Film Deconstruction - The Woman In Black

'The Woman in Black' Opening Scene Deconstruction and Analysis

Mise en Scene

Clothing

• The girls' clothing is of a Victorian style - this emphasises the influence of the Gothic, which was a popular literary style in the 19th Century
• The use of excess fabric in the form of ruffles and lace - depicts that the girls are wealthy, as well as making them appear innocent and youthful.
• The girls' clothing is of a pale, pastel colouring - this allows their dresses to seamlessly blend in with the scene's prominent colour scheme of earthy pastels, as well as highlighting their youth
• The recurring colour of white in the girls' clothing symbolises purity and innocence

Hairstyles

• The girls' hair is down yet neat, symbolising their youthfulness and childish innocence
• Their hairstyles feature a number of bows - this is a classic Victorian feminine symbol of youth and childhood, and almost likens the girls to dolls

Makeup

• The girls' entire lack of makeup emphasises their natural youthfulness and childhood

Furniture

• The walls are not white, they are an earthy neutral colour - this adds to the overall prominent colour scheme which highlights the femininity and youth in the scene
• The room is full of children's toys which add an eerie element to the scene, as Victorian toys are often associated with the Gothic

Sounds and Music

Diegetic Sounds

The start of the scene features minimal diegetic sounds. This adds an eerie element to the images and provokes an almost dream-like state. The first diegetic sounds appears when the young girl drops the teacup and then treads on the china toys. These sounds help evoke a sense of uneasiness within the viewer, as well as the sound of smashing perhaps foreshadowing the girls' deaths to come. The only other diegetic sound featured is the sound of the mother's scream as she witnesses the death of the young girls. The fact that is the first voice in the film creates an element of surprise, enhancing the tragedy of the mothers' exclamation. Additionally, the way in which the music comes to a stop before the mother cries out emphasises the pure horror in the mother's voice.

Non Diegetic Sounds

The scene opens with high pitched music, with a heavy feature of wind instruments and tuned percussion (a glockenspiel perhaps). The melody line can be likened to a nursery rhyme, which adds a 'creepy' element to the scene. Initially, the music is contrapuntal to the pleasant images of the girls playing and laughing, however as the girls become visibly possessed the music becomes parallel to the mood of the scene. The use of a minor key again emphasises the eerie images, and the use of cantabile tone with its falling sequential note patterns bears aural similarities to the sounds of the human voice, for example the sound of a deep sigh. This imitates the eeriness of the piece, and makes the music sound much more frightening. As the scene goes on the music thickens in texture, which aids in the build up of tension. The sound of church bells also features, which again transforms a usually-pleasant sound into a tense, creepy sound. Towards the end of the scene, the tension is further increased through the use of an ascending brass sounding note. The dramatic end to the note leaves the viewer with a sense of foreboding, and results in a final drop of tension as the girls jump from the window. After the main music has stopped, a high pitched discordant strings instrument sounds, which retains the scary feel to the piece. The use of this unpleasant sound is very uncomfortable to listen to, which adds to the sense of uneasiness. As the camera frame changes to the face of the doll, a very low ranged percussion instrument plays simultaneously to add emphasis to the images on screen. Overall, I think that in this scene sound is used mostly for the build up and release of tension. If the sounds were stripped away, I doubt that scene would have anywhere near its potential power.

Lighting

• Soft lighting is used - this adds to the childish, floral aesthetic of the scene, as well as emphasising the neutral colour scheme.
• The lighting appears naturalistic - this again emphasises the innocence of the children as the lighting corresponds with the earthy pastel coloured scenery
• In the shot of the girls walking towards the windows, there is a significant amount of light coming through them. This not only draws the viewers attention to them, but the bright light could metaphorically signify the forthcoming deaths of the girls, as a bright white light is often a symbolic representation of death and heaven.
• At the end of the scene the side-lit shot of the china doll means that the dolls' features look distorted and uneven, perhaps adding to the uneasiness and unfamiliarity of the scene.

Camera Technique

• The scene opens with a series of close up shots of the girls pouring pretend teas. The ambiguity of these empty teapots initiates a sense of confusion and uneasiness within the scene
• The first part of the scene is filmed from a low position, as though the camera were in the place of a child's eyes. This makes the viewer feel as though they are a part of the scene, and on the same level as the characters.
• At approximately 0:33 there is a high angle shot. This almost feels as though the girls are being watched secretly from a corner, which links in with the possession of the girls as they simultaneously look directly at the camera. This is uncomfortable to watch, and subtly lets the viewer know that this high camera angle is in fact the eyes of the being that possesses the girls
• The angle then switches back to the low position as the girls turn to face the window
• The camera then faces the three windows, and slowly zooms in on them. This creates tension and a sense of foreboding, as well as emphasising the windows themselves.
• The camera then uses various close up shots of the girls' feet, clothing and then hands as one of them drops her toy.
• The close ups of the girls treading on their toys and kicking the doll are extremely disturbing, and the close up shot emphasises this. It is at this point that the viewer is informed that the girls have been possessed and are in a trance-like state.
• Next, the camera is placed outside the window, and moves backwards in a possible dolly shot to show the girls walking towards the window
• There is a close up shot of the girl turning the handle of the window before the camera switches back to filming the girls from behind stepping and jumping out of the window.
• The camera lingers here for a few seconds, which adds emphasis and drama to the scene
• Then a close up shot of a china doll is featured, followed by a slow zoom out of the empty room. Interestingly, one fault that I noticed in this particular shot was the fact that although the girls were previously shown to have crushed the toys on the floor as they walked, the floor in the last shot contains intact toys, with no mess from where the girls had shattered the china dolls.

What have I learned from deconstructing this opening scene?

• the importance of music within a scene
• the power and effect of using eye-level shots for emphasis and eeriness, and to appear as though the camera is the eyes of the antagonist

-Anna Humphreys