9 Key Screen Shots

I decided to analyse the 9 key shots of the opening for Woman In Black, a Horror film released in 2012.

Non-Diegetic music is used throughout this film opening. The music is eerie, which makes the audience feel uncomfortable and on edge. I think I'd like to use some similar style music in our own horror film opening as I think it is extremely effective.

The first screenshot shows three young girls playing with their dolls together. This establishing shot is important as it establishes setting, and lets the audience know which era this film (or at least this scene) is set in. This is shown by the costumes used. The girls are wearing extremely feminine and old fashioned dresses in light colours, which symbolises purity and innocence. In our own film opening, we will also use costume and colour to connote certain character types.

The second shot is a wide shot, and shows the three girls staring, transfixed at something off camera. The technique of hiding something from the audience is often used in Horror films, as it is one of the most simple and effective ways of instilling fear into the people watching the film using fear of the unknown. We will definitely use this technique in our own film opening as it is very simple to do, yet creates a strong sense of terror.

The next shot  is a mid shot. It shows the three girls looking in the opposite direction to the second shot, still at something that the audience cannot see. An eye line match is used to transition between shot 3 and shot 4, which allows the audience to see what the characters are looking at this time. Shot 4 (a medium close up) shows three full-length windows, and creates a sense of anticipation as the audience is unsure what relevance these windows hold in the scene at this time. We will use this technique in our film opening to reveal information to the audience, and to create an uncertain, troubling atmosphere.

The fifth shot shows the three girls rising simultaneously, still staring in the direction of the windows. This is another medium close up shot. The synchronicity of their actions adds a particularly haunting feel to the scene, and leaves the audience with the idea that the girls are being controlled by a powerful force still yet to be seen on camera. Match on Action is used between shots 5 and 6, as shot 6 (a close up shot) shows a small china cup dropping from the hand of one of the young girls. The camera focuses on the cup smashing on the floor, and it seems almost as if the calm atmosphere that was in place in the first shot has been shattered as well.

The next shot is a mid shot filmed from the window- the three girls are still staring intently and walking straight towards it. This fills the audience with anticipation and concern, as they are able to piece the events together and work out what may happen next. This shot is especially unnerving as this is peculiar and unexpected behaviour for children. 

Shot 7 is a wide shot filmed from behind the three girls, and shows them jumping out of the windows to their deaths. The characters remain in synch throughout this shot, strongly hinting at some kind of supernatural element to the film. Highlighting this kind of point is important in a film opening as it remains relevant throughout the rest of the film.

The final shot shows the camera panning out from the window until the frame shows almost the entire room that the three girls were playing in at the start of the scene. It shows their toys lying abandoned on the floor, which enhances the sense of loss and life cut short in the scene. It is an extreme wide shot. A small section of a black veil is visible on the far right of the screen, giving the audience a glimpse into the force behind the deaths of the three young girls and creating a mysterious atmosphere. The colour black connotes evil, death, and even power, making it almost obvious that this figure is the source of the evil in the film. In our film opening, the killer will be dressed in black to symbolise these things.