Frame by frame analysis of the opening of scream (By Sabrina Bell)

Although the film scream is more well known for being a horror , there are certain elliments that make it  similar to a thriller film. I have chosen to analyse the opening scene of scream because i think it is a really effective opening, that is completely gripping. It is very much a scary opening , but at the same time it entices you to keep watching.

There is alot to say about this frame, although it is very simplistic. The word scream has obvious connections to a horror/thriller genre , and sets the tone for what a viewer should expect from the film ahead of them(alot of screaming!)The typography is in a vibrant red colour, which has many connetations; hate, anger , violence and terror By being against a dark black backround connetates the night time, where thriller movies are most effective to be viewed. If the same typography was against a white backround , it may not have the same intensity as being against a dark backround. The wriring itself is in capital letters, that are each spaced out from the other. This adds effect and stands out to a viewers eyes. Furthermore it appears to be written with a smudgy effect, that represents blood ,again something that relates to thriller movies. Along side this frame shot, there are sound effects of people screaming playing the the backround. Then you hear an old fashioned phone ring, and then the image quickly changes to the telephone.

This is the first image you see after the film title, along with the non diagetic sound of a phone ringing( because the sound has clearly been placed in afterwards for more effect). There is nothing 'thrilling' about the shot of a telephone , but the durastic change from the first screne capture to this one, leaves a viewer confused and eager to view on. The whole film is centered around mysterious phone calls from psycho killers. The fact that the first frame in the opening sequence is a phone reinforces that idea, signifying the whole film is based around a phone.

Just like any stereotypical thriller/horror , there is always a night time shot. This is a shot of a tree in the girls gardon, that ironically she is tied up to at the end of scene. Just like the previous shot of the telephone , alot of the clips incorporated into this opening, foreshadows events that are yet to come. This is the reason the director has included them. To create more emphasis on the night time scene , ambient sound of wildlife and other night time noises creates atmosphere and setting. You start to realise the main character is in the middle of nowhere, in the countrysife, and that she would be vunerable to the psycho killer that is contacting her.