigo (1958) or North by Northwest (1959). Movies like these are seen as classics, pioneering the thriller genre and getting its feet firmly on the ground.
Parody - Movies like Casino Royale (1967),
which plays on original (spy) thriller tropes and uses them to their advantage to comedic effect.
Deconstruction - Movies such as I, Robot (2004) combine the thriller genre with new genres (in this case, science fiction), forming sub-genres (techno-thrillers, in this case).
The Thriller Genre in General
Thrillers are aimed at creating suspense. The main target audience of thriller movies is young, but mature enough so that they can handle mature themes. Young people like to experience suspsense and intense emotion, and thrillers are thus popular among this audience.
Thrillers originated in literature, with classics such as the Thousand and One Nights using thriller conventions to create suspense, and then spread to film in the early 20th century. The thriller genre has also made its way into other media, such as video games (S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Resident Evil), comics (Lupin III, Death Note), and even, in some cases, music (Visions of Bodies Being Burned, The Great Milenko).
Thriller Technical Codes
Thriller movies use a number of technical codes to create suspense and thrill audiences. Important to thrillers are, for example, technical codes such as the creation of suspense through gradually increasing volume, the removal of escape routes in the frame, and close-ups to show the psychological situation of characters. This establishes the climax coming as inevitable, and delays it. Lighting is often used to great effect in thrillers, too, showing the state of characters and settings. For example, the fight in the club in John Wick (2014) alternates between red and blue to show the flow of the fight (the lighting in the frame is blue when John Wick is winning, red when he is losing). In John Wick, too, fast-paced and loud music as well as handheld and quick camera movement contribute to chaotic fights and to emphasize the action in the action-thriller.
People Associated with the Thriller Genre
Throughout the Thriller genre's long history, there have been many directors and actors associated with it. In the early days, much of the thriller genre's success was attributed to Alfred Hitchcock, a legendary film director. He kickstarted the thriller genre, and in the 1970s, directors such as Clint Eastwood, Francis Ford Coppola, and Brian de Palma followed suit with directorial successes such as The Conversation (1974). In the 1990s, the focus began to shift to crime thrillers or trapped protagonists. Directors in this period include David Fincher, with his film Seven (1995) and Jonathan Demme, known for The Silence of the Lambs (1991). In the 21st Century, well-known thriller directors include such as Christopher Nolan and Bong Joon-ho.
In terms of actors, thriller movies started out with actors such as Jimmy Stewart, who starred in multiple Hitchcock movies. Actors in the 1970s included such characters as Burt Reynolds, who also starred in many comedy movies. After them, actors such as Robert DeNiro and Samuel L. Jackson rose to prominence. In the 21st Century, thrillers are populated by actors such as Bruce Willis, Christian Bale, Robert DeNiro, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Tom Cruise.
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