Research: Scream analysis- Ms Begum

Notes on the film Screen

• Scream was released in 1996.
• It was written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven/
• The main actors of scream were Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courteney Cox
• The film onscreen film title is written in the colour white to represent a Ghost; it also relates to the way the antagonist is dressed in the film as he has a white mask which looks like a howling ghost. The title colour then changes to red to symbolise danger and blood which suggests that this film is a horror-thriller.

The scream film:
- The opening of 'Scream' shows a young girl being prosecuted over the phone by a anonymous caller- the antagonist in this case; She is asked numerous questions, and at first is warming to the anonymous caller until he says: "I want to know where i'm looking at" as soon as this is said sound effects come in such as a dog barking, this builds tension as the audience feels as though someone is actually watching the young girl. After hanging up the phone a few times the man then tells the young girl to turn on the patio light again which is where the five minute opening scene ends. By watching the first 5 minutes I am left wanting to see the rest of the scene as the tension has been building up throughout which also relates to the popcorn the girl put on the stove which starts to bubble up signifying the build up of tension. 
                                                    

Opening Scene Plot:
the opening scene of scream gives the audience a feel of the mood of the film and how the storyline may flow. To start off; the first thing the audience see is a phone ringing and then a young blonde girl comes to pick it up, straight away we get too see the first character which alot of the audience may consider her to be the main character. Moving on we then find out that this girl is home alone in a large house which makes the audience confused as they start to question her age and who's house she is in. As the scene continues the audience are bombarded with dialogue suggesting that this girl may be older than she looks or has done something wrong causing her to be targeted by this mysterious caller. The situation starts to escalate slowly and tension starts to build amongst the audience as the mystery character's phone call turns aggressive and threatening and he threatens to take her life by brutally stabbing her. The audience then get a shock as the prior denied boyfriend is see tied up outside on the girls patio. Once seen the girls turns hysterical while the anonymous caller then asks the girl to answer a question and if she gets it wrong her boyfriend and herself will be killed. Steve is then murdered when the young girl fails to answer the question right; We then see a mysterious man enter her home wearing a black cloak and a white ghost mask, as the girl tries to escape she is unfortunately caught, attacked and murdered by the masked person who then escapes after leaving her body hung on tree awaiting for her parents to find her.                  

Location and setting:
the opening scene is set in a fairly big, modernhouse however it is located within the country side far away from any close neighbours or society as we see what it looks to be farmed crops and an oak land forest. The scene first starts within the girls house and then later escalates to outside her home as that is where she is attacked and  brutally murdered. This is entirely conventional to the thriller genre simply becuase these events happen inside and right outside the girls house; what makes this so conventional is that the connotations of being inside your home are that the person is entirley safe from harm, however, in this scene the house looks very big and would be undoubtedly scary to a younger child being alone in it. This is where the film plays around with the connotations of a home being safe as the girl is alone which in turn creates suspense among the audience as they know that this girl is vulnerable.

Narrative Functions:

The opening scene to this film clearly shows the genre of the film, which is a horror/thriller. We can tell by the atmosphere and the mood which is set by the sound, editing and location.

The use of a voice on the phone which is not backed up with the face of a character and when it is we are only able to see a white ghost mask which creates tension and may have the audience assuming he is going to go on a killing spree later on during the film, while specifically targetting teenagers; However, from this the audience can also infer that this is more of a horror movie as the story line and dialouge is slightly predictable.

How are Micro- elements used conventionally in the opening of scream?:

Mise-en-Scene & Camera Techniques:

Zoom shot & Reaction Shot:

 Camera shots play a big role on the effect the film will have on an audience, for example, within this scene we see many different shots whcih all have a seperate effect on the audience for example the zoom shot and reaction shot are both used in the scene when the mystery character says something to Casey that changes her hole mood towards the Phone call. The mystery character on the phone says to Casey ''Because i want to know who i'm looking at''. The camera then instantly zooms into her face to capture her reaction to this comment, this is where the soundtrack is then changed to create a more chilling and cold atmosphere and build tension. This is done to capture the emotions created by Casey's facial expressions as she is going through a stage of insecurity and shock.

These two shots are then used again when Casey's parents also experience a state of shock and surprise when they find her body hanging on a tree. Also in this scene, high-key lighting is used, this symbolizes Casey's innocence before she was brutally killed.

  

Dolly Shot:

Another camera shot that was used conventionally was the dolly shot. This is used in the scene where we see Casey punch the masked attacker in the face in an attempt to escape her death. The Camera zooms out as it captures Casey's body along with her garden to show the audience how big her garden is. The camera continues to follow Casey's running movements. The camera follows Casey  while she tries to escape. The camera angle suddenly changes as we see her parents arriving home in their car. Furthermore, opposite to the above image the lighting used has now changed from high-key to low-key lighting, which in turn symbolizes the innocence there had been prior to the murders, as we can see now the lighting makes the shot look gloomy and miserable.

                                                                  

Mid Shot:

The last camera shot that I will highlight is the mid shot which was used when Casey is seen yelling over the phone as she is starting to become hysterical. This suggests that she is being affected by the anonymous call and the things she is hearing is starting to take its toll upon her, She is also seen walking around which is another sign of paranoia.

Furthermore while seeing this mid shot the audience are forced to see how scared she really is which is portrayed through her body language. This is conventional to the thriller genre because the audience start to emphasize with this character as they start to feel scared and paranoid with her, this in turn helps to build tension and suspense among the audience.

Diegetic & Non-Diegetic Sound:

Moving on to the Micro-element of sounds, most of the sound in the opening sequence was Diegetic. This is shown when we see a phone on the table and hear it ring at the same time, in turn the audience hear what they expect to hear making it a diegtic sound.

In opposition to Diegetic sounds Non-Diegetic sound was also used when the anonymous caller says to the girl "i would like to know who i'm looking at"; straight after this is said sound effects are heard and a dog is heard barking however these things heard are sound effects added in making them non-diegetic sounds. Both Diegetic and Non diegetic sounds are conventional to a thriller film as they enable the creation of a realistic atmosphere within the film which help the audience to be emotionally connected to the film and the actors.

On & Off sound:

Furthermore we also witness the use of on-screen sounds; for example the phone ringing is an on screeen sound as we not only hear it but we see it. Furthermore when the audience see the pop corn on the stove we also hear crackling, this is another example of an on screen sound.

On the other hand an off screen sound is when there is sound in a scene but you cannot see the source of the sound. For example the dog barking in the scene is an off-screen sound alike the voice of the anonymous caller. Using On-screen and Off-screen sounds make a thriller conventional to the thriller genre as they also add to the feel of the realistic atmosphere. In turn the audience do not feel as though they are watching an actual film which is make believe; they believe that this either happened or is happening and they are spectators un able to help the person in need.

Costume & Props:

Costumes are one of the key elements which make films conventional to their genre for example. In the opening sequence of scream Casey is seen to be wearing a white wooly jumper and blue trousers; this tells the audience that she feels comfortable where she is and she feels safe inside the house. When the audience learn of the girl being in her own home they understand why she is wearing what she is and why she feels so comfortable and confident inside the house.  Furthermore we can also tell that this film was set in america due to the accents of the character(s). Casey's boyfriend was wearing was wearing a jockey jacket which American footballers usually wear. In addition to this, Casey tells the anonymous caller that her boyfriend ''Is big and plays football''. and by that statement we are able to identify her to be an American. However by dressing these two characters this way, it allows the audience to see how innocent these two characters are, they both look as though they are young and still in high school which means they have a lot to live for, this makes the audience empathize with these characters, making them feel for the characters in this position.

              

 The house that Casey lives in suggests that this film was not set within the modern times. This is due to the layout of the house and the colour scheme, as back in 1996 the use of dull colours was popular. Lastly the most obvious is the quality of the filming as you can see a grainy effect added to the camera effect however in this case it is'nt an effect as the cameras back in 1996 did not have the HD picture quality modern day cameras do. More over within this house we see all the normal props and furniture we would expect to see within a house at that time e.g. kitchen table, cutlery, telephone etc. The costumes and props make this film conventional to the thriller genre as they believe the film to be real life due to the common furniture and props they see. In turn these all add to the realistic atmosphere which thrillers try so hard to achieve.

Thriller Elements:

Ultimately the opening sequence of the film scream Relates to the scream logo (a blade) this is because the use and image of knives is emphasized upon a lot during the scene. An example is when Casey begins to play with a kitchen knife while she was on the phone to her anonymous caller. This in turn is such a controversial event as we also hear the anonymous caller ask the girl if she liked scary movies and she mentions another movie where the killer uses a knife to kill their victims. This is controversial due to the killer in scream also uses a knife to kill their victims. In this scene, the lighting used inside the house is more or less natural lighting, this tells the audience that it is dark outside due to all the lights being on while she is at home, this symbolizes the innocence of the girl and the peaceful and open atmosphere within the house. However as we progress through the opening the lighting starts to change and turn in to low key lighting, this starts the build up of tension and suspense as the audience are watching the innocence of this girl steadily slipping away from her as she is exposed to the anonymous caller. At the end of the scene the lighting ended up completely in the low-key state, this adds to the death of Casey and it also symbolizes the atmosphere of Casey's parents and the audience.
Moving on to the editing, the opening is filled with straight cuts, reaction shots, close ups and mid shots, these camera angles all have different effects and impacts on the audience, for example the reaction shots help the audience to understand what the characters are feeling and how they are reacting to the situation they are in. Furthermore, in the killing scene we see the use of slow motion, this is used to empathize on the fact she is being murdered brutally with a knife, this in turn makes the audience reflect on the fact that this once innocent young girl is now being killed for reasons unknown to anyone.

Conclusively; I have decided that the opening scene of scream is slow- paced however very effective due to the pressurized build up of tension created due to the location, soundtracks used, camera angles etc. An example would be the reaction shots used on Casey and her parents capturing the profound emotions on each of their faces. Furthermore the girl killed in the first scene is not named until she is dead which is very significant within the first scene simply because the audience is left with questions on who she is and why she was killed.
Lastly Scream is a conventional opening to a thriller film simply because it stays within all the norms of a film of its origin for example we see a young vulnerable girl alone in a big house with glass doors. Elements such as these are conventional to thriller films as the audience expect things to happen but when they don't happen as the audience had expected it allows a build up of tension throughout the film. This opening scene has taught me to not always show what is expected by the audience and to think outside the box when creating my own thriller film. From analysing this opening scene I have also learnt how to make my thriller conventional to the thriller genre, furthermore I am now able to use and pick out key micro-elements which will enable me to achieve and create a realistic atmosphere within my thriller.