Film opening:
Link
Synopsis
The woman in black is a 2012 drama/ horror film, directed by James Watkins and written by Susan Hill, Jane Goldman. The film stars Danielle Radcliffe who plays the character Arthur Kipps as a lawyer, who was recently widowed and upset from the loss of his wife when he travels to a remote village to put a departed person's bizarre affairs in order. Sooner after his arrival, it becomes clearer to him the villagers are hiding an abhorrent secret. Arthur discovers his client's house is haunted by a spirit of a woman who is looking for someone or something she has lost and from her presence no one including the children is safe.
Producers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Woman_in_Black_(2012_film)
Distributors
The film was distributed by Momentum Films, CBS Films and Alliance. It was released in the UK on the 10th February 2012. It had a budget of $15 million, made from domestic box office of $54,333,290 & international box office $74,622,608 which resulted in the worldwide box office to be $128,955,898.
http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Woman-in-Black-The#tab=summary
Timeline:
00:00 - 00:10 We are first introduced to the movie with a close-up image of children playing with tea cups with creepy non-diegetic music playing in the background. From the use of the tea cups, the audience is automatically given the impression the film is set in England as tea is very stereotypical in relation to England.
00:10 - 00:20 The non-diegetic music playing in the background sounds very creepy, it's very slow, calm and makes the audience feel on edge. Here we see the 3 girls playing with the tea cups and dolls, who are dressed in old fashioned style of clothing
00:20 - 00:30 Here we get close-up shots of the dolls the children are playing with. Again there is only non-diegetic sounds, background music playing. This makes the audience feel on edge because of the creepy music and mysterious as to why they are showing the girls playing.
00:30 - 00:40 Here is a medium shot used of the 3 girls sitting on the floor all turning, staring in the same direction. They all discontinue playing with their toys at the same time which suggests something is about to happen, the look on their faces implies they are quite scared and aware. This suggests to the audience another character may appear and be introduced in this part of the scene. The music starts to get louder which emphasises this part of the opening film sequence, creating tension. This suggests to the audience something drastic or bad is about to happen to prepare the audience for any possible horror moment. The loud music connotes danger and panic.
00:40 - 00:43 The camera then cuts into a mid-shot of the 3 girls turning their head towards the window, keeping their straight facial expressions on. This can suggest to the audience that the possible figure the young girls first observed, may have pointed towards the window to do an action.
00:43 - 00:46 After, the camera shows a mid-shot of the windows, zooming in at a constant pace. This can be seen as foreshadowing to the audience because something is about to happen to the 3 girls, so it makes the audience feel tense and on edge.
00:46 - 00:58 The camera then cuts to present the 3 girls standing up, still focusing their eyes on the window as they get up. Furthermore, the camera work uses a lot of close up shots of the girls standing on their toys, dropping tea cups as they are steadily pacing their way towards the window. This suggests to the audience that the girls may be possessed as they appear to have no control in what they are doing.
00:58 - 01:07 In addition, the camera then uses another mid-shot of the 3 girls showing their straight facial expressions, walking towards the camera whilst zooming out to capture the whole shot. Their blank facial expressions enforce the idea of possession to the audience because it seems they are not in control, showing that they are very defenceless.
01:07 - 01:20 A long shot is now used where the 3 girls stand on the ledge in synchronisation and open the window. The girls then jump out from the window, at the same time non-diegetic sound fades out.
01:20 - 01:27 A woman's scream of anguish and remorse, suggesting to the audience the woman was their mother and had witnessed them falling onto the ground. This makes the audience feel sympathetic.
01:27 - 01:30 Finally, the camera zooms out and reveals the back of a figure of whom is wearing a black veil. This is a very important part of the film opening because it is revealed to the audience for the first time as the figure being 'The Woman in Black'. Also, the black veil connotes danger, death to give away what the 'The woman in black' is as she causes death.
00:20 - 00:30 Here we get close-up shots of the dolls the children are playing with. Again there is only non-diegetic sounds, background music playing. This makes the audience feel on edge because of the creepy music and mysterious as to why they are showing the girls playing.
00:30 - 00:40 Here is a medium shot used of the 3 girls sitting on the floor all turning, staring in the same direction. They all discontinue playing with their toys at the same time which suggests something is about to happen, the look on their faces implies they are quite scared and aware. This suggests to the audience another character may appear and be introduced in this part of the scene. The music starts to get louder which emphasises this part of the opening film sequence, creating tension. This suggests to the audience something drastic or bad is about to happen to prepare the audience for any possible horror moment. The loud music connotes danger and panic.
00:40 - 00:43 The camera then cuts into a mid-shot of the 3 girls turning their head towards the window, keeping their straight facial expressions on. This can suggest to the audience that the possible figure the young girls first observed, may have pointed towards the window to do an action.
00:43 - 00:46 After, the camera shows a mid-shot of the windows, zooming in at a constant pace. This can be seen as foreshadowing to the audience because something is about to happen to the 3 girls, so it makes the audience feel tense and on edge.
00:46 - 00:58 The camera then cuts to present the 3 girls standing up, still focusing their eyes on the window as they get up. Furthermore, the camera work uses a lot of close up shots of the girls standing on their toys, dropping tea cups as they are steadily pacing their way towards the window. This suggests to the audience that the girls may be possessed as they appear to have no control in what they are doing.
00:58 - 01:07 In addition, the camera then uses another mid-shot of the 3 girls showing their straight facial expressions, walking towards the camera whilst zooming out to capture the whole shot. Their blank facial expressions enforce the idea of possession to the audience because it seems they are not in control, showing that they are very defenceless.
01:07 - 01:20 A long shot is now used where the 3 girls stand on the ledge in synchronisation and open the window. The girls then jump out from the window, at the same time non-diegetic sound fades out.
01:20 - 01:27 A woman's scream of anguish and remorse, suggesting to the audience the woman was their mother and had witnessed them falling onto the ground. This makes the audience feel sympathetic.
01:27 - 01:30 Finally, the camera zooms out and reveals the back of a figure of whom is wearing a black veil. This is a very important part of the film opening because it is revealed to the audience for the first time as the figure being 'The Woman in Black'. Also, the black veil connotes danger, death to give away what the 'The woman in black' is as she causes death.
Film analysis
Costume
The 3 young girls that appear throughout the film opening wear very old-fashioned clothing from the victorian era that is very feminine, girly dresses which emphasise their chastity.
Lighting
The lighting appears to be slightly bright when the camera shots are focused on the girls. This connotes the equilibrium of the situation making it seem to be a happy atmosphere. When the girls head towards the window, the lighting behind them is dark which is a connotation that the interruption has just started and danger is leading them.
Make-up
The girls are very pale which was the norm during the period of the victorian era. The lack of colour in their faces can be anticipated as being ghostly, creepy and quite intimidating.
Props
The props used in the opening scene are very much victorian dolls and tea sets. Dolls connote creepiness and paranormal as to what the audience may think due to how victorian dolls are perceived to modern day people.
Setting
The setting is in the attic of the home this may be set here because it is quite isolated therefore the activity that happens wouldn't be known to other members that live in the house.
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