As a genre, a Thriller generally holds the same mix of shots, sounds and editing styles. This is especially shown well in this demonstration video on how to film a Thriller,
This example of a Thriller opening demonstrates most key elements that a typical thriller contains. The first shot that see shows a cross dissolve, making appear that he has walked a long distance without showing us the entire journey. When the protagonist enters the fort, parallel editing is used to show both the inside of the fort and the outside. This gives the impression of another being looking in or spying on the main character, creating a sense of danger and worry for the audience. Finally, when the music gains pace and the scene becomes more active, the shot lengths greatly decease, making the scene look more hectic and build excitement. However, when the music slows the length of the shot increases again, appearing that the danger or threat to the protagonist has disappeared.
The sound in the film is also a key element in making a thriller. First of all, the opening shots contain no added music, and only features natural diegetic birdsong and the general tones of nature. When the protagonist enters the fort, the sounds of nature fades, and we hear only the diegetic sounds of inside the fort, like dripping water and the mans footsteps. When the parallel editing comes in, we also hear a deeper, sinister music. This is parallel and non-diegetic, as the music amplifies the amount of potential danger in the scene. The character then becomes alarmed, and as he runs outside we hear his heavy breathing to show his worry. As he exits the fort, we hear the sinister music dissipate, and the return of the birdsong to the scene brings with it the sense of security and safety to the scene that we faced beginning of the opening.
Different shot types are also used in the opening to portray certain things to the audience, something that Thrillers, or most film genres in general, will attempt to tell the audience something without doing anything. The first shot that we see is a long shot of the man walking, with it working partly as an establishing shot so we can see the environment around him. We next see him in a tracking shot, displaying his movement and the idea that we are following him through his journey. As he enters the fort we look at him from an elevated view, or a high angle shot. This generally portrays weakness into the character the camera follows, yet here we do not get this association because no on else is in the scene to display dominance over him. We then see from his perspective from a POV shot, displaying the darkness and mystery that the character faces that we may not have noticed through any other shot. Later on in the scene we see a shot of the character through a gap in the wall of the fort. This was designed to appear as though someone is watching him, adding a sinister effect to the scene. We then see a close up of the protagonists face, displaying his sense of worry and to enhance the idea of danger in the scene. As he runs away, we see him running from in front of him from a shot called a Steadicam. This is designed to add movement freely without tracks to keep it steady, but the camera is weighted down to reduce shake while recording. When the man escapes, we introduced to the outside again, and the bright light and the nature shown indicates a level of safety.
