Analysing thriller themes

Thriller Themes

Themes:

Murder

Violence

Escape

 

Some may argue that the key theme in the movie “US” trailer is murder. We can we denote at 0:45 a man with tattered clothing is standing on the beach with blood dripping on his hands.  The blood dripping down from his hand connotes that some form of murder has taken place, it doesn’t entirely tell us who has been murdered but it connotes to the idea that some form of murder has taken place. This may affect the audience as the atmosphere in the trailer shifts as soon as the image is displayed, making the audience question the severity this scene has. I may use this in my film with a close up shot of someone holding a stained weapon with blood on it to convey the idea that violence has taken place.

Another way that the theme of violence is explored in the movie trailer of “US” is through the use of weapons. We can denote at 0:58 a silhouetted figure holding a pair of scissors. This connotes to the idea of violence as It has a negative connotation, it implies that the figure is ominous and means harm due to it being a shadow silhouette holding the scissors which connotes to the idea that the person means harm. This creates an enigma for the audience as it makes them question multiple things, who is holding the scissors and why. This makes the audience suspenseful as it puts the idea of violence into their head. I may use a silhouette shot like this to create an enigma, to make the audience question who the attacker is.

A final theme that is explore is the theme of “escape” and how it is used in the trailer for “US” is through the use of a low-down shot. We are able to denote this at 2:00 with a bloodied woman crawling toward the camera. The blood on her clothing along with the distressed look on her face connotes the idea that violence has taken place which she is trying to escape from. The camera is focused on her face to connote the idea that she has been harmed. This effects the audience as we can physically see that someone has been harmed and creates suspense as to whether or not this person survives. I may use this in my film with a low-down shot of a person crawling away from the attacker as to create suspense for my audience.