Directed and Written by Alejandro Amenabar.
- Black as we hear the diegetic sound of a woman’s voice: “now children, are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin.”
- As she continues speaking, slow music starts. Illustrations emerge from a story book in sepia colours, establishing the era the story is set in. The pictures are flickering in candle light.
- She is speaking about God, and creation. The pictures reflect this and show a Deer in The Woods.
- She stops speaking and the images change into pictures of a house with two children.
- The camera pans over the book as more and more illustrations are revealed. Shadowy.
- The illustrations are rather disturbing and is apparently not a regular children’s book.
- Titles continue over shots in a plain, white font.
- Illustrations are old fashioned: the characters clothes are Victorian.
- An illustration of a large country house in the book, fades to a real life establishing long shot of the same picture. It is foggy and looks dim and cold.
- Writing in the bottom left hand corner establishes setting: “Jersey, the Channel Islands. 1945”
- Cuts to a close-up of a woman screaming. You hear her screaming as soon as the shot changes. Establishing the first character in this way is strange and makes the audience curious as to what is happening. She is established as the woman telling the story from the titles.
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