Task 2.1: Research Into Existing Products: The Woman in Black Opening Scene

The non-diegetic sound of the music is reminiscent of a child's music box playing in a minor key and creates an eerie atmosphere for the scene. The contrapuntal nature of the music is one of the many elements in the opening sequence that forebodes something going wrong. As the scene progresses, the sounds of church bells and organs is gradually introduced as the action builds and reaches the climax. The church imagery created by the sounds links to funerals which forebodes the introduction of death to this seemingly safe and innocent nursery.
The close up shots of the children's toys emphasises their symbolic importance to the plot of the opening scene. the shot zooming into the windows also emphasises an importance in the scene, as well as giving a point of view shot from the girls' perspective as they begin to make their way across the room. At the very end of the opening sequence there is a short, barely noticeable over the shoulder shot of "The Woman in Black," which shocks the audience as there was no-one visible in the background of previous shots, illustrating her supernatural and sinister nature.
There is a match-on-action sequence of shots when the girls stand up, leaving the safety of their tea party which quickens the pace of the action and creates tension as the audience wonders what's happening to make them get up in such an unnatural and synchronised manner. the shots of the toys being broken are played in slowmotion to emphasise the the unusual strength of the little girls' footsteps and to add to the supernatural situation of the situation by distorting our perception of reality. The final shot in the opening sequence fades to white which could symbolise the children proceeding to heaven or the afterlife and "heading towards the light".
The old fashioned and dimly lit nursery as well as the creepy dolls and children's toys add to the eeriness and the unwelcoming feeling of the setting which contrasts how a nursery should be. The only  source of light in the room is coming from the windows which again implies the idea of death and "heading towards the light". The girls being dressed-up in similar dresses complete with dresses and bows adds to their innocence and intentionally makes them look similar to their dolls, which forebodes their death. Their pale complexions and rosy cheeks makes them seem even more like the bone china dolls, enhancing the connection between the breaking porcelain toys to the girls' breaking bones once they jump out of the window. The images of birds on the tea-set also forebodes the children's demise as the birds trigger imagery of jumping, flying and "falling out of the nest".