Scream - 1996 - Wes Craven

Enigma codes-

• Who is she?
• Is she a key character?
• Is she significant?
• Why is she alone?
• Where are her parents?

-create a hook so that the audience wants to keep watching to find out the answers, which are later answered. The lack of information we receive about the character makes the narrative even more suspense filled. Moreover the phone keeps ringing throughout raising further enigma codes. You wonder who is on the other end ringing? Why they keeping ringing? Why they have chosen to target her specifically. Whether the phone will played a key role throughout in building suspense? Will it keep cropping up? All of these questions keep the audience interested and wanting to know what the story line is, although they are answered in time.


The characters presented in the opening sequence is typical of the horror conventions. A young female with blond hair and pale skin, which immediately portrays her as innocent and vunerable. The audience doesn't find out much about her, Casey, in the way of background information but you do get a clear sense of her character through her actions and choices. Such as when she keeps answering the phone even when its clear to her as well as the audience that the person on the other end is 'bad news' highlighting her as naive and it would seem to the audience that she lacks common sense - this is commonly played by females in horror films - they generally do the opposite to what they should be.

Mise-en-scene

Through the majority of the opening sequence, the location is the downstairs of her house. This shown through an initial establishing shot of the outside of her house, using a panning shot to show more of the setting. This is very typical of horror films as they make the characters seem wealthy, while also establishing the unsettling mood as the house is so large and isolated. The size of the house also emphasises how small she is in comparison; again highlighting her vulnerability.

Lighting

The establishing shot quickly tells the audience that the narrative takes place at night and therefore creates anxiety and uncertainty within the audiences minds as it has a creepy feel. The darkness outside has also been used effectively by having lots of shots of her looking out of the many windows into the darkness. Again making the audience feel uneasy and weary of what is out there. The bad unknown character can see her inside but she can't see him out side, and that has a really creepy feeling of being watched about it that I don't like at all!

Editing

Cuts have been used to mimic the atmosphere throughout the opening sequence. Beginning with longer shots where cuts are less frequently used, creating a more relaxed mood in contrast to later on when she becomes fearful and panicked; shown through a use of short shots and quick, sharp cuts to pick up the pace and reflect her emotions.
Of course, match-on-action is fairly evident throughout to maintain the flow. Eye line match has also been used in places to make the audience feel as if they are experiencing the narrative from Casey's point of view; therefore feeling more involved in the story.

Iconography

Typically, like in many horror films, Scream begins by having a phone ringing to puncture the existing silence, surprising and possibly scaring the audience. It also creates a fear of the unknown and begins to reveal the direction that the story is taking.
Blood has of course has also been featured - what's a horror film without blood?- although not to a huge extent in the opening sequence. When it is used, it is all the more dramatic and horrific as Casey looks so young and innocent lying dead and covered in blood; it's an image that shocks the audience even though it was pretty obvious that she was going to die eventually.

Titles

Unlike the typical conventions of horror films, the title for Scream appears at the very start without having footage before hand to foreshadow event to come... or even the producers or distributors for that matter!
The colours used for the title are very important as it is the first thing that you see and so needs to clearly identify the genre of film. To do this the title first appears as stark white on black- clear and simple- but then changes to red on black to symbolise and foreshadow the events and blood that is to come. The font is also  bold and simple so that it's easy to see, ensuring that it is the focus of the audiences focus.