Psychological thriller codes and conventions

Now that I am planning my final trailer, I need to look at the codes and conventions of Psychological thrillers, and not just the trailers but the films.

Psychological thrillers are the subgenre of thriller. So they typically include:

• Low key lighting
• Shadows - represent darkness and cause tension
• Quick cut editing -to accentuate the feeling of suspense and tension
• Close-ups - to show facial expressions for audience to emotionally attach
• Behind shoulder shots - to cause tension and panic
• Eery music - to cause audience to feel concern and tense
• Twists - a reveal at the end to shock audiences (and character)

Psychological thrillers include all of the above, but there are more that apply strictly to Psychological.

The sub-genre comes from thriller but contains elements of horror and focuses more of mental strength instead of psychical.

In terms of Todorov's narrative theory, the equilibrium is when the main character's mind is at ease. Their psychological state is at the point where they feel content, so after the disruption that causes them to question motives or act strange (recognition), their attempt at repairing it is so their equilibrium is safe.

Propp’s character theory can be used to describe psychological thrillers. The Hero is the main character, the one who faces the struggle, like most films however the villain could  be a few different characters. The Villain could be the actual hero's mind or another character who is playing on the hero's mind.

Other codes and conventions of a psychological thriller are:

• Death - death or very serious injury is usually a threat to the protagonist
• Reality - the protagonist constantly questions what is real or false
• Black and white - sometimes black and white is used to emphasise binary opposites - black/white, light/dark
• Mirrors - mirrors are a true reflection of ones sense, so they are often used to question the protagonist or another characters true identity.
• Photographs - similar to mirror, they sometimes reveal something about a character.
• Flashbacks - to disorientate audience and protagonist as well as hint to secrets
• Phobias/fears - the protagonist's fears are used against them to make them feel isolated
• Feeling of 'Entrapment' - closed spaces make audience and protagonist feel claustrophobic

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