Genre Research: Thriller and Drama

Kaitlyn and I conducted research on two other genres we were interested in doing for our film project. We chose thriller and drama. Thrillers often have a mysterious and eerie atmosphere, camera angles, such as canted angles and close-ups, and camera movements, such as handheld shots, are used to create the uneasiness the genre entails. Dramas, on the other hand, can create feelings of suspense with their two-shot camera angles and zoom camera movements. Typically, the actors in thriller and dramas are supposed to be normal people which is why they are usually dressed in casual clothing. Dramas and thrillers are typically set in urban areas which makes the viewers feel familiar with the setting of the film and can imagine themselves being put in the situation that the plot of the movie entails. However, thrillers have a dark vibe to them, so they are most likely set in abandoned, ominous-looking places like an alley in the night or an old, rundown building. The diegetic sounds in dramas depend upon the setting. For example, if the drama is set in an elementary school, you can hear the banter between the children and the footsteps of students walking down the halls. In thrillers, diegetic sounds are mostly generated by the props, like the creaking of an old rocking chair or the groaning of old wooden doors. Both use incidental music to create a certain emotion. For thrillers, slow tempo music helps to build suspense and for dramas, music with a faster tempo helps accumulate tension.