Genre
- The film 'Scream' (Craven, 1996) belongs to the horror genre, in the ‘slasher’ subgenre. Within the opening sequence the antagonist (the killer) is introduced, two murders are committed and enigma is created- who is the mystery voice and how and why is he committing these murders?- all of which comply with audience expectations for a film of the horror genre.
- Near the beginning of their telephone conversation, the killer asks the girl, “What’s your favourite scary movie?” This question, along with their discussion of Halloween and Nightmare on Elm Street is self-referential of the genre of the film. However, other than this playful use of dramatic opening and relatively light-hearted beginning, the opening is used to establish the genre of the film in a serious way, as two people are killed in a gory manner, and tension and fear are created.
Film Language
- The sound of the phone ringing is a poignant sound during the piece, as every time the phone rings again the tension of the piece is heightened, creating atmosphere. This compliments the images strongly, particularly the use of close up, showing the girl’s non-verbal language as she becomes increasingly frightened for her life.
- The opening is set in a house that looks reasonably isolated. The lighting is fairly dark as the sequence is set at night, creating a shadowy and intimidating feel, very conventional for a horror opening. Tracking shots are frequently used of the girl as she is walking and running around her house. This gives a feeling that she is being followed or watched, connoting how the killer has trapped her within his ‘game.’
- We learn that the killer is twisted and psychotic through his dialogue, which begins calm but becomes more harsh and angry, including use of expletives. We also know he has a fascination with horror movies and murder, but we know little else. This establishment of enigma codes so early in the film begins the narrative trajectory with unanswered questions, causing the audience to invest in the plot.
Narrative
- In Alien 3 (Fincher, 1992) the narrative is organised in a series of short clips intercut with white titles against a background of a starry night sky.
- The opening clips appear to be some kind of flashback, as time is compressed greatly- we only see small and disjointed glimpses of what actually occurred on the spaceship, and the sequence ends with the space-craft crash landing onto a new planet, suggesting this is where the majority of the film will be set.
- The film follows a polysemic narrative style, as the opening immediately presents many unanswered questions. The audience is positioned with the woman, evident in the fact that hers is the only human face properly shown. Big close-up is used on the woman’s face, allowing the audience to identify her as the protagonist.
- The audience is alienated through the use of fast cutting rates and camera angles that show an obscured view of the action, creating enigma, as it is difficult to understand what exactly has happened on the spaceship. This also creates tension, as does the eerie music that plays throughout this sequence.
Institutional context
- Sigourney Weaver plays the protagonist in this film. She was already established in the film industry due to her role in the first two films in the Alien franchise. Therefore it was important for her to return for this film, not only as a bankable star, but also because of her connection with the franchise.
- Alien 3 was produced by Brandywine Productions and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It was an industrial film, with a budget of $50 million. The marketing included the release of a teaser trailer, as well as all traditional forms of marketing; theatrical trailers, tv spots, posters, billboards. The film already had a guaranteed audience thanks to the first two films of the franchise, and a buzz was created around the film.
Industrial film making techniques were evident in the opening sequence thanks to the special effects, which were impressive at the time, and the introduction of bankable stars and other recognised members of the film industry within the titles.
Representation and Ideology
- In the opening of Let The Right One In (Alfredson, 2008) children are represented by the protagonist, the young boy. His prevalence in the opening positions the audience with him. The other schoolboys in the extract are shown bullying the protagonist, Oscar, representing young people as cruel and misbehaving.
- During the opening sequence adult men are represented through the old man, who is shown working at a sink; pouring red liquid out of a canister, fixing a torch and putting together what looks like some kind of oxygen mask. We don’t know anything about this man, whether he is a protagonist or antagonist, but his activities seem suspicious. This is enforced by the dim lighting and use of close up of his hands working.
- An anti-bullying ideological discourse is evident, shown especially by the mid-shot of Oscar, the protagonist, after his bullies have walked away, showing his pained and upset non-verbal language. There is also a hint of antagonising of the police force, presented by the rude manner of the policeman in the classroom.
- The characteristics of the horror genre are mostly adhered to, but in a subtle way. There are no murders or gore in the opening sequence, but many enigma codes and unanswered questions are presented.
- Semiotics are used in this opening in the form of Oscar, a young boy, as the protagonist, who represents innocence.
- The mise-en-scene of buildings surrounded by snow creates a slightly trapped feel, metaphorical of the coming themes of the film.
Media audiences
- The target audience for this film, as with any horror film, are frequent cinema goers of 15-24 years old, and mostly male. However, this film also appealed to art-house and white-collar audiences, thanks to its positive critical reception and artistic and detailed filming style.
- The film is Swedish, available in the original and dubbed with English, and thus appealed to the audience of language students, but this also meant that it didn’t reach a widespread audience, particularly in the USA, as many people are more reluctant to watch subtitled or foreign language films.
- The film is based on a novel of the same title, so fans of the book also made up a significant segment of the films target audience.
- The probable audience reading of the text would be to sympathise with the protagonist, and antagonise his bullies, as well as possibly the suspicious old man.
- The opening does not explain much in terms of the plot of the film, but creates enigma, which will be inciting to most audience members. However, audiences who are expecting more of a stereotypical horror opening, with blood, murders, and such, could find the opening too slow paced.
- Old-fashioned viewers may also object to the fact that the boy begins the opening almost naked.
- As a british teenager, I can empathise with the protagonist on a greater level than many adults would. However, as a female, I may have been able to position myself with the protagonist to a larger extend if he were a girl.
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