This is the opening sequence from the film "Harry Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix". I chose this clip because by the end of it I was hugely engrossed in the storyline and wanted to carry on watching.
The camera angles are significant; at first they set the scene is establishing shots, each shot is very slow allowing the audience to see every detail of the scene. The framing is important, when the boys are bullying Harry; the camera titles down towards Harry and up towards the bullies, so even without it being said we are informed of the statuses of the characters and their power within the scene. Once the storm begins, the camera then changes to look down on the boys. This shows them as vulnerable having lost all their power. It shows them feeling intimidated and threatened. This completely alters the whole initial idea of the scene because suddenly the bullies are scared. As the boys are running, the camera tilts down toward them and follows them. This gives the impression that someone is chasing them and following them and considering the mood already set we can obviously see that whatever is chasing them is bad/evil. The boys then enter the tunnel and the camera is very far away at the other end, looking at the silhouettes of the boys looking very small in this large empty space. With no place to hide, we as an audience are left guessing and pre-empting the worst. The sound of the playground rides are heard in the back ground, but are asynchronous as we can't yet see the park. It is high pitched and squeaky which is quite eerie.
The audio in this clip is clever. At the beginning to soundtrack is used, acting as a motif. It's very trademark of the Harry Potter brand and films. It is followed by playing a radio station telling audiences important information without it being so obviously said, almost like a voiceover. It upholds a naturalistic theme and lets us pick up the details of the scene without being patronised and had then pointed out too obviously. Additionally is adds to the eeriness and mystery-why is there a radio in this random place? Where is it coming from? Dialogue is used which introduces the antagonist and other important characters, and shows us a lot about their individual characters. The song played over the top as the fight sequence takes place is tense and creates a real sense of panic and uncertainty. The music volume is then brought right down as Harry casts his spell. This is significant because it sets the whole concept of the film, that he is magic, has this ability to fight these great forces and him being the focus of the saving of them all shows him as being brave, heroic and the most definitely the main character.
This opening sequence didn't follow many typical written codes. It did have the logo and name of the company, however no credits were shown. I believe this was intended and instead of being distracted, the company needed to audiences complete attention on the action.
The lighting during the fight scene is very hostile and harsh and creates a very unfriendly and threatening image for the audience. This links back to genre. Harry obviously has his trademark scar on his forehead; this is a very significant part of this look and keeps the audience aware of the underlying story throughout all the films. Harry similarly has a wand. This again is very important and pulls together the genre and key concept of the scene.
I love this opening, as it packs a lot of action into a fairly short space of time and has e completely intrigued by the end. Especially since the evil creature doesn't get destroyed, it simply leaves which leaves me anticipating its return. Whilst I recognise the need to simplicity, this was a perfect balance between action, and setting the scene and characters.
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