Thriller Research
Codes and conventions - Characters
In our film, the two main characters that add the most suspense to the thriller film is an Innocent teenage girl and a Stalker. However sometimes in films (like in ours) the villain sometimes is portrayed as just another background character that does no harm, however as the film goes on the truth is revealed and the villain is shown.
The Silence of the Lambs
An example of a film with different types of characters is the psychological thriller film from 1991, 'Silence of the Lambs'. In this film there are multiple victims that aren't featured so much in the film, it is also not clear which characters are which as they have very particular roles that cannot be described by just one label.
The second main character is 'Clarice Sterling', a promising FBI academy student. She is sent to gather information from the cannibalistic murderer Hannibal Lecter, however she is cleverly tricked by him in order for him to escape. In the film she kills the vicious serial killer, 'Buffalo Bill' which makes her a Hero, however she is also used and threatened by Hannibal Lecter making her a victim in some way.
Codes and conventions - Characters
There are many types of characters within Thriller films that have significant influences on the films they're included in. In most there is usually a Villain and a victim. However there are more than a few types of characters,to use examples of the different types of characters i will use characters from the Thriller/Crime/Drama TV show, Dexter.
- Criminals/convicts
- Rapists
- Psychotic/Insane patients
- Spies
- Stalkers
- Innocent Victims: There are many innocent Victim's on the TV series Dexter, as it is based on serial killers. However one of the main charcters, Deborah (Dexters Sister), played an innocent victim in the very first series, when she is made to believe that her boyfriend is a normal person, however he is actually a famous serial killer called 'The Ice Truck Killer'. She is represented as vulerable when she is drugged and kidnapped by her 'boyfriend' (Similar to in our short film 'Saving Grace') however Dexter manages to save her, and she lives on for another 7 seasons.
- Murderers: An example of a murderer in the TV series Dexter is the character of Arthur Mitchell, who also looks non-threatening, similar to Dexter. However he takes the innocent victims lives without empathy.
- Hero (person that helps protect the victim from the villain): The hero in the TV series would be the main chacacter, Dexter. This is because Dexter gives justice to the victims of murder by killing those who killed their innocent victims, meaning he only killed people who actually deserved to die. However the main character doesn't look anything like a serial killer, making it the perfect TV series, as he doesn't get caught. On the other hand, Dexter could arguably also be a criminal or a psychotic chacacter, as even though it is only people who deserve it, he is still taking lives.
In our film, the two main characters that add the most suspense to the thriller film is an Innocent teenage girl and a Stalker. However sometimes in films (like in ours) the villain sometimes is portrayed as just another background character that does no harm, however as the film goes on the truth is revealed and the villain is shown.
The Silence of the Lambs
An example of a film with different types of characters is the psychological thriller film from 1991, 'Silence of the Lambs'. In this film there are multiple victims that aren't featured so much in the film, it is also not clear which characters are which as they have very particular roles that cannot be described by just one label.
The Main character in the film is 'Hannibal Lecter', a previous Forensic psychiatrist and incarcerated cannibalistic serial murderer. He helps the FBI find a killer which makes him a Hero, however he also uses them to escape and brutally murders several victims whilst doing so. which makes him a villain too.He is portrayed as this by the films use of setting. For example he spends the majority of the film in a cell with stone walls with a glass one for viewing only, showing maximum security in the Forensic Hospital for the criminally insane. His character is also portrayed by the type of inmate clothing he is wearing. Some of the shots used in the film (such as close ups) also show the intensity of his character.
Another character is a man nicknamed 'Buffalo Bill', a vicious serial killer, also a definite villain. This character is represented as a villain by the use of costume and makeup later in the film when it is revealed that he uses the skin of his victims to wear.
The second main character is 'Clarice Sterling', a promising FBI academy student. She is sent to gather information from the cannibalistic murderer Hannibal Lecter, however she is cleverly tricked by him in order for him to escape. In the film she kills the vicious serial killer, 'Buffalo Bill' which makes her a Hero, however she is also used and threatened by Hannibal Lecter making her a victim in some way.
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