2. Scream 4 Trailer
The trailer, Scream 4 begins with numeral clips taken from the film used to cut between eerie
titles to create suspense towards the audience. These clips begin by showing a telephone and
the murderer, presenting to the audience how the murderer contacts his victims.
These titles are extremely isolated which
creates fear towards the audience. The simple
shinning text contrasts with the background
making it very noticeable and threatening to
the potential audience as it could represent
the murderers weapon, for example, a blade
or knife. The eerie smoke in the background
can also be seen as frightening as it can
represent darkness or the night as most
dangerous predators appear at this time.
The diegetic sound of the victims phone ringing is used during these titles which then cuts
to the phone itself. Non diegetic mood music is also heard at this time, to create an eerie
atmosphere. Once the phone stops ringing, the screen cuts to black as the killer speaks.
This makes the killer seem mysterious and fearsome. The audience are then shown a point
of view shot as the killer attacks ending with a scream. The screen then cuts to black once
again as the phone cuts off.

3. Settings
Usually, horror films are set in isolated areas such as Woods and Grave Yards. This is because
it makes is harder for the victim to escape and easier for the killer to track there where abouts
making such places more terrifying towards the potential audience. Conversely, Scream uses a
different approach as it‟s main location is a high school which near all of the victims attend.
This is because it‟s a place expected to be safe and out of harms way, therefore giving it more
of an edge. Other locations used is the home of the main victim Sidney, which will have also
been seen as safe place as she would feel at her most comfort. However, the home of this
character seems to be set in a open, isolated area, making the location more threatening and
fearsome. The homes of the victims is where the killer successfully panics the character before
killing them with the continuously question “What is your favourite scary movie?”
The film has used less threatening areas to
build a connection with the audience by using
places they know very well which will create
more fear within the audience as they may
think such events could accrue in there own
day to day lives. Screams less dominants
locations are places which are slightly
threatening, such as car parks as it is hard to
escape, large area, making it easier for the
killer to track the victim.

4. Characters
Usually, in horror films, the stereotypical victims are the ones who are the most innocent and
pure of the group, however, in Scream 4, this role has been reversed as the most active
characters have been used as a target along side the pure. This film has also reversed the
stereotypical gender of the victims. Commonly, the naïve woman are the killers main target,
however, men are also used in the killers horrific acts. In this trailer, the victims wear normal,
every day clothing, insinuating that they didn‟t expect such horrific events. In contrast to this,
the killer wears dark, terrifying clothing which implies his ghastly action making it easier for the
victims to recognise him. The killer accompanies his dark clothing with a complementary white
mask, used to send shivers down the potential audience spines. On the other hand, the colour
contrast of the killers clothing could resemble his past, white to show he was once pure and
sinless, and the black to show he has experienced a dark childhood trauma, leading him to an
evil path which causes is killing sprees. Like other horror films, the previous Screams
have spared at least one victims life. Scream 4 have used
this to advantage by bringing this tortured victim known as
„Sidney‟ back into the scene as „victim royalty‟. This will then
leave the killer with unfinished business and make her his
main target. This will give the horror film more character
influencing potential viewers to considering seeing the
movie.

5. Props
Every film uses props to a great extent because it makes films more effective and realistic. In
the horror genre, props such as Chainsaws, Axes and Knives are over used massively but
seen as traditional. Scream 4 sticks to these traditional ways by making the killers weapon a
large, butchers knife. This is because the audience are most familiar with this type of weapon
and it creates memorable scenes. A knife is a very effective weapon as it can cause extreme
amounts of pain and harm to it‟s victims. Another main prop Scream 4 uses is a telephone, this
prop has been used constantly throughout each Scream film and is now expected from the
audience. Again, a telephone is a familiar item in most people lives, which makes the film more
real, creating a connection between the film and the audience. The killer uses the phone to ring
his victims to inform them that he is going to harm them. The quote “What is your favourite
scary movie?” is used by the killer throughout the movie to create fear towards the audience.
The quote also informs the victims that they are being watched
by the killer which will then tell the audience that something
gruesome is due to happen. Props such as Guns and smaller
Knives are used by the victims, which seems less threatening
towards the audience as they only intend to protect
themselves, rather than harm numerous people, unlike the
killer.

6. Camera Work
Camera positions play a important role in the making of movies. Such as Scream, as it uses a
number of different camera angels to make the film look more realistic and detailed, and
creating a better connection with the audience. Scream 4 uses close ups very often as it
creates a connection between the character and the viewers and also lets the audience
witness the characters horror therefore making them understand the characters emotions.
Scream also uses wide shots to show the audience the location, for example, a wide shot is
used to show the high school of the victims, and also to show the home of one of the victims
giving the audience the impression that they are there and gives the viewers a better
understanding of the location connecting them to the surroundings. Wide shot are also used to
show the audience the characters together, as a group, giving the viewers an idea of each
characters personality and letting them guess who may be the first to be killed, building the
suspense. An over the shoulder shot is used
frequently as it shows two different characters
having a conversation, however, Scream use
this to advantage by showing the killer killing
his victims with an over the shoulder shot.
This gives the audience the feeling that they
are there, stood right behind the killer,
watching his every move.

7. Sound
In a trailer, sound is essential and makes a large impact on the
audience. The use of sounds makes scenes more effective and
thrilling towards the viewers. The most common sound used in the
scream trailer is the scream of the victims, this will create fear
towards the audience and inform them that something terrifying is
happening. Victims scream to release fear and to alarm others,
showing them that something abnormal is happening. Another
sound used is often is a telephone ring. This is traditional for the
scream movies and shows the audience that the killer has shown
his interest in the character in the scene. A telephone ring can
make a big impact on the audience as it is an item that most
everyone owns, therefore making it easier to relate to.

8. Poster One
Most horror film posters use dark colours to represent the genre.
Scream 4 does this with the use of a Black, White and Red colour
scheme, all these colours contrast making the poster eye catching
and noticeable to the potential audience. The dark coloured
background represents the evil events that take place during the film
and the night, which is when most of the murders take place. The
white face shows the appearance of the killer, make from his victims
faces. Each face shows a different emotion, starting from shocked, all
the way to pain and horror. This will create a horrific affect on the
audience as they will believe the film to be gruesome and terrifying.
The use of the colour Red is used less compared to the other colours
suggesting the amount of blood and gore in at a minimum, however,
the words “New decade, new rules” are wrote in Red, suggesting that
the killer could be more evil and damaged creating more ghastly
deaths. The poser is rather bare, suggesting that the horrific events
take place in a isolated, daunting place. The main image takes up
most of the room on the poster, catching the audiences attention as it
is different and unique to other horror film poster. The title is based at
the bottom of the page, unlike most other poster which are based at
the top and small, also unlike most other horror film posters. The titles
uses a number 4 for the letter A, emphasising it by highlighting it red,
this suggests that the fourth movie is even more bloodcurdling than
the previous movies.

9. Poster Two
The second Scream 4 poster is very different to the first poster,
however, they both use the same colours scheme, Black, White and
Red. This is to make the film more recognisable and memorable to
the potential audience. This poster is more compacted compared to
the first poster, as much more is shown. The main image takes up
most of the space, showing the main characters and behind them the
mask of the serial killer in smoke form. The smoke could represents
the night and heat/fire suggesting to the audience that the person
inside the mask is dangerous and sinful. The smoke is gathering
around the victims, showing the audience that he intends to kill them.
The title on this poster is much more larger compared to the first
poster, making it more noticeable. The letters are spaced out far
apart, making them seem alone and defenceless. This could
represent the victims, creating more fear and suspense towards the
audience. The text is a slightly more vibrant compared to the
previous poster, as if it is shinning, like the killers knife. This shows
the audience that the killer intends on using in traditional weapon to
murder his victims.

10. Magazine Cover
This magazine „Review‟ uses the same colours scheme as the
original Scream 4 posters showing the readers the genre of the
movie and the likely content. The front cover uses an extra
colours to highlight specific text which may interest the potential
readers and also grab the readers attention as the yellow
contrast the colour scheme. The main image is a close up of the
killer in Scream 4, based in the middle of the page, taking up
most of the room. This seems more professional as the killer is
directly facing the camera, therefore giving „eye contact‟ to the
potential reader, creating a connection towards the reader. The
model has slightly high eye level, making him seem more
intimidating and threatening towards the reader. Some of the
selling lines are based around the main image drawing the
readers attention. The skyline will draw the readers attention as
the two colours used contrast each other. The selling line, „Slash
hits!‟ is wrote in a frightening font, fitting in well with the words
used and the genre of the main front cover review. The mast
head is the largest text on the page and is rather simple and
bold, making it eye catching . The colour of the masthead
contrast well with the background, and is more vibrant than the
white image.