How to film a Thriller

Filming a thriller involves using a lot of different editing techniques, sound and shot angles. When you use different transitions between shots it helps the audience understand what is going on and helps the thriller flow better. The sound that is used can create suspense, danger or even relief in a thriller depending on if it is parallel and matches with the scene. Lastly, the shot types that are used can help the thriller develop depending on what angle the camera is in. Different angles can make the character seem helpless and vulnerable.



In the thriller opening we can see all the key features that make up the thriller. From the beginning of the short video we see a cross dissolve and this is used to leave out part of the journey. It makes the characters journey shorter so that we don't have to see too much walking. When the character gets into the fort there is parallel editing which cuts between inside and outside. This suggest that there is some sort of danger outside that the character may not know about. When the music builds up there is fast pace editing used. This means that we see a variety of different shots very fast and this indicates that the character is in danger.

Sound is another element used to make up a thriller. At the start we can hear some diegetic sound of a calm bird song. When the character enters the fort the bird song stops and we start hearing different types of diegetic sounds such as dripping water and splashing. Inside the sinister music starts playing and this suggests danger. The deep note of the sinister music implies the suspense of what is happening in the video. As we hear the music getting deeper the character starts breathing heavily. As the man runs outside the music and deep breathing fade out as the character feels relived that he is now in the open field and there is no danger around him. The bird song starts playing again to show that the character is back in normality.

Different types of shots can portray how the character is feeling in some situations. From the beginning of the sequence we see a long shot and this sets the scene as the character is calm. The tracking shot matches movement and the shot reverse shows what he sees. When the character is in the fort we see a shot through a gap and this suggests that someone or something mysterious is watching from outside. There is a close up of the character and this shows the reaction of the character as he thinks that he is in danger. The variety of canted shots shows that something mysterious is going on. He runs for the exit and the camera starts moving and this type of shot is called a steadicam. When the charcater gets outside the scene is bright and this shows that everything is ok.