In thriller films lighting is usually low key which creates harsh shadows on bodies, faces and props. It sets the scene for thrillers being dark and mysterious. Also low key lighting is use during sinister scene which emphasises the tension and suspense as we cannot see what it hiding in the dark. Also it sets a very unsettling atmosphere. Low key lighting uses one light source which is more dominant in thriller films a it gives selective lighting covering half an object and leaving the other half in the darkness. This creates disturbances giving a disorientated effect adding mystery. The low key lighting tends to give high contrast being one light it directs the lighting at one part of the face making it very strong to the audience. 
High key lighting is a completely different type of lighting, instead of using just one source of light which we use in low key lighting many sources of light are used to create this effect. High key lighting is used to capture a moment in high contrast against the background. By using reflectors and minimilisers this reduces the chance of shadows being formed and makes a sharp image or scene.
Colour is a key convention in thrillers as we associate our thoughts and emotions with different colour. E.G red often represents blood and pain and suffering and black represents death immediately creating tension and leaving the audience in suspense. Overall the colour and lighting link together, helping to create a sinister mood. The characters being in dark colours suggest that they are evil killers etc, also it will help the mask the characters actions.
Costumes and makeup
The use of costumes within the thriller genre are vital, they must be life like to the audience as how the charcaters are represented are how the audience percieve them. Also by dressing in every-day casual clothes it makes the events within the film seem even more realistic. Therefor the more life like and believable the characters seem to fit the part the better the storyline for the audience. In thriller films the murderer, villain etc often wear dark clothes to enhance the evilness of them as well as creating tension. However the victims usually wear ripped, dirty, blood-stained clothes reinforcing their weakness and vunerability as well as connoting they have been chased or assaulted and are unable to fight back.
Here Leonardo Dicaprio can be seen wearing stained and raggy clothes. In this film the twist reveals that it is him that is actually trapped in the mental institution and he is one of the patients.
Makeup is usually very basic in the thriller genre which makes people seem like regular people living their everyday lives so we can relate to them. The makeup is natural to represent fragility and vunerablilty, often the victim in films.
Below we can see Liam Neeson dressed in dark clothes and the villains in the images below are also wearing dark clothes to connote evil and mystery.
Props
In thriller films props often determine the narrative, identity or the characters and genre. A range of props can be used such as mobile phones, police, walkie talkies and spying devices. However typically weapons are used by the villains to reinforce the violence and fear overall, being guns, knives etc.
Editing
Quick shots and obtrusive editing are used frequently in thriller films to accentuate the feelings of suspense and tension. They are often used during an important or particularly 'thrilling' scene- sometimes creating a disorientation of time and space, by using montage editing. The editor will include lots of jump cuts because there will be things happening that the audience is unaware of but it is essential for the film to make sense. Cross cutting is a key point in editing as it is used for a thriller. Continues editing is used to help the audience understand the film better. Quick cuts can be seen in film such as psycho, where the woman in the shower is getting stabbed there is a lot of fast cut, as it shows different angles of her being stabbed. This makes the film fast paced and it makes it more tense. Another one is fade to black. This has been used in the film 'Three Monkeys' at the end when the final shot is of a man standing at the top of a building, looking out into the dark: after the train runs into the side of the building the screen fades to black. It makes the film more tense as you don't know what is going to come up next.
Camera shots and Movement
Camera angles and movement help to give the film its genre as different angles create different senses of body language and emotions. Thriller films also use camera angles such as facial close up shots and mid-range shots. Some camera movements also make the audience feel tense and also helps to make them feel like they are actually in the film. Things that also seem to be common are the low levels of framing and the high angles at certain points, the high angle is used mainly to show those in powerful positions but they might also be used such as in T2 with the first arrival of the terminator shown to be in control and having most of the power. There seems to be a main character in the beginning which seems to have the majority of power and this is shown through the camera angles. Tracking and pan shots is what's commonly used in the beginning of thriller films, particularly a certain group of people who we should be interested in as the audience. An example is the bank heist scene in the Dark Night where the camera tracks the group at certain points.
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