Analysis of The Woman in Black- Opening scene

Analysis of opening scene- The woman in black.

The woman in black is a very popular and successful horror film from 2012, starring Daniel Radcliffe. The use of certain techniques in the horror genre is very obvious in the opening scene, especially with the use of mise en-scene and sound amongst others.

Cinematogrpahy
Close ups are perhaps the most frequently used shot during the opening scene to the film. Not only does the director get close ups of the expressions held by the three small girls in the room, but also of their dolls, and other objects. There are also many circumstances in which medium shots of all 3 girls take place, showing their joined importance. The zooming in on the window shows that it will have huge importance during the scene, as will become clear at the end.

Mise en-scene
The most clear use of mise en-scene in The Woman in Black is the way that dolls, and children are used. It is a common theme in horror films, and helps to create a feeling of innocence which is ironic compared to the genre. This idea is backed up by the way the girls are dressed, wearing almost angelic costumes, that seem anything but scary at first.
The surroundings may also be seen as a classic horror convention, as it is set in an old looking house, that may be 'haunted'.

Sound
There are quite a few examples where sound is used in the horror context, and it id often ironic. The main way it is used is with the background sound, which is obviously contrapuntal as it clearly does not fit with the horror genre. The music is calm, childlike and not threatening, so is ironic considering the genre. At the end of the sequence a woman is heard screaming, it is parallel sound that is added into the scene, so is non-diegetic, and is used to create tension and fear.

Editing 
Although editing is used at a minimum during the sequence, there are a couple of examples where it has quite a lot of relevance. These are when the girl opens the window, as a match on action is used, and the shot reverse shot of the girls and then the shot over the shoulder of the 'woman in black' right at the end o the scene. Both have strong effects in creating fear in amongst the audience, and are parallel to the genre.