Scream trailer analysis

Scream trailer analysis

The subgenre of Scream is slasher which is created through using iconography, stock locations and props along with character theories.

The opening of the trailer shows the first location as a isolated house, all of the lighting comes from within the white house which shows that within the walls of the home the character feels safe. The house is surround darkness and shadows, this represents the fact that the outside is where evil lies. The contrast in colours can makes the audiences feel anxious for the victims well being, this is enhanced by the fact that the time of day in night which is connected to fear as during the night it is harder to see clearly creating a sense of apprehension.

The majority of locations in which the victims are located are houses; this is a stock location because although a house can be seen as safe it can also act as a trap. The viewer can identify with the victim and their location which helps create a sense of fear. Within a house can seem remote because the victim is surrounded by walls creating the feeling of no escape, therefore heightening the anticipation felt by the viewer.

The props used throughout the trailer conform to the slasher sub genre, for example the phone acts as the communication between the victim and the villain before the climax takes place. The phone conversation ‘I want to know who I’m looking at’ builds the expectancy of the viewer, this creates a sense of dread as the view is given an insight as to the horror yet to come. In addition the victim is cooking popcorn; the pan of popcorn is slowly growing which represents the climax of the trailer. The movement of the popcorn creates a feeling on anticipation among the audience as they expect for it to pop. The villain uses is a knife (0.59 seconds) which conforms to the slasher convention as its a phallic symbol. This shows that the masculine figure is in power whereas the victim is shown running away helpless.

The camera angles and movements help to convey a sense of horror which contributes to the slasher convention. The opening of the trailer shows an establishing shot of a house, the camera is at a long shot which also shows the surrounding area, this enables the audience to gage the location and in this case see the isolation of the house. The camera tilts down; this shows that the character with in the house initially holds all the power. As the victim becomes more vulnerable the camera tilts down which then takes the control of the victim away.

An alternative camera movement used to contribute toward the conventions of horror is a tracking movement; this movement stalks the victim and shows that she is vulnerable. The camera also uses hand held movements at this point; the shaken camera represents the victim being followed. This creates a heightened level of anticipation as the audience realised that the victim is not alone.

The use of a zoom when the victim realises she is in danger allows the audience to see her expression, this means that the audience can identify with the character and sympathise with her. In addition during the disequilibrium there is an extreme close up of the victims face, this creates a sense of fear as the victim screams and the audience can clear see her facial expressions.