Research into Mise-en-Scene

Mise-en-scene encompasses the most recognisable elements of a film- it includes five micro elements, including makeup costume, props and all the other details that make it conventional to a particular genre. The term miss-en-scnee is french meaning roughly 'put into the scene'.
Scream was released in 1996, it was written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven. The opening of 'scream' shows a young lady being harassed over the phone by a unidentified voice who seems to fit the role as the antagonist. The voice asks numerous questions which the young girl is happy to answer until the voice says 'i want to know who I'm looking at' as soon as this is said the mood of the scene changes completely. Sound effects such as a dog barking is heard, this creates tension and suspense as the audience can see that he has been watching the girl. After hanging up the phone the voice tells the girl to turn ion the patio light again which is where the 5 minute clip ends.

Setting and iconography

A vital element of miss-en -scene within the sequence, the opening scene is set in a reasonably sized modern house, it is located in the country, is far from a police station and away from any close neighbours. The scene takes place inside the girls house then later we are given a look to outside the girls house. This is all entirely conventional to the thriller genre simply because these events take place inside the girls home, this is because the conventions of being in your own home gives the illusion that the girl is entirely safe from harm, however in this scene the house looks very big and no doubt be scary to be left alone in. This is where the films plays with the connotations of being safe in your own home yet the girl is on her own which creates suspense and we can see the girl is helpless.

Costume hair and makeup

 From watching the opening sequence the audience can easily see this is part of the thriller genre, this is because of the atmosphere and mood set by the sound editing and camera shots. The use of the anonymous voice which is not painted with a face of a character creates pressure.

Costumes are one of the key elements which makes fills conventional to their genre for example, in this sequence the young woman (Casey) is scene to wearing a white woolly jumper and plain jeans; this tells the audience that she feels relaxed where she is and feels safe in the comfort of her own home. Furthermore we can also tell this film was set in America due to the accent of the character. Casey's boyfriend was wearing a football jacket which American footballers often wear. In addition Casey tells the anonymous caller 'He's big and he plays football'. By this the audience are able to identify her to be an American. By wearing such clothing they are able to see how innocent Casey is she looks very young as if she could still be in high school, which means she still has her life to live, which creates empathy on the audiences behalf as we can see where this phone call is heading. The house that


Casey lives in suggests the film was not set in the modern day. This is due to the lay out of the house and colour scheme. In 1996 dull colours were popular to diorite your house with. Lastly the quality of the camera does not look modern the scene looks pixelated and grainy. The costumes props make this film conventional to the thriller genre as the audience believe this film to be real life due to the common furniture and props used.

Positioning of characters. 

Camera  shots play a big role on the effect the film will have on an audience, for example, within this scene we see many different shots which all have a separate effect on the audience for example the zoom shot and reaction shot are both used in the scene when the mystery character says something to Casey that changes her hole mood towards the Phone call. The mystery character on the phone says to Casey ''Because i want to know who I'm looking at''. The camera then instantly zooms into her face to capture her reaction to this comment, this is where the soundtrack is then changed to create a more chilling and cold atmosphere and build tension. This is done to capture the emotions created by Casey's facial expressions as she is going through a stage of insecurity and builds tension. This is done to capture the emotions on her face as she feels vulnerable.

Facial expressions and body language 

A mid shot is used when the audience sees Casey crying and yelling thought the phone, her hysterical crying suggests she has been affected by what the man is saying to her and is genuinely fearing for her life. Her facial expressions also reflect her paranoia. Further while seeing this mid shot the audience are forced to see how scared she is which is portrayed through her body language. This is conventional to the thriller genre because the audience start so empathy for her, sacred and paranoid with her, by doing so the audience feel tension as they wait for the climax.

At the start of the opening sequence the girls face suggests that she usually encounters prank calls, her facial expressions were happy as she's goes about the house twiddling her hair. After she puts the phone down and the strange call keeps phoning her she seems so become scared. She seems fearful as she locks the doors to prevent anyone from being able to enter the house. This shows that although she is an adult we can she see is weak as she fears the unknown, it makes the audience feel sorry for her as the audience are also unaware of who is on the other end of the phone . This is conventional to the thriller genre as the audience feel sorry for the victim and are scared of whats going to happen. 

When Casey is talking on the phone she leans over her kitchen counter and has both elbows on the table her slanted body language suggests she is comfortable within this environment. Showing the audience she is comfortable and in control of the situation. 




Lighting in colour

 Ultimately the opening sequence of the film scream Relates to the scream logo (a blade) this is because the use and image of knives is emphasized upon a lot during the scene. An example is when Casey begins to play with a kitchen knife while she was on the phone to her anonymous caller. This in turn is such a controversial event as we also hear the anonymous caller ask the girl if she liked scary movies and she mentions another movie where the killer uses a knife to kill their victims. This is controversial due to the killer in scream also uses a knife to kill their victims. In this scene, the lighting used inside the house is more or less natural lighting, this tells the audience that it is dark outside due to all the lights being on while she is at home, this symbolizes the innocence of the girl and the peaceful and open atmosphere within the house. However as we progress through the opening the lighting starts to change and turn in to low key lighting, this starts the build up of tension and suspense as the audience are watching the innocence of this girl steadily slipping away from her as she is exposed to the anonymous caller. At the end of the scene the lighting ended up completely in the low-key state, this adds to the death of Casey and it also symbolizes the atmosphere of Casey's parents and the audience. Further the film onscreen film title is written in the colour white to represent a Ghost; it also relates to the way the antagonist is dressed in the film as he has a white mask which looks like a howling ghost. The title colour then changes to red to symbolise danger and blood which suggests that this film is a horror-thriller.

Conclusively; I have decided that the opening scene of scream is slow- paced however very effective due to the pressurized build up of tension created due to the location, soundtracks used, camera angles etc. Scream is a conventional opening to a thriller film simply because it stays within all the norms of a film of its origin for example we see a young vulnerable girl alone in a big house with glass doors. Elements such as these are conventional to thriller films as the audience expect things to happen but when they don't happen as the audience had expected it allows a build up of tension throughout the film. This opening scene has taught me to not always show what is expected by the audience and to think outside the box when creating my own thriller sequence. From analysing this opening scene I have also learnt how to make my thriller conventional to the thriller genre, furthermore I am now able to use and pick out key micro-elements which will enable me to achieve and create a realistic atmosphere within my thriller sequence.

5) Re-consider the points that you have made on the positioning of the characters, and focus on the sequence and not through the cinematography 
6) Add a conclusion