The opening consists of a non-diegetic sound of a phone ringing while the title of the film is displayed, along with this the audience can hear screams which give inclination that the genre of the film is horror. There is a close up of the phone which creates mystery to who is calling on the telephone. A tracking shot of a girl answering the phone appears and the audience is introduced to the first character, who appears to be confident, polite and sweet as the audience hears her speak her opening lines. The character is both female and blonde which indicates a typical victim that horror films represent as they are portrayed as easy targets for the antagonist. She begins to walk away only to be interrupted by a off-screen sound of the telephone ringing again, a close up of the main character's face shows suspicion and tension which builds on to audiences. The edits are slow paced and range between mid shots to close ups. An establishing shot of the house shows isolation and loneliness, it verifies that the character is alone and will be at higher risk of danger. Within the opening all diegetic sounds are overpowering, and louder than they should be, this effect builds anxiety to audiences and makes views jump. A knife is used as a prop playfully as the character talks in a friendly tone to the mystery caller. This shows an opposition within the film because the character is using a weapon - that is usually used by the antagonist to kill - to play with. A tracking shot behind the main character creates the image that somebody is walking behind her or watching her while she is on the phone. In the garden when looking outside the character sees mist in which creates tension and mystery because the caller has just frightened her. Her body language becomes hostile and she begins to lock all the doors because she is suspicious of the caller. The popcorn increasingly getting bigger in size resembles the climax in the film, she is coming to terms that the caller may put her in danger. The setting is in a modern, spacious home which reveals that the antagonist could be in any part of the house without the protagonist knowing. The low key lighting is particulalry effective in establishing the sinister mood of the scene it also allows shadows to be cast over the protagonist.
MACRO
The genre of 'Scream' is easily indentifiable by just the first opening seconds of the film because the title of the film is shown in bloody lettering and the non-diegetic sounds of screams and slashing of weapons can be heard. These iconic features shout out to audiences that the genre is horror. The symbolic scence in which the protagonist plays innocently with a knife while talking the antagonists reflects the film sub genre: Slasher.
The narrative mainly consists of an innocent phone call from a mystery caller; however the mood changes as the caller reveals, 'I want to know who I am looking at.' This alerts the protagonist that she may not be alone and makes the audience anxious as to who the mystery caller is. The opening to 'Scream' is effective because it builds up suspense slowing by using camera angles, diologue and music. The scary voice on the phone builds tension and as the scene progresses the antagonist is slowly revealed which shocks the audiences and gurrentees them to continue watching to discover what will happen next.
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