CJ Film Opening Research - Scream

In looking at different narrative styles used in horror movies, we have identified a number of different paths we could take in our opening scene. One film opening that caught our eye was Scream - it's the perfect example of a generic horror movie opening, and a very feasible and edgy scene for us to make.

Scream (Craven, 1996) is a horror film about a killer who specifically targets teenagers. Unlike some other psychological horror films we have analysed, in this instance the antagonist is a physical presence known as 'Ghost Face', named as such because of his attire - he wears a Halloween mask in order to commit his crimes anonymously.

This film connects with our ideas in numerous ways, as we are looking to produce a primarily teen horror with teenage actors. It's also psychologically based as opposed to gore-based - something we hope to emulate.

• The film opens with a sweeping ped up of the lead character (Casey), played by Drew Barrymore.
• The lighting is high key, low contrast, making for a mundane and cheerful atmosphere in the clip.
• The only tension we feel as the audience (aside from the fact that we are aware we're watching a horror film) is due to the fact that the character is alone at night and the house appears to be remote.
• The house itself is relatively modern, making for an almost cheerful atmosphere initially...
• ...however, as the scene progresses, we are made to feel a sense of foreboding in relation to Casey's position simply by the obscurity of the phone calls she is receiving.
• The stock-familiar sinister voice on the other end of the phone also gives warning of the coming loss of control on the part of the lead character.
• Through the simple connotations of the words 'I want to know who I'm looking at', the entire scene becomes tense;
• The audience are shown only what the girl sees - the entire scene is shot in her perspective up until her death. This means that the audience are in the dark as much as Casey is for the whole scene.
• The music used within the scene is also tension-building. As the scene progresses, the volume and intensity of the incidental background music increases right up to orchestral hits and string hits in the action sequences.

In terms of the representation used...

• The main group being represented in this clip is blonde women in their teenage years/early twenties.
• The portrayal isn't flattering, with the classic representation of blonde women being used in relation to Casey. She fails to call the police after she's been told she's being stalked, and only after she sees her boyfriend tied to the chair outside does she realise the peril she is in.
• The parents are also typical of middle aged, middle class americans - they wear tweed clothing, and have upper-middle class accents.
• When they see their daughter hanging from a tree, the woman's first response is to scream, whereas the father's is to simply stop and stare at the body. This is also a classic representation, in that the parents, who have had their daughter killed, simply break down the moment they see her.

I would say that the representation of blonde females in this clip are regressive. there is little sign that the director has attempted to break with stereotypes, and she seems to be at the mercy of the killer for the entirety of the clip.

The parents are also archetypal in their representation - they are stereotypical of most parents represented in the media. The view of middle-aged people could be viewed as either regressive or progressive depending on what period of time we relate it back to. Pre 60's, parents and middle aged people were viewed as figures of respect. However, in more recent action films, they've taken on a far more benign role in the narrative. So, looking at the representations of this film in comparison with more recent films, I would say that they've been represented conforming to stereotypes as opposed to in a progressive way.

Audience

• The audience for this film can be identified as being people in their twenties - the viewpoints of older characters is not as widely expressed as those of the younger characters in the narrative.
• I would say that the target gender is fairly open-ended, although the blood and gore may be seen as a deterrent to some female viewers. Also, the narrative positions of power are all held by male characters (the boyfriends all have more control over their partners than the other way round, the killer is male).
• The audience in this film is generally quite passive - whilst the film does have some heavy psychological aspects to it, the audience is not made to do that much thinking whilst watching. In this case, I would say that it was not specifically targeted at the intelligent.
• The fact that the film is produced via mainstream outlets also suggests that the film is being broadcast to a mass audience
• The preferred reading of this text would be that the killer has full control over the situation, and that the female is subject to his will.
• An aberrant reading of the text would be that the killer and the victim are simply playing a game. This is a very unlikely reading of the story, and is not intended by the writer.

My response
My reaction as a male British teenager to the first five minutes of Scream was to look at the narrative from the teenage female's perspective. This is because the camera, narrative and editing very much prioritises her and her actions in the script. Therefore the preferred reading is from her point of view, and we are shown how her calm and self confidence diminishes throughout the scene. This loss of control over the situation is reflected in what we feel as the viewer - a useful psychological trick that helps to cause a presence of fear within the situation.

The main points I identified were as follows:

• The gradual descent of the storyline from the mundane into the horrific;
• The use of heavily stereotyped characters to create a clichéd but effective narrative;
• Sudden and unpredictable plot twists, action sequences and use of gore;
• The placing of the audience with Casey to promote a feeling of empathized self-insecurity;
• The use of dramatic music to push the clip forward;
• And finally, the use of unsettling and emotionally charged gory horror scenes (hanging and stabbing of Casey, the response of the parents).