Scream (1996)

Even though I watched the entire film on Friday night at a friends house, I am still a little scared of watching the opening sequence for this analysis.
Below is the opening sequence for Scream, directed by Wes Craven.

Back to Basics
The plot for Scream is really quite a simple one.  A couple of high school guys cause terror in a small town when they set about murdering several of it's inhabitants.  The town is shocked and horrified by the deaths, especially as they happen near the one year anniversary of another savage killing that shook the entire area.  The main character is constantly tormented by the threats made via the telephone, and when it turns out the killers are those who murdered her mother, things turn gory.  Perhaps the biggest twist in the story of Scream is when the killers turn out to be the main characters boyfriend and close friend, although this is only revealed at the end of the movie. 


Enigma Codes

Throughout the opening sequence, several enigma codes are raised by the audience.  In the first ten seconds of the film, a number of questions are already in need of answering.  Who is this character? Is she a key character in the film?  What is her role in terms of significance?  Why is she home alone? Where are her parents?  These are later answered, but the initial questioning creates a hook, which draws the audience in.  This is further supported by the lack of information we receive about the character.  The continuous ringing of the phone also creates questions from the audience: what is the significance of the telephone? Will it feature later on in the movie? Why does the person on the other end keep ringing? Again, these are answered later on in the film, however the element of the unknown keeps the audience 'on their toes'. 

Character Establishment

The character we first see in the opening sequence is a young female, with blond hair and pale skin.  This is a very typical portrayal of a victim, as the hair colour is seen to be angelic, showing innocence and virtue.  There is little in the way of character development in the first couple of minutes of the film, however more information in made known later in the film after Casey's death.  Casey is represented as quite naive, as she continues to answer the phone even though it is clear to her, as well as the audience, who is on the other end.  Due to the fact we know little about Casey, we do not feel like are attached to her, and her death is merely part of the film.  Although her death does not effect us, it does foreshadow further events to come, such as other murders.   Close-up shots are used so the audience can become familiar with the character, however shots do not show the finer details of Casey's face, such as her eyes.  This therefore leaves the audience a little clueless as to who she is. 

Location, Location, Location

Although the main setting for the opening sequence is the downstairs of Casey's house, the location is a established by using a number of different shots.  Firstly, the establishing shot is used in order for the audience to see where things are in proximity to each other.  For example, the exterior of Casey's house is shown, with a panning shot from the tree to the house.  Although the audience may not realise it, the tree is very important in terms of what happens later on to Casey, as she is hung from it.  Establishing shots showing large houses are very characteristic of horror movies, as the victims always appear to  wealthy. Later on in the opening part of the film, a long shot is used to show Casey's parents coming home.  This shot re-enforces the suggestion that Casey's house is not easily accessible, and that no-one can hear her scream. 

Editing

As in most horror movies, the editing is fairly quick and tidy when the action begins to happen.  At the start of the opening sequence the shots are longer and the cuts are less frequent, imitating a relaxed atmosphere, with no suspense or element of danger.  When Casey starts to realise that she faces a very real threat, the cuts speed up to show how she is feeling.  This fast pace editing technique shows the audience that their is something going on.  Several continuity techniques have been used in this opening sequence, such as eye line match and match-on-action.  The use of these techniques, especially eye line match, allows the audience to feel like they are in Casey's shoes for some of the shots. 

Can you hear that?

The use of sound is incredibly important in this opening sequence,  especially as the majority of it is dialogue.  It is mostly diegetic sound, although there is a musical score in the background when the pace picks up, as is common in horror films.   At the very beginning of the opening sequence there is one piece of non-diegetic sound when a woman can be heard screaming, however this is the only evidence of non-diegtic sound besides the background music.  This combination of the different sound techniques aids the entire visual in creating a tense, frightening and chilling opening sequence.  Most of the dialogue is heard from Casey's perspective, which is why it is her voice we, as an audience, hear most clearly. 

Titles

Going against the normal characteristics of film, the title for Scream appears at the very beginning, with no footage shown prior to the title coming up on the screens.  It is also strange how there are no other introductions that appear, such as the director or the actors and actresses.  This goes against the conventions of film titles, where we expect to see and receive information about who's in it, who made it, and so on.  The title begins in white, but changes to red in correspondence with the non-diegetic scream we hear.  The use of red could symbolise many things, such as love, however it is more likely that it symbolised blood- it is a horror film after all.  The title is in the middle of a black screen, making it easy to see and the centre of the audiences attention.  The title then appears to fly out at us, making much more of an impact. 

Iconography

Like in all horror movies, blood is used in the opening sequence of Scream.  Although it is not used massively, when it is used it creates a powerful effect for the audience.  Fear of the unknown is also a key genre characteristic in the opening sequence, as the muderer taunts Casey on the phone before commiting any crime.  This idea of not being able to see your attacker is typical of a horror films, as it creates suspense and intrigue for the audience.  As mentioned before, a large house is also a common characteristic of horror films.  The victim has more places to run, therefore allowing the audience to gain more insight as to what their house and surroundings are like.  The house being in the middle of nowhere is also widely used, as it stops the victim gaining any aid. 

Mise-en-scene

The mise-en-scene has been designed to make the characters and the location seem 'normal' in order to get the audience to relate to the surroundings.  Making popcorn in a kitchen and getting ready to watch a movie is a normal teenage thing to do, and the settings support the idea that nothing is out of the ordinary.  As well as the props, the lighting also plays a key part in establishing the atmosphere of the scene.  All the lighting used is either light from a man-made source, such as a light switch from inside the house, or natural lighting, as is used in the exterior shot of the house.  Costume is also used to create  a particular atmosphere, as the killers face is hidden by a rather terrifying mask.  This causes the audience to me more alert about the characters introduced, as anybody could be the killer. 

Target Audience

It is quite clear, at least it should be, the the TA for Scream is over 15's.  It shows stabbing, blood and other images that would not be suitable for younger children to see.  It would also be targeted at anyone who enjoys watching horror movies, as it is fairly easy to follow in terms of narrative, and it creates tense and chilling atmosphere. 

Even after all this analysis, is still do not like this movie.  It's opening sequence is very effective, but I think the mask the killer wears is a bit to scary for me.