Codal Analysis - The Woman In Black

Joshua Manley

Visual Code

In the opening of The Woman in Black a significant amount of close ups are introduced and the overall pace of the scene is slow due to a slow motion effect being used. The expressions used by the young girls, who are steroetypically associated with horror movies, at the beginning of the opening were visibly happy when playing with their dolls. This can portray them as them being seemingly vulnerable and innocent. However, when they all look over at a specific corner in the room this changes and they begin to show no emotion, therefore suggesting they are being controlled or under the influence of something. The setting of the scene is made up of dull colours, creating a dark mood and creating the intended effect of horror films

Audio Code

Throughout the opening a non-diegetic background soundtrack is used to set the mood of the scene. Initially it begins in a calm but eerie tone, this results in the girls look innocent. The soundtrack then blends into being a rather tense and mysterious tone, relating to when the girls' emotions change. Synchronous diegetic sounds associated with the china dolls and tea cups being dropped and trampled on by the girls. As the opening draws to a close an asynchronous sounds of a woman's, assumably a mother's, dialgogue screaming and shouting 'my babies.

Narrative Code

The narrative can be recieved as confusing at the beginning of the opening, however as the scene progresses the audience can gather ideas of what is occuring. The girls intially are playing with their toys and everything seems innocent and normal. However, roughly half way through the opening the girls look directly into the camera in one of the corners of the room with no expression and the soundtrack shifts. This results in the assumption that the girls have witnessed something with is now controlling them. Their moods change as they gradually synchronously walk over to the window and jump out together. Implying something has possessed them and forced them to underg these actions.

Technical Code

Throughout the duration of the opening the slow motion effect is frequently used to exaggerate the actions of the girls (breaking dolls and tea cups). This can also create tension and suspense in the audience as it takes longer for them to discover what happens. Also the use of specific camera shots from high angles convey the young girls to be more vulnerable and therefore result in a stronger connection being made with the audience.

Enigma Code

Throughout the opening there is a large presence of enigma code which leaves the audience left to question the reasoning of why the events are happening. The main example of enigma code included in this opening is when all three girls look simultaneously towards one corner of the room and their atitudes change. This results in the audience questioning what/why it is happening as the girls are then forces to endure the un-natural actions of jumping out a window.