Analysing my own thriller stills
Instead of jumping straight into the deep end and creating my 2 minute opening thriller sequence, i think its best to start on the stills so as to build up my knowlegde of the genre.


With this shot i, along with my group, were trying to achieve a moment of immense suspense, just before the climax to the thriller.

In this shot i imagined that…
this character is the ‘hero’/ detective, who knows the killer that he is looking for is in this house somewhere and so is forced to search the house. The shot is taken at a long distance and a high angle from the serial killer’s viewpoint. This signifies that the killer is hiding and watching the detectives every move- waiting for his chance to kill him. The high angle is a connotation of vulnerablility whilst the long shot gives teh audience much more information about the location.

This image represents thriller because this shot is very realistic. It features a normal person with a bathroom location in the background, which provides a very familiar surrounding for the viewer. Also the chain signifies a really typical thriller way of killing which helps anchor this genre. Enigma codes such as a natural beam of sunlight and the consequent shadows the provide the connotations of danger and mystery. Also the lack of lighting adds to this feeling. Along with the feeling of vulnerability, i think the black walls and tight doorway surrounding this 'detective' really help to signify this sense of being trapped and pinpointed.



The gesture codes of this character, for example, the 'detective' peering round the corner and leaning forward with one foot in the doorway suggests that this 'detective' is being very brave however he looks quite tense and wary implying he is scared of something, (that we as viewers know he is going to face).

I think this shot is successful as there is a real sense of thriller due to the gesture, lighting, prop, angle and distance, location and framing.

This shot could be made more successful if a more appropriate costume was worn by the character, if the characters shadow was present and if the chain was not directly covering the characters face. The lighting is good however the sink in the background is a slight distraction and so probably would have worked better if there was just a wall in its place or even a mirror. Also it seems the detective is quite obviously able to see the killer and so it may have worked better if there was something in the foreground to highlight the fact the killer is hiding. For example if the killer was looking out the slit in the middle of cupboard doors.