First thoughts on the thriller genre and thriller signifiers

In class I have watched the opening to the thriller 'Vertigo'. This helped me understand the main thriller signifiers. For example, there is a hero, however this hero has a flaw which prevented him from saving someone; he has vertigo. Having a flawed hero is a common aspect of thriller. This is true in the other thriller I watched in class, 'Chinatown'. In this, the hero's flaw is drinking and smoking which sometimes distracts him from his work and almost gets him caught spying on someone.

Another main thriller signifier is the use of spirals. This is due to spirals turning round and round; the plot of thriller films mainly have many plot twists. This is in both films mentioned. In 'Vertigo' there were special effects of spirals in the opening credits, and in the eye of a woman. Also, there is a long spiral staircase in one scene, which also links with the signifier of having a flawed hero; the man couldn't get to the top of the spiral stairs due to his fear of heights, which then resulted in letting the girl he was following fall from the tower and die.

Dark, urban settings are also common in thrillers. An example of this is the film 'Sin City'. In this film it is all set in a dark urban city. The film also has other thriller signifiers such as 'ladies in red', woman as sex symbols and women that are deceitful and dangerous to the hero.

Having long corridors and enclosed spaces are also used in many thrillers. This is because in corridors there are only two ways to go. For example, if you are being chased, you can either fun forward, or backward towards the person chasing you. The use of small enclosed spaces gives the feel of claustrophobia and being trapped. An example of this is in the film 'Panic Room', in which the whole film is based around a small room where the main characters are trapped and cannot get out. Having vast open spaces can also be used to create the feeling of claustrophobia as having a vast open space like a desert can make you feel like there is nowhere to go or hide.

Watching these films has helped me gain an understanding of thriller signifiers and what common thriller signifiers are. Now i can try and incorporate these signifiers into my thriller introduction piece of coursework.

I feel pretty confident about making my own thriller footage after watching examples of thrillers. I now know that I want the film to be set in a long, winding and dark road, which well help give the thriller feeling to the film. I intend to use this long road as an equivalent to a corridor; only two ways to go.