TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF THE OPENING SEQUENCE OF SCREAM

The first girl on the phone to her killer,looking very innocent.

Immediately as the film begins there is a non-diegetic heart beat which paces the audience for the horrific scenes to come in this film, which is followed by a diegetic phone ring and a scream. Again, the scream creates a tense atmosphere as the audience anticipate the thriller in the horror film. The audience are introduced to a blonde girl (played by Drew Barrymore) typically known as the 'first girl' in horror films. The first girl in horror films are stereotypically blonde and vulnerable, who normally ends up being killed, which creates tension amongst the audience as they know something is at work. Furthermore her costume suggests innocence which highlights the audience's knowledge that this is a horror film. 

Isolation of the house.

Not only does the first girls innocence hint to this film being a horror, but also due to the isolation of the setting. Isolated locations are typically used in horror films because it shows that there is no way for the characters to escape to, which points towards the characters being murdered, thus being a horror film. In Scream, the diegetic sound of crickets inform the audience that the first girl is in a isolated area. Furthermore the audience can see that its late at night due to it being dark which makes the first girl more vulnerable. Moreover, the house is surrounded by woods therefore there will be no one around to save her from the suspicious man on the phon

e to her. The audience can see the isolation of the house as the camera tilts down towards the house to show that the house, as well as the first girl, are in the middle of no where and therefore there is no hope and she will not escape. Furthermore this camera angle connotes a sense that she is being watched. At the end of this tilt there is a moving swing which has been sat on by the stalker, allowing them to easily watch the 'game'. 

The first girl scared as the killer can see her.

Whilst the first girl is interacting with the killer she sounds very innocent when she laughs and giggles over the phone to him. Dramatic irony is used to infer the terror which is about to amount. The killer asks the first girl her favourite horror film, she says 'Halloween'. It is about a babysitter being stalked and murdered by a man in a white mask. During this conversation the camera tracks the first girl around the house showing how empty the house is where she is alone, making her vulnerable to the killer on the phone. Furthermore the sound of the popcorn popping sounds like a heartbeat which creates tension whist making the audience think that everything is about to explode in the film. 

When the killer reveals he can see the first girl the non-diegetic music changes to a more serious sound in order to indicate the fun 'game' is over and the terror is now here. The change of music informs the audience of the changing dynamic of the game. There is a fast zoom to the first girl in order to emphasise her panic and terror. Furthermore there is a diegetic dog bark sound from the phone, indicating he is close by because a dog protects its territory which clearly the killer has intruded. There is a non-diegetic heartbeat as the camera tracks the first girl, mean while the audience begin to see a shadow of a person outside on the decking. The camera zooms into her face closely in order to highlight her tears of terror, earning the sympathy of the audience. 

The first girl as she decides to run.

The editing tool, eye-line match and the non-diegetic heartbeat music creates tension when she sees her boyfriend trapped on the decking. The diegetic laugh of the killer leads the audience to believe that he is a psychopath that is going to kill the first girl. There is a wide camera shot in order to show her vulnerability as she attempts to hide, but the audience know there is no where for her to escape. The camera cuts from one side of the door to the other in order to show a match on action which emphasises how scared she is. The slow pace non-diegetic action music builds up tension and notifies the audience that she is about to run for her life. 

The first girl running for her life.

When the first girl is murdered, it is edited to be in slow motion in order to heighten the effect of her murder, which makes it appear more gruesome. Furthermore the camera is placed on the ground at a angle which is uncomfortable for the audience. The Dutch tilt of the camera shows the audience that she will not survive. There is a eye-line match between her and her parents to show that she knows if she will get to them she will survive. Sadly she doesn't make it and non-diegetic angel music is played to signify her death. As the parents finally see there beloved daughter hanging dead from the tree there is a fast zoom in to her showing her covered in blood. Furthermore the cold colours in this shot shows the first girl as life less. 

The killer!