Scream

Similarly to Blade, we have been asked to analyse the opening of Scream.

We made notes about mise-en-scene, editing, sound and camera angles.

Analysis

Scream opens with a black screen with the word 'SCREAM' written across in white writing. The white writing could connote purity however it is contrasted by the black background which could connote evil or danger. This is followed by a flash of red that could similarly connote danger or death. There are then non diegetic screams which are used as a transition sound however this could foreshadow the events to come when the girl gets murdered and the sound of knives suggest the weapon that murderer will use and introduces the first typical horror iconography that we see.

The sound of the phone is a frequent thing throughout the opening and we can hear it before the scene has started to give the scene a sense of realism. Each time that the girl speaks on the phone the camera progressively zooms closer in. This could be to build the tension and fear in the audience but also to show the reaction of the girl in more detail so that we are entirely focused on her and her fear.

The back door is continually in shot when the girl is on the phone because of how the camera angle is slightly slanted, this suggests that there is perhaps a reason that the audience should look at it, for example to see the murder. This keeps the audience on edge and their eyes on the door as they expect something to happen and enables us to see reflections and what is outside. Adding to this, an external shot shows the outside of the house and the garden where we can see a swinging tree. This immediately gives a sense of isolation, a common theme in horror films, and then a sense of panic when we see that the swing is moving. This implies that there was possibly someone previously sitting there however they have moved which makes it feel mysterious as we do not know where they are.

A sudden change of shot from the garden to the hob frightens the audience with an anti climax as the noise is shocking but we are then lead to see that the girl is cooking popcorn. The popcorn is repeatedly shown and, each time, the bag has grown. This could represent the building of fear of the character or perhaps how close the murderer is to killing her.The fire that the popcorn is being cooked on connotes danger and later when the popcorn is burning smoke is produced. This element of mise-en-scene could be used as it impairs vision which could be mirroring the fact that we are unable to see the murderer.

Whilst on the phone, the girl and the murderer talk about horror movies within a movie. This is called post modernism which reveals the film convention to the audience. Whilst doing this the girl plays with knives. In this part of the scene the knife rack is continually in frame which is iconography for a horror film. The fact that she plays with the knife could ironically symbolise the events that are going to happen and reminds us of the genre.