Thriller genre
The conventions of a thriller:
The aim of the thriller is to create suspense and excitement for the audience.
Often uses busy streets and the environment of urban and suburban areas for the setting.
The hero is the only person able to reveal the truth.
Violence is used in thrillers.
It often reveals the working of a particular institution such as the police, army or the government.
The hero and villain share some characteristics.
The hero is often an outsider.
The enigma of the narrative will be solved by the hero.
Weapons.
The main character normally deals with a death, someone they know or their own death.
There are usually a lot of close-ups to show important factors.
Quick editing.
There is lots of panning used.
There is always non-diegetic and diegetic sound used.
This shot is a mid-shot, showing that John Matthews played by Dwayne Johnson is the most important person in this shot; it is also a three shot but one of the men is obscured by the main character, this shows that he isn't as important. This shot does follow the rule of thirds with his face, hand and phone being the main points of interest. His face is a main point of interest as you can see he has been beaten up or been in a fight with another person and also his hand holding his side could show this too. the phone he is holding is a main point of interest as it makes the audience want to know who he is talking to. It appears that something significant has happened in this shot as one of the men in the background is taking notes, this could suggest that he is a cop. From his clothes you can't tell what he does for a living and therefore he is a mysterious character, however because there is a cop in the background it might suggest that he ahs done something illegal or is involved in something illegal. The lighting that is used in this shot is natural light, this is to show that it's daytime.
This is a mid-shot, showing Jason Collins played by Rafi Gavron is important in this shot, however not as important as the package he is holding. This shot does follow the rule of thirds with the package, his facial expression and the background being the main points of interest. The main point of interest is the package as the audience wants to know what's in it. His facial expression is another point of interest because he looks worried about what could be in the package and it could contain something that he doesn't want anyone to know about. The background is a point of interest as you can tell he is either at his own home or at someone else's house, we know this as there is a picture frame in the background which is usually found in homes. This frame could hold an image of him or whoever lives in the house. From his clothes you can tell that he is a teenager and he isn't that bothered what he looks like.
This is a mid-shot, showing that John Matthews (Dwayne Johnson) and Daniel James (Jon Bernthal) are shocked because of something that has happened or happening. From the background you can tell that they could be in the back of a delivery truck, as you can see some of the products that John might sell as he owns a construction company. This shot does follow the rule of thirds with their facial expressions and what they are wearing as the main points of interest. Their facial expressions are a main point of interest becasue they both look shocked, so something significant may have happened and that is why that are still in the back of the truck. The other main point of interest is what they are wearing this is because they both do not look like they are business men., and also becasue of what they are wearing it looks like they are not that important in their line of work. The lighting that is used in this shot is natural light to show that it's daytime.
This is a two shot, over the shoulder, close-up of the two actors talking using a computer. From the background of this shot you can tell that he is at home. The lighting in this shot is a natural light; this is to show that it's daytime, and realistic. This shot does follow the rule of thirds with the laptop and him as the main points of interest. the laptop is a point of interest as it shows who he is talking to and it's also creating a stereotype as it suggests that teenagers are always on pieces of technology. He is also a main point of interest because it establishes his character role to show that he is an important character in this film. Our eye is drawn to the laptop straight away because it is a significant prop in the shot.
This is a close-up shot of Jason Collins played by Rafi Gavron showing his face which tells us that he has been beat up. The black section on the right of the shot could show that this is from someone else's point of view (over the shoulder). This shot does not follow the rule of thirds but it is obvious that the main focus of this shot is his beaten up face. From his facial expression you can tell that he is devastated about something that has happened or happening to him. The lighting in this shot is more direct on his face, this could be to emphasize the bruises and stitches that he has. In this shot the only prop used is the phone; this could be to show that he is isolated and that this is the only way to talk to someone as we know it is a jail phone. This shot makes the audience sympathise towards him becasue he is isolated and alone, the bruises on his face also make the audience feel sorry for him and want to know what has happened to him.
