User talk:UltraEgoMajinVegeta/Scream (1996 film)

https://vimeo.com/94675004 - about 18 mins in

https://archive.org/details/cinefantastique_1970-2002/Cinefantastique%20Vol%2028%20No%207%20%28Jan%201997%29/page/n33/mode/2up

page 43

For the first time in his ca¬ reer. Craven decided to use the wide-screen Panavision format.

"We have a very big. beautiful look,” said Craven. “It was very interesting to work with the anamorphic process, although it was very challenging technical¬ ly. Focus was much more criti¬ cal. It gave me a lot more free¬ dom in horizontal framing, but the depth of field was very tricky, because we were typical¬ ly working with a four-inch fo¬ cal plane throughout the film.

You often had to choose who was in focus, even if two people were standing side by side. Wewent through a lot ot agony with that, and there was a lot of camera Haring we had to be aware of. even coming from things out¬ side of the frame—car chrome and things like that. We had to spray all those kinds of reflective surfaces down. When we started, these were problems I knew nothing about, but we learned fast and the end result is a wonderful-looking picture.

There was a lot of tricky bal¬ ancing of light levels from interior to exte¬ riors. that we had to contend with. It’s a shame so much of the film takes place at night, because it’s so beautiful where we were shooting. I also wanted a very fluid camera, so we did a lot of crane shots, a lot of Steadicam work, and a lot of dolly shots. We also went for angles that were reflective of classic horror films, like HALLOWEEN. Dutched angles, creeping up behind people, and angles looking down at people from above. It called for unusual camera mounts, so we would be able to tilt and pan at the same time. We reallv went all out for the visual look of the film.”


 * Scream Frightmaster Wes Craven

Needs better sources
Williamson was going to remove a scene in the school bathroom featuring Sidney, as he felt it was awkward and out of place in the film. Craven insisted the scene should remain, as he felt it developed the character and her relationship with her deceased mother. Williamson later confirmed that he was glad that Craven proved him wrong about the scene.NEEDBETTERREF

Dimension Films head Bob Weinstein realized while reviewing the script that there were thirty pages (approximately thirty on-screen minutes) without a murder, so he instructed Williamson to have another character killed.NEEDBETTERREF

Williamson included the death of the character Principal Himbry (Winkler) based on this input and in doing so inadvertently resolved a problem in the script's finale. Williamson had struggled to find a reason for several extraneous characters to leave a party scene so that the killer could attack, finally determining that the announcement of the discovery of Himbry's corpse would serve to remove the non-essential characters, who decide to take a look at the corpse and leave the party before (and enabling) the start of the murders.NEEDBETTERREF

Concerning the killers' motives, Williamson felt it was essential for the audience to learn why the antagonists had become killers, but he also felt it was potentially scarier if they had no motivation. Opinions at the studio were split between those who believed a motive was needed for resolution and those who felt the action was scarier without one. As there were two killers, Williamson decided to do both: Billy Loomis had the motive of maternal abandonment, while the second killer, Stu Macher, jokingly suggests "peer pressure" as his motive when prompted.NEEDBETTERREF

Meanwhile, Drew Barrymore had signed on to the film at her own request. When he heard an established actress wanted to be involved, Craven reasoned that Scary Movie might be different from other films of the genre he had previously undertaken, and he contacted Weinstein to accept the job.NEEDBETTERREF

Drew Barrymore read the script and was interested in being involved. She approached the production team herself to request a role.NEEDBETTERREF

Her involvement was believed to be instrumental in attracting other popular actors to the film in spite of its smaller budget, and in causing Craven to reconsider his decision to direct the film.NEEDBETTERREF

Before filming began, Barrymore was faced with unexpected commitments that meant she would no longer be available to play the lead role. She instead played the smaller role of Casey Becker, which allowed her to remain involved and still gave the production the advantage of her stature.NEEDBETTERREF

The Weinsteins wanted to film in Vancouver as it was estimated that they could save $1million in costs compared to shooting in the United States.NEEDBETTERREF

Craven was adamant about filming in the United States, and making a film that looked "truly American". The argument over where to film almost led to Craven being removed from the project, but the Weinsteins eventually agreed to keep the production in America.NEEDBETTERREF

To produce the many grisly effects for the film, the producers recruited KNB Effects team Howard Berger, Robert Kurtzman, and Gregory Nicotero. One of their first tasks was the production of a mask for the film's killer.NEEDBETTERREF

KNB Effects created over 50 gallons of fake blood, normally composed of corn syrup and food dye, to create the special effect of severe wounds.NEEDBETTERREF

For the penetrating effect of knives, the production used collapsible blades to prevent injury. An umbrella with a retractable tip is used as a stabbing weapon in the finale. Ulrich wore a protective vest beneath his shirt to help prevent harm while a stuntwoman attacked him with it. The second thrust missed the vest and stabbed Ulrich on his chest, impacting a wound from an open heart surgery operation. Ulrich's genuine pain was captured on film and used in the release version of Scream.NEEDBETTERREF

Two of the most complex special effects in the film were the corpses of Barrymore's and Walls' characters, Casey Becker and Steve Orth.NEEDBETTERREF

To allow Walls to continue to move and feign death while displaying the wound, KNB designed a chair with no back. The actor would kneel behind it while his upper body, head, and arms were positioned within the chair's seating area.NEEDBETTERREF

n anatomical model representing the character's torso and legs was positioned in the chair and disguised so that the actor's upper body and the model appeared to be one piece. The fake abdomen was filled with rubber, latex, and gelatin pieces smeared in fake blood—the "internal organs" – which could then fall free.NEEDBETTERREF

he other effect involved Barrymore's character being gutted and hanged by the neck from a tree. The team utilized a similar approach, but replicated Barrymore's entire body, as it would be impossible to conceal her real body and display the special effect of her character having been gutted.NEEDBETTERREF

hough Dimension had previously released NC-17-rated films, the rating made those films difficult to market and attract an audience. Dimension was desperate for a less-restrictive R rating, but the producers felt the demanded cuts would remove key elements from the film and reduce its quality.NEEDBETTERREF The opening scene featuring Barrymore was one of the most difficult parts to process through the MPAA, who required cuts based on its "intensity". Craven lied to the MPAA, claiming he had only one take of the scene and could not replace it with something less intense; the MPAA allowed the scene.NEEDBETTERREF With the film's release date drawing closer, Bob Weinstein intervened and personally contacted the MPAA. He believed they misunderstood the film and to which genre Scream really belonged, and were focusing too much on the horror elements.NEEDBETTERREF  Weinstein explained that although he agreed with their assessment that the film was "intense", the film also had comedic elements and satire; it was not just a horror film glorifying violence.NEEDBETTERREF   The MPAA reviewed their decision; shortly thereafter the film was granted an R rating.NEEDBETTERREF