'the Woman in Black' Deconstruction

The sequence that I will be deconstructing is the trailer for the film 'the Woman in Black.'

Setting

• The old fashioned train, visible at the very beginning of the sequence, immediately tells the audience that the film is not set in modern day.

•  The fact that these two characters are wearing period clothing has the same effect of setting the scene.

• The main character's clothing is smart and neat, which reflects upon his strict work ethic and perhaps considerable wealth or high social standing.
• In comparison with the other man, the main character's clothing is a lot darker.  This could be a reference to his gloomy personality and troubled past.

• A wide shot of the building in which the majority of the movie is going to be set reveals it to be old and neglected.
• Unwanted, abandoned, large houses are very common in the horror genres, as they create dangerous settings that the characters cannot escape. 
• Furthermore, it is surrounded by trees, which creates a negative scene outside the house as well, adding to the idea of inescapable danger.

•  A series of establishing shots show the long distance required to travel to the house.
• Another common trope in all horror genres is the separation from society.
• This is because it doesn't allow for the characters to find help easily.

• They are alone in their situation: trapped.

• A grave marking on the journey to the house is an image of death and an omen for what is to occur in the movie.

•  Inside the house is dusty and old, suggesting that it is abandoned and unwanted.
• This causes the audience to wonder why the house is unwanted.

Lighting

•  Low key lighting is used: the only light comes from cracks in shutters and the main character's lamp.
• This is important in thriller films, as the large shadowed areas create unknown areas which in turn creates fear within the audience.

• (Fear of the unknown.)

•  A wide shot of the main character surrounded by fog has a similar effect to the low key lighting that is used:
• It creates large spaces in which the audience cannot see everything.

• The audience is left in suspense, fearing what will come out of the fog.

• The rainy weather is a pathetic fallacy technique, reflecting the negative tone of the film.

Clothing

•  the 'Woman in Black' (the supernatural threat) wears all black clothing, as her title suggests.
• Overall, this acts as a clear indicator of the fact that she is not a positive character.
• It also alludes to her past, as black clothing can be an expression of being in mourning.
• Furthermore, her black veil hides her face, also adding to the audience's fear of the unknown.

• The three young girls act as a juxtaposition between youth + innocence and death.
• Furthermore, they are wearing white as well as other pale shades.
• This contrasts with the 'Woman in Black,' as they represent innocence and the Woman represents death.

'Ghost Ship' Deconstruction

The sequence I will be deconstructing for typography and sound is the opening of 'Ghost Ship'.

Typography

The font is bright pink in colour and looks kitsch and retro as font like this was used in many films circa the 60's and 70's. This is synchronous with the film opening as the opening scene is set in 1962. The bright colour and swooping font conveys a sense of fun, which lulls the audience into a false sense of security as 'Ghost Ship' is a horror film and the tense atmosphere is not made apparent in the first couple of minutes of the opening, making the impending horror even more impactful on the audience.

Sound

The sequence begins with off-screen diegetic music compromised of high strings and piano that is synchronous with a panning shot of a cruise ship. In the next scene the diegetic sound of a woman singing a slow love song is onscreen and synchronous with shots of the singer and people dancing to the music on the ship's deck,creating a relaxed and romantic atmosphere. The singing is overlapped with the diegetic sound of people's general chatter in one scene, reinforcing the relaxed social atmosphere and keeping the audience unprepared for the horror soon to come. Later on in the sequence the now off-screen singing is overlapped with eerie non diegetic music and diegetic sounds of levers cranking and whirring and metal wire grating against more metal. These harsh sounds juxtapose the calm singing and interrupt the previously happy atmosphere while the background music creates a sinister undertone to the singing, foreshadowing the impending horror. The background music intensifies, gradually getting louder than the singing and comprising of tense high string instruments and echoing wind instruments, creating tension and dissipating the previous atmosphere as it's made clear to the audience that something terrible is about to happen. The diegetic sound of metal wire unravelling, snapping and slicing through the air, furniture, and eventually the bodies of the people dancing on the deck overlaps the non diegetic music, followed by the wire vibrating with tension which is synchronous to the sinister background music that has now completely drowned out the previous singing. As a result, the mood from the beginning of the sequence has now changed into a tense, frightening one synchronous with the gory action happening onscreen. The non diegetic background music quietens to a high synthesised note that is overlapped by the grating diegetic sound of the wire swinging back and forth, followed by blood splattering on the floor and people's bodies hitting the floor from where the wire has cut them in half. The last notable sound is of a young girl (the only survivor of the incident) screaming shrilly; the sound of the scream is edited so it sounds slightly echoed which has sinister, supernatural connotations and so is appropriate for the film genre.