Generic Conventions
-In the middle of nowhere
-Kitchen knives
-Mystery (mystery caller)
-Blood
-Locked doors
-Wooded area
-Mist/fog (pathetic fallacy)
-Fire
-Black/white/red colour scheme for main titles.
-Threats of violence.
Sound
-Screaming sound effect in main titles.
-Heartbeat sound effect in main titles.
-Sound effect of knife sharpening in main titles.
-Sound bridge of phone ringing.
-Mystery caller-Enigma code, hooks the audience
-Repetition of knife sound effect when knife is drawn from knife rack.
-Vague diagetic sound (vague dialogue) from mystery caller.
-Atmospheric non-diagetic sound when the female victim hangs up for the second time on the mystery caller.
-Creaking swing
-Post-modernist references to other films in diagetic sound ("Never call out who's there-haven't you seen a scary film before?!")
-Cooking/burning/popping popcorn.
The sound in the opening scene of 'Scream' conveys the conventions of the horror genre effectively. As the film title appears we hear the sound effect of a knife being sharpened which immediately connotes danger and foreshadows events to come. A scream is audible after the first knife sound effect which refers to the title of the film. A heartbeat can also be heard. When you are scared you secrete adrenaline which makes your heart beat faster. The use of a heart beat sound effect in the main titles implies that you (as the viewer) will be scared by the events that happen in the film as well as the characters. Non-diagetic sound continues to convey the horror genre as atmospheric/orchestral music is used as the female victim rushes around her house locking all the doors. The music is used as jump noise, so when a jump cut is used (such as when the female looks out of the window in the door or the mystery caller starts talking and issuing threats.) The sudden 'burst' of string music builds tension as string instruments (such as violins and cellos) are commonly used to build tension. The viewer will start to wonder what is going to happen to the blonde female following the hints of danger (SFX of screaming and knives) and the gradual build of tension and suspense further draws in the audience as they wish to find out who the mystery caller is (Barthes Enigma Code) and the outcome of the female victim.
Camerawork
-Follow/tracking shots of the female victim walking through the house.
-Jump cuts at multiple moments.
-Various zooms into the female victims' face, usually when the mystery caller reveals something to her on the phone.
-Zoom/ reaction shot of female victim.
-The Rule of Thirds is a key element in all of the camera shots.
-Establishing shot and pan showing location of the house/scene.
-Point of View shots.
-Filmed at awkward angles.
The use of follow/tracking shots is effective as it allows the viewers to witness and event within a scene un-interrupted. However it means the viewer can only see what the camera shows them, which provides multiple opportunities for jump cuts that are necessary for horror films. The follow/tracking shots also follow the rule of thirds, but the protagonist in the scene (the blonde female) is not always in the centre third. For example when the female walks around the house whilst talking to the mystery man over the phone she pauses by the back door. The female is in the right third whilst the door handle is in the centre third and the glass pane of the door is in the left third. This allows the viewer to focus on the dialogue and the female character, but it has heavily implications that the view outside and the door itself will play an important role within the plotline of the narrative. The viewer will then turn their attention to the door, anticipating the events that will take place further on in the scene.
Editing
-Jump cuts.
-Match on action (cooking the popcorn, looking out of the windows, locking the doors.)
There is not a lot of editing techniques in the opening scene of 'Scream' as many of the used camera shots were follow/tracking shots. However the use of jump cuts is appropriate as these are common conventions of the horror genre. The jump cuts are designed to scare the audience and build suspense and tension. Typically one is used at the start of a scene and another is not used for awhile and gradually the interval between each jump cut is shortened which represents the growing tension and builds suspense. The match on action simply allows the scene to flow more easily, and allows the audience to witness and action from two different angles. We can see the female victim go to lock the backdoor from inside her house and it switches using match on action to witness the locking of the back door from the garden, which implies that someone is always watching her from both inside and outside the house, leaving the audience questioning the location of the mystery caller and further creating tensions and building suspense.
Mise-En-Scène
-Blonde woman- stereotypically an innocent, naïve victim in the horror genre.
-White jumper conveys innocence and purity
-Caller is male- stereotypically strong and dominant.
-Alone in a big house.
-House is in the middle of nowhere (as stated by the mystery caller.)
-Ever-growing popcorn tray resembles the explosive narrative.
-Sharp knife sound effect and kitchen knives foreshadow events to come.
-Multiple doors to lock.
-The female always answers the phone even though she knows she will but put into even more danger if she does.
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