Notes on the Thriller

In one of our lessons we watched a thriller- The Usual Suspects (Bryan Singer 1995) the whole way through, but the main part we took notes on was of course the opening scene.
We discussed what gives a film the name 'thriller' on the basis of camera, editing, sound and mise en scene.
We noted that the camera involved many close-ups and were used at an angle so that not all of a set was revealed including characters who played an important role, particularly in the opening scene, e.g. the character who is Keyser Soze was not revealed until the end of the film. Also the 180 degree rule was broken many times throughout the film in tense action to create that sense of disorientation as I have mentioned before.
The editing was simplistic but cuts were notably much shorter and faster, especially in fight scenes.
The sound involved many loud noises, e.g. shouting, cars etc. which were used to give a sense of busy urban lifestyle and a panicked atmosphere.
Finally  the mise en scene was mostly urban, e.g. offices and block buildings, but also at sea. Sets were dark including the first scene to create mystery. But altogether there was a large range of locations and sets, costumes, e.g. leather jackets and suits and t shirts.
Thrillers have many sub genres it seems that are all tightly packed into either an action packed plot line or a more relaxed but mysterious plot line. There is always conflict within a thriller.