Scream

Analysis


Camera: Tracking shot - shows empty space and shows she is being followed. Medium close up shows innocence. Camera tilting slowly down shows suspense as well as the fast zoom.


Sound: Diegetic phone ringing. Non diegetic heart beat. Crickets shows they're in a isolated location. Non diegetic sound signifies change. Diegetic dog bark implies here is an intruder.


Editing: Match on action - phone ringing and her picking it up repeatedly! Vulnerable and naivety shown though slow pace scene and tracking shot, this adds to tension and shows he is being watched. Eye line match - her looking around trying to figure out where the person is.


Mis-en Scene: Tracking shot of the tree slowly coming down on the house - isolated location. Contrast of clothing, innocent girl wearing light colours and murderer wearing dark.


Textual Analysis of Scream

This horror thriller amalgamates the brutal violence of a horror and the rapid suspense of a thriller. In the extract we were shown, there were stand out moments using camera, sound, editing and mis-en scene.

Throughout the second scene, there was a Tracking shot behind the vulnerable lonely girl, this was chosen to exaggerate the amount of empty space and show that she is being followed.  A medium close up was used when she initially discovered the man on the phone was suspicious and psychotic, it shows the innocence on her face. Furthermore, the camera tilting slowly down shows suspense as well as the fast zoom.


 Additionally, there are elements of this extract where one can easily tell it is a horror thriller just by focusing on the sound. The diegetic phone ringing right at the beginning quickly began the film with a mysterious encounter with diegetic dialogue taking place. Non diegetic heart beat before the phone call implied that the film will be pulse rising. The sound of the Crickets when the camera pas from the trees down to her house shows they're in an isolated location. The non-diegetic sound of the music when the man on the phone reveals he can see her signifies a change in the mood of the conversation. The Diegetic dog bark when we first realise she is in trouble implies here is an intruder.


 Furthermore, there are simple editing techniques used in the extract that make it clear that it is a horror thriller. The Match on action right at the beginning is when the phone continuously rings and she keeps picking it up! Her vulnerable side and naivety is shown though the slow pace scene of her on the phone call when the camera never cuts away from her using the tracking shot, this adds to the tension and shows she is being watched. The eye line match of her looking around trying to figure out where the person is shows loneliness and fear.


Finally, Mis-en Scene is used when we see a tracking shot of the tree slowly coming down on the house; this clearly shows she is in an isolated location. The Contrast of clothing where the innocent girl is wearing light colours and the murderer is wearing dark. This is a clear but subtle representation of the genre.