1. Scary Movie 4 Film Analysis – Media Language.

2. Introduction In the film of Scary Movie 4, we are presented with many different humorous situations and varied techniques. Within this 5 minute opening scene we get a clear first-hand understanding what movie they are mimicking and already know that it will be hilarious. We are able to clearly see what type of movies this is which is ‘Miramax’ and are after straight transferred to the beginning of the scene, there is no introduction of characters, there is only the first disruption which includes a straightforward outlook of how the film is going to be and what genre.

3. Mise-en-scene When applied to the cinema, mise-en-scene refers to everything that appears before the camera and it’s arrangement – sets, props, actors, costumes and lighting. Mise-en-scene also includes the positioning and movement of actors on the set, which is called blocking. These are all the areas overseen by the director, and this, in French film credits, the directors title is metteur en secene, “putter on scene.”

4. Characters The first character we are presented with is a middle aged black-man who seems to be the typical basketball player – very stereotypical. He is shown to be as ‘stupid’ and ‘useless’ as he wakes up and realises he’s face is in water and he doesn’t know how he got there. The second character who we hear the voice of before seeing them is a more matured man who seems to be a teacher and well- groomed. However he also comes across as being confused but also very emotional and aware of what he was doing before. These two characters are both stereotypical within the first 5 minute opening scene.

5. Costumes&Ma ke-up As I mentioned in the previous slide the black-man is wearing a basketball uniform, this instantly puts a stereotypical theme of the character as most people associate basketball players to be black. A he rises up he hits his head twice – this shot is also stereotypical of basketball players as most of them are very tall and are unable to get through certain spaces. As he realises that something is not right he starts to panic and shout – this give us an impression that he is unable to deal with serious situations and may have ‘scared’ and we as society don’t associate big and bulky men like him to be scared of anything. The other character – the older man – he is much more calm and acceptable of the fact that he has been taken ‘against his own will’, he tries to relax the other man and fills him in on what he knows. This character is also stereotypical because we mostly find men of that age to be wearing suits and have a moustache.

6. Sound The sound at the beginning of the scene is very sinister, the sound of being underwater and the non-diegetic sound building up as the man opens his eyes and realises that he is underwater. It builds up the tension as he looks around and he notices the chain around his ankle, as he screams the music get’s louder and more eerie around the setting as it’s very unwelcoming and disturbing. When we hear the sound of the other man’s voice we are unable to see him but as the lights start to flash the build up of the non- diegetic sound is much jumpier when we get to see the other character – as most people were expecting someone ominous than someone who is in the same position as the first man. As the television turns on it makes that old, creepy sound which then makes a disturbing face pop up. The sound of the clock is enhanced as they talk about time, this makes it more intimidating for the characters as the sound is diegetic and they are able to react. The build up of the tense music helps the audience understand when something is going to happen as he has to make a decision, most of the sounds are there to frighten the audience.

7. Setting The setting of this scene is very dull, bare and seems to be unused. The low key lighting affects the way a setting is presented as it can make it more creepy, however when the light is turned on we are able to identify more with where they are which seems like an abandoned school which is set in a bathroom. This makes the characters seem vulnerable, it’s an unknown place where its damaged and clearly not cared for, which means no one knows about it and no one can save them. I think he use of this setting was good as it allowed it to be anonymous and also create a somewhat unsafe/nervous feeling.

8. Props & Equipment As with props and equipment in this scene there is a few that stand out the most. Firstly the chains on the ankles, mostly associated with kidnapping and trying to restrict someone from going. This was a good use of prop as it created a more restrictive feeling and seemed to make the characters very vulnerable when they had to do their task to stay alive. Also the equipment set out around the frame for the chance to save their lives, seems to be complicated but its more like a puzzle and you have to solve it yourself with a limited amount of props – this is when the rock comes in, it’s a very unusual prop to use within a film but it shows the strength that the man has by picking it up and throwing it but it also indicates that there isn’t much props that are needed within that scene as it tries to make it more interesting for the audience. Also the broken pieces lying around the setting are very well spread out as it shows how uncared for the place is and the that it is ‘timeworn’.

9. Lighting There are 2 main different types of lighting used within this scene. The first type of lighting is low key lighting – this was used to create a dark and mysterious atmosphere within the scene where he is trying to understand where he is by looking around, the blue undertones create an eerie feeling and we are only able to see some parts of the setting at the beginning as the dark moon shines through the high windows. Afterwards when the ceiling lights get turned on we are presented with high-key lighting, this instantly changes the atmosphere as we are then able to see the whole setting and judge by where the characters are and what may have happened. The setting is clear and we are able to see the characters clearer as well, but there are also still darker undertones where the action is not happening, which is probably because it’ not important within that scene.

10. Camera Angles As we jump into the scene there is a low angle to show how big the first character is. This is to help us identify with his height. There are many medium shots throughout the scene as the camera uses shot-reverse-shot, this helps us understand the two different characters and lets us see them in detail but also have a bit of the setting in the background. As we move further a long the scene there is an over-the- shoulder shot when the camera is behind the white man and we are able to see the black man in full image but blur out which gives the white mans perspective of the setting. A close-up is used on the white man’s face to show his shocked reaction to the television, in turn allows audiences to understand his emotions.

11. Movement There is a variety of camera movement used within this scene. For example, when the black guy looks at the rock and then the camera jumps straight to frame the rock that his hand picks up – this is called match-on-action. There is also a huge amount of shot-reverse-shot this is seen when the two characters are talking to each other and the camera frames one person and then the other, which is also used as a 180 degree shot, this prevents the characters from being on different sides so it doesn’t look like they’re in a completely new position. There is also the zoom out movement of the clock to show how important it is and that’s what the characters are focusing on. As well as that there is a zoom in movement of the black guy’s face when he looks at the basketball net and it really lets us identify with his emotions and the alarmed look on his face promoting something like he is terrified of throwing in the net but he is a basketball player which makes no sense to the audience which makes them laugh.

12. Editing There’s not a huge amount of editing used within the first 5 minute scene, however it does have a few techniques such as cutting the scenes to jump from one person to another, it cuts out the parts that are not needed. The sounds are all mostly edited within this as it’s mostly non-diegetic sound. As the first scene finishes they use the characters legs to represent the number ‘4’ of their film which was a clever idea and it edited to be the title of the film by using the colours and the fonts and shapes.