The opening sequence of 'The Woman in Black' establishes the time period and introduces three little girls having a tea party that is invaded by the sinister presence of the Woman in Black. Dark, eerie music plays as the girls are shown with a doll and then looking out a window with blank expressions. Their shoes are shown to be black, indicating the invasion of evil. The girls then walk mechanically to the window and jump out as their mother screams, revealing that the Woman in Black has possessed them.

1. Opening Sequence Analysis
By Kirsty Griffiths

2. The Woman In Black
(Dir. James Watkins, 2012).

3. The opening sequence of ‘The Woman in Black’ is introduced with an extreme close up of two old fashioned tea cups
with blue birds on them, and a matching tea pot. In this shot, the non-diegetic, incidental music is dark, eerie and
mysterious which is conventional in thriller films and is effective as it makes the audience feel uncomfortable and on
edge as to what may happen next. The tea pot contains no liquid which allows the audience to establish that it is a
child’s tea party. The background is shallow depth focused which emphasises the peacefulness of the room.

4. In this shot, a close up shot of a sinister doll is shown which is a conventional prop to use in a psychological thriller film.
The doll has black eyes and pale, white skin which connotes evil and death. The little girls are controlling what the dolls
do which could suggest to the audience that the three dolls symbolise the little girls as the woman in black controls them.
The rhythmic editing is dictated by the non-diegetic, incidental music which is sound bridged into this shot.

5. This high angle long shot of the three little girls establishes that the thriller film is set in the Edwardian times due to the
pale, floral gowns the girls are wearing and the old fashioned furniture and toys. The use of the high angle shot portrays
the little girls to be vulnerable and accentuates the power of the woman in black.

6. This medium three shot of the little girls shows that they are no longer smiling which could imply that the
woman in black has taken possession over them. The high key lighting used on the little girls indicates their
innocence to the audience and portrays them to be good as angles are white.

7. The camera then shows an eye-line match to show the little girls were looking at the window. The window is
high key lighting and the colour white is emphasised which suggests that the window represents heaven,
however also suggests that the girls are heading towards their death. The camera slowly zooms in towards the
window which implies to the audience that the girls are walking towards the window.

8. The camera then cuts to a shot of one of the little girls black shoes which indicates that their has been an
invasion of evil in their bodies as black represents evil. The diegetic sound of the dolls head being broken is
highlighted over the non diegetic incidental music which has also been sound bridged into this shot.

9. A medium three shot shows the girls walking towards the window with blank facial expressions which
suggest to the audience that the girls have lost possession of their bodies to evil. The music is clearly used to
suggest the presence of the woman in black and encourages the audience to continue watching to see what
will happen next. The slow paced editing increases the intensity of the scene and allows the audience to build
anticipation about what is going to happen next.

10. The non diegetic, incidental music which is continued to sound bridge throughout the opening scene becomes
a synchronous sound when it the girls step onto the windowsill. The shot also uses a match in action
technique when the girls step onto the windowsill as the camera changes angle but the girls still continue to
walk towards the window. A low pitched drone intensifies the situation as the mother screams as she realises
her three little girls had just jumped out of the window.

11. The camera then cuts to a close up shot of a pot doll which is a conventional prop used in thriller films as they
help create a sinister atmosphere. The pale face of the doll lacks emotion and connotes the woman in black as she
is evil and doesn’t feel any guilt for what she had just done to the three innocent little girls. A diegetic sound of a
woman screaming ‘my babies’ confirms to the audience that the three girls were sisters and emphasises the tragedy
of the girls dying.

12. The final shot goes back to the wide shot of the room and as the camera continues to slowly track backwards the woman
in black is revealed. This lets the audience understand what the girls were looking at when they looked to the corner of
the room and shows that she is the reason they jumped out of the window. The woman is wearing all black which
connotes death and evil and could suggest that she Is grieving over something as black is a conventional outfit to
funerals.