'Scream' opening credits analysis

The opening credits of 'Scream' involve many conventions of thriller films; the first being the colours used. The opening is dominated by black and white which connote mystery. The colour red is then used having a very significant impact on the sequence; the colour being very vivid and intense. Having a connotation of danger and blood, it effectively conveys the genre of the film.

Instead of a plain blank screen, an effect is used throughout the sequence. It illustrates the movement of what seems to be smoke which connotes suffocation; instantly revealing the theme of the film to be violence. The smoke then forms the outline of a masked face; revealing the killer with a hidden identity. This is a convention commonly used as an element for the audience to question and fear.

The text appears and disappears very steadily by fading in and out, looking blurred and deformed. It acknowledges the most prominent actors as well as the producer and director. The title of the thriller can be seen at the end of the opening sequence. It is written in bold lettering, positioned in the centre of the screen. The letter 'R' drags across; it's sharpness imitating a knife. A knife having a convention of pain is also a convention of thriller films.