This document focuses on changes in mood and atmosphere caused by different theatrical effects. It will be of use to GCSE drama students who are writing about the Woman In Black. Even though it is specific the scene where Kipps stays at the Eel Marsh house, it definitely gives a vague idea of how t...
Scene in which Kipps stays at the Eel March house for the
first time.
Setting – Eel Marsh House. Consider:
1) The geographical setting of Eel Marsh House in the country – i.e – in the north, on the coast.
2) The area immediately surrounding the house and how this contributes to the overall sense of
loneliness and isolation.
3) The house itself on the island at the end of the Nine Lives Causeway. Geographical setting. The The
house, as far as the reader can tell, is somewhere in the far north-east of England, on the coast. There is
no specific location provided by Hill in the novel.
At the beginning of the scene a straw wash is used to for the atmosphere to seem safe and to
shower a greater contrast when the light changes. As well as a low intensity wash there were
front and top lights. The only sound the audience could hear was shuffling of paper as Kipps
worked his way through the paperwork.
When Kipp goes to bed the light turns off completely as there is a long blackout. To emphasise
time passing the blackout is accompanied by silence which also creates an eerie mood to the
moments where tension of anticipation was already increasing.
Kipp wakes up in the middle of the night with a gasp as he wakes from a nightmare. At this
moment a shaft of light from upstage left to downstage right lights up one side of his face
creating shadows on half of his face. This highlights his expressions of fear. After kipps awakens
a low rocking sound is heard which would have been prerecorded. The sound is very quiet and is
panned so an audience member might feel disorientated by the sound, which increases the
tension of the unknown.
As Kipps returns to sleep, he quickly becomes disturbed again and wakes up. This time both the
audience and Kipps hear it loudly as there is a sound of a rhythmic knocking going at the same
rhythm of a heartbeat.
He then picks up a practical light source of a candle and makes his way around the stage. The
light coming beneath his face creates shadows under his features which look unnatural.
Furthermore, the candle creates a shadow on the gauze of his hand as Kipps is holding his hand
over the candle. The size of the shadow in comparison to Kipps is unnerving for the audience as
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