How Shaped To Make The Opening Extract Grip Essay Example

to the sound of the heartbeat and it then gradually turns a blood red colour.The sound of the ringing phone ties in with the first scene of the film and as Drew Barrymore's character picks the phone up, the music, the beating heart and the screams finish. This all occurs within the first 30 or so seconds of the film and already Wes Craven (Screams director) has toyed with the viewers senses and given the audience a sense of unease, even before anything has actually happened. Already we are aware something bad is going to happen due to the opening segment alone.

From the outset of the scene Casey (Drew Barrymore's character) is plagued by a prank caller who persists in phoning her and generally making a nuisance of himself. This continues for a while and upon Casey hanging up the phone for a second time on the caller the scene cuts to a scene outside the house looking up at a tree. Sound is used effectively in this brief scene with normal nighttime noises (e. g. crickets etc) but then a creaking sound cuts in.

The camera pans downward and the audience sees that a partially moving swing hanging from the tree is causing this creaking sound by the rope rubbing against the branch.This scene alone begins to create more tension, as among the normal nighttime noises is this unusual creaking sound. It provokes thought in the viewer as to whether perhaps someone is hiding in the tree, or has just recently come away from the swing and is on route to the house. Wes Craven uses these small, but very effective elements to gradually

scare the audience and build a sense of tension and suspense. Another example of sound being used in the opening scene is when Casey is talking to the prank caller and she uses her boyfriend as a threat to the caller after she has been threatened herself.

The caller names her boyfriend, and as Casey stands stunned and bewildered as to how this mysterious caller knows her boyfriends name a loud boom follows. It emphasizes the prank caller's last comment and it is now we come to realise the call isn't just a prank and that there is more substance to it. It is as if now we are hit by the fact the prank caller means business and this booming sound is symbolic of that. At this stage more and more tension is being mounted and the use of sounds in this scene aid this.The audience is becoming more gripped and scared little by little. As the scene progresses Casey ends up outside the house as the killer chases and in this segment the sound of her breathing is the prominent noise in the scene.

Her breathing is loud, rapid, full of gasps and this adds to the already huge amount of tension and suspense. Throughout the opening scene a wide range of different camera angles and shots are used so as to include the audience more. We see many close ups of Casey's face, so as we have more insight as to what her reaction to the caller is.She begins by having joking expressions on her face, as if she is not taking the caller seriously, and then looks of terror as we gradually

find out the prank caller is for real.

The close-ups of Casey also portray to us her fear. On several occasions we are also put in Casey's shoes and see things from her perspective, as we see things through her eyes. In one instance we see things from her perspective and viewpoint as she desperately scours the view from her window to try and locate where the killer is hiding.This shot is fast and frenzied and the camera moves quickly, this gives us a greater sense of suspense and tension again builds as we see things from her viewpoint. It's almost as if we are being stalked by the killer ourselves and we begin to feel things as if we are really in the situation. This is a big step in attempting to scare and frighten the viewers.

Seeing things from the perspective of characters has been used in many horror films and it is an effective way of scaring audiences, this is why in the opening scene of 'Scream' we see things from Casey's point of view many times.In the opening scene of 'Scream' the way objects are placed in frame gives a great effect on how the viewer views the film. In one instance in the opening Casey is on the phone to the killer and she backs up into a small space between a television and a wall. This is representational of her being trapped and helpless and that things are closing in around her as the killer continues to toy with her.

Also how subjects in frame are filmed has an effect on the audience. An instance where this is used

is when her boyfriend is killed, when she sees him on the patio she slumps down in the frame until she completely disappears from it.This is symbolic of her eventual downfall and death that comes just minutes later. There is a slight glimmer of hope for her, which is shown when she answers the killer's trivia question correctly, and she immediately springs up into frame. This represents her hopes of saving herself and her boyfriend are up and that her spirits have been raised.

There are several more instances of this during the opening scene as well. The use of lighting in the opening scene is influential on scaring audiences. As with most horror movies it is set at night, and in a partially lit house.At certain times during the scene shadows are used greatly (e. g. when outside and when lights are turned off in house).

The use of such harsh lighting greatly adds and aids to building tension and suspense as evil things are generally associated and meant to occur at night. We don't actually see the killer for a considerable amount of time during the opening scene and we briefly see him run through the house at one point, but we are unable to see any distinguishing features and then outside when he is chasing Casey.Again, the killer's true identity is not exposed as he is donning a mask and this creates huge amounts of fear among the audience and has the ability to scare them as the killer is not revealed and remains a highly mysterious and anonymous character who's motives are unknown. This follows trend with most horror films as

the killer's true identities are often not exposed until late in the film and their motives for murder also lay undiscovered for most of the film, as is the case with 'Scream'.The mask itself is obviously a complete rip off of the white mask worn by Michael Myers in 'Halloween' and to some extent it has comedic value.

The fact the mask is similar to that of Myers will spark off recognition among people in the audience who have seen 'Halloween' and the constant references to 'Halloween' and other horror films will cement the fact in many minds that the film is made off the back of such films and will follow the same sort of course and concept. Throughout the opening scene of 'Scream' many typical elements of the horror genre are used and exploited within just minutes.The typical chase between a victim and the killer is used at length; the building of tension and suspense is used throughout, the concept of a mysterious and unidentified murderer, an alone female as the victim, the use of sound to create a tense atmosphere, the use of many different camera angles and ones from the perspective and viewpoint of the victim, the use of gore and so much more all combine to ensure the viewer is captivated by the film because of its opening alone.Even though most viewers of the film will have seen all this before in a horror movie, 'Scream' has the ability to scare and grip people as Wes Craven builds the tension, suspense and atmosphere as a whole perfectly and the fact it makes constant references to other horror films adds more

interest. Also the fact it has comedy value will keep many interested.