The Woman In Black - Opening Sequence

I really like the way that in this opening sequence, the only thing that is initially used to create an eerie feel is through sound. Although the lighting is quite flat and depressing so creates quite a dead feel, they also use a lot of light which means that the only thing that is reflecting that something is about to go wrong is the background music. They also silence all diegetic noises apart from certain key ones such as the turn of the window latch, or the crushing of the china which they enhance to give a more surreal feel to the scene. Another thing I really like about the lighting is the way they take advantage of the contrast of the light streaming through the window and the darkness in the corner of the room where the woman later appears. This contrast is highlighted at the end of the scene when the girls jump out of the window as it looks as if the light swallows the girls and so makes them seem as if they just disappeared into thin air. The camera view then widens out to show the darker corner of the room and outline the silhouette of the woman in black.