Tara Burton Short Film : Chosen scene

Chosen scene

For our 2 minute film sequence we have decided to imitate a scene from 'Scream' the clip that we have chosen is "Do you want to die, Sidney?" clip from the original Scream movie, for the clip follow the link below;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8Ejl4eeFXM

Below are screen shots of parts of the clip indicating the micro and macro elements that will be needed to create our own film sequence and the basic concepts we are going to follow to create our own sequence but various approaches will be changed.

The opening of the sequence starts with a close up of Sydney, the main character of the clip. The mise en scene within the shot is the phone which is used as a prop as an indictor to the killer. Also the background lighting is dark which is iconic to horror films. Finally hair facial expressions are key to the shot as it helps the audience understand the narrative and genre of the film.

In between the these two screen shots the camera zooms out but its main focus is still on Sydney's face however she moves to lock the door that is the only movement made.

The second shot is when the killer comes into the scene, the music builds up to the reveal of the killer until he opens the door and Sydney realises the killer is behind her, traditionally the killer wears a mask to hide their identity.

The next step in the sequence is when the struggle between Sydney and the killer breaks out.

This shot shows the contest between the two characters, this is long shot as it shows the full body of both characters and the background of the location. As this shot progresses the camera angles show the perception of the scene from both angles of Sydney and the killer using high and low angles.

Example of low angle

Example of high angle

The next shot taken from the sequence is a close up of the lock on the door and this gives the perception to the audience that she is 'trapped' and the struggle continues throughout the scene.

After the close up of the lock the camera turns back to the killer on the floor and then back to Sydney this is a reverse shot typically used as a conversation shot but has been imbedded in this scene even though there is limited dialogue throughout.

The prop of the murder weapon (knife) is shown in this medium close up, as the killer attempts to stab the victim, this shows danger and jeopardy to the audience.

As the chase breaks out throughout the house, the victim and the killer run up the stairs, this reveals the whole of the location and as the begin at the bottom of the stairs the camera moves to top of the stairs this is known as a jump cut which is a specific editing technique used to create continuity.

As they both reach the top of the stairs and run round the corner to enter what is Sydney's bedroom the camera is already at Sydneys room so as she runs to the room she becomes more into focus.

Linking back to the 6th shot of the lock on the front door, they bond this shot to that one as they use a close up of the lock which is similar and also connects to the theme of being 'trapped' and stalked.

As Sydney tries to protect herself further she pushes her closet door against the actual bedroom door, we can tell this is a closet door because of the clothes hung up and hanging from the door, also the lighting has become darker and we can tell the scene is during the night because of the shadow of herself shown in the shot.

In this shot the killer is attempting to get into the victims room, the camera starts off be using a tilt. starting from the bottom rising up wards towards the reveal of the killers masked iconic face.

In-between the shot above and the shot below, the camera focus back onto the victim and uses a close up to her face to see her facial expression, then Sydney panics and stalls then runs across her room towards her phone to ring 911.

In this shot Sydney switches the lamp on this creates more light in the scene as she calls the emergency services, also the props and decor within Sydneys room is visible which add to the mise en scene of the clip.

The prop of the phone is come into focus, the camera then pans back to the shot of the killer trying to get in whilst her back is turned.

The next shot shows a close up of the victims face and her facial expression shows that she is distressed, also the camerawork used is shallow depth of field as even though the main focus is on the victim, the killer is still seen in the background but is not the main focus of the shot.

The next shot pans to a close up of the keyboard as she gets no connection on her phone to the emergency services so uses her computer instead.

After my explanations above I have broken down the rest of the individual screen shots that build up the sequence and are significantly important to the clip;