Comparison of conventions of the Thriller genre.

In class we watched the opening sequences of 'Insomnia' and 'Memento'. Both films are directed by Christopher Nolan who specialises in directing films of the thriller genre. The typical conventions of the thriller genre are: setting, character, narrative, sound, cinematography and editing.

Setting:'Insomnia' is set in a polar region which is quite a common setting, as it shows how the characters are isolated. 'Memento' is set in America, which can also show characters isolation in a busy, and hectic environment.


Character: In both films the characters are seen to be hiding something about themselves, which is evident from the opening sequences.


Narrative: Voiceovers, evil/harsh voices aid the eery and dark feel of both films.


Sound: The sounds in Insomnia start to build tension from when they were quickly brought in. In 'Memento' there where varying periods of silence which also helped to build tension and fear.


Cinematography: Both films had the same opening title background and font which showed that both films link to each other, in their genre, etc.


Editing:Use of jump cuts to revert the audiences attention quickly, jump cuts allow an added element of sudden surprise, which creates fear, typical of a the thriller genre of film.


Here is a link of Christopher Nolan talking about his intentions for his film'Memento', this is part 1 of 3 of an interview with him,http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIFxNq_oMGY. 
Here is another link with Christopher Nolan talking about his film 'Insomnia' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ryMJzODDIs