Research: Scream Analysis Ms Begum

Scream Analysis

 

This is the director’s cut, opening scene for the film Scream. This scene is perfect for analysing the generic conventions for a thriller film. So:

How is the opening senquence of Scream conventional to a thriller opening?

Well there a 4 main micro elements to look at when analysing a thriller or any film properly: 

·         Sound

·         Cinematography

·         Editing

·         And Mise en Scene

  

Sound

 

 

The very first sound that is portrayed to the viewers is the telephone that rings throughout the film. Now this can be talked about as diegetic sound or as the mise en scene iconography as this prop is used throughout the scene as the communication between the victim (protagonist) and the villain (antagonist). In the beginning the telephone seems to be something that was insignificant to the scene but it then becomes the main focus of the scene. In the beginning it would leave the audience confused but after it would leave them anxious and sympathetic for the protagonist.

One other sound that the audience can hear is the non-diegetic soundtrack. This happens when the protagonist realises that peewee is spying on her and is rushes to lock the doors of the house. This sound is important to the audience as it is the first signs of the protagonist being in danger. This keeps the audience guessing the future for the protagonist and therefore anxiety creeps in the audience over the victim.

One final sound that I identified was the diegetic sound of the glass breaking. This sound is used numerous times throughout the scene e.g. when the chair is thrown through the glass door and when the antagonist jumps out of a window to catch the protagonist. The sound of the glass breaking usually comes after a period of silence which built up the tension until that moment in time when the glass breaks. That particular sound is used to scare the audience but it is also used to make the audience feel scared for the protagonist.

Cinematography

One use of cinematography used in the scene was the repeated close up of the popcorn. The popcorn was put on the stove while the victim was talking to peewee and is then forgotten as it is caught on fire while the villain chased the victim. This although may seem insignificant, has meaning as it show the significance of the phone calls and how it has affected the victim to the point that she fogets the popcorn and it catches on fire. However the symbol of the popcorn could also be the sense that the plot in the story could relate to being just one horror film because you tend to eat popcorn at films. This I feel is to throw the audience ‘off the scent’ of the antagonist because you feel that it is a fire that will kill the victim rather that the soon to discovered antagonist.

One other use of cinematography in the scene is the medium shot of the protagonist’s boyfriend tied up. This is shown when the victim turns on the back door light to look outside. This shot is used show what the antagonist is capable of and to show he is a ‘no mercy’ character. This shot would be used so the audience feels for the boyfriend and the protagonists’ safety.

One final use of cinematography is the extreme close up on the murder weapon the antagonist uses to kill the victim. It is shown in the final stages when the villain finally gets the victim. And repeatedly stabs her. This could also be used as iconography as this becomes the main weapon used in the film to kill all of his victims. This shot is used to show what a ruthless killer the antagonist is and to frighten the audience whenever they see him in the film.

Editing
One use of editing is the simple straight cuts used throughout the film. For example when the victim finds out that she is being spied on, it straight cuts into her locking the doors. This type of editing would be used for the audience to follow the plot of the storyline therefore they are not confused at what is happening.

One other use of editing is the reaction shot of the protagonist when she sees her boyfriend tied up outside. This happens shortly after the victim knows that the villain knows who her boyfriend is. This is used to find out how the character reacts to something they have seen or heard- in this case the terrified reaction when she realises her one and only protection can’t protect her. At that point the audience would feel sorry for her as there is most certainly no hope for here now and that she is more than likely going to die.

Mise en Scene

One use of the Mise en scene: lighting is the low key lighting on the hanging dead body of the protagonist. We see this when the parents find out that their daughter (protagonist) is murdered. This us of lighting could be used to disguise just how horrific the antagonists attacks were on the victim. From this the audience would receive a chilling effect due to the horrific events they just witnessed.

 

One use of the Mise en scene: iconography is the rack of knives the protagonist fiddles with. This happened when she describe what film she was going to watch to the man on the phone. They used that image maybe to portray irony since she ends up being killed by a knife that looks very similar. The audience by now would be trying to figure out if the knives have any meaning in the opening scene.

One use of the Mise en scene: costume is the clothes the antagonist wears. He wears black that covers his whole body from head to foot and wears a mask to hide their identity which is typical of a villain. The reason they made him wear this is the fact that it portrays a conventional and typical villain. And because of what he wears the audience can easily identify that he is in fact the antagonist in the film.

One use of Mise en Scene: Setting is the house. Since we always see the house in the shot the audience can tell this is going to be the main setting for the opening scene. What makes this typical of a thriller film is that the parents are out so it is just the ‘soon to be’ victim at home, it is dark outside and there doesn’t seem to be any civilization nearby. This gives the audience an idea of the plot in the opening sequence and they would sort of know what to expect.

One final use of Mise en scene: body language and facial expressions is when the mother of the victim goes into hysterics after finding out that her daughter has been killed. We see this right at the end of the opening scene where she sees her daughter hanging from a tree by her neck. This could also be described as a reaction shot since she is reacting to an event that happened. The mother has her hands on her face which shows body language that she is shock and she is screaming and crying to show facial expression and that she is really upset. The audience at this time would feel sorry for the parents.