The Women In Black film opening analysis

The scene starts with the mis-en-scene depicting small teacups being filled with imaginary tea. From this the audience might be able to guess that, stereotypically, it is young girls having a tea party. The first few shots are close ups rather than an establishing shot. Creepy toy dolls are shown, and from this, as well as the dull lighting, non-diagetic eerie music and slow pace of the shots the audience can clearly see this is a horror film. These close ups create enigmas for the audience, which keeps them wanting to watch more.

 After these close ups there is a long shot of three young girls and we can see them playing with their dolls and teacups. They are in old fashioned looking dresses which gives the audience a clue that this is set in the Edwardian era. We can see even clearer now that the building is very dully lit which adds to the eerie feel, and the girls are smiling and laughing which contrasts which the creepiness of the scene, which makes the audience think that something bad might be coming.

The music suddenly changes as the shot changes, and there is a long take of the girls staring right down the camera, which doesn't make sense at this time. This sudden music change as well as the long, strange shot, creates further enigmas such as what are the girls looking at? Why did they all turn around at the same time? The girls then turn around and begin to walk towards the window, and as this happens the cuts are quicker and the shots are shorter, and at the same time the music becomes louder and louder with more instruments being introduced. There is a long close up of the window being opened very slowly with loud sound effects which also creates suspense. All of this creates a lot of suspense for the audience.

After the girls jump, the music suddenly stops while there is a very long take of the window, slowly zooming out, and a loud, echoed scream can be heard. From this the audience can tell what has happened to the girls, even without seeing it. During this screaming the mis-en-scene depicts a close up of a very creepy looking doll, with a frightened expression. This would be very uncomfortable for the audience, and strange because the doll looks like it has reacted to what has just happened, as if it were alive. The scene finishes with another establishing shot of the small, dark room, and as the camera zooms out we see that this shot is over the shoulder of a mysterious dark silhouette. The audience would realise that this is what the three girls were looking at before jumping out the window, and realising this will create a lot more enigmas which cause the audience to want to continue watching, such as who is this person? and what did they say to the children?