Scream Analysis
How is the opening sequence of scream conventional to a thriller opening?
In this essay, I will analyse the opening scene from a well known film called 'Scream'. I will explain how the opening sequence of 'Scream' is conventional to thriller openings by using the micro-elements editing, sound cinematography and mise en scene. I will identify the meaning of these elements and responses it creates within the viewers. The scene begins with a young teenager at her home alone and ends with her dead body hanging on the big tree opposite her front door where her parents witnesses her death.
The scene opens with a non-diegetic sound when the title appears, the audience can hear a girl screaming and suddenly change into a phone call. This allows the audience to note what type of genre this movie is and engage their attentions to find out about what the movie is about. This scene is set in the female victim's home, through the establishing shot, this reveal the location of her house which was set in the middle of nowhere which highlights it could be a danger atmosphere. This leads the viewers to have an idea of the female victim would not be heard if she's in danger, despite the victim's feeling safe when she's at home. This allows the audience to recognise that she's innocent and vulnerable. As the audience know that she's home alone in a big isolated house, this makes them feel sympathy towards the female victim and expect something bad to occur.
As she received a phone-call, the female victim appears with a very calm and relaxed in a cream blouse and a pyjama trouser which portrays her pureness and vulnerability and physically weak, plus security within her own home. In addition to this, when the female is being attacked, the use of iconography which is blood contrasted with the white clothing which produce a much more dramatic effect than if her clothes were to be in darker colour. This is also use to creates stereotype. This makes the audience feel content as she's enjoying the conversation and look very comfortable within her own home. During the phone-call at the start, her body language appears to look sloppy and her facial expressions appears to be flirty and smiling. This makes the audience to not anticipate anything to happen to her yet because she's casually enjoying what she's doing which she was planning to have a movie night for herself. Again with her casual body language which she looks very relaxed and comfortable, this helps the audience to easily identify her as the victim.
The female starts to get discomforted and paranoid as her body language starts to curl up and starts hiding when the antagonist said her name without her letting the killer knows. The use of non-diegetic sound here was soft, spooky & eerie. It built up slowing by using drum bass representing her heart beat rising when the killer said 'I like you' to the female. This creates confusion and fear towards the victim and audience. Also the use of parallel sound in here allows the audience to observe the conversation from both sides of the phone-call, mixed with close up shots of the female facial expressions as she was concerned and petrified. The used of iconography here which is a 'home-phone' which means no harmful, suddenly turns into a dangerous objects where her identity is being shown through a phone-call. The female victim seems to be moving around the house looking carefully everywhere, this suggests that she's paranoid and terrified., this leads the audience to have an idea of her being followed and she will end up in danger. While the female was moving around the house, through the use of long shot, this allows the audience to see all the entrance and exits around the house. This helps to creates more fear and excitement as the female character was afraid to get out of the house. This makes the audience feel sympathy towards the female as she will end up being kill even if she's outside of her house.
Initially, the antagonist appears with a white mask and a black cloak which contrast to the female victim's clothes, this represent the sense of 'good vs evil'. This shows that the killer is trying to hide his identity and represent evilness & dark through the black colour and also the blood look invisible in black which makes him more mysterious and scary. This helps the audience to easily identity him as the antagonist and because of his identity is being hidden, this creates fear and excitement towards the viewers as they will be curious to find out about him. The antagonist is being presented as big, tall and holding a knife showing that he's going to kill the female victim. The use of iconography which is the knife makes him look more dangerous and powerful. This makes the audience to anticipate that he's going to commit murder.
As the antagonist enter the house, the use of low key lighting within the scene allows the killer to look invisible and mysterious which creates suspense and excitement towards the viewers as they can hardly see the killer movements. This helps to boost up the audience curiosity and makes them feel excited to find out who the antagonist is & what is he going to do. The lighting also allows the tension to be built up and change the mood in the scene when the characters are in darkness. This helps to create vulnerability and creates fear additionally to the audience as they observe the scene.
As she received a phone-call, the female victim appears with a very calm and relaxed in a cream blouse and a pyjama trouser which portrays her pureness and vulnerability and physically weak, plus security within her own home. In addition to this, when the female is being attacked, the use of iconography which is blood contrasted with the white clothing which produce a much more dramatic effect than if her clothes were to be in darker colour. This is also use to creates stereotype. This makes the audience feel content as she's enjoying the conversation and look very comfortable within her own home. During the phone-call at the start, her body language appears to look sloppy and her facial expressions appears to be flirty and smiling. This makes the audience to not anticipate anything to happen to her yet because she's casually enjoying what she's doing which she was planning to have a movie night for herself. Again with her casual body language which she looks very relaxed and comfortable, this helps the audience to easily identify her as the victim.
The female starts to get discomforted and paranoid as her body language starts to curl up and starts hiding when the antagonist said her name without her letting the killer knows. The use of non-diegetic sound here was soft, spooky & eerie. It built up slowing by using drum bass representing her heart beat rising when the killer said 'I like you' to the female. This creates confusion and fear towards the victim and audience. Also the use of parallel sound in here allows the audience to observe the conversation from both sides of the phone-call, mixed with close up shots of the female facial expressions as she was concerned and petrified. The used of iconography here which is a 'home-phone' which means no harmful, suddenly turns into a dangerous objects where her identity is being shown through a phone-call. The female victim seems to be moving around the house looking carefully everywhere, this suggests that she's paranoid and terrified., this leads the audience to have an idea of her being followed and she will end up in danger. While the female was moving around the house, through the use of long shot, this allows the audience to see all the entrance and exits around the house. This helps to creates more fear and excitement as the female character was afraid to get out of the house. This makes the audience feel sympathy towards the female as she will end up being kill even if she's outside of her house.
Initially, the antagonist appears with a white mask and a black cloak which contrast to the female victim's clothes, this represent the sense of 'good vs evil'. This shows that the killer is trying to hide his identity and represent evilness & dark through the black colour and also the blood look invisible in black which makes him more mysterious and scary. This helps the audience to easily identity him as the antagonist and because of his identity is being hidden, this creates fear and excitement towards the viewers as they will be curious to find out about him. The antagonist is being presented as big, tall and holding a knife showing that he's going to kill the female victim. The use of iconography which is the knife makes him look more dangerous and powerful. This makes the audience to anticipate that he's going to commit murder.
As the antagonist enter the house, the use of low key lighting within the scene allows the killer to look invisible and mysterious which creates suspense and excitement towards the viewers as they can hardly see the killer movements. This helps to boost up the audience curiosity and makes them feel excited to find out who the antagonist is & what is he going to do. The lighting also allows the tension to be built up and change the mood in the scene when the characters are in darkness. This helps to create vulnerability and creates fear additionally to the audience as they observe the scene.
A really good attempt in deconstructing the opening sequence Ken, well done. There is good cinemtatogrpahy identified and discussed well. Location and body langauge and facial expressions is also referred to well with good reference to the audience. The start of the scene is discussed very well and is rich in examples.
ReplyDeleteTo improve;
-you begin to lack the detail when the antagonist enters the house.The section of him entering the house and the chase starting is not mentioned very much, and there are some great uses of micro-elements here-what happens when the antagonist enters the house?
-conclude: how has this opening given you ideas about your own thriller?