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.

MOVIE TRAILERS VS MOVIE OPENINGS

In order to further our understanding in regards to how to edit our film opening, it was important for us to know the differences between a film trailer and the opening of a film.

Trailers
Trailer editing is about how you can condense a film into a 1-2 minute preview. A well cut trailer will have a flowing motion to it, a sense that everything follows one sequence to the next and the the viewer on a mini experience of the film. Trailers build up excitement and anticipation, and a keen sense of rhythm heightens those sensations. What plays a big part in the effectiveness of the trailer is the music used within it. Generally there are three music  cues, a basic formula of a trailer has been devised something like this: Act one; Introduce films' characters and environment. Act two; complicate the world act one has set up to overcome. Act three; intensify the conflicts and build up tension/excitement/humour(normally with a heightened pace and jump cut montage editing). There can be four acts but there also can be one it all depends on the material the editors have to work with. Most importantly; the editors never resolve anything within the trailer, this is because they don't want to give the plot of the film away at any point. A good trailer just reveals the movie's potential to be great. If the trailer has a seductive rhythm to it and an arresting structure the viewer will be more interested in seeing the finished product. Trailer editors, are disrespectful, they de-contextualise everything, the editors have to see everything  for what they are inherently, not how they function in the context of the film. They have to unpack the feature in order to repack it and turn it into a trailer. There are so many familiar editing tropes in trailers; dissolves, fades from black, fades to black, white flashes with slams, fast paced flutter cuts, double exposures, speed adjustments, audio rises, audio drones, audio stings. A romantic film for example, the editor will use dissolves and fades. In an action film, the editors will use fast cuts that crescendo in a metal door slam and white flash. The editors have to sell the story as well as tell it in its simplest form.

Depending on the studio and the project, the marketing work is often split between the studio's in-house marketing department and one or more outside agencies. These agencies are known colloquially as "trailer houses". A trailer is a condensed version of a feature, so it should be a collection of its greatest elements, lead with its merits. The genre of the movie will often determine how the trailer is edited, for example if its a comedy the editor will include som of its funniest moments, a good comedy trailer will include some funny moments without giving away the most hilarious jokes.

Openings
An effective film opening will have to grab the audiences attention straight away to make sure they'll continue watching. The film maker s will have to quickly introduce the characters briefly, with a couple of broad strokes and then throw them into the pit right away and over the course of the film let the audience see if and how they'll claw their way out. It should tell the audience the genre of the film right away and the setting/location. It should introduce one of the storylines and give the audience a taste of the narrative. Usually there is music and quick editing, particularly to create an element of suspense. The audience want to learn, in these opening minutes- the tone, the atmosphere, the stakes and what the characters have to overcome.

• Scream(horror)- In this brilliant opening the phone rings, a cute girl answers and a freaky voice is heard. The audience is given a few pieces of pop culture dialogue about horror films, the tension builds as the tension builds the killer begins to get more violent , her boyfriend ends up dead. Then the audience finally sees he masked killer. The girl (played by Drew Barrymore- who did a lot of the promotional material for the film) dies. The audience know the stakes ANYONE can be killed, now they're engaged.
• Star Wars (sci-fi)- The opening threw the audience into the world of the film. The star destroyer coming into endless view in pursuit of the smaller ship, the droids making their escape, the entrance of Darth Vader, his confrontation with Princess Leia where the audience learn about the pans, by the time the droids make their escape the audience know what they're in for and are engaged.
• Raiders of the lost ark(adventure/action)- In this classic opening the audience sees Indiana Jones, barely hear one word from him and learn next to nothing about his back story. He's a man of action, the audience learn about him by his actions and by the time he escapes from the natives and he film cuts to him wearing glasses and teaching a university class, the audience are hooked- where will this character take them next.

WORK LOG- SPECIAL EFFECTS MAKEUP

For elements for mise en scene, special effects makeup in addition to mask making and costume is helpful to input into the film opening as it helps give the audience an insight as to what the current situation of each character is as well as creating some sort of link to their personality.
In the case of our film opening, we have used various makeup types to show what has happened to certain characters after a time frame which we could not include due to both the technicality and length of the opening.

The opening features a girl who was a previous victim of the killers in the storyline, and is shown both in a missing poster and later on, dead in the place which the main victim wakes up in.
As she was a victim of killers who take skin from the face of their victims to create a mask, we had to show this in the makeup, so by using home made scar wax [see mask making for recipe] ,skin colourant, cosmetic makeup and fake blood I created the specific look we were aiming to portray on the face. Additionally, I applied makeup to areas such as under the eyes, around the lips, and on the eyebrow, to make Anna appear dead, and as though she had been attacked in some way before meeting her demise.

As I did not own any professional special effects makeup, I used the same mixture used when making the mask, adding more vaseline so that it met a more malleable consistency. I pressed it onto Anna's skin, and then used her own foundation to match her skin colour as accurately as possible. Then, using a basic eyeshadow palette, I added bruising, created a sunken in eye look, and made the lips pale so that she would appear dead on camera.

I then added a small amount of fake blood both inside the fake wound, and above the eyebrow as this would make the character look as though they had gone through some sort of physical trauma before their death.

Also, we needed to find a way of making the victim look beaten and bruised after she wakes up once she has been captured. For this, I used simple eyeshadow colours which when blended created a bruised appearance around the eyes, temples, and jaw- this creates the idea that the victim has been taken to the location she wakes up in in a brutal manner. As well as this, I have added a small cut over the eyebrow and on the lip, and have used fake blood to add to the beaten effect.

Here is a close up example of this:

BEFORE: 

AFTER:

WORK LOG- MASK MAKING

MASK MAKING

A substantial part of our coursework is of course the use of mise en scene, which includes costume and makeup. For our final character profiling we have decided to adhere to the codes and conventions of slasher horror villains and are giving our silent killer a mask which will hide their identity.
We have decided that our mask will be designed in a way which resembles patches of skin taken from different victims, sewn together to make the mask's base. However, instead of having a mask which will cover the entirety of the killers' faces, we have decided to make it so that it only covers approximately half of the face, as it will be the killer's work in progress- they are still 'harvesting' skin from victims, thus it will not yet be complete. This is also good for mise en scene as we are able to show parts of the killers' emotions- they will of course be pleased when they catch the victim in the film opening, therefore we will leave the mouth free of any form of cover so that a smirk etc is visible.

When thinking of how to make the mask, I brainstormed ways in which I could make it realistic looking. I came across several online tutorials regarding special effects skin making, however they all involved use of expensive equipment and products which was not ideal for us as we didn't want to have to limit ourselves to a budget.
I then did further research into young film making companies made up of mostly university students whom had little to no funds when making their films- by doing this, I found out that simple household items could be used to make faux skin...



The items I used to make the mask are as follows:

• A pre-made plain paper mache mask
• plain flour
• vaseline
• skin foundation
• flexible wire
• watercolour paints

Firstly, I mixed together the flour and vaseline to make a scar-wax like consistency- after experimenting with different amounts, I discovered that using one-part vaseline to two-parts flour gave the ideal consistency for the mask.

After this, I added some simple foundation makeup to give the mixture a skin tone- as it was very pigmented, I only needed to add about 1/4 of a teaspoon to give the wax the correct colour. As the mask is supposed to be made up of multiple victims' skin, each new batch of faux skin would be mixed with a different foundation colour, or another household item such as coffee, so the entire mask wasn't made up of the same skin tone.

Once all of the fake skin was made, I began to flatten it out into random shapes with untidy edges, seeing as they would be brutally removed by the killers. Then, I dampened the pre-made paper mache mask, and pressed the faux skin into the mask so it stuck to the surface. I gradually built the side of the face and nose up to make the shape of mask which we wanted for the killers, and once it was done I used watercolour paints on top to create a dirty, bloodied surface on the skin, as before, it looked too clean.

Once the main skin base of the mask was complete, I used flexible wire to make stitches between each patch of skin, so that it would resemble separate sewn patches, by cutting it into small pieces, bending it slightly, and pressing it into the edges of each skin section.

Finally, we cut around where the 'skin' was glued onto the mask, so it created the illusion of only covering a selected part of the face.

UPDATE: This is how our mask appeared on camera. It looked even better when filmed in the dark, as it was not completely clear thus creating a sense of the fear of the unknowing, yet the focus group we asked to watch our piece said still easy enough to tell that the mask was made out of victims' skin.

PROS AND CONS OF THE SLASHER SUB-GENRE

PROS AND CONS OF USING THE SLASHER SUB-GENRE

For our final coursework piece, we have decided to choose the Slasher sub genre as our main basis (with included elements of thriller horror). We picked this sub-genre to focus on as we felt that we are able to express lots of our knowledge of cinematography in general, and experiment with new techniques both in and post-production parts of making the film opening.

Of course, there are both advantages and disadvantages to this choice of sub-genre, and it is important to understand what they are before filming in order to be aware of what we need to put more focus on when filming and editing the opening.


Location

• The codes and conventions of slasher horror feature an extensive range of location; from an everyday well known location such as a school, to a darker and more eerie one such as a forest. For our final film opening, we have decided to use a basic home setting, a dimly lit street, and an urban-style overpass, which are very easy for us to use as it is close to home and it will not cost anything extra to either travel to or use, as they are public settings all within walking distance.
• The only problem we may face with location is mostly to do with the weather. We would ideally like to film in the evening, when everything is dark. It would be ideal for there to be quite miserable, post-rain weather, as this could count as pathetic fallacy- a common convention of the slasher genre. Of course, the weather is out of our control so we cannot decide what it will be like at the time of filming, therefore we can't guarantee a particular type of weather.

Mise en scene

• Mise en scene is a prevalent feature within the slasher sub-genre, as it can make the audience aware of both events which could happen in the future, as well as things like character traits and what type of situation they could end up in according to the codes and conventions of the genre. Luckily, our chosen characters will be very simple to present through mise en scene; alcohol bottles, pill packets and use of simple makeup and costume are simple things which can be included using objects from around the house.
• A problem we may face with props in mise en scene is use of weaponry when filming. The killers will have visible weaponry (handheld such as knives) which if not planned responsibly could result in members of the public wrongly assuming how we are using such items. Another problem which we could possible face is the realism of the makeup used in the film opening. If it doesn't look extremely realistic, the final piece will not look as professional as it should. To overcome this, we are going to ensure that a good amount of time is spent on planning and applying any makeup and special effects so that it looks as realistic as possible.

FINAL CHARACTER PROFILES

Victim

For our AS media film opening we decided to have our initial victim as a female, as in horror films a female is seen as generally more vulnerable which is the feel we wanted for her character. However she isn't a "Mary sue", she is not at all a conservative character, as in the opening she is on her way to pick up some drugs. This will be further emphasised through use of mise en scene, where in her flat there will be various explicit and non conservative items such as lighters, cigarettes and alcohol.

She'll be wearing dark, grungy colours to show that she isn't a pure person, and she will have make up on, for example: smokey black eyeliner and dark lipstick to showcase her non-conservative, somewhat unruly nature. Going by horror film codes and conventions she has done things that would get her killed, and that's what we are aiming to portray through this character; We don't want a final girl in our film opening, but someone that, in a cynical way, deserves death.
An example of this is in the opening of "Scream". Casey (Drew Barrymore) gets a call from an anonymous caller and despite having a boyfriend she gets flirtatious with the person on the other end, even lying and saying she doesn't have a boyfriend. This gives justification for her to be killed off, according to codes and conventions, and does eventually get killed by Ghostface in the opening. 

However, this doesn't mean to say that our character is an 'ice maiden'. When she does get captured, she is genuinely terrified and really wants to stay alive. While she may appear like she hates everything and is a complete sadist who would want to rebell, not caring about the consequences she may face through her non-conservative attitude on the outside, she isn't on the inside. She just wants to get on with her life and do what she likes (which involves traits and characteristics that by horror convention must mean she will die) but by no means does she want her life to end.
In addition to the main first victim, we will also use another victim who has already met their demise because of the actions of the killers- this will be the same girl as seen in the missing poster during the flashback scene of the film opening. We will be displaying their corpse on screen as a way of showing the audience what dangerous situation the (alive) victim is now in.

Killers

To subvert from the traditional slasher use of one killer, we have decided to use two almost identical killers in our film opening. To follow the codes and conventions of slasher horror, both killers will be masked to some extent- we will have masks which we have made to look like patches of victims' skin sewn together which covers part of the face (as it will be the killers' work-in-progress), and they will both be wearing identical black clothing which includes a hoodie which will also work to mask the face. When we put framing focus onto the killers' faces, it will be clear that they are somewhat scarred in a certain way, which could link to their back stories and motives.

Alike certain slasher genre killers such as Halloween's Michael Myers, our antagonists will both be silent as we feel like it will add to the overall eeriness of the situation. This will also make the audience more curious as to what the identities of the killers are.
In addition, they will have simple handheld weapons; a knife and possibly a small axe will be used by them when they are killing their victims, making the situation more frightening as these are objects familiar to most of us.



EDIT: Once filming was complete, it wasn't completely clear that our opening involved two killers, so instead we have decided to recreate the storyboard so that the film opening only involved one killer, which still looks professionally filmed whilst editing, however it doesn't subvert much from the traditions of the slasher genre.

LOCATION SCOUTING

As a substantial part of our coursework research, we have gone location scouting in order to find the ideal settings for our film opening.

Firstly, we decided to use my (Imogen's) house as a starting point, with the idea that we would be able to create a powerful starting setting using mise en scene, which we could accomplish through decoration and props when we film. Our main character in the film opening will be the first victim, and so will match codes and conventions of a non-conservative victim the slasher genre by being a drug user. To make the audience aware of this, we will decorate the living room in order to make it look like some sort of drug user's 'den'. As one of the small rooms in the house is in the process of being decorated, the wallpaper is partially torn, the curtains have been removed, and the room is mostly taken up by a simple bed and mattress, we think that this will act as a good setting well suited to this character, as the room looks rather neglected and mistreated. 

Next, we went outside and took photos of a nearby road; it was dimly lit by street lamps, which would be ideal for us, as we would be filming in the evening when it is dark, as this is a common convention of slasher and thriller horror. This long road is curved, which will provide the audience with the fear of the unknown, and is surrounded by the woods, giving it a hidden appearance which will be seen as eerie to the audience.

As the road was surrounded by the woods, we decided to take photos of parts of the woods seeing as it is a dark and secluded area, which is what we ideally would like to base our film opening around. The only disadvantage of using the woods would be both lighting, as we will be filming at night so it may look too artificial, as well as the fact that we would have liked a more urban setting; something less 'cliche' than the woodland.

Once we had left the woods, we found a nearby pedestrian overpass which crossed over a road. This gave us an ideal setting point as it is both secluded and of an urban 'style', and for us was the most ideal place for the victim to be stalked and eventually captured, as there are many columns which can be used as 'hiding places' for the killers, and the two staircases can present the vulnerability of the victim as she becomes trapped between the two killers who have used both entrances.

Additionally, we wanted a location for the killer to reside in and plan his murders, etc. For this we wanted a location which we could easily make appear eerie and mysterious as well as being an interior location which is nearby and easily accessible. For this, we have decided to use the photography dark room in school, as this is easily accessible and we already have permission to use it as we are both art students. We liked the dark room in particular as it has red lighting which created an eerie, dark effect.

Luckily, all of these settings are in close proximity to one another and are also within walking distance of my house- this is a big advantage to us as we do not have to spend any money to travel to and and also to use these settings as they are all public zones, free of charge to enter.