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Title: Sleepy Hollow

Year: 1999

Certificate: 15

Director: Tim Burton

Starring: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson

The establishing shot is a close up of some red seal wax being dripped on a letter. There is then a transition shot, where the picture is superimposed into a close-up shot of two hands, one male one female. The picture changes to the ‘last will and testament’ where the camera tracks down and pans out slightly. There is another superimposition to the writing on the document, which the camera pans across. It then changes to a regal-looking hand and sleeve picking up a quill. There is then a change to a signature being written, followed by a jump cut to a different hand signing the document. The camera pans slightly to zoom into a close up of the ‘witnessed by’. It changes to document, and pans out as it’s folded. There is another superimposition to a larger pool of sealing wax, and zooms slightly, before cutting to image of sealing wax being meted by candle. The picture changes to a shot of the crest stamp being picked up. It then cuts to the stamp being pressed onto wax, before cutting to a birds-eye view shot of the stamp being removed and showing the seal with the Van Garett the crest, which the camera moves towards slightly. The shot then cuts to the document being put into a leather satchel.

The scene then jump cuts to a shot of the horse’s legs running and the carriage wheels as they move past, the backdrop for this is somewhat foggy country lane. The shot then cuts to the Van Garett crest on the side of the carriage. The camera pans up to window, where a man is sitting wearing a powdered wig, showing him to be wealthy. There’s a jump cut to a long shot-  taken from behind some weeds- of the carriage moving past. The camera tracks it from a fixed position so it looks like it’s being watched, and stays like that as the carriage disappears into the fog. It cuts to the man in the carriage as he looks out the window, and then cuts to a shot from outside of the window of the man looking out. The shot then cuts to a point of view shot of a creepy scarecrow in a field. There is a flash of lightening and a non-diagetic thunder clap. It then cuts to the man in the carriage sitting back in his seat.
The shot then cuts to driver of the carriage, and there is more thunder and lightning as he whips reins.  There is then another jump cut to the horses, and then a long shot of the driver, horses and the carriage. The shot cuts to the man again, before cutting to an outside window shot of him as the carriage rocks madly. There is the sound of the horses whinnying, and something goes past the other window of the carriage in the background. It cuts to a shot of the man, as the carriage continues to rock. There is the sound of a sword being drawn. The shot cuts to outside view, as the man leans out of window, turning forwards with a shocked and vaguely horrified expression.

The things used here are all commonly used to set the scene and the underlying themes for the film, as well as adding tension and giving the antagonist its first kill.