Target Audience of a Thriller

The target audience for the Thriller genre is made up from the variety of sub genres that are within the thriller genre in which makes the target audience up. e.g. Action-Thrillers have a completly different target audience to what a Mystery-Thriller would have. The Thriller genre is such a wide genre and so therefore has such a wide range of a target audinece. The variety of target audinece ranges from the ages of teen's to late 40's or even 50's.Horror-Thrillers are more likely to atract tennagers as oppose to a middle-aged person, and a Mystery-Thriller is more likely to atract an older aged person.

Sub genre's of Thriller's

Thriller movies are a range of movies that mix with other genre's to create sub-genre's. With these sub genres we get thriller crossed with other genres like, horror,action,ect...


Action Thriller - Action Thriller's include the same forms and conventions as the action genre. Including the sterotypical, Hero vs Villian, Guns and Pyrotechniques. The Action-Thriller is mainly aimed towards middle-aged men. Here are the films that i have seen, that i would consider to be Action-Thriller's. :

Ø      Golden eye

Ø      Mission impossible

Ø      Rambo

Ø      Sherlock Holmes

Mystery Thriller - Mystery Thrillers include the forms and conventions as a mystery film. There are still the elements of question and answear, supense. But with the elements of guns etc... I would say that Mystery-Thrillers are aimed towards a mature audience of about 18/20 years and above. Here is the mystery thrillers i have seen. :

Ø      The Da Vinci Code

Psychological Thriller- Psychological Thrillers use forms from pyschological movies. there are elements that show psychological aspects, including, suspense, false peeks of suspense, jumps, etc... My thoughts of a Psychological thriller, i would say that this genre is aimed towards teenagers and young adults. The psychological thrillers that i have seen are. :

Ø      The Resident

Ø      Black Swan

War Thriller- War thrillers are based on the fight or the acheivement that is wanting to be gained throughout. This includes guns and machinery. I think that War thrillers are aimed towards middle aged men. Here are a list of War thrillers i have seen.:

Ø      Green Zone

Conspiracy Thriller- Conspiracy Thrillers show the mission and/or acheivement to be gained, it shows the mission, the problem, the solution and the conclusion all around. With this from the thriller genre there are guns, and technology included. I would say that Conspiracy Thrillers are aimed towards teenagers and young adults, and even middle aged men. Here is a list of the conspiracy thrillers i have seen.:

Ø      Enemy Of The State

Revenge Thriller- Revenge Thrillers are about the mission to gain revenge on a certain person through the use of fast paced action. there are typical thriller conventions used throughout. To me, Revenge thrillers are aimed towards middleaged men. Here is a list of Revenge thrillers I have seen. :

Ø      Law Abiding Citizen

Science Fiction Thriller- Science fiction thrillers conists of the study of past life or future life. this includes things that have happened or could happen, like dinosuars. The Science Fiction thriller genre, I think, are aimed towards a older, maturer audience, or even tennage boys.The science fiction thrillers i have seen are.:

Ø      Jurassic Park

My Definition of a Thriller Genre

The Thriller Genre is one of the biggst genre's in film, this is because Thriller includes many other genres within it. e.g. -- Sub-Genres , Action-thriller or nerotic-thriller etc...

The Thriller genre is to put its audience on edge and create supspense.

The Forms and Conventions of the Thriller Genre.

• Character's : Many stereotypcial thriller characters are :: Innocent victims, Gangsters, Psycho's, Police, Private Dectectives, Undercover cops, Spies, FBI/CIA/MI5, Seductive women.

The two main typical Thriller genre characters are usual the innocent victim and the villian. The types of character and personalities in the different sub genres of a thriller vary as to what type of sub genre it is. e.g. A Conspiracy Thriller would have completely different charcters and plot to a  Thriller.

e.g. The Resident- Innocent Victim - Psycho. --> Innocent victim is in the dark of her Psycho stalker's obbession with her, she is then put in a situation that she can not control.

• Theme : The big idea that the story is based around. - Revenge, Murder , Panaronia, Terrorism, Conspiracy.

The Theme of a Thriller movie consists of the narrative of the thriller. This also helps with what sub genre of Thriller the film would fall in. e.g. The Resident consits of a mans obbession going to far and the innocent victim being in something she cant get out of, whereas in Enemy of the State there is a innocent lawyer being mistakenly invloved in a government situation.

e.g. Enemy Of The State- Conspiracy Thriller. Mistakenly invloved in a government situation.

• Narrative/Story : The sequence of events we expect to happen.  - Blackmail, Hostage, Surveillance.

The Narratine/Story of a thriller film consits of typical conventions to show stereoypical narratives. e.g. The Narrative of a thriller movie is the main plot that the film is based around. The main plots that a thriller film is stereotypically based around is usually about some sort of crime or blackmail. e.g. A crime that has taken place or a crime that will end up taking place. Through this there will be a race against time to stop the crime from taking place or to solve the action from the crime that has already taken place. Then something will happen that will lead up to a big climax.

e.g. Armored- Blackmail.

• Iconograpghy : The visual elements. - Typical - Props/setting, location/ costumes/ transport/weapons. - Urban enviorenment, cars, guns, suits, shades.

The Iconography of a movie is the visual elements that we seen on screen. These visual elements include the settings, props, costumes etc... In most thriller films, Guns are used to show power over one another. Most thriller films are also set in an urban setting like cities like New York or London etc... to show the involvement of law inforcement. Most recent thriller films have included the up-to-date gadgets to show the 21st century and how equipment has evolved compared to older thriller films. Most thriller films also include a car chase scene, this scene is to show the urban setting off and how the law get involved.

• e.g. Kindergarten Cop - shades, car chase, guns, city.

• Cinematic Style : The particular look of the film. - Fast editing/special effects/ camera shots/sound. - Pyrotechnics.

The Cinematic Style of a film includes the editing and the special effects included. The editing includes the music added in, the fast paced editing to show fast paced action and also the camerawork is used well to show the action. The cinematic style can also include pyrotechniques to show the power and add to the action to effect the watching audience. 

e.g. Mission Impossible : Pyrotechnics.