What makes an effective 'Thriller'?

According to Martin Rubin, there is no such thing as a 'Thriller'. The 'Thriller' is in fact a metagenre which "gathers several other genres under its umbrella". An effective thriller should keep the audience in a state of mind where they only know as much as the characters within the film, and there should always be unanswered questions (narrative enigmas), playing with or deceiving the audiences' mind. A thriller is designed to keep the viewer on edge with suspenseful and sensational action

Thrillers typically involve sudden plot twists and keeping people unsure about what is going to happen. This suspense can get almost unbearable, especially in a long piece of media which usually ends in a resolution answering all unanswered questions. An example of this sort of suspense is featured in the film 'Memento' where all the ends of the questions gradually meet and lead to the ultimate initial question which was set in the beginning of the film, which is answered at the end (to justify why the main character has shot his friend). Thrillers also have a lot of action, which is often chaotic, and they typically feature resourceful heroes and exotic settings. 'The Bourne Identity' can be used as an example of the conventional chaotic actions and exotic settings.



Gary Braver described thrillers in the following words, ‘dread drives thrillers. You know who the good guys and bad guys are. Dull moments will lose an audience, and writers can't afford to lose an audience, even for one page.’ Although Braver was refering to text Thrillers his quote is still usefull, as both text and film thrillers have the same conventions.We learn from Braver's quote that in order to make a successful Thriller, it is essential that the film produced maintains the viewer’s interest as well as make the good and bad characters known. I planned to use Braver's advice inorder to ensure my film complied well with thriller films as well atracted it's audience.

Along with this Braver presented 10 key points that when included in a Thriller, will make it succesfull…
1. You need to have a good story. (we drafted many copies of the storyboard improving it everytime)
2. Write about the underdog.
3. Multiple points of view give great range in a thriller.
4. Have an action scene in the introduction.
5. Reveal what the protagonist fears and aspirations are.
6. Make your characters miserable.
7. Your main characters have to change.
8. Pacing must be high: Strong Narrative Thrust.
9. Show—don't tell.
10. Teach the audience something.