Among my various experiences in storyboarding, working on Scream 5 holds a special place as one of my favorites. The opportunity came my way during the heart of the pandemic, a time when the entire film industry had ground to a halt. I got the recommendation for the job from Brett Jutkiewicz, a cinematographer I had previously collaborated with remotely on the film Boogie. Given the circumstances, remote work was non-negotiable and I was hired! Scream 5 marked the return of the iconic horror franchise after a decade-long hiatus and the first installment since the passing of its creator, Wes Craven. Radio Silence directors, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett,  took up the directorial reins for this film.

The Scream series, with its intense horror fandom, generated substantial anticipation for this release. Being the quintessential who-done-it style of horror, secrecy was paramount. This added an intriguing layer to the storyboards – a delicate dance of "saying without saying." Protecting the film's secrets meant obscuring actors' likenesses, names, and even the appearance of Ghostface. At times, even I, as the storyboard artist, was intentionally kept in the dark about the identities of the characters I was illustrating.

The first scene I worked on for Scream 5, focused on the character Tara, initially envisioned as portrayed by actress Sophia Lillis (known for her role in It). This decision likely stemmed from the role not being cast at that time, eventually the role was filled by Jenna Ortega.

Below is the scene as delivered, with the exception of the initially blank top bar.

The below scenes were the first scenes that I did on the project (scenes 52 and 58). It's a fun suspence build up for a Ghostface appearance that takes place in a hospital where Tara is recovering from the attack in scene 1. I should mention that most of the the descriptions under the frames come directly from the shot lists written by Matt and Tyler (directors).

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