Before we start …
What is a thriller, and what a teaser trailer?
Firstly, I think that a thriller is similar to a horror, but it leaves you hanging, and waiting in suspense, whereas a horror generally gives you gore, gore, gore. As lovely as that is, and a thriller can have the same content but has the overall suspension theme also. For example, a thriller as a ‘Basic Instinct’ with a horror like ‘Saw’ as a Horror, and a thriller. A thriller can be attached to anything genre, for example, ‘Pathology is a medical thriller.
The dictionary defines a thriller as a;
- a suspenseful adventure story or play or movie
- something with exciting plot: a book, play, or movie that has an exciting plot involving crime, mystery, or espionage
- provider of thrills: somebody or something that thrills people
So now we know what a thriller is, what is a teaser trailer in comparison to a normal trailer?
I think that a teaser trailer shows you the basic idea and action[if an action] or romance[if a romance] or gore[if a horror]. In my opinion a teaser trailer is supposed to leave us with enough information to want to know more, to ultimately ‘tease’ us.
The dictionary defines a ‘teaser trailer’ as a;
- A teaser trailer, or teaser is a short trailer used to advertise an upcoming movie, game or television series.
- A short trailer that is generally released many months before a movie is actually released, to give a brief peek at what the movie will be like …
These definitions were found by Google, the typing in the toolbar ‘define:[word]’
A few thrillers are;
- Basic Instinct, 1992.
- Pathology, 2008.
- The Shining, 1980.
- Eyes Wide Shut, 1999.
- The Bourne Supremacy, 2004. [never seen]
- Reservoir Dogs, 1991.
- 30 Days of Night, 2007.
A trailer is supposed to advertise the movie by presenting its best assets being a Big Star[Brad Pitt, Curious Case of Benjamin Button], A Director and to appeal to as many audiences as possible.
There are sub genres of the Thriller genre:
- Conspiracy thriller: In which the hero/heroine confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he/she recognizes. The Chancellor Manuscript and The Aquitane Progression by Robert Ludlum fall into this category, as do films such as Three Days of the Condor, Capricorn One, and JFK.
- Crime thriller: This particular genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminal(s) rather than a policeman. Crime thrillers usually emphasize action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, and double-crosses are central ingredients. Some examples include The Killing, Seven, Reservoir Dogs, Inside Man, and The Asphalt Jungle.
- Disaster thriller: In which the main conflict is due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster, such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, etc., or nuclear disasters as an artificial disaster. Examples include Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaasen, Tremor by Winston Graham, and the 1974 film Earthquake.
- Horror thriller: In which the main character is put in danger and their main enemies are unrealistic creatures in which they must destroy to achieve their goal. Films such as Evil Dead 2 and Zombi 2 fit into this genre of thriller.
Erotic thriller: In which it consists of erotica and thriller. It has become popular since the 1980s and the rise of VCR market penetration. The genre includes such films as Basic Instinct, Dressed to Kill, Color of Night, Eyes Wide Shut, Fatal Attraction, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Obsessed, and In the Cut.- Legal thriller: In which the lawyer-heroes/heroines confront enemies outside, as well as inside, the courtroom and are in danger of losing not only their cases but their lives. The Innocent Man by John Grisham is a well known example of the type.
- Medical thriller: In which the hero/heroine are medical doctors/personnel working to solve an expanding medical problem. Robin Cook, Tess Gerritsen, Michael Crichton, and Gary Braver are well-known authors of this subgenre. Nonfiction medical thrillers are also a subcategory, comprising works like The Hot Zone by Richard Preston. Films such as Awake are other examples of medical thrillers.
- Political thriller: In which the hero/heroine must ensure the stability of the government that employs him. The success of Seven Days in May (1962) by Fletcher Knebel, The Day of the Jackal (1971) by Frederick Forsyth, and The Manchurian Candidate (1959) by Richard Condon established this subgenre. A more recent example is the 1980 film Agency.
^ wikipedia.
There are several factors in a thriller genre, consisting of strict iconography, characters, narrative, and structure layout.
HITCHCOCK THRILLER NARRATIVE
1. Structure
- thriller = mystery + action
- romantic melodrama and humor
- propaganda ending disrupts the narrative rules, as did Jean Renoir’s People of France (1936) that “does not tell a story per se but rather makes an argument.” (Gomery p. 233)
2. Themes
- topicality: rise of nazism, decline of peace, shift in America from isolationism to interventionism, Van Meer’s speech for “the little people”
3. Techniques
- secret treaty is the macguffin
- symbols of the bowler’s hat, umbrellas, the windmill
- autobiographical references: cameo appearance, Stebbins “on the wagon” drinking milk, Johnny proposes marriage on the steamship
- mise en scenes of the crowd (Amsterdam square), of claustrophobia (inside the windmill and the Westminster Cathedral tower), of action (car chase), of disaster (airplane crash)
^ http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/filmnotes/foreign-correspondent2.html
CHARACTERS
The characters, both good and bad are mirror images of themselves; for example, the movie ‘Heat’ gives a clear example of how a thriller movie fits into a genre.
The tension usually arises when the main character(s) is placed in a menacing situation or mystery, or an escape or dangerous mission from which escape seems impossible. Life itself is threatened, usually because the principal character is unsuspecting or unknowingly involved in a dangerous or potentially deadly situation. Plots of thrillers involve characters which come into conflict with each other or with outside forces - the menace is sometimes abstract or shadowy.
