Propp and Todorov

Propp and Todorov play huge parts in the structure of conventional films, and this is reinforced in most thrillers too. 

Propp: Propp focused on characters and concluded there were 8 stereotypically:
The Villain: who struggles against the hero
The Dispatcher: the character who makes the problem known and sends the hero off
The usually magic helper: who helps in the quest
The princess/prize: the hero deserves her throughout the story but is unable to marry her because of the villain. The hero's journey is often ended when he marries the princess and has beaten the villain.
The Father: who gives the task to the hero, identifies the false hero and is usually against the hero until he proves himself
The donor: who prepares the hero or gives hero a magical object
The hero: who reacts to the donor and marries the princess
False hero: who takes credit for the hero's actions or tries to marry the princess


However this is very stereotypical and can be seen as old fashioned, as most films now try and break free of the conventions in some way or form. 

Todorov: Focuses on narrative structure and developed his own theory.
Each story begins with an equilibrium. Everything is in balance.
This is then disrupted by some event, causing a whole chain of events.
This disruption is then recognised.
There is some attempt to repair this damage.
The equilibrium is then restored.


This is very typical of a happy film, and is noticeable in most mainstream films today. 

The Thriller Genre: Codes & Conventions

The Thriller Genres main elements include suspense, thrill and tension, which is what makes it such a popular genre of film, television and literature. Most thrillers tend to hold some sort of element of surprise, particularly towards the ending. Conventionally they include a villain(s) and also a hero of some de script.  The sub-genres of thrillers include; psychological thrillers, crime based thrillers, political based thrillers, paranoid thrillers, spy thrillers and mystery thrillers. These have become increasingly popular over the last few years particularly. Thrillers can be defined by the mood they set. 

   Psychological thrillers focus mainly on characters and their journeys. They hold a great sense of mystery and drama. They focus more on the mind and the mental state of characters. They sometimes show the characters being out of touch with reality, and this has a hold over the audience who also start to doubt what they think is being portrayed in the film. They usually include first person narrative, giving a personal feel and making it more of a personal film. Usually also a back story of the characters past, which holds some significance to the film itself. Richard Kelly directed 'Donnie Darko' which is a psychological thriller, also David Fincher who directed 'Se7en'.

 Crime Based Thrillers usually focus of police officers, detectives or gangsters and some sort of crime commited in which the main characters are at some form of conflict. They focus on people working in and out of the law. They usually include an armed robbery, someone with hidden identity, gangs, murder, wealth, money. Crime Thrillers include films like 'Silence of the Lambs' and 'Witness'. 

Political based thrillers became more popular after the assasination of J.F Kennedy. They usually involve someone in political power and someone who focuses on stopping them. These include conventions as terrorism, corruption and warfare. 'The Lives of Others' would come under this sub genre. 

Paranoid Thrillers usually include the 'Good Guys' fighting the 'Bad Guys', they are more traditional and follow the typical 'women' or 'child' in trouble. They follow a 'who committed the crime' theme. There is usually some shocking deception which effects the plot greatly. The conventions include lies, rumours, disbelief. 

Spy thrillers include secret agents and usually someone decieving the side they supposedly work for. The plot usually goes along the lines of working against corruption or going against or for the government in some way and the thrill of not being discovered by their enemy. Such as 'The man who knew too much'. 

Mystery thrillers are more general and usually the most well known. They focus on the theme of revealing something, either someones identity or the crime that has usually been committed and solving the puzzle. They usually include detectives or police officers or someone who takes it on themselves to be involved and solve the mystery. Mystery thrillers usually reveal information to the characters at the same time as they are revealed to the characters. Or sometimes the audience as made to feel like an omniscient viewer as they find out information before the protagonist, making the audience on the edge of their seats, anticipating if the characters will find out or if they will be put off task by 'red herrings' who are distractions. 

The main conventions of a thriller usually include; death, ransoms, kidnap, weapons such as guns or knives, car chases, forensics, robbery, stalking, obsession, death traps, prison, paranoia, heists, revenge, a quest of some sort, however these tend to depend of the sub genre. Characters can include a villain, a hero, a victim, stalker, assassin, police officer, agents, terrorists, vulnerable children, psychopaths, mental patients, people with troubled pasts, ex convicts and detectives. 

The story and setting usually follows the usual line of some sort of conflict or trouble causing the main characters to interact with one another in some way or form. Thrillers take the aspect of mystery and suspense and toy with this as much as possible, causing the audience to be thrown into the wrong direction of thinking and finally being left with a great deal of shock. Hitchcock is still well known today for his use of placing an ordinary person into a life threatening situation, causing them to feel highly vulnerable and helpless. Thrillers usually take place in large cities or suburbs, but can also take place in derelict land or exotic locations.

  

Thrillers have been around since the late 20's early 30's, with such directors iconic directors as Hitchcock, who created such films as 'The Birds' and  'Rear Window', and are still as popular today with such directors as Martin Scorese who directed 'Shutter Island', 'Cape Fear', and the crime thriller 'The Departed'.