Scream

Scream ( 1996) ( sample stalking scene)

Directed by  Wes Craven
Budget : $15m
Production : Dimension Films

This is the opening title for scream It is a son serif font. It is very dramatic the colours signify blood and death due to the red on black. This is a very striking open as it is so simply done from the start this is first impressions you can tell this will be a slasher film.

The telephones rings this is a close up and signifies the telephone is going to be a main motif in this scene .

 We first see the scream queen we can tell this by her been blonde , busky and having a boyfriend which she says on the phone this is a close up shot to show her emotions which later on will contrast with the same shot but a different emotion.

This next shot shows the scream queen being very  isolated however it is also like a point of view shot as it suggests the killer is spying . ( stalking ). This is also an establishing shot which shows the setting and sets the scene. 

 The scream queen , puts pop corn on this also builds tension as the crackle goes on through out , and is played when the killer is coming. This gets faster and louder.

When the killer has approached and is stalking the girl we see this shot as she looks out the window of her boyfriend apparently saving her in this case he gets killed , the killer twists this on her so its her fault. This is a very dramatic shot it is medium close up , he fits the stereo type of the scream queen boyfriend we can see this from his rugby jacket and his manner.

This is a false scare it is a common slasher convention and often used in lots of films. To scare the audience and make them jump before the final killing. 

 This how the killer is hidden via the mask and camera work this is the only shot we see a close up of his face. This shot is when he jumps at the window when the girl is running away this the main stalking part.The audience also feel like they need to be running away from this hidden killer.

 Long shot of the killer and the girl here we can see the mis en scene and see this shot fits with the stereo types and the theory of the scream queen and masked killer.

This pop corn is getting put out by her mother as the daughter is getting killed this is very cleverly done as it cross cuts fast paste between them both. 

This is a close up as we see her dying however she is still holding the phone which is motif throughout her parents then can hear her die . This is a very common convention in a slasher to have the scream queen dead infront of everyone the death is very dramatic and makes it more as the pop corn goes off as it has built up to this and then put out like the death is over.

how we found working with camcorders

We found working with the cam corders.We found working with the cam corders easy. They were very easy to use and are very good quality. We picked it up easy how to use them as the layout was very clear and simplistic. As we filmed some in the dark we also managed to work the lighting on the camera to get some good shooting . We also worked out how to take photos on it. This was very useful for our blogs when we were filming. Each one of us the group had a go at filming this was good as we all had a chance at filming to see who wanted to film . In the end me and hannah took it in turns to do a selection as well as using a tripod with another camera on to get a wider range of footage. The filming on these cameras also helped us manage our times as it didnt long and was very easy to reshoot if we needed to . we did do this many times and it was very easy. If i was to make a movie again i would defiantly use one of these cameras again as it was very simple and easy to work .The quality was also very good.

Similar version of the cam corder we used to film

expectations of film openings

prior to research my expectations of a film opening are the film opening to start with an establishing shot then to lead to a panning shot to set the scene or a shot to introduce the main characters and perhaps who will get killed first.I expect to see Each slasher films to start with a establishing shot to set the scene and introduce the setting and mis en scene. This then should lead to the plot.The area should always be a suburban area where the house is detached or quite decollate.This creates the house to be issolated and more approachable for the killer the audience also feel this.This Creates the first equilibrium.


Usually the final girl , female hero exists and is introduced from the beginning she is highlighted as been the often sensible one , less popular, and less attractive than her other friends that are killed.she is innocent,virginal and always brunette. She will survive to the end where she has confrontation with the killer in sequals this is then left open for the next film.

   


Usually the main victims are part of a group of friends in the film.The group is often both girl and boy teenagers at high school or uni.The final girl is also part of this group of friends this is why she stands out.The first girl is often blonde attractive and is known as the scream queen she often killed during sexual acts with a boy , or boyfriend involved.
       

The villain in the slasher film is usually physically deformed and mentally wrong. The killer is nearly always a male.His hidden identity is hidden usually by a mask or by the camera to create enigma.The character is often recognised easily by motifs such as the weapon he holds such as a knife , axe, chainsaw.
     

Target audience

slashers box office appeal:Slashers box office appeal are low due to these been mid budget films.They are also all the same genre and don't appeal to all audiences as perhaps a romcom would with big stars. The stars in slashers do not seem to well known they however if this is a franchise often the start of there career such as the shower scene in psycho such as janet leigh this really made her career as it such a famous scene.

Typical slasher audience : The typical slasher audience is teens ranging from 16-24.This is a typical slasher audience because this genre is most common amongst teens due to the stars been teens and the storyline been about teen life. Teens then can refer to this in there own life's making the element if the slasher genre more scary. Aiming at this group also makes it popular by narrowing down the audience to make all references to the teen age group. 

Our BBFC rating :our rating is 15 rating due to the violence. However it is not an 18 due to the storyline there is no use of sexual references or gory. Our film is intended to build on tension with some violence but not much.The idea is to create narrative enigma for the audience to follow the killing though the killers eyes.This in itself bring down the rating due to there been no violence and innapropriate scenes fro younger years than 15. 

Our primary target audience: The primary target audience is teens due to this been the typical slasher film audience. The films that have influenced our film we have also taken into account there rating such as halloween , scream , black x mas and cherry falls. These films vary from 15 to 18, cherry falls been the 18 after watching this film we also decided our film would not be as violent and gory with sexual references this was also a big help in the rating we gave our film . By having the film rating at 15 this also brings in a wider audience its self , as we are also 17 and stars in the film are 17 this helped aim the audience from 15 and above.

Our 2nd primary audience: Our 2nd audience is adults above 25. It will be hard to target this audience as we have narrowed down our references to fit the teen age group and to refer there lives. However we are targeting this audience as the film is also creates suspense and tension which can be common with an older age group to watch it for this appeal.

My favourite slasher

My Favourite slasher film is scream. This is my favourite slasher because it is very gripping and actually scary. I also like it because it fits the theories and stereotypes.Scream re-invented the horror slasher sub-genre when it was on its knees, all but dead in the mid 90s. Horror director Wes Craven brings screen writer Kevin Williamsons clever and also comedic script to life brilliantly. From the now classic opening scene featuring Drew Barrymore, you're guaranteed to be hooked. 
The basic plot is pretty simple. A killer is taking the lives of likeable student Sidney Prescott's friends, with the inevitable final showdown with her a shoe-in, but just who wants her blood and that of her chums so badly. 
I'm confident you'll be intrigued to find out! The cast are excellent, with all the leads exceptional, and some cameos from several stars of horror from over the years, such as Linda Blair, and even Wes Craven himself! 
The region 2 dvd features several good extra features. Behind the scenes info, interviews, trailers, trivia. Which add to the enjoyment and value of buying this dvd. An influential, mid 90s, self referential horror-comedy that gets the balance of both near perfect, is great fun and still holds up well today.

Teaser Trailer

This is my teaser trailer for our film red christmas . This trailer is suppose to grab your attention and give you some idea of what the film is about. It is gripping and builds tension. We went through a series of film shoots to get the correct footage we needed . This trailer also focuses on the twist of the scream queen being the final girl. This also has intertexuality with the film black x mas which is our main influence on the film idea and this trailer.

Audience feedback.

audience feedback-
here is some brief audience feed back on our final film, which we showed in the 6th form centre at break, where we asked people to make notes on there opinions of the film.

Quote from Lottie Wright

i found your film scary and thought it had a lot of potential to expand on however i did not understand a few small details of what was going on this was not made clear. I think when made into a 90min film this would be great .

Quote from Emma Roberts

thought it was good , there was a lot of tension built up which had me on edge. i also thought that it was good how the editing has been done at the killing scene but it is very rushed.

Quote from Alex archer

It was good. I enjoyed it. Yeah it was good i like how it was a santa you dont usually get this in slasher films but it was good.

Quote from joe Dennis

I think it is good i liked it but it does happen very quickly. i dont also get why its a santa but its cool. I also like how it starts with the singing this makes it very scary and builds the tension from the beginning but yeah , i think its good yeah.