Thriller Genre: Camera Shots

Thriller Films have a range of different camera shots used to accentuate the intended atmosphere.Thriller films use a wide variety of camera shots to build up tension and keep the audience's attention throughout the film.  Tracking and pan shots tend to be what is commonly used in the beginning of thriller films, usually focusing on the protagonist or setting of the film.

The most commonly used shot in a Thriller Film is a framing shot which is a very close up shot of a character to show the emotions of that particular character, because they are the focus of the scene. Usually, the most close ups are of the protagonist of the film because the audience is most interested in how they react to things.

Specific camera angles are used in thriller films, such as a high angle and a low angle shot. The High angle shot is commonly used to make a character or an object look powerless and vulnerable, this creates a sympathetic atmosphere within the audience. The Low angle shot is used to make a character or object look Prestigious and powerful. If a Thriller Film uses the camera technique ‘Shot-Reverse-Shot’, where it has the first character looking down (High angle) at the second character and the second character is looking up at the first character (Low angle), this will show that the First character will have a lot more power and prestige over the second character.

The long shot is commonly used in Thriller films to show a character in the correct scenery. The long shot is when they take up almost the full frame height. In other situations it means a wide shot of the whole scene, placing the subjects in their correct environment.

 

Another shot often used, mainly to create tension to create tension is a Steadicam shot which is filmed all in one shot without using any editing to cut the shots. Some classic examples of this shot being used in films is in Goodfellas and The Shining.