Scream 4 is a Slasher film produced in 2011. The opening scene begins with two girls together watching the end of a horror film after talking about it one of the girls hears a noise upstairs and goes to investigate.
A non-diegetic soundtrack then begins to play which uses slow and high pitched strings to create an eerie and creepy feel, the soundtrack builds to create tension as the pitch of the strings gets higher, but this amounts to nothing but still leaves the viewer on the edge of their seat. Later on in the opening scene another high pitched soundtrack is used but this time large beats were included which built more suspense and made it feel like a much quicker and fast paced scene as the girl runs from the murderer. The diegetic sound in the opening scene is also effective as the phone suddenly rings in a quiet house after the tension has been built using the non-diegetic sound, this makes the viewer jump and also makes them think about who may be on the phone. There is also a lot of other diegetic sounds which are effective such as the girls screams, the sound of knives scraping, blood gushing and bone crushing as it makes the opening scenes tense and makes it seem real.
There is a wide range of different camera angles used in the opening scene which are all effective throughout. There are a number of over the shoulder shots when the girls talk at the beginning of the scene, but the more effective camera angles are used when the girl is chased by the murderer, this is when an establishing shot was used to show the room they are in and the girl running across it, followed by the murderer, this shows the viewer that they are in a normal house and suggests that they are normal people and that this could happen to anyone. A high angle shot is then used multiple times as the girl runs up the stairs and then falls down the stairs, suggesting that she is weak and vulnerable as she is scared and running. Close up shots are also used in the opening scene to show the girls reactions when they see the murderer and when they are caught and stabbed which shows the viewer that they are scared. Finally, tracking is used as the girl runs across the room which creates a fast paced scene as the camera is moved quickly blurring the scene and making it more tense.
The mise-en-scene is also effective in the slasher as the opening scene is set in a normal house with two girls together, this suggests that their lives are normal, just like everyone else's and suggests that what ever happens could happen to anyone. When the murderer appears he is wearing a ghost mask which hides his identity and also makes it creepy and eerie as he wears black and holds a knife. Close attention has also been paid to the lighting in the house, before the murderer appears the house is well lit and is warm and homely, however, when the murderer appears the lighting is very low and the house is dark and is blue to make the scene feel colder when something bad is about to happen, this is effective as it makes the viewer realise that there is a change in the atmosphere and that something is about to happen to the girl.
The editing in the opening scene is also very effective as there is a lot of fast paced editing when the girl runs through the house, building tension and making it very jumpy and quick paced throughout the scenes with the murderer. Match on action is also used a lot as the girl runs up the stairs and falls down the stairs which is also edited to make it quick and jumpy and build tension. Shot-reverse-shot is also used at the beginning of the opening scene when the girls talk about the film they watched and have a normal conversation together.
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