FILM OPENING DECONSTRUCTION- SCREAM

One of the most famous horror films to come out in the last 20 years is Wes Craven's scream. Set in the town of Woodsburo, a murderer by the name of Ghostface is picking of members of the community one by one.

The film opens with title of the movie accompanied with the non digetic sound of a ringing phone followed by a loud scream. This informs the audience of the genre of the film they are about to watch, the scream connotes horror and violence.

The ringing of the phone is a sound bridge as it carried over to the next shot as we see a close up of a phone, thus the ringing becomes a digetic sound. The audience then see Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore) answer the phone. She is wearing white which usually connotes purity and innocence however, in the scene she gets into a semi flirtatious mood with the caller despite her having a boyfriend, something that can be seen as the convention of a . She is also wearing make up which may represents this sexualised manner. Wes Craven is credited with defying the regular conventions associated with horror with this film.

After hanging up after the caller dials her again the location of the opening is revealed to be a large house though the use of a long shot. Having the framed on its own and I the center of the shot creates a feeling of isolatedion . This contributes to the tension of the scene as Casey is all alone and a sense of helplessness begins to build.

The caller calls yet again, and they start talking about scary movies, which at the time, having characters within a horror film be self aware and start referencing horror films was unheard of. Which gives credit to Scream and Wes Craven revolutionising the horror genre. A zoom in shot with Casey's face framed in the center shows the concern and fright that is on her face. The non digetic sound of a dog barking perhaps alludes to the killer's presence outside and Casey begins to lock the door in response to this.

The killer begins to get more violent on the phone and the on screen diegetic sound of popcorn on the stove is getting louder and the bag is getting bigger perhaps to heighten the growing tension of the scene. The close up of Casey's face when the killer threatens to kill her shows the true terror she is feeling and the horror of the overall scene, Casey's mode of address begins to get frantic and scared conveying the sense of fright and desperation.

After the threat a non digetic drum beat begins to play and after a screech Casey runs and the drums beat faster to accompany the growing tension of the scene, and perhaps to show that the killer is getting closer. As Casey locks all the doors the music stops leading the audience into a false sense of security. The silence isn't there for long as an offscreen digetic sound of a doorbell is heard making Casey scream and jump in terror.

Then the phone rings again making her scream, the use of a long shot leaves her open and exposed so the audience are looking around her environment in case the killer is stalking around the house. Casey answers the call and a long shot of the door leads the audience to believe that the killer is on the other side. Then the killer reveals he knows the name of Casey's boyfriend and the background music of the string instruments stop playing, a close up of Casey's face shows how scared she is.

The killer demands she turn on the patio lights, the lighting is low key yet bright enough for the audience to see her boyfriends bound and gagged body, however at the same time not bright enough for the, to feel safe and secure. A close up of Steve's (the boyfriend) face shows that he has been injured and the audience now know that this killer is not messing around and is a very real threat.

The lights are turned off at the killer's command and after Casey gets one of his questions wrong he says that Steve is going to die. The darkness of the shot doesn't show the audience the killer. Then the lights return and the audience see his mutilated body. After more back and forth between Casey and the killer, then a jump scare with the sound of glass cracking is a sound bridge between a shot of Casey cowering and a shot of a chair coming through the patio door.

We finally see the killer from a P.O.V of Casey and a screech of non diegetic string instruments accompanies this. A chase ensues and a long shot shows the audience how the killer is right behind Casey, framed right in the center to show his close proximity to Casey. He manages to catch her and stab her in the chest with the phone still in her hand.

In a close up shot the killer then stabs her in the throat and destroys her vocal chords and her mode of address becomes gargled, as she tries and calls for help conveying the hopelessness of the situation . The audience can see the pain of Casey's face and endure this pain with her. She then tries and calls for her parents who have just arrived at the house however the dramatic irony that the audience know that Casey is in trouble but her parents don't creates a sense of hopelessness. Her parents come into the house and see the fire on the stove as a result of the overcooked pop corn and start to panic. Her mother begins to call the phone and in a close up shot we see Casey being dragged by the killer with the phone still in hand, the close up allows the audience to see the panic on the mother's face.

The mother exits the house and screams. This clues the audience into the fact that something has happened but they are not shown until the camera zooms in onto Casey's gutted body hanging from a tree. The zoom is fast paced and shows her body in gory detail making the audience very uncomfortable.

The opening is brilliant as it establishes the genre of the film and shows the killer in full force and shows what he is capable of. Drew Barrymore did a lot of the promotional material for the movie so to see her get killed off in the first few minutes of the film was a real shock to the audience. However, in my opinion- this opening peaks the film much too soon, as the killer doesn't really appear for much of the film until the ending and when he does it doesn't impact the audience like he does in this opening.

FILM OPENING ANALYSIS- SAW I (2004)

2004 saw James Wan's popular body horror SAW appear in cinemas all over the world. Two strangers wake up in a room with no recollection of how they got there or why, and soon discover that they are part of a deadly ‘game’ plotted and carried out by a notorious serial killer.

The opening scene introduces the film to the audience, initiating the plot line and setting the scene through use of cinematography.

As the film opening begins, the audience is shown the close up of a face, introducing him as a potential main character. The minimal lighting only allows the audience to see certain parts of his face. The light which travels across the man’s face makes clear of the dark, pitch black surrounding he is in, which is unnerving for the viewer, as it makes them unaware of what’s going on, putting them in the same position of the character. This creates a sense of uncertainty amongst the audience, as we are unable to see facial expression and if any damage has been caused. The diegetic sound of water gives off the impression that the character is drowning or has already died underwater.

The editing soon becomes very fast paced, flashing between the person in the bathtub and the plug hole. This gives the audience an idea of what the character is going through; the scene is chaotic and has high levels of action which is reflected through quick camera transitions. There is straight cutting to an object (a key) floating in the water and eventually going down the plug hole. The focus on this particular event makes the audience aware of the fact that it could play some sort of significance later on in the film.

There is a sudden shift from a close up camera shot into a long shot of the character waking up and escaping from the bath tub, allowing the audience to see him struggling. The fast cuts add to this, emphasising the danger and confusion the character is facing.§ As the camera transitions over, revealing more of the scenery the audience becomes more aware of the setting; he is in a dark, dirty room. The fact that he was in a bathtub makes clear that he is in some sort of abandoned bathroom. This choice of scenery as well as mise en scene puts the viewer on edge as, although it (a bathroom type setting) is a setting which we would normally be used to, its current state is off-putting and eerie as it is filthy and run-down.

The fast transition between the frame of the key travelling down the plug hole and the character escaping from the bath makes the audience aware that both focuses have some sort of significance and importance whether it is in the current moment or later on in the film, thus becoming memorable for the viewers.

A long shot frame shows the character fully exiting the bathtub. We see the man fall over, as he is unaware of the fact that he has a chain locked around his lower leg- something that the audience could see whilst he first woke up. This shows that the character is just as confused and unaware of what situation he is in as the audience is. The very dark lighting allows us to see the character begin to fumble around, as he has been blinded by the lack of light around him. 

Once a small sound is made, the character suddenly becomes aware that he may not be alone after he questions his existence, before being told "You're not dead." He calls out, asking "who's that?" twice, before being spoken to again. The fact that we are unable to see the other character who is speaking causes a sense of mystery and somewhat fear as the audience are unsure whether this character is in fact good or evil. The heavy breathing and intensity of the man's vigilance make us aware of his growing concern and confusion regarding his ambiguous situation.

FILM OPENING DECONSTRUCITON- JAWS (1975)

One of the most famous horror films to ever be made is Steven Spielberg's Jaws. Set in the seemingly peaceful island town of Amity, not all is well as a series of attacks on the residents of the island start to happen. It is up to Police chief Martin Brody to assemble a team to stop the shark that is wreaking havoc in the shores of Amity island.

The film opens with a bunch of young people drinking and sitting by the campfire.  Various couples are kissing and generally having a nice time. Then ,in a pan,Chrissie teases one of the boys in the group and entices him to playfully chase her. During the case scene they begin to remove their clothes and end up on the beach at which point she says that she is going skinny dipping and suggests that he join her. The lighting throughout the whole sequence is very dark and this enhances the ominous feeling of the scene.

A long shot of Chrissie swimming in the ocean is feature at an angle below her is zooming in on her   constantly. This is the point of view of the shark getting closer to its prey, it puts the audience in the position of the shark, perhaps making audiences uncomfortable.

Then a close up shot of a happy Chrissie smiling and calling to her love interest on the beach (who is in the process of undressing), who is highly intoxicated and close to passing out, asking him to join her in the water.

 Another close up shot of Chrissie from below is shown briefly which leads to Chrissie being dragged under water in a close up shot, this close up shot is particularly effective as you can see the horror on her face, even though the shot is dark(which for me at least enhances the scene, as it could be argued that the whole situation is shrouded in darkness as it Chrissie has no idea hat is going on). Another notable thing about this shot is that the iconic Jaws theme starts to play. The theme is so iconic that even if you haven't seen the film you have at least heard it, and for first time viewers they have a feeling that something bad is going to happen.

The medium shot that follows  shows Chrissie being dragged around, which is combined with close up shots of her face. The fast paced editing demonstrates the chaotic nature of her ordeal, with is furthered when we see the look of terror on her face.

For a short moment in a medium shot, Chrissie manages to grab hold of the buoy and the carnage stops, making the audience think that she may make it out alive, but this sense oh hope is snatched away when the chaos resumes and she is yet again being thrashed about in the water, the sounds included are her screams of terror and the phrasing of the water, I feel that this really puts the audience in the scene. 

Then, in a final close up of Chrissie, she screams for help but it's futile and she is quickly pulled under the water- this time for good. After this the music stops completely and all we hear is the sound of the buoy. 

The next shot is a long shot of her friend lying on the beach passed out.The way the scene changes from absolute terror to a calm atmosphere shows how quickly a situation can change. It created an effective opening and sets the tone for the rest of the film. An example being when all the children are in the water by the beach enjoying themselves and suddenly the tone changes from happiness to absolute chaos when yet again the shark claims another victim, this time a little boy.

The whole sequence is effective because it creates a real sense of hopelessness. Chrissie is all alone in the water and no one is around to help her. The darkness creates an ominous tone and this fits as Chrissie and the audience don't know whats going on below the waves. The use of sound enhances the tension and terror especially the iconic Jaws theme, along with the fast paced editing. All of these aspects make one of the most memorable and iconic film openings in history.