The Craft of Screenwriting: Genres Part 2
Thriller is a genre that is almost the flipside of the Action Genre. Where in an Action film you have an individual or small group working with the support of society to defend or help the greater good, but in a Thriller film the individual is cut off from help and is usually viewed as a threat and pursued by society. The Hero’s main goal is self preservation in a Thriller and escape is the central focus of the Thriller, but escaping does not ultimately solve the hero’s problem. There are usually two plots running in a Thriller, the main character trying to escape and the Antagonist hell bent on capture.
Think of North by Northwest, The Fugitive or Salt and recall how in each film the main character was thrust into a situation where they didn’t know why their worlds were suddenly turned up side down or who was behind it all, but in each case they had to escape with know one to turn to and rely on their own strengths to solve the problem.
Story Locks are used to great effect in Thrillers to create suspense which is vital to the success of a thriller film. Running out of time and options leads to thrills, chills, mistakes and daring escapes.
Terms to Know:
Story Locks – Are used to create suspense and tension in your story
There are 2 types of Story Locks:
Time Lock: This is where the main character must solve her main problem within a certain time frame or all is lost.
Option Lock: Is when the main character’s choice of options to solve his problem dwindle till there is only one option left available to solve the problem.
Example: In sports films the game must be won before the final buzzer. In The Fugitive , Richard Kimble is running out of options and time to clear his name and find the One Armed Man.
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John Risner
John Morgan Risner is a screenwriter, novelist, and story analyst, and the founder of Screen Writer Ink. With over a decade of experience teaching screenwriting and filmmaking at the university level, he has helped writers develop stronger stories through a focus on character, structure, and cinematic storytelling. His work spans multiple genres, including thriller, horror, and mystery, with an emphasis on character-driven narratives. He is also a film historian with a deep knowledge of classic and modern cinema, including the James Bond films and novels. Through Screen Writer Ink, he provides writers with practical, experience-based insight into the craft of storytelling—helping them move beyond theory and write with clarity, purpose, and control.
