Deconstruction Task - Woman in Black

This is the Woman in Black opening scene:

 

Woman in Black is a supernatural horror film. The opening scene of the film begins with a scene of a group of young girls playing, a diegetic soundtrack has been used as the scene begins which is eerie, creepy and slow with the use of strings. This is effective as it immediately creates tension and suspense in the opening scene as the slow music doesn't fit with the scene of the young girls playing with their dolls, which makes the viewer realise that this is not a 'normal' situation as the only sound used is the slow music, which sounds like a set of bells, wind up toy or nursery rhyme made to sound scary and to help build tension.. There is very little diegetic sound in this scene as the music is the main focus, however diegetic sound is used when the children get up and walk over their toys, crushing them and a scream can also be heard once the children have jumped out of the window, making the scene tense and eerie.

The is a wide range of different camera angles used in the opening scene which are effective throughout. At the beginning there are a variety of different close up shots showing the girls dolls and toys whilst they play with them. A mid shot is also used to show the girls smiling and playing together showing their facial expressions to show that they are enjoying themselves as 'normal' girls would, despite the eerie music suggesting otherwise. There is also a use of a long establishing high angle shot to show the girls in what looks like a playroom surrounded by their toys. The use of a high angle shots makes the children seem vulnerable and small as if they were in danger or being watched making the scene seem tense.

The editing in the opening scene is very effective as it has been slowed down so that it works well with the slow music being played. The children are filmed looking up at the camera as if someone was standing there, this them cuts to them turning their heads to look at the window next to them and a shot of the window is shown. The use of this editing to make the girls move and play in slow motion is effective as it adds suspense to the opening scene. Match on action is also used in the opening scene as the three girls stand up together and walk towards the window, match on action is used as close ups are shown of the girls hands and feet as they stop what they are doing and stand up, which continues as the girls are seen walking towards the window towards and away from the camera and open the windows and stand up onto the window ledge before jumping.

The mise-en-scene in the opening scene is very detailed as the film was set in the Edwardian Era. Close detail to the props and surroundings is shown in the opening scene as the children have a tea party in the attic surrounded by Edwardian toys such as china dolls and old fashioned pushchairs and rocking horses. The style of the furniture in the attic also suggests that it is set in the Edwardian Era as well as the close attention paid to the girls outfits which was common in this Era. All this put together creates a scene which shows the time in which the film was set and also helps to make the opening scene scarier as toys used in the film such as china dolls are often seen as creepy.