Research on Genre: Iconography + Settings

ICONOGRAPHY:

Confined spaces/ Keeping hostages:

The use of confined spaces and the use of trapping people in a thriller film makes the audience tense because there is also the fear and real possibility that they may never escape which in my film idea it is the case that the hostage never actually escapes. Also being in a confined space often leads the protagonist to breath heavily and panting to get across to the audience they are in an uncomfortable situation which in turn makes the audience feels uncomfortable as they are trapped and cannot escape, or it often leads to the start of their struggle to attempt to break free.

Street lamps:

Street lights at night are often used in thrillers to keep the emphasis and focus on the protagonist and Because the light only shows one part of the screen the audience are always tense when you can't see anything in the light as they are always wandering when something will appear from the darkness. Its a fact that you are more scared of the things you can't see than you can.This further accentuates the fact that the protagonist is alone in the dark and creates fear for the audience as they do not know what might be underlying in the darkness and therefore a tense atmosphere is created.

Knives:

Knives are a typical "icon" of the thriller/horror genre as seeing a knife creates suspense in the audience as they know that if someone is carrying a knife they most likely will intend to use it but the audience doesn't know when.

Settings:

Woods: 

Woods are locations often used for thrillers. This is because they create a sense of the unknown as the characters usually end up there due to a circumstance  that means they had to go a different way home. Woods are often isolated too, which creates a sense of vulnerability and it seems inevitable that the characters will ever find any help. There may be one house in the woods which often turns out to be the antagonist.

Cities/ Towns:

Psychological/Crime thrillers are often set in cities to create a sense of reality in the audience.