Director: "How does your product use conventions ?" Wow what a great question.
Director: Well first of all genre conventions are key to making a good film. They are the “unspoken rules” in the film world and can include character types, plots, settings, and storylines that define an entire genre, and tell audiences what they should expect from their film. As The Seventh Lie is a thriller, my partner and I kind of took from the conventions we have seen used in that genre like vibrant atmospheres, the MacGuffin, the Inciting Crime, a protagonist with a special gift, a ticking clock, the protagonist pursuing an investigation, high stakes, elements of suspense, an unyielding antagonist, the final victim, and justice… or injustice. We even like to see crossovers between different conventions and recurring elements that align with the genre as a whole.
Off-screen: Well are you going to answer the question, or not?
Director: Right, right, sorry! I get a little excited when talking about genre conventions. Anyways, beginning the process of creating this film, my partner and I had to take a deep dive into the world of thriller.
Off-screen: Which was clearly not difficult for you.
Director: Correct, I love thrillers. And while analyzing different films and media, we kept noticing familiar themes that really amplified the aspects of thriller films that everyone loves, including me. So we wanted to include some in our film opening, such as elements of suspense, with clues hinting at an escalating danger, and a speech praising the villain. I don't know if you've seen it, but right off the bat it is clear to the audience that Janus is a source of danger to the family, with the tension only intensifying as the mom brushes away Verena's fears and praises Janus as if he were "the perfect son." This kind of instills a sense of urgency and anticipation in the audience, as they want the parents to see through his facade and not only understand the danger that is living alongside them, but also that their true son isn't with them anymore, something that they have to accept.
Director: How does it challenge conventions and represent social groups?
Off-screen: Good question.
Director: Definitely! I love how people are truly interested. Basically, to put it shortly my partner and I chose not to challenge those conventions as we felt they were key to the message we wanted to send. That things are not always what they seem. For example, with the meaning of the name, Janus, two-faced, there are two worlds in one house. The parents are deep in their grief, denying what is right before them, and Verena is in constant fear and confusion, only wanting to find the truth. We wanted to stay true to the thriller genre and not venture out of what we have seen and enjoyed before. That's basically the reason.
Director: But to answer the question about social groups, we initially spoke about different thriller films that really delve into strong societal issues, creating storylines that represent more that what is at first glance. We have seen many prominent issues reflected in films like injustice, class disparity, gender roles, and mental health. When discussing with my partner, we really wanted to send a clear message that is relevant to today's society and that could be easily digested by a wide range of audiences. As our film opening represents the seven stages of grief, primarily focusing on denial, we explored different themes of mental health, and how grief is viewed in society. These are issues that society faces everyday, and is a communal experiences with strong societal implications. I oftentimes see how this experience is silenced, as shown with the parents in our film trying to act as if everything is perfect. These themes of "performance culture" are strong in our world's attempt at perfection, but are often the roots of more damage.
Research:
Beginning the process of creating our film opening, my partner and I had to take a deep dive into the world of thrillers. Analyzing different films and media, we kept noticing familiar themes that amplified the aspects of thriller films that everyone loves. Certain conventions that were used in our opening were elements of suspense, with clues hinting at an escalating danger, and a speech praising the villain. It is clear to the audience that Janus is a source of danger to the family, with the tension only intensifying as the mom brushes away Verena’s fears and praises Janus as if he were “the perfect son.” This instills a sense of urgency and anticipation in the audience, as they want the parents to see through his facade and understand the danger that is living alongside them. We chose not to challenge these conventions as we felt they were key to the message we wanted to send, that things are not always what they seem. Similar to the meaning of the Janus, Two-faced, there are two worlds in one house. The parents, deep in their grief and viewing a stranger as “their perfect son,” and Verena, a young girl on a search for the truth. Both my partner and I thought about genre conventions that we like to see in different thriller films and decided we wanted to stay true to the genre and not venture out of what we have seen and enjoyed.
Thriller films often delve into strong societal issues, creating storylines that represent more than what is at first glance. More prominent issues that are seen in these films are racism and injustice, class disparity, gender roles, political and corporate corruption, and mental health. When discussing potential themes and issues in our story, my partner and I wanted to send a message that is relevant to today's society and that could be easily digested by a wide range of audiences. Our film opening represents the seven stages of grief, primarily focusing on the denial stage. Grief and loss are prominent issues that humans face in society, and are a communal experience with strong societal implications. Oftentimes, this experience is attempted to be silenced, as shown in our film opening with the parents trying to act as if everything is perfect, despite the obvious imperfections. These themes of “performance culture” are strong in society’s attempt at perfection and are often the roots of more damage.
Sources:
Chase, J. (2023). Genre conventions: How to satisfy suspense readers by meeting expectations. Retrieved from https://thewritepractice.com/genre-conventions/
(N.d.-a). Retrieved from https://nofilmschool.com/thriller-genre-definition
Breaux, K. (2025). Grief is a social issue: When the world silences our pain. Retrieved from https://www.redbird.love/blog/grief-is-a-social-issue-when-the-world-silences-our-pain
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