Scream – Preparing for the NAB
Scream – Preparing for the NAB
For Intermediate 2, your fiction and non-fiction NABs will consist of a
1 hour essay, written without notes, in which you will be asked to
explain, analyse and integrate 3 of the key aspects in relation to the
text you have studied.
For your fiction unit (Scream), the key aspects you will need to write
about are:
 Categories
 Audience
 Narrative
You therefore need to concentrate your revision on these three key
aspects, which we have already covered in detail.
To pass the NAB, you will have to explain each of these key aspects
in some detail, giving evidence and examples from the text. You will
also have to integrate them – this means you need to explain how
they affect each other – e.g.



how does the genre (Key aspect: categories) shape the
narrative structure?
How does the narrative structure appeal to the target
audience?
How does the purpose (Key aspect: categories) affect the
way the text addresses its audience
This might sound difficult, but in fact you have all the knowledge
needed to do this, and if you prepare carefully you will pass.
Revision Step 1
To help get you started on your preparation for the NAB, fill in the
following tables – if you can do this, you have all the information you
will need to pass!
1
Scream – Preparing for the NAB
Categories:
Category
Medium
Form
Genre
Description
Film
Feature film



Self-reflexive slasher – postmodern take on slasher genre
which features many references
to other movies, higher
production budget than previous
slashers of 70s and 80s.
Genre hybrid – elements of
comedy & teen movie
Revitalised slasher genre –
created lucrative new sub-genre
followed & parodied by many
other movies e.g. I know what
you did last Summer, & Scary
Movie.
Evidence from text
Length of film (11/2 hr +)
Widespread release in cinemas. Video & then DVD
release.

Typical genre markers of slasher film –
masked killer attacking teens; “final girl” –
heroine survives at end; frequent attacks &
frightening scenes; features teens engaging
in sex & drinking – they are “punished” for this
behaviour by being murdered.

Adds – self-reflexivity, e.g. constant
references to earlier slasher movies
(intertextuality); characters discuss life in
terms of movies (e.g. “why can’t I be a Meg
Ryan or even a good porno”); knowing play
with the “rules” of slasher movies.

Comedy – frequent jokes & physical comedy,
even amongst the gore (e.g. Stu & Billy &
phone during climax)
Style
Mainstream Hollywood movie.
Bigger budget than previous slashers.
Uses traditional mainstream Hollywood techniques, e.g.
continuity editing.
Tone (i.e.
overall mood
of text)
Threatening , dark, scary (as you would
expect from a horror movie).
Frequent use of night scenes, chase scenes
Comical, ironic. Characters discuss
serious matters in a very lighthearted way.
Other
categories
(i.e. Director,
stars of
movie etc.)

Purpose



Frequent moments of humour, characters very
articulate about movie culture. Self-referential jokes
even when in danger (“cut Casper that’s a wrap”); Stu’s
death by TV etc.
Wes Craven (director). Has track record in this genre – directed Nightmare on Elm Street 1.
Script refers to this, and Craven appears briefly as a janitor in Freddie Krueger costume & is
called “Fred” by Principal Himbry (another e.g. of self-reflexivity).
Also use of Drew Barrymore – famous actress gets killed early on (reference to Psycho)
To make money – released on DVD, twisted genre of slasher to make it more attractive,
well-known actors/actresses.
To entertain / scare – movie is entertaining, uses enigmatic codes to hold interest.
2
Scream – Preparing for the NAB
Audience
Description
Evidence
Expects its audience to be active &
intelligent – they need to engage
with the movie rather than sitting
back passively and letting it wash
over them.
Movie is full of in-jokes, e.g.
cameo appearance of Wes
Craven as janitor, in Freddie
Krueger costume
Target audience
(i.e. profile by
age, gender,
social class,
interest
Mode of address
(i.e. how does the
movie treat its
audience, what
expectations does
it have of them?)
Fits best with uses/gratifications
model rather than the hypodermic
model.
Satirises the hypodermic model
Preferred
reading
(i.e. how do the
filmmakers want
their film to be
received?)
Differential
decoding (i.e.
what other
possible
interpretations of
the text might
there be?)
Movie should be read as a clever,
modern update of the slasher
movie. Not just another cheap rerun of the clichés of slasher
movies. Intelligently re-working and
playing with those clichés.



Some people might object to
the violence
Might object to the language
Might not get the in-jokes
“Movies don’t create
psychos. They make
psychos more creative.”




Clever script
Movie in-jokes
(intertextuality)
Higher budget, better
production standards
than previous
slashers
MPAA objected to the
“intensity” of some
scenes, e.g. the zoom
on Casey’s dead body
in opening scene.
3
Scream – Preparing for the NAB
Narrative
Fill in the table below, describing the overall narrative structure and then giving
examples of each of the other codes and explaining how they work.
Overall
narrative
structure
5 Act structure – see notes
Binary
oppositions
Love/Hate
Life/death
Dark/Light
Safety/Danger
Men/women
Loud/Quiet
Order/Chaos
School/home
Sanity/Insanity

Technical
codes




Cultural
codes


Enigmatic
codes


These are used to make the narrative easy to follow for an
audience. They provide a clear structure to follow, generating
conflict and providing a neat resolution when conflicts are
resolved.
Use of steadicam throughout film during chase scenes
(especially during opening sequence) – gives greater sense of
motion. Connotes uncertainty.
Use of close-ups to show characters reactions & fear.
Use of canted angles to connote fear, chaos etc.
Non-diegetic sound – soundtrack used to reinforce visuals. E.g.
use of low echoing piano chords to connote fear & danger.
Mise-en-scene – houses & their furnishings clearly middle-class
American
Intertextuality – movie references.
Major Enigmas – Who is the killer? Will Sidney survive the
movie?
Minor enigmas – What has happened to Sidney’s dad? Who
killed Sidney’s mother?
4