Textual analysis of Scream

 Mise en scene-

During the opening sequence of Scream the mise en scene plays an integral part in making the scene as scary as possible. Due to the house being located in a forest in the middle of nowhere the action becomes more frightening as we already know that the woman has no form of help and is away from any sort of civilisation.In the film this is highlighted by the man on the phone telling Drew Barrymore not to phone the police as they will not be able to help.  This conforms to traditional stereotypes as in horror films people are not usually able to find help and also links to the traditional stereotype that women are home-oriented as she is at the house alone in order to make sure everything is okay. This means that the audience is left scared for her safety and know that if anything is to happen to her she will not have anybody to defend her.  

The time of the day also helps to magnify the danger that the woman is in as the night time is associated with mystery and death. Most horror films take place during the night as this is a prime time for when crimes happen. If the film was shot during the day the film would become less scary as the light is associated with safety. For example when the woman turns on the patio light to check everything is okay the light highlights that everything is safe. This means that the audience is left worrying due to the lighting outside of the house which means that anything could pop out of the dark at any moment. This links to the representation of women in horror films as she fits the typical stereotype that they are always seeking assurances and very desirous of security so will do whatever they are able to in order to make sure they are okay- this is further highlighted by her running around locking all of the doors in the house when the man begins to threaten her. Also women typically wear light coloured clothing (which Drew Barrymore conforms to) as she appears to look like a babysitter in the film. This is done as the woman talks about her favourite horror film which is about a babysitter who is killed, thus making the film very ironic.

Editing-
The editing of the film establishes continuity editing through the use of long take editing as one long continuous shot is edited together with a few point of view shots,long shots and close up shots. The camera follows the woman around her house which could be used by the director in order to imply that we are the man watching the woman move around her house.An example of this is when the woman moves from her kitchen to the living room and the camera uses a tracking shot in order to follow her around the house. This means that we are able to see things from the male antagonists perspective. This makes the film appear more creepy to the audience as we are looking at her through the antagonists perspective (linking to Laura Mulvey’s male gaze theory) and means that we get into the mindset of the killer.This links to gender stereotypes as we are led to believe that men watch women as an object rather than a human and therefore believe we can treat them as we wish.

Furthermore, through the use of the eye match shot we are able to realise the phone is an important part of the action as we can see where the woman is looking before we actually know what it is she is looking at. This means that because the phone is highlighted in the film the viewer begins to make links in their heads about why this prop is so important- which we eventually find out is due to the man talking and making threats through the phone.

In addition, a shot-reverse-shot is used in a similar way to the eye match shot as it means that a certain part of the film is highlighted. During the film a shot-reverse-shot is used which shows Drew Barrymore looking through the window of her house in order to check if there is anything outside the house. This means that the audience is able to identify what she is looking at and also the reaction of her face, as we can see that she is agitated about the events happening. This refers to gender stereotypes in the film because the woman starts to become very emotional and indecisive as the male antagonist has influenced her decisions due to the aggressive tone that he has in his voice.
Camerawork-

A lot of the camera shots which include the inside of the house and a window or door looking outside are shot in shallow focus in order to make the outside seem blurry and even more mysterious. For example, when Drew Barrymore is on the phone the shot is slightly tilted, which is also done in order to show that some things in the narrative are not correct and we get our disruption of equilibrium, plus the window looking to the outside is out of focus. This means that the audience is never fully able to see what is outside which means that we are always expecting something to jump up at the window. This means that the action in the film is more scary as we always apprehensive about what is going to happen next. This links to gender stereotypes as the woman is always on the right of the frame and the window or door is usually to the left of the frame and takes up more the frame. This suggests that the woman is powerless as the framework makes her appear weak and inferior to the outside world- which links to the stereotype that the world works in patriarchy.

The close up shot which is used in the film to focus on the popcorn and make it the superior object in the frame is also intentionally used by the director in order to convey subliminal messaging within the film. As the camera is close up to the popcorn being cooked in the film we are able to see it expanding as the popcorn is being cooked and getting hotter. This was done by the director as it creates suspense in the audience, but also shows the tension building between the two characters in the film and shows that the action is about to explode into life. The popcorn is also used to symbolise the woman's feelings as the plot unravels as what the man is saying on the phone is hurting her emotionally thus meaning that she is easily manipulated by the males as she is now doing whatever he asks in order to stay safe.

Sound-
Linking to the close up shot of the popcorn the diegetic sound of the popcorn can be heard in the background at times. This also shows that the tension is building as the sound gradually becomes louder. The sound has been enhanced so that the audience can hear it better and it plays a clear role of building suspense in the audience watching the film.

Also, the diegetic sound of the muffled voice on the phone is an important part of the film as without this person the film would have no substance to work with. The muffled voice is the main antagonist and also due to it being muffled makes the mystery of the character even more evident as we can tell that he is not in the house with her yet. This means that the character is never actually revealed in the opening scene and leaves the audience in suspense as we do not know what to expect of the character in the main part of the film. The dialogue drives the narrative as the male antagonist is shown to take control of the female protagonist. This shows that the director believes in the gender stereotype that men are superior to women as he is dictating what she does. An example of this is when the antagonist asks the female protagonist to answer a question in order to save her boyfriend, which she does immediately. This leads the audience to believe that the woman is scared of the male and the male does not care about the feelings of others.