Evaluation
The beginning of this film opening starts with a peaceful tune that then suddenly escalates into a dramatic, tense and mysterious one. The dragged out blurred transition eases us viewers into the movie where we are greeted with misty clouds. This use of imagery already creates an eerie atmosphere and it's only 6 seconds in. The film title has been styled in unique and chilling writing that slowly approaches us, creating an intimidating feel on the audience; perhaps giving them an insight to what kind of film it is that they're about to watch; a spine-chilling fantasy that will have their eyes glued to the screen.
At around 37 seconds into the film opening, the producers have filmed a shot of the whole town where Harry Potter lives; a dark, murky and gloomy area cramped with houses. This introduces the audience to the kind of neighbourhood that Harry lives in. The town is filmed from a very high point, and then slowly lowered until we come into contact with Harry's bedroom window, filled with light as his upper body is on show. By this point the tense music from the beginning had calmed down, soothing the audience and allowing them to now sit back, relax and enjoy the movie. All of this was done in just under a minute. Personally I believe that this was an excellent start to one of the world's most famous film series because it captivated me at first and then began to intrigue me; I was curious as to what this movie was going to be about.
We then see Harry looking at a family photo album, and then the camera angle is switched so that we can see the album from Harry's point of view. This switch of film shots keeps the audience on the screen as it makes them feel as though they are Harry, flipping the pages and embracing whatever's printed upon them. When Harry begins to talk to Edwig, a clip of the animal is included so that we are aware of who it is he's talking to. This routine continues for 10 seconds whilst they communicate to one another; from Harry, to Edwig, then back to Harry. I learnt in class that this type of filming must be done to portray a conversation, and that's exactly what's been done in this film opening. Excellent.
We're then welcomed to the people that Harry lives with: the ugly and selfish personality of the man that rasied him, the snobby and stuck up attitude that the young boy has towards Harry, and the woman who's portrayed as the type of female who goes along with whatever the old man says to Harry. The tense music begins again when all three of them isolate him from the plan that they have for when their guests come over, as Harry says he'll be up in his room pretending that he doesn't exist and all three of them are more than happy with that proposal. He's seen as being an unwanted being in their household which causes the audience to experience sympathy for Harry, immediately having them on his side for the duration of the movie.
An outstanding film opening if I do say so myself, as there was so much that I was able to analyse. The background music suited each scene, the family members were introduced, and Harry's character had also been portrayed. I have gained plenty of inspiration from this film opening.
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