horror movie analysis- The grudge

*the final cut of the movie actually begins from 1;39...and on DVD disk this is the beginning part of the film, so i have analysed the first 5 minutes from this point. i also thought this was the most relevant part of the beginning scenes to analyse *


As the movie starts, the audience are welcomed into the film by a camera shot which is upside down and angled into a puddle. Although we can see a reflection of schoolgirls, it is hard to decipher much about the setting of the film until the next scene because the puddle reflection almost distorts the image. Typical reflection shots and canted angles are a usual convention of horror movies because they create an uneasy feeling for the audience. Reflections in mirrors usually reveal an awaiting presence behind somebody, or something that the audience see and the horror movie protagonist doesn't so useful key filming techniques like this make an audience feel tensions and await the frightening scene. A reflection scene like this to begin the film is useful in many other ways too. The directors of The Grudge trilogy use reflection shots commonly in their films so this could possibly foreshadow further similar style shots in the film. also, it is taken upside down- atypical of many other films showing originality and making the audience question if everything is as it seems. The puddle the first shot is reflected into suggests how it may have been raining- a link to pathetic fallacy as the rain could be linked to sadness, fear. upset or no escape. often, famous literature figures have likened rain to tears and therefore sadness..showing to us how this film is not to be positive. the dull yet natural lighting we are welcomed to makes the film seem realistic, the lighting is not fake or designed it is real- much like we are made to feel as an audience that the 'Grudge' is real and so is the entire story. the darkness and dull appearance of these first few shots fits the horror movie style of lighting as nothing ever seems to happen in broad daylight- things are shadowy- uncovered, enigmas, undecipherable, and so is this film. we can hear the dull ambient drone of low chords playing alongside this first scene however it seems to very quickly fade out as the diegetic noise of schoolgirls overpowers it. We can see these are schoolgirls because as well as high pitched voices and the school setting, the costume choice of a smart uniform confirms this to the audience. This school girl image and choice of age and character is useful in the horror movie convention because typically young 'blonde' and stupid females are the ones to be the victim of horror first. School girls can be associated with youth and innocence, however also stupidity and bullying as we see that two of the girls are almost bullying another accomplice further on in the scene to roll up her skirt and enter an abandoned house- this maybe foreshadows that throughout the film the girls will get what they deserve as often..the horror doesn't come to the completely innocent, even heroes of a horror have a fatal flaw.

In the next shot, the film introduces us to three females. The one that remains almost entirely in the background we can immediately see as a victim- a victim of pressure and even bullying from the other two females because of her skirt length and general appearance. This particular female remains constantly behind the other two girls to possibly indicate her lower status in comparison to the popular attractive and 'cool' nature of the other two girls. As well as the orientation and proxemics of the girls in front of the camera to indicate the friendship with these girls and how they are picking on the dark haired one, we also see that the one behind is different simply because of the costume choice. She is wearing a tidy, smart uniform with her top button done up, blazer tightly buttoned and skirt at a full length however the other two girls seem like typical 'chavs' or a representation of bullies with strewn ties, pried open top buttons and jewelry. At secondary schools typically there are always girls like these, so the audience can instantly relate...would they associate themselves more with the cool populous personas or the innocent pressured persona? The dialogue when the girl in the background states 'i dropped my phone' is followed immediately by the other female saying 'god Alison, your such a klutz'. This dialogue instantly hints that Alison ( the background girl) is clumsy and almost trying to fit in...however her place in a horror movie is perhaps not so fitting with her innocent nature. The camera tracks the girls from a eye level medium shot as they participate in conversation however this whole conversation triggers the audiences sympathy for Alison and expectation that the two bullies will receive a harrowing punishment.

When the girls advise Alison to roll up her skirt, we see a close up at a low level of her bare knees. We would connote a shot of knees like this with fear because typically when in worry or fear peoples knees can begin to shake, quiver or become weak. this is yet again a shot that may foreshadow the rest of the film and outcome for Alison. To this point, the film doesn't seem to be following any major pathways or trails of a typical horror movie and it flaunts few conventions of one...so far i would see this movie as more of a Drama..as Dramatized films can often follow personal issues of protagonists and almost acted out anecdotes dealing with bullying, pressurizing or key subjects an audience can relate to. When we receive the next shot where Alison is running after the other two
girls, we look down on her from a high angle in a long shot. This long shot enables us to associate Alison with her busy and bustling surroundings where she does not seem to fit in as she is not even walking in the same direction as others and she appears weak and un noticed. the high angle makes the audience look down on her, just as the other two girls do and we relate to how small and belittled she possibly feels. This shot with her being so dissociated with her surroundings with the proxemics of the other two characters we have met so far apart makes her seem different...maybe there is possibly more to know about her further on in the film.



Next in the film opening, there is a tracking shot from a low angle of the girls feet as they are walking towards the abandoned house however prior to the next establishing shot we do not know where they are going, we only see they are walking somewhere. i think a shot of characters walking from a low angle are effective because the audience are kept in suspense about what they are going to see...and the pace and way of walking or movement gives away a lot about the emotional state, fear and feelings of a character. When the camera pans up to the full scene we see a dull, scary looking abandoned building. Buildings like this are a typical 'haunted house' convention of many movies and the grey and black of the building suggests something is to be feared or is scary and shadowed. there is no windows to the house, suggesting light cannot get in therefore hinting no positivity or escape. Also, it suggests that the windows are boarded for a reason, and something terrible has possibly happened there. The building having such height to tower above the girls shows the superiority that fear and danger can have over youthful teenagers and the shot showing the girls so belittled in comparison to the large tall building links to the previous high angle shot of Alison looked down upon in her school surroundings. the setting of this house scene is very different and contrasts heavily with the school scene because school connotes safety, friendships, serenity and learning however here, the abandoned house would not be safe, its presence not friendly, and the girls clearly need to learn a valuable lesson about taking such risks. The proxemics here of Alison spaced away from her companions suggests she is different to them, she shouldn't receive their same expected fate and she possibly does not want to enter the house unlike them...she is also furthest from the house- therefore maybe furthest from receiving its fate. the non diegetic sound of low droning notes alongside this scene makes it seem even more dangerous and frightening for the audience especially as it continues even over the dialogue suggesting the fear is not going to end,

as the girls begin to state how this house is 'one of the most haunted' we see the facial expression of Alison turn cold, fearful and bleak in comparison to her friends which are expectant and almost excited. the diegetic drone continues as a backing sound, and close up shots of different parts of the house suggest to us that the house is not an ordinary house- it has qualities, maybe a personality, different aspects and happenings to be feared. the camera pans into a close up shot of a balcony...a danger to such a run down house, an overhanging jutting part of the house that possibly shows how 'on edge' Alison is feeling. there is also a close up shot of the ivy...suggesting something may be growing within....something may be growing within the house- a presence- an apparition...but something may also be growing inside Alison at this point...fear. also, the ivy connotes age and shows that nobody has tended or cared to the house; truly showing its abandonment.

as the girls enter the grounds of the house, the squeaking gates further hint the abandonment and isolation of the house. already, the audience know it is a bad idea the girls are entering the grounds. The shot i have screen captured on the right i thought was one of the most effective shots in the beginning of this film because it is the first, and most noticeable hand held shot that is not still or seemingly staged. the handheld shot moves slightly almost as if the camera is the point of view of a presence in the house as we see the girls from the perspective of something inside. this confirms all suspicions that there is something bad inside the house. the shot is also through a crack in one of the house walls, so it actually frames the girls- almost framing or targeting them as the next victims. it also suggests an enigma because we want to find out who this is peering through the crack or what this is. We do not even receive this point of view shot through a window in  the house, instead it makes viewers more uneasy as we know the presence in the girls is watching the girls through a crack, a fracture in the wall...suggesting damage and watchful awareness...it also could foreshadow the fate of the girls because there is something inside to oppose them...and their lives could truly be fractured and damaged too. The shot frames the entire of the girls bodies so we can perhaps see that they are cautious and maybe uneasy too as they walk slowly- looking around until they reach the front door. once again, Alison remains behind...however although she doesn't deserve to follow the same fate of the girls in front, it is her choice to follow their stupidity and lead. From this point, the shots are a lot darker as when the girls enter the house there is no lighting or windows just a faint glow from light outside seeping through cracks. We see the doorknob turn not from outside where the girls are, but from inside...suggesting again that there is something inside, and something is almost expecting them...as if they are visitors. As the door opens, there is once again a squeak to accompany the low chord non diegetic sound to show how aged or un-visited this house is. we then see a high angle shot of the girls from over the stair banisters...again belittling them from this high angle...showing something has more power over the girls and something is watchful of them. The film opening continues for five additional minutes following the girls through the house and to their fate..i thought this was an effective opening to set the genre of the film and throughout the entire story we finally at the end of the film know why the house was haunted and what really happened to the girls. Horror movies like this often have mini stories or flashbacks within them that are hard to understand until you know the entire story but make the film enticing and interesting as there is always an explanation. i aim to create my Horror movie with an opening that is almost like a flashback or sub- story like this as i think it gives the film more context, meaning and more of a realistic relatable nature.

romantic film analysis- Bridget Jones' diary

i found this particular opening scene interesting and unique in comparison to typical romance initial scenes primarily because there was no male appearances, meaning the genre of the film wasn't initially evident and nothing about the plot or male interaction was revealed or foreshadowed.

i didn't think this initial scene was  very effective because although Bridget Jones' diary is a comedy, aimed too at a male audience and directed to be a box office hit for couples...this movie seemed like nothing but a typical 'chick flick' with the cliche music and female protagonist. however, in many ways this initial scene was effective in the way that without dialogue, we could still assume that our female protagonist Bridget Jones, was single and looking for a relationship presumably with the song 'all by myself' and the idea that she was almsot 'serenading' her wine glass.

our female protagonist is filmed in pjamas. these connote realxation, laziness/tierdness, a nighttime environment and even a sense of 'cuteness' and therfore attraction. The red colouring of the pjamas is directly associated with christmas, and children wearing typicall seasonal festive pjamas before receibing their gifts. this may be assoicated with the 'gift' of love that Jones later reciebves in the film. We also see with our female pjama dressed charachter that she is comftable in the sanity of her own home, however she may not be so comftable with her realtiosnhip status. the fact that Jones looks as if she has made no effort with her appearance suggests she has given up hope, or has no need to impress any fellow males.

the body language Jones uses is almost helpless and lazy as she smokes a cigarette whilst watching 'Frasier'. The cigarette contributes to Mise-en-scne becayse we see the almost 'classy' way she smokes this so it dosent have any 'chavvy' un-asthetically pleasing connotations. Her posture and body language on the sofa which the camera captures in a long shot allows us to see how she is almsot helpless and dosnet know what to do with herself. the camera shot infrequently differs, so we have the same sort of shot the entire way through the openign scene which empathszes how jones is continuing to have the same routine, the same lifestyle every day, there is no proxemics with any other charachters as frankly, there are no other charachters in the scene! this reinforces how far away other people are from Jones and that she is possibly alone and iscolated.

the pjama orientated, nightly scene uses low lighting that is un-natural to almost make the audience feel like they too are in this living room with jones. daytime is usually associated with action, work and activity where as night tends to contrast as it is a time of thought,relaxation and tire. we see however, that Jones' drinking habits, loneliness and longing to not be 'all by myself' is what keeps her up in the evenings. thus, the low lighting corresponds to her lkow mood. the lightshades behing briggget hoiwever almost highlight her with a glow of light so we can still feel as if she is a postivie, charasmatic charachter and we can see her movements with ease.

there is no dialogue in the film however a non diegetic sound of the song 'all by myself' plays throughout the beggining scnene. however, effectively we discover this sound is not non diegetiuc after all....we as the audience think we are hearing a soundtrack to go along with the solemn lazy actions Jones creates, however halfway through she actually begins to mime along to the song! because we didnt think she could hear this song from the start, and the sound of 'Frasier' could not be heard over this, the music could either be digetic and played extremely loudly in her apparetment or non diegetic and only heard by us, however thought in her head due to her alcohol intake and negativity about being alone. the audience can relate to this because many people can have relatable songs or songs stuick in their heads. the clear lyrics also directly associate with the film becauyse phrases lkike 'i never needed anyone' and ' dont wanna be all by myself' realte to her situation. although this song triggers sympathy, it also reinforces the sub genre, commedy, of the film because viewrs would find her singing into a newspaper comedic.

action movie analysis- the matrix

The matrix reloaded is a typical action film, sub categorized under the genre of science action. it is the first sequel to the famous Matrix and was directed by the Wachowski brothers; an independent duo of film makers. It was released by Warner Bros, a notorious film production company making the matrix even more recognizable. At the very start of the film opening we see the Warner Bros logo has been converted to a pixilated, green hue-this is clever in making the logo seem very computerized,unique and fitting with the technology orientated film. This science action film was intended to target a male audience, predominantly young males. user ratings represent that 153,000 males rated the film online whereas there were only 17,000 female voters. particularly online ratings showed most rates came from male 18-29 year olds.  

The start of the film begins almost in a paradox of pixels, numbers and computerized features. The special effects used make the viewer feel uneasy as the camera constantly aligns and tilts to a canted angle. The actual idea of the film going from one pixelized setting in a paradox world to another more real, human world actually fits with the entire story line of the Matrix because the main theme revolves around dreams and if dreams are actually reality...once again a shift between two different worlds. Typically, people would connote the color green with nature, environments, even money or harmony- however we see the green here used in a completely contrasting manner as a computer screen. this possibly foreshadows how technology and knowledge and the outside natural world may intervene throughout the film.

even within the animated opening of the film, there is a prominent soundtrack that acts as the 'theme' for the matrix which most fans will immediately recognize. we can hear the synthesized melody in the backing sound sounding almost computer generated, synthetic and new. this links in with the plot of the film being innovative, almost unreal and futuristic.

usually, with a computer generated opening like this, without the introduction of characters, we would be given names of actors and production team members on screen as the film draws in, usually deterring our attention from the animated background and instead onto the names. however effectively, here we don't see any names...indicating all our attention should be on the green pixels, which seem inanimate and irrelevant.....until you continue to watch the film. the pixels brusquely fade away at 1;20 to reveal the face of a watch, filmed with an extreme close up shot. this is effective because the pixels are what create the watch face, once again showing us how real world and the technological paradox interact. straight after this, we get a long shot of an office seen, typically boring..especially when the only synchronous dialogue us 'see you tomorrow' however almost immediately at 1;30, we see a motorbike appear to be descending a high rise building rooftop! we get a brief close up of one of the office co-workers faces to frame his shocked expression as the motorbike soars through the air, but this shot changes very quickly as our attention is devoted entirely on the speed and height of the motorbike. diegetic sound of the motorbike reinforces what exactly the mode of transport is, as because the lighting is fairly low and the vehicle is fairly modernized and obscure- the audience may not immediately know what it is without the sound effect. we can see from what the office worker is wearing and the mise en scene that perhaps he is a police officer, and he is working in an office alongside other policemen or detectives. this is suggested by his baton (an effective prop to tell us who a character is) and smart uniform as well as the ID passes. The inclusion of the police is a typical convention of an action movie as often the police are portrayed to be corrupt or incapable of the work that other detectives/action characters can do. often, our main protagonist will be able to capture the antagonist better than the police ever could. also, the police are a common part of society and viewers will be able to relate to and recognize any inclusion of the police.

The black, glinting motorbike descends the building with a rider in matching outerwear that back flips off the bike- in mid air- as it falls. the slinky, delicate manner of these processes hints to us that the motorbike rider is in fact a female,however the dark disguising costume may suggest this character is our enigma. this creates a clear contrast because typically people would associate motorbikes with males, and as this is a action movie- it tends to be male protagonists and impressively talented characters, not females. Joe Queenans screen review even suggests'women never get to drive'. the black tight costume that the female wears disguises her and her features but not her figure, possibly allowing her to be agile and quick, and additionally still alluring and attractive, especially to a male audience. her slender toned figure and inclusion in the opening scene is very effective to draw in masculine lure and attention however a possible sub plot with this female love interest for any female viewers. the black bike and costume connotes darkness, mystery and disguise...it also makes her appear like a shadow- almost unreal...linking to the plot again with not everything being as real as it seems. a shot from a low angle is used to look up upon the girl riding the motorcycle possibly to make her appear powerful and authoritative. she actually even appears to fall from the sky! we would connote someone falling from the sky with danger and confidence- typical values a protagonist of an action movie would have. in another perspective, you could liken someone falling from the sky with angelic features, a saivure and create a context with heaven and angels. this directly contrasts with a hidden darkly suited woman with the contrast almost with heaven and hell, dark and light, good and evil. when the woman back flips, we look down on this from a high angle, i think rather than portraying her looked down upon- this looks down upon society beneath her...and the small irrelevant man that runs away from the action in the bottom right hand corner. the camera then pans down from here to reveal an intense and dramatic fire explosion...combined with loud, enticing synchronous sound affects to increase the dramatic intent.

all of this action (from the man shockingly noticing a motorbike is zooming off from a high rise building to the female back-flipping off it in slow motion so the bike falls alone and starts an explosion)  happens between 1;29-1-39...that's ten seconds. this abnormally fast pace of the course of action in the scene gives the audience an idea that there will be cyclic action throughout....reinforcing its genre of an action movie.

one of the onluy phrases of dialogue in the entirety of the opening two minutes is 'oh my god' a typical cliche phrase of an action movie that is framed as a close up shot frames the officers face. just after this, we see the woman remove her helmet- this action is combined with non diegetic sound to make the ordeal seem more exciting and revealing as the music reveals more about how this is a revealing and important moment. sound effects also make the fight scene between the woman and the  officers seem more dramatic from 1.55 on-wards making the audience feel more like they are in the scene. This completely coverts to typical action films because a woman doesn't usually tend to permeate fight scenes or defeat all of the male opposition, especially considering they are all high position officers. the slow motion camera pace makes the audience notice minor details more, and ensures such a high pace energetic scene carries on for longer. The floor level shot of her boots when she is standing still shows her dominance over everyone else. over the shoulder shots cleverly almost seem to switch shoulders to portray how fast the fight is taking place, and it shows a different male subject each time from the over the shoulder view. a 360 degree tracking shot follows the action round the woman, as if all is revolving around her. this links in with the title 'revolutions'. a high angle shot looks down as the woman as she does a flip in mid air, i think this shot was most effective for framing her movements as any other shots would have made this flip look less dramatic and high up.

the fire in the background of the scene continually reminds the audience of the explosion. additionally fire would connote danger and fear, even tension in case there is another fire. the fire is the main source of light in the movie, which effectively brings light and shadow to the dark scene. if the scene used natural light it would be a lot less effective because the darkness makes the scene seem sinister, unknown and more thrilling. with darkness people can hide, be unseen, be stealthy- just like our female protagonist. Also this usage of mise-en-scene fits with her clothing of the dark black over-wear.

i think one of the most important scenes is the one that begins at 2;17. at this point a high a angle shot looks down upon a cityscape...a complete change of scene from the start which reinforces the non stop action in the film. This shot is still briefly, and we can only see the faint, small movements of cars below...however just seconds later the female we saw previously jumps from a building window. the entire shot is in slow motion, and we can hear the digetetic sound of the glass almost in slow motion too as if it is still shattering. as well as looking down upon the woman, we also get a shot which is mid level and looks frontally at her. we even get the bullet and gun shots in slow motion to reinforce the detail of the action, and a close up shot to see her cut face however content facial expression. the proxemics of Trinity and her shooter are quite far apart, however the bullets are not. although both characters are far apart in the air, the bullets are very close, as-well as being close to doing major damage throughout. this suggest that firstly, they are both on completely opposite 'sides', secondly that overall, even with the incredible fighting techniques we've seen flaunted previously- weaponry will always dominate.

when we see our female protagonist, trinity, finally get shot..the speed of the camera shot is much faster, and we see her fall, just as a normal person would, quickly to her death. this is the only realistic scene in the entirety opening scene, and shows how fragile life can really be. this scene is hugely prominent for fans of the matrix because Trinity's story was followed through the sequel so this is a huge moment, however when we receive the close up shot of Neo, her boyfriend, we realize it is only a dream. although dreams can be very cliche beginnings and endings to films, dreams are almost the most diverse and easiest basis to use for a start or end of a film because you can base them on almost anything to shock and draw in an audience and completely defeat reality.

war/historical/epic movie opening

Horror movie analysis- Daybreakers

Daybreakers was released in 2009 and was intended to be a vampire horror. It grossed over $50 million (US) and received a positive reception from its audiences.  I  think this movie cleverly fits into the genre of a thriller too with its fast paced plot diversions and twists during the film where we continue to follow our main characters. Many reviewers even thought the inclusion of vampires actually made the film more of a science fiction thriller due to the science basis behind it where a 'disease' had almost eradicated humans, leaving an overrun society of vampires. The beginning of the film is heavily orientated around the search and researching for a blood substitute by vampire scientists...however as the movie goes on, the gore, jump scares,deaths and un-easiness along with additional horror conventions implicate the plot. 

we can tell from the extreme close up of the calendar on the young girls wall during the first few minutes of the film that 'Daybreakers' is set in a futuristic, possibly dystopian world. the calendar is on the year 2019, making the film seem more chilling as this is a futuristic representation of what has become of society. Many horror movies adopt conventions that make their movies seem like they are happening currently as this often scares the viewing audience more when they are able to relate features of the film to their own world and lives. Films like paranormal activity,ouija, incidious and other horror movies can adopt  this sort of present day context to scare watchers however other films like woman in black or horrors with a religious or biblical basis can be set back in the past to have a scary, historical context to fictionally build on so it seems realistic. it is therefore rare to have futuristic films however with plots involving an apocalypse, invasion or world take over- films like Daybreakers would have to follow a future based path. 

back to the camera shot type. the calendar appears to be illuminated by lights, showing positivity. these lights are also floral and feminine, hinting a character we are soon to meet is a young girl. when looking in more detail- we can see that none of the dates on the calendar are marked with any events...this foreshadows why the girl may later on in the movie opening commit suicide and not be able to 'go on' as we see in writing in the extreme close up shot of the girls suicide note. There is very quiet non diegetic sound being played during the initial scenes of the film possibly to not distract the attention of viewers from the shots and the climax of the scream at the end. the scream of the girl is empathized and sounds even more dramatic simply because of it being one of the only prominent noises in the whole of the opening for the film.

as the girl walks outside, we hear the creak of the door. a typical synchronous sound used i n horror movies to reinforce a presence entering or leaving. the way the girl is shadowed in contrast to the light outside possibly suggests she is the darkness/ a dark,negative character in the movie. the contrast of light and dark almost makes her appearance seem shadowy and unreal, and we see her reflection in the floor cleverly reinforcing her presence. the actual use of a young girl in these first few shots is clever because it is often 'little scary children' that have a chilling inclusion in horror movies. also- the girl filmed is very young, vulnerable and we would connote young girls with carelessness,often un educated, cute and fragile....however we see that this girl has the ability to make her own decisions and commit suicide which is typically a last resort that older people who have experienced terrible, un-fixable or depression linked adopt. this also foreshadows how the girl is a vampire, suggesting the immortality of vampires who can live forever. being forever a young girl would be a hugely challenging and incapable thing.


The next shot is a still, establishing shot of a house. the house appears to stand alone in
rural land which is typical or horrors  because there is often nowhere else to go, nobody to call and nobody to help. this convention was followed in the other horror movie i analysed, scream. the establishing shot is very still and doesn't pan in reinforcing that there is almost no action because it is meant to be very early in the morning, just as the sun is rising so everyone would be asleep. the white painted color choice of the house connotes purity and if we were given this image alone we would probably assume that this is a peaceful yet isolated picturesque location for a house, however its large size and position within the woods suggests it is not all it seems. looking closer into the picture we see the house has no windows. I think if the camera were to pan in at the house with the absence of any windows it would have been a much more effective shot as the audience wouldnt typically notice the house not having windows straight away.

The young girl we see in this part of the opening is clearly recognized as abnormal due to her jaundiced eye color. the low lighting in the scene reinforces the prominence of her eye color. typically, vampires are associated with eye color like this...possibly because of mythical folklore associated with the context or even just the conventions of modern vampire movies where the likes of twilight, van helsing, underworld all give vampire characters the additional feature of colored eyes. this close up of her frames her face and shows her absence of emotion, her draped hair over her face is even prominent because other horrors (mostly Asian horrors) like the grudge and the ring hide any form of beauty or normality with dark, draped hair.


i thought this shot was very atypical of usual horror movie beginnings because most horror movies tend to use the darkness to their advantage with creatures of the shadows and the night. having the sunlight and a beautiful picturesque view in a long shot juxtaposes the typical dark, hidden shadowy scenes of most horror movies.

For me, this was the most prominent scene at the start of the movie because firstly, this was when the action actually took place, secondly it was the only point of diegetic, synchronous sound of screaming and burning when the rest of the film opening was almost in silence and thirdly because of the dramatic CGI of the flames. the surroundings looked so peaceful in the previous establishing shots and long shots however this burning shot of a young girl completely contrasts with the surroundings and happenings so far. it also reinforces the idea of vampirism in the film, because the suns morning glow would not set alight a normal person. this scene is also very graphic-following typical horror conventions and draws the begging to a dramatic climax. the audience are left in anticipation awaiting the rest of the film in hope it will be as dramatic as the begging.

i think this film is a very unique opening to a horror because it doesn't follow stereotypes or horror movie beginnings. it also attracts a huge audience because girls will be drawn in to watch the movie because of the love interest, modern vampire craze after movies like twilight and enticing and attractive male actors however males too will be drawn in to watch the movie due to its horror, science fiction futuristic themes.

Horror movie analysis- scream

The title alone- 'Scream' struck me as a clear indication of genre;  having a title of a frightening, unsettling verb almost directly associates with the audience and can be perceived as telling the audience to 'scream' as this film is a horror, and therefore unnerving, or merely the lexis 'scream' is describing a typical and frequent possible occurrence in the film where endangered or threatened characters will 'scream'. 

Additional conventions help to reinforce that this movie is a horror, such as the non diegetic sound of a loud, screeching, dramatic siren noise played as the title appears. Also, typical conventions of horror movies can be unsettling phone calls- and Casey receives a phone call directly at the beginning of the film. however, this phone call actually subverted to typical horror movie phone calls as the male on the phone sounded human, making no unsettling noises, and no difficult conversation. Casey is home alone at the beginning of the film and the camera tracks her as she moves around the house, however typically of a horror- the audience continues to await something jumping out, or something seen by the audience but not by our protagonist as she obliviously walks on. another convention that indicates our film is set to scare its audience is the mere idea that the film is initially taking place at night. Night is the more unsettling time of the day for people- connotated with ghouls, Halloween, nocturnal animals, darkness and obscure noises. Just like pathetic fallacy (when peoples feelings can be associated with the weather or inanimate things or animals in literature)  the night almost has a link to the darkness of the Grimm reaper in scream, or the dark presence Casey can sense, or even the dark thoughts that are going through her head of what this deranged man is doing. 

there is no backing sound in the scene as Casey talks on the phone, possibly to deter the audience from loosing focus on Casey and her conversation. The synchronous diegetic sound keeps us focused on Casey and her phone call and the close up shot used in the beginning of the film too keeps the audience focused on our protagonist. because no other characters are introduced all focus is to Casey, and we begin to see her typical attitude of females in horror movies- generally the typical 'dumb blonde' is in every horror movie and Casey coverts to this by not admitting she has a boyfriend and continuing to talk about her movie likes and dislikes to a complete stranger. however, we see that our main character has more chance of surviving than her boyfriend when she begins to lock the doors after feeling uneasy. With this attitude the audience begin to associate more with Casey and hope for her survival throughout the film, even though typically in horror movies there are few survivors. the idea that Casey is home alone suggests already that she is seen as a responsible adult, however many teens (who are the most common audience for mainstream and slasher horrors) may be able to relate to this as stereo-typically teenagers picture themselves as older and therefore able to use this sense of responsibility to their advantage which may not work out so well, as we see for young Casey in her house alone. and not only this....Casey is in her house alone....but her house itself is isolated, away and alone from any other house too! usually at the start of a movie or scene, establishing shots flaunt the location of a scene or establish relationships with characters and their surroundings however in the opening five minutes for scream we have no idea where Casey's house actually is until a snippet of dialogue between the caller and Casey when she threatens to call the police and the caller responds with 'they will never make it in time' followed by the idea that she is 'miles away from any other house'. this is the only indication we receive of the significant countryside or abandoned location of the films setting. the setting itself is very typical of a horror movie as often the characters have nowhere else to go, nowhere else to hide and nobody to help. 

the repetition of the calling makes the audience feel like this is an ongoing plot, an ongoing theme of the film where the characters get the option to answer or not to answer to stay on the phone or not pick up-despite frequent threats. this repetition triggers mild  'jump scares' and agitation from the audience, anticipating what the next call is going to be. The calls are our predominant source of sound in the clip until around 2.53 where a tense high pitched melody begins to play as a non -diegetic tension building sound. this is reinforced when Casey's stove pop corn 'pops' as the attention seems to be taken away from the calls themselves, and the attention turns more to the external issues- how can the reaper see Casey? where is he calling from? how does he know her name?

My favorite director

                                                     Favorite director
My favorite director would have to be David Fincher. Davids most famous, not to mention my favorite cinematography hit would have to be Fight Club. Fight club gains a much deserved 10th place on IMDb list of the top 250 movies, although for my own list it would come close to championing it. Its kind of naive and stupid that i'd brand my favorite director from just one movie- but i don't know any other director- not Spielberg, not Nolan, not even Cameron who could have pulled off such a blockbuster success. I don't think there's one person on this earth who could bring insomniac office worker. Fight club generated $100.9 million at the box office alone, so who isn't to say that Fincher is a living representation of complete success. 


together the fragmented themes of fight club in such a successful manner. The plot twist Fincher devised was unforeseen and his talented directing allowed one mans mind and mentality to form the main enigma of the film. The audience almost felt like they were inside the head of our narrator who was in fact also (SPOILER ALERT) Tyler Durden. To be honest, the film actually got into our heads more, with severe confusal and the twist in comparison to us getting in the head of a mental,

but anyway, back to Fincher and more about him...not just the reason hes the best director to me.

 Fincher was born in 1962 in Denver..he lived a simple life and When he was 18 years old he went to work for John Korty,a famous american film maker and director in mill valley. . Fincher began to drift from his path in hope of having more control and independence and began alternatively  to direct TV commercials and music videos and attempted to sign artists of the time. Fincher has in fact directed TV commercials for clients that include Nike, Coca-Cola, Budweiser, Heineken, Pepsi, Levi's, Converse and Chanel. This alone indicates his huge interest and ability to deal with the public and diverse ranges of audiences.  He has directed music videos for Madonna, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Iggy pop as well as George Micheal and Micheal Jackson! But his successes don't end there, his main successes are with se7en in 1995, fight club in 1999 and panic room in 2002. This is where Fincher truly gained his renown title. Finchers legacy has not yet reached a deficit. He continues to create ingenious screenplay for films such as gone girl and the social network and will most likely continue into a future of incredible  films.