The Woman in Black
“The Woman in Black" is an established British-American supernatural period horror film that was released in the UK on the 10th February 2012. I have watched this film myself before and I thought I'd analyse the trailer to give my opinion on four aspects of this trailer, the four aspects being editing, camera composition, sound and mise-en-scene.
Mise-en-scene
Establishing Shot
The mise-en-scene of this British-American supernatural period horror film supports the sub-genres conventions well, as the trailer generates a sinister atmosphere not too long into the trailer itself.
An establishing shot of a steam train is used to start off the trailer, it demonstrates that the film is set in the past, which adheres to supernatural period horror film conventions. The shot displays the sun which appears to be going down, which could be a use of pathetic fallacy to imply that the trailer is going to get darker and more creepy as it proceeds onwards.
Characters
The characters in this trailer are wearing clothes from the early 1900s where the men are dressed smartly, usually in suits, and the women wear long dresses, which is indicative of films in this sub-genre of horror films. Horror films set in this period of time generally use ghosts or supernatural beings who lurk in the shadows as the antagonist of the film, and in this trailer, there are a few glimpses seen on the antagonist in pictures which look real. This was done probably to make the audience question if this supernatural being was real years ago and if she is still haunting the world today.
Arthur Kipps played by Daniel Radcliffe is the main character in this trailer. He is a lawyer from London who is trying to sell Eel Marsh House and retrieve any relevant documents left by the deceased owner Alice Drablow. He wears smart clothing that is usual in the time the film is set in, a suit with a waist coat and a tie. This connotes intelligence and makes him seem as if he is professional in his job.
As well as this, the man on the train with Daniel Radcliffeis wearing a suit, which also connotes intelligence, and confirms that the film is set in previous years where this was the normal attire of a middle to upper-class man in society. The clothes that these two men wear connote the sub-genre effectively, as they clearly indicate that the film is set in a previous era, in this case the Edwardian era, around the 1910s.
"The Woman in Black" played by Liz White, is the antagonist of the trailer and is only seen a few times throughout the trailer. The trailer displays glimpses of her to the audience to keep them on edge so that they are kept interested by the trailer. She wears dark clothing, noticeably in one shot a black dress, to express her evil nature to the audience, and this may be done as she lures children, from the village nearby, to their deaths to make up for the loss of her son. It could also demonstrate her vengeance on the world, because she dresses in dark clothing to illustrate her mourning for her son. She lurks in the shadows of the Eel Marsh house, haunting those who enter it, maybe to imply that the house is her hideaway from the world, as she couldn't save her son from drowning in the Marsh that the house is situated in. She gets little screen time in the trailer which indicates to the audience that her presence is seldom but her wrath is menacing. The appearance and acts of "The Woman in Black" connotes the supernatural period horror genre convincingly, as she is in clothing that is indicative of the time period the film is set in, and the fact that she lures children is similar to the of "Bughuul" in Sinister, which seems to be a common theme in supernatural horror films.
Props
In the trailer there are only three props of note, these are a wooden cross, a zoetrope and a doll. The three props are all relevant to the time period that the film is set in, which effectively connote the supernatural period horror film genre.
The first prop of note that is shown in the trailer is the wooden cross on the Eel Marsh that clearly marks where someone has passed away. This type of prop is one that is used in this genre of horror film fairly frequently, as it is relevant to the type period the film is set in. This is because in period horror films, the characters are usually religious as the time period the film is set in, is in the past when religion was heavily taught and you were looked down on if you didn't believe in God. The cross connotes death as it is a sign that someone has died, and it also could be foreboding what is going to happen later on in the trailer.
The next prop that is shown on screen in the trailer is a zoetrope, which is a prop relevant to that time period that produces the illusion of motion by displaying a sequence of drawings showing progressive phases of that motion. In the trailer, Daniel Radcliffe spins the zoetrope then looks into it to see what is displayed by the prop and sees "The Woman in Black" through one of the slits. This is the first time she is presented on screen in the trailer, but the audience only gets to see one of her eyes. This passage in the trailer implies that even games can be frightening when "The Woman in Black" is around. As well as this, because the zoetrope creates an illusion when it is spun, this could mean that when "The Woman in Black" is seen she is just an illusion in Daniel Radcliffe's characters mind. This prop supports the genre conventions sufficiently, as it establishes the time period the film is set in and makes it clear to the audience that the house is haunted.
Another prop is used in the trailer for a brief period of time which is a doll that is crushed on screen by a little girl. This passage of the trailer exhibits a girl crushing the dolls head with her shoe, and then shortly after this three girls walk towards a window which they open. Two scenes after this, three girls are displayed on screen and it is clear to the audience that they are dead but have been reincarnated to haunt the house in the trailer. The prop demonstrates that "The Woman in Black" has taken the lives of these girls, as the doll has been destroyed just like the three girls have been.
Setting
In the trailer there are three main settings which help to create a narrative and help build the story of the trailer for the audience. The first setting is the Eel Marsh where the house Daniel Radcliffe's character is trying to sell is. The setting is similar to a barren wasteland, as there is no life on the marsh or where the house is situated. It creates an eerie feel with the colours that are used, and the marsh itself is silent which creates suspense and suspicion for the audience as to what is going to occur on the marsh.
The second setting in the trailer is the Eel Marsh House which is situated in the Eel Marsh. This is where Daniel Radcliffe's character is for most of the trailer, and is the house he is trying to sell. The outside of the house is grand and dark, which are features of a lot of horror films set in this time period. This is because a grand house like the one in this trailer is usually empty and silent, and because of this silence, supernatural beings usually haunt these types of houses as well as the characters in the house. The inside of the house is also very dark, and there are cobwebs and dusty tables to imply that no one has visited this house for a long time, which implies it is haunted. This is reinforced when Man on the train with Daniel Radcliffe says "you won't find a local buyer" when discussing the sale of the house with Daniel Radcliffe's character. In the trailer "The Woman in Black" never leaves the house which could suggest that she is trapped there, or is trying to take life from people who trespass on property she seems to claim as her own. The house connotes the supernatural period horror film genre, as the house is old-fashioned, and is used in the trailer to create the suspense and tension needed to scare the audience watching.
The Eel Marsh house is near a village in the trailer where people have been haunted by "The Woman in Black". The part of the trailer that shows the village displays a house in the village being on fire, which the audience would probably think was caused by "The Woman in Black". Daniel Radcliffe's character visits the village in the trailer which could imply that he has disturbed "The Woman in Black" so she has decided to release her wrath on the people in the village. There isn't much of the village shown in the trailer which suggests that it isn't of much importance and that the audience should focus on the Eel Marsh house, as that is where the action takes place.
Colours
The colours that are used in this trailer are dark and depressing at times, and they come together to create an eerie and tense atmosphere. The colours used in the trailer start off fairly dark when Daniel Radcliffe's character is on the train, and continue to be dark when reaches the Eel Marsh house. The directors will have chosen to do this, so that the audience experience the eerie feelings that Daniel Radcliffe's character undoubtedly felt in the trailer as "The Woman in Black" haunted him. The colours in the trailer follow this genre of horror film conventions, as they are dark and depressing to create a spooky and creepy feeling, to put the audience watching on edge.
The colours used in a shot further on in the trailer, where Daniel Radcliffe's character is on the train, are dark and ominous. This creates a feeling of unrest for the audience, as the colours associate themselves as being uncertain. This is because darkness it difficult to see in, so Daniel Radcliffe's character may be having his vision distorted by what is going to unfold. The scene captures him wearing an all black suit and tie, which could be insinuating he is travelling towards death.
When the house is shown in the trailer, it is usually at night time when the features of the house are displayed darker than normal. The house itself is dark anyway as a lot of the pillars and infrastructure in the house are painted black. This ties in well with the antagonist of the trailer "The Woman in Black" as she too is exhibited in screen in dark colours, noticeably a black dress. This creates a sinister atmosphere for the audience watching the trailer, as they won't be able to see clearly what the screen is showing which will create suspense. This is because darkness connotes fear and uncertainty, especially in this trailer, as "The Woman in Black" could appear at any point in time, out of nowhere.
Camera shots, movements and transitions
Establishing Shot
The trailer "The Woman in Black" features a range of camera shots, movements and transitions, to create different effects on the audience watching. A trailer that effectively uses these shots is usually successful in scaring the audience, in this film genre.
The establishing shot of this trailer is a still long shot of a train that Daniel Radcliffe's character is on, which we find out in the next scene. The shot demonstrates to the audience what time period this film could be set in, as steam trains were used years and years ago. As well as this, the shot shows that it is getting late which could suggest that the trailer is about to enter into a dark and potentially evil place. This supports period horror film conventions, as the train is a symbol of the time the film is set in, which is the early 1900s.
Long and Mid Shots
Long and mid shots in horror films are mainly used to show the antagonist at a mid to long range so that the character isn't given away, to build suspense and frighten the audience watching. The trailer doesn't have many long shots, but it has an array of mid shots which are used to display what the characters are experiencing emotionally. However, the most effective shots in this trailer are the long shots, as they exhibit the panic going on in the trailer.
An intriguing long shot is used near the start of the trailer when Daniel Radcliffe's character is in the Eel Marsh house. Technically this shot is a two shot with Daniel Radcliffe's character in the foreground and "The Woman in Black" in the background. His character is in shallow focus and "The Woman in Black" in deep focus which highlights his importance in the trailer to the audience. As well as this, "The Woman in Black" is in deep focus on the screen meaning you can only see her silhouette, which could suggest that her character is ever present. The shot confirms to the audience that there is a supernatural being haunting the house, which will frighten and unnerve the audience. This is because this is the first time "The Woman in Black" is shown in full on screen in the trailer. It is made to be rather creepy as Daniel Radcliffe's character is unaware of "The Woman in Black" behind him, which implies she lurks in places she cannot be seen. The shot is effective as it blurs out "The Woman in Black" to disguise what she looks like which will intrigue the audience as this sighting will have made them even more keen to see what she looks like, as well terrify them as she could look demonic. This connotes horror film genre conventions, as the shot captures a glimpse of what the antagonist looks like, which helps to keep the audience on the edge of their seat.
Another long shot is used towards the end of the trailer which displays Daniel Radcliffe's character on screen running across the upstairs landing in the Eel Marsh house. The shot is dark in colour and represents well the horror genre of films, as it conveys Daniel Radcliffe's character as being frightened for his life at this point in the trailer. The audience see him running across the landing which demonstrates to them that this is a fearful time in the trailer and it is reaching its climax. The effect this has on the audience is that it builds up tension and put them on the edge of their seat. In this shot you can't see Daniel Radcliffe's characters face clearly, but his body language tells us what emotions he is experiencing at that moment in time. These emotions are most likely fear and shock at what is haunting him, as supernatural beings are generally believed to be myths, not things that live in and haunt the real world. The shot overall effectively exhibits what is going on in the trailer, as it reflects scare-some times within the trailer which the audience acknowledge. The shot connotes supernatural period horror films well as it creates a suspenseful atmosphere and advocates that there is a supernatural being haunting the world in the trailer.
An interesting mid shot is used at 0:45 in the trailer, just after the first long shot I analysed. This shot exemplifies on screen Daniel Radcliffe's character turning around after "The Woman in Black" was seen in the previous shot. This highlights his suspicion, and affirms that he is being haunted by "The Woman in Black". The expression on his face tells us he is suspicious as he looks shocked, as well as this, he rapidly turns around which implies that he believes he is being watched by something. The audience knows he is being watched which is an example of dramatic irony, as the audience sees that he is being haunted, whereas Daniel Radcliffe's character only has a suspicion of something happening around him. The shot is effective at capturing Daniel Radcliffe's characters facial expression which show angst, as the suspicion of a supernatural being around is plaguing his mind it seems. The shot connotes the period horror film genre, as these types of films usually have an antagonist that haunts a person or a number of people. It is done to frighten the audience to try and make them believe that there are still supernatural beings like this present in the world today.
Close Ups
Close ups in horror films are used to display facial expressions, generally of horror and shock, of the characters, as well as to scare the audience through jump scares and sightings of the antagonist. These techniques are used a few times in this particular trailer.
The first close up I've chosen to analyse is near the end of the trailer when Daniel Radcliffe's character is on the landing of the house and is holding an axe. The shot captures his anger and how frightened he is of "The Woman in Black" who is haunting him. It asserts his fear at being haunted by "The Woman in Black" and clearly shows that he wants his revenge over the supernatural being, to protect his family and everyone else who is being impacted and haunted and cursed by her. The axe in his hand represents his intent to destroy "The Woman in Black" so that she will stop cursing young children and killing them. The candle in his hand displays to the audience how the house is dark and gloomy, which is an example of pathetic fallacy. This is because the atmosphere at this stage of the trailer is sinister and full of fear and darkness connotes this well. The trailer here is building up to its climax and is intriguing the audience as well as frightening them, as the darkness of the shots generates an eerie atmosphere. Overall this shot connotes the film genre effectively, as it highlights Daniel Radcliffe's characters' fear and uses dark lighting to create an ominous atmosphere for the audience watching.
The ending of the trailer shows on screen "The Woman in Black" in her human form as the person she was before she died. The shot captures her screaming in the reflection of a window Daniel Radcliffe's character is looking through as he puts his hand against the window. He did this as a handprint showed up on the window, and the end result is a jump scare displaying "The Woman in Black" as the woman she was previously, screaming at the screen. This is the climax of the trailer and is effective in scaring the audience, as it is short, snappy and loud which has a lasting impact on the audience. The shot overall connotes supernatural period horror films very well because it is a jump scare that displays the antagonist of the film, at the end of the trailer. This is common in a lot of horror film trailers.
Camera Movement
In this trailer the camera is for the most part quite still, and there aren't many long tracking shots, as the scenes in the trailer are short and condensed to create pace. This is done so that the audience is kept engaged in what's being shown on screen and to build suspense to the climax of the trailer.
The example of camera movement is at the start of the trailer when a tracking shot is used to follow Daniel Radcliffe's character as he looks into the zoetrope and sees "The Woman in Black". The camera here drops down slowly and follows his head so that it is like an eye-line match, but instead, the camera is in line with his head. The slow pace of the movement of the camera is implemented into this trailer so that when "The Woman in Black" is seen on screen, the audience don't expect this, in turn scaring them. This is commonly done in horror trailer to frighten the audience, as lack of sound and slow movements trick them into thinking nothing is going to happen. The effect this has on the audience is that it puts them in the shoes of Daniel Radcliffe's character, as the next shot after this scene is an eye-line match where he sees "The Woman in Black". This means they experience the emotions that he is experiencing, such as the initial shock of seeing "The Woman in Black". This connotes the supernatural period horror genre of films effectively, as the shot creates an anxious and uneasy atmosphere due to the lack of sound in the shot.
Transitions
This trailer is fast paced due to the transitions that take place from shot to shot, in this trailer most of the transitions are cuts, with some inclusions of fades and fades to black. All of these transitions are common in horror films, which helps this trailer support horror film conventions. Most of the scenes in the trailer are short and a cut is used to move from each scene to the next, however every so often there is a fade from one scene to another. These types of transitions help to build up suspense within the trailer, so the audience are intrigued the whole way through watching. As well as this, the trailer uses transitions to create pace, as the start of the film uses a lot of fades which slow the pace of the trailer down, but as the trailer proceeds, cuts are used more than fades, as well as being more frequent.
From 0:00-0:23 in this trailer, a series of fades and fades to black are used to start off the trailer. These transitions help to start off the narrative to the trailer from when Daniel Radcliffe's character is on the train, to when he first enters Eel Marsh House. These transitions create quite a steady pace at the start of the trailer to feed the information to the audience clearly so they know what the plot of the film is. The pace is slow in this part of the trailer which is quite common at the start of a lot of horror film trailer, as this way the tension can build up slowly so there is a complete contrast from the start of the trailer to the end for the audience, in terms of pace and emotion. Most of the shots transition from one to another here using fades, with some fades to black and a few cuts. This is because fades help create the narrative but are also quite creepy, as when a scene is slow, the audience have feelings of uncertainty as they don't know when there is going to be a jump scare on screen. By using mainly fades and fades to black, this trailer connotes period horror films well, as it means the pace starts off slow, and fades are a feature in a lot of horror films set in the past.
Another set of transitions are used from 1:08-1:28 in the trailer, which are fast cuts to create pace to the trailer. They are used from when Daniel Radcliffe's character is jump scared by a boy covered in mud, to when he's walking down the landing in the house with an axe in his hands. In between this, you see him getting haunted and terrorised by the spirit of "The Woman in Black" which creates a tense atmosphere, as well as makes the audience clear that this is building up towards the trailers climax. The use of cuts here is effective as it helps to continue the narrative of the trailer, as well as rapidly build suspense for the audience. This part of the trailer leads to the climax of the trailer where the main jump scare is on screen. The audience can sense this and will be on the edge of their seat when watching. By using cuts, the trailer connotes horror film conventions, as they are a transition that is used frequently in all horror films to create a fast paced, thrilling trailer, that help significantly frighten the audience.
Editing and Sound
Editing
The editing in this trailer gradually gets quicker as the trailer proceeds, to build suspense so that the audience are kept interested, as well as so they can experience the emotions that Daniel Radcliffe's character is going through. The trailer is quite clean in presentation in some areas, such as the start and when there are long scenes, but is frantic when it builds up towards the climax. This is done to intrigue the audience so that they feel as haunted as Daniel Radcliffe's character does in the film. The trailers use of a jump scare is effective, as the scene where it happens does scare the audience well. There are also a few other jump scares that are less important in the trailer, but have a similar impact on the audience as the final one does. The trailer follows an ordinary structure as it builds up tension faster as the trailer continues, which is key to creating a frightening horror film trailer. This supports the supernatural period horror film genre well, as this is indicative of this genre of horror film.
The shots in this trailer are fairly lengthy to start off with, but get shorter as the trailer goes along, which helps to both build up the pace of the trailer as well as the suspense. This helps the trailer to keep an uneasy atmosphere to it, as the audience are experiencing more and more emotions as the trailer proceeds, and are being frightened in the process. Daniel Radcliffe's character has the vast majority of screen time making him the most important character in this film trailer. This portrays to the audience, especially in a horror film, that he is the protagonist of the film.
There are six titles used in this trailer to help explain the narrative to the audience. The first title states "The most chilling ghost story of our time" which is seen in the trailer just before three small girls jump out of a window. This title heavily implies that "The Woman in Black" is cursing and haunting the lives of people in the trailer. The next title is one that states "Daniel Radcliffe" which clearly tells the audience watching who the main character is. There are then three other titles used in the trailer which state "Fear Her Curse" but are broken up into three words over three different scenes. This phrase displays on screen to the audience that "The Woman in Black" is not a myth, she is a supernatural being that curses the people in the trailer. The phrase used is short and effective on conveying a warning to the audience that "The Woman in Black" is pure evil. Lastly, just before the end scene in the trailer, there is a title on screen which reads "The Woman in Black" which clearly states to the audience what the film is called. All of the titles in the trailer can be seen below.
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Sound
The sound in this trailer is generally quite high pitched, with some parts being fairly low pitched, and the sound overall is rasping to the audiences ears. The trailer is generally high pitched in the sound which creates an eerie and sinister atmosphere for the audience watching. This is done to try and scare the audience as well as to out them on edge, as some of the high pitched sounds in the trailer build suspense and help to construct a fast paced trailer. This conveys horror film conventions effectively, as high pitched sounds are a feature of most horror films, to frighten the audience and to build tension within the trailer.
As the trailer progresses, the non-diegetic sound plays a crucial role in building suspense and prompt what is going to happen next. This was done by the directors so that the audience are built up form the start of the trailer to the end of the trailer, so that they on edge most for when the final jump scare is seen on screen. The absence of sound in this trailer also plays a key role, as at these points, there is usually a jump scare, which signal to the audience watching when they are going to occur. However, the absence of sound also can trick the audience in this trailer to believe that the worst has passed by. This is because suspense in built up, then there is silence where the suspense has haltered, then the jump scare happens. In the brief moment where there is silence, the audience are lead on to believe that there won't be a jump scare. This successfully connotes the conventions of horror films effectively, as jump scares are a essential part of modern day horror films.
Below are some sound clips from the trailer that I believe are important diegetic and non-diegetic sounds, which help to construct a terrifying trailer. There are 9 clips that are high and low pitched, with screeches and creeks, all used to build suspense in the trailer to create a tense atmosphere, and all of these sound clips support horror film conventions effectively.