Unit 3: M3 - Codes and Conventions

Conventions of a psychological thriller


Mise en scene

Setting
The short film is set in a small, abandoned room with no furniture. This setting of isolation meets the codes and conventions of a typical location a psychological thriller may be set as the idea of escaping seems hopeless and futile.

Antagonist's Costume
The antagonist is wearing special effects makeup to create a scar on his face. This creates more unease for viewers as the kidnapper seems like he may be violent. Similarly, in the second scene, he is wearing a black cap, making him seem mysterious and perhaps up to no good. By the fourth scene, the kidnapper can be seen wearing an black trench coat, meeting the convention of a psychological thriller villain as he seems untrustworthy and sinister.

Camera

Extreme Close Ups
This type of shot puts the audience on edge as they can see the fear in Grace's eyes and this anxiety is projected onto the viewers. Extreme close ups are used when grace is about to begin EMDR and similarly when she is anticipating the kidnapper entering the room. The shot creates unease as viewers can't fully see and understand everything that's going on in the scene and they are left wondering what Grace is experiencing.

Hand Held
The style of filming is used when Grace is trying to get away from the kidnapper. This is effective as the viewers feel as if they are experiencing the action first hand as it's unsteady and from Grace's point of view. This increases the apprehension and leads to a more thrilling affect when the kidnapper places his hand over the screen.

Editing

Tint
A typical convention of psychological thrillers is having a blue tint overcasting the screen. This colour creates mystery and almost makes the action on screen seem cold and hopeless. In Final Cut Pro, i used a blue tint special effect in order to create this.

Fast paced
In moments of tension, the editing is fast paced to meet the thrilling aspect of psychological thrillers. The speed of editing increases the pace of the scene, putting the audience on edge and creating more tension and build up. This occurs when the kidnapper first takes Grace when she's walking home.


Sound

Dialogue
The actors dialogue and how they deliver their lines helps to meet the conventions of psychological thrillers. The antagonist, the kidnapper, has a violent tone to his voice and a loud volume to seem threatening to the viewers. On the other hand, Grace can be heard holding back the tears in her voice. Her voice is quiet and breathy as she's anxious and in a state of panic. This greatly contrasts the start of the short film where she speaks clearly and confidently and the juxtaposition highlights how far she's fallen.

Backing track
In order to create tension and an uneasy tone, eerie music has been used which builds in tempo and volume to aid the creating of suspense. This can be heard when the the kidnapper is coming up behind Grace and similarly when he's about to enter the room. This non diegetic sound is paired with the diegetic sound of footsteps build tension and create a bigger emotional realise from the audience when the kidnapper finally enters. This is common convention in psychological thrillers.