Woman In Black Notes

• Gels:

• Coloured gel filter on lantern – alters colour of beam.
• Changing mood + fluctuating temperatures.

• Characters comment on coldness – Steel blue gel used to emit blue light + cold feeling for audience to react to – more realistic creating an emotional recall for the audience.

• Gobo’s:

• Screen (cut out shape) in front of stage lamp to project an image onto cyclorama (backdrop) often made of metal.
• To establish location of scene – adds to realism + belief of events/locations.

• Train – Gobo of window.
• Church – Large cross.
• Inside House – Elegant staircase.
• Outside house – Always gobo of outline of house.

• Spotlight focused light with barn doors (Shutters on either side of the light to focus the beam):

• Narrow beam of light to follow movement of actor.

• Focus attention on “actor” over narrator e.g. scene where actor in bed – Emphasises feel of scene.

• Dimmed Lighting: - Constant theme

• Very dark – WIB appears/something relating to haunting/something ghostly about to happen.
• When goes dark – audience learns to expect a scare → build-up and suspense.
• Acts as a cover – WIB can creep onto stage unnoticed before making the intended sudden appearance.
• adds to the intensity
• Makes it feel like we are actually in a rundown theatre in the theatre scenes.

Sound

• Rod Mead – sound director
• CRITICAL ELEMENT OF SUCCESS
• Series of recorded sounds:

• Blood-curdling screams – Effective- Sudden – Scare and shock audience
• Horses pulling cart heard before scream – Audience learns to associate this with impending scream – Adds to suspense
• They know “scare” approaching – Can’t work out when → Still scares

• Can legitimise statement of location:

• Graveyard – Sound of ravens – Noise associated to haunting and a scary location → Realistic for audience → Tension

• Build-up to scary moment

• Rocking chair sound – Prepares audience for a scare – Don’t know when/what going to happen → Builds atmosphere → Hugely effective

• Reference to Mr Bruce – Imaginary sound technician – Directors intention of audience being aware of play within a play – Brechtian technique
• The music box was a beautiful tune, yet because of its relationship with a sudden action that causes fear, it was the most feared sound of all, so when it is repeated, the audience immediately sense fear.
• The sound was very loud, which distorted the audience and once again created fear.

Set

• End on and thrust at centre stage:

• Closer to audience, used at scary and danger moments – Adds to fear factor.

• Quick sand + dog scene.
• WIB walking through audience during church scene.

• At first seemed bare – intent of director → Feel of being in a rehearsal room/barren theatre.
• Gauze:

• Painted cloth – Lit from front = opaque.

                         -  Lit from behind = Transparent.

• Diffuses whole stage vision/picture.
• Conceals bedroom/nursery behind “inoperable/locked door.”
• Opportunity for backstage crew to change the set e.g. the nursery tidy to untidy in matter of minutes.
• Can scare audience – Flash between visible/concealment.

• Little set changes – ads to feel of play within a play (subplot/plot) – intended.
• Practical door to nursery that is on a spring and can slam open.
• Minimalist props – Chest hamper believably became: Bed/Desk/Carriage/Horse & trap
• Small space used to advantage:

• Whole stage used
• WIB enters from audience onto thrust – Involves audience = added scare – More intimate with audience, breaking down the actor/audience barrier.

• Levelling  - Use of staircase e.g. WIB on stairs at higher level – Powerful, scary and symbolic
• Representational set and props, very Brechtian.

• Hidden wings - through entering and leaving the wing’s on either side of the stage, the actor’s could almost instantaneously appear from another door, and this made it seem as if the house is endless and vast and makes it effective when the actor’s “run” through the house.

• Versatile set – Can become many locations with little effort/set changes

Costume

• Late Victorian dress – Authentic
• Costumes changed to suit changing characters – Open use of clothes rail – Brechtian technique
• Actor:

• Slim tie – brown
• Dark colours
• Pinstriped suit – white shirt and waistcoat

• Older man – Arthur Kipps: Can become different characters: E.g. Different coats and hats

• Change from black suit
• Scarf
• Brown trench coat
• Spotted slim tie
• Brown + black hats

• WIB

• WIB face was hidden, meaning the audience can’t see her and this creates fear.
• Wearing a long black trench coat, to make as much of her black as possible.

Acting

• Convincing accents

• Actor:

• Voice – Fast, nervous, panicky, high pitched – Influences audience to be scared.
• Facial gestures – Fear, wide eyes, mouth open – When looking into mist confused eyes.
• Audience feels sorry for him when in house – His silent nerves (face stretched and frown)
• Creates naturalism – Use of imagination – Dog/marsh scene – Bending down and arms open.
• Convinced audience that he had become Arthur Kipps.

• Narrator/ Arthur Kipps:

• Quick pace
• Audience believed in him as different characters

• Narrative
• Slow walking
• Changed accents e.g. to country accent
• Changed movements for each diff character e.g. for old man walking slower, possible hobble.