Genre research

Ben Underwood
Genre Conventions –Post apocalyptic Thriller

I personally feel that a thriller is meant to do exactly that, thrill. However to achieve this many elements must comprise to create a certain effect for the audience.
The conventions of a thriller are largely based around character driven narratives and binary opposition which are used in films such as Crank (Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, 2006) The character driven narrative is essential as it helps the audience to familiarize and sympathize with the protagonist which intern makes it more personal and emotional for the audience.
Thrillers are usually about life and death situations .The locations of a thriller convention are usually in barren, exotic or single central locations which do not have much variation to different scenes which gives the narrative a great sense of verisimilitude. The hero in a thriller could even be an ordinary citizen drawn into danger by circumstances beyond their control and they face danger alone or with the help of a group. The protagonist is typically cut off from the resources of their everyday life.
The average thriller genre film is usually longer then a mystery genre film, the fast paced and brisk action is crucial to its success.
Binary opposition between good and evil is a convention of a thriller which is shown in I Robot (Alex Proyas 2004) the use of binary opposition within a Thriller is key as the narrative is focused characters and opposing forces instead of relying largely on plot. The characters in a thriller genre film are ordinary heroes who are resourceful and tough. High stakes, non-stop action and plot twists conventionally run throughout a thriller to keep the story intense and interesting up to the big climax.
Part of the allure of thrillers comes from not only what their stories are about but how they are told. The plot of a thriller is usually driven by the villain, who presents obstacles that the hero must overcome.
A Thriller has been described as "the sudden rush of emotions, the excitement, sense of suspense, apprehension, and exhilaration that drive the narrative, sometimes subtly with peaks and lulls, sometimes at a constant, breakneck pace."