TEXTUAL ANALYSE OF SEQUENCE- WOMEN IN BLACK!

Analysis clip from “The Women In Black”

This essay will be conferring the technical codes that have been implanted by the Director of “The Women In Black” to empathizes’ how conventions of horror have been used.

The Director uses a close up shot of a little girl’s dolls face to connote how childlike but in the same time how creepy the film is. This is indicated when the three girls are sitting together in the floor playing with their dolls and it shows a close up of the dolls face and the girl brushing its hair.  These implements how young and pure the girls are, as they all look innocent as they are playing with their dolls like ordinary little girls. Another additional meaning to this is that they looking like they are having a nice time as it suggests how children should have no worries at that age as they always play and have fun. This appeals to the audience as they learn that straight away the film is introducing young characters, which are girls, which show how the film will be based on young girls, and this may indicate how venerable they are to danger. This already conforms the stereotype of young girls being venerable as they are seen as young and naive and don’t know that they can get hurt. As a result it represents the genre of horror as child horror is always indicated through the use of props of a doll, which has a horror meaning of friskiness and child death behind it. This movie is a linear narrative as it has a clear start, middle and ending which is not broken up and runs in a smooth straight line. The movie doesn't start with Todrovs equilibrium theory as the start of the film is not happy and fine, as it starts off immediately with a death and a problem which the story further develops into. 

The director uses an editing tool of slow motion in order to build up the tension from the characters. This is indicated when all 3 girls are sitting on the floor and having a tea party with their dolls. This creates an Enigma Code from Bathes theory  as it creates suspense and tension where everything in the scene is in slow motion to immediately identify how things do not seem right. It creates an enigma and puts the audience in a fearful mode. This is because normally the youth are very loud, jumpy and fast whereas in the scene is shows how everything is in slow motion and we cant even hear their voices. This connotes how the little girls may be “trapped” by the women in black as they are the targets for her. This could also suggest how the film builds up dramatic tension from the scene where the girls are having a peaceful time playing but soon the scene will turn into something dangerous.  It converts the stereotype of horror films being dramatic as it shows how horror films with jump at you with things that are not expected and it slowly builds up to it. This highlights the genre of horror as we see how it starts off nice but slowly turns into something bad and the use of slow motion really builds suspense with the audience. The director also uses bionary oppositions theory made by Levi-Strauss as the women in black is seen as the bad character who ends up killing all the children and the hero in the movie is Daniel Radcliffe played the lawyer who wants to stop the killing of the children as he always try's to save them as he tried to save a little girl in a fire which was in danger from the women in black. 

The Director uses mise en scene to demonstrate how the setting and narrative used in the scene emphasises how homely, cute and cosy the room looks. This is indicated through out the scene as we see the little girls playing inside a vintage looking room, which looks really girly.   This immediately allows the audience to identify the innocence being represented through use and gratification theory. This connotes that the little girls are in a nice and loving atmosphere as we see the room looks properly looked aftered, and the girls look well groomed as they are dressed in pastel colored dresses and ribbons in their hair. This connotes how traditional and old fashioned the scenery looks implemented how everything looks “inviting” which connotes danger in the same time as it shows how “The women in black” is attracted to young souls which conform the stereotype of children being “victims” as children are the ones that are most easily in the path of danger. This supports the genre of horror as the genre “child horror” deals with children being in scary situations that need protecting. As a result the audience feel pity for the children as the audience already realise how they are in deep danger due to the atmosphere.

The director uses non-diegetic sound of church bells and nursery rhyme theme song in the background of the scenery to demonstrate to set the scene of everything being “peaceful” in the beginning and suggests how horror relates to some religion. . This is indicated when the 3 girls are in the bedroom as all the audience hears is the chiming of church bells mixed in with a nursery rhyme. This can connote peace as church bells are seen to be used in a happy moment, hover in this case it can be used the opposite way to demonstrate the bell of chiming to suggest it’s a sign and time of when the women in black “strikes” to seek death. Another additional meaning to this is that the sound in the background is tricking the audience, asking them believe that everything is fine as the use of a nursery rhyme suggests how children are pure and nursery rhymes are a symbol of happiness sang by young kids. It subverts the stereotype of church bells and nursery rhymes as a sign of happiness when in this case it’s a sign on death. This highlights a key theme of horror as in many occasions horror films use good aspects and twist them around to make it frightful. As a result the audience identify how the use of sound sets the scenery and characters making them wonder what’s about to take place.

The director uses a wide shot of all the girls walking towards the window to demonstrate how they are seen as being commanded by the women in black. This is indicated when they all walk together in one straight line heading towards a huge window. Because they all have straight faces with no emotion can connotes how they are seen as being “controlled” and in some way “possessed” by the women in black. Another additional meaning suggest how they have no control and power over her as they are young. This conforms the stereotype of children being ruled by adults as we see in the scene how they looked over to her and immediately listened to her instruction’s and supports the hypodermic needle theory suggesting how young kids and especially young girls get influenced easily about what’s around them. This highlights how the genre horror is about young children falling into bad traps in the horror movies.  As a result, the audience understand how there is clear difference between who the victim and evil character as its an example of the binary opposition theory where the audience identify who the culprit is. 

The director makes good use of a fade out from a coloured scenery to black and white to demonstrate death and decay.  the use of colour represented life and death and creates a binary opposition. This is indicated when 3 of the girls jump out of the window and we hear a scream. The scene slowly fades away from the warm neutral colours becoming dark, gloomy and in black and white.  The fade out suggests how everything is gone, broken and dead as it’s the end of the little girls life. An additional meaning implements how in the horror of genre, death as a key theme and convention that makes up a horror movie as in most cases characters die to signify the fright and suspense in horror. Moreover, the sound of the bells and music in the background fades away suggesting how everything turned from happy to bad and signifies that there is some sort of scary end. This supports the horror genre also as in horror there is usually a happy start but then trembles and something always ends badly. As a result the audience find it exciting to watch as they know the sequel of a horror movie and understand that danger is about to stuck and there will be a death soon.

The director uses sound to illustrate how the young girls change their character and personality after the women in black sees them. This is indicated when they walk towards the window dropping their props of their dolls and tea set. We hear the loud sound of them smashing and stepping on the china tea sets as we see it breaking apart. This offers the meaning of how the children switched from being innocent and lovely to devilish as they are breaking their childlike vibe by stepping on the dolls face. It also implements how the women in black changes their whole personality and switches them in being a different person over her control. This subverts the stereotype of young girls being well behaved as we identify in the scene how they go against and smash their toys and fall out of the window. This supports the horror genre and convention as many little girls are used in horror films to highlight how they are used to portray love but in horror it’s the opposite. 

ANALYSIS OF SHORT MOVIE- FRIGHT NIGHT!

-The Director used low key lighting to indicate how something dangerous is lurking in the dark which creates an Enigma Code as the audience feel a tense and suspicious feeling of what is going to happen next. this is shot when the boy is introduced to his new neighbour which is the vampire. the low key lighting connotes horror, suspense and thrill. the scene is set when the sun is setting and becoming night time. this indicates death and danger as the sun (happiness) is gone and the night is appearing where its fearful and how the danger is lurking in the dark. The movie is set in a local town and neighborhood which makes it seem like everything is normal but little do they know that they have a vampire living right next to them. The Director set the location to a everyday location to make it look like anything can happen in the unexpected! 

-The Director used a close up shot of the vampires fangs to signify threat and danger. the close up shot of him showing his vampire aspect connotes how he is powerful and fearful to the rest of his society as many people are scared and threatened by him. the close up shot signifies hes main character and personalty as he's a secret vampire living a normal life in a human neighborhood where he is out of place. The close up shot also reveals his identity and what his aim is as he lurks people in and murders them! This also links to 8 stock prop theory as the audience immediately get to identify that the vampire is the villain through the use of showing the frightening fangs threatening the audience!

-The director uses an establishing shot to shoot the beginning of the scene of the movie as it shows how the scene is shot in a high school. The establishing shot of the high school connotes how everything is happy and fine in the beginning (Todrovs Equilibrium theory and Norells Carrolls Narrative Structure theory) as the charterers are laughing and enjoying school life. This also indicates the linear narrative of horror as in horror movies the start of the movie is normally happy and everybody is fine but slowly turns upside down when danger occurs. Moreover, the establishing shot helps to identify who the film is focused on as there people in high school which connotes that the film is focused on teenage life and teenagers can reflect  on what is happening in the movie and relate to it.