Analysis of an opening sequence: Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets.

Opening Sequence Analysis: Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets.

 

Director: Chris Columbus

Writer: Steve Kloves

Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Alan Rickman.

Institutions: Warner Brothers Pictures, Heyday films, 1492 Pictures.

The scene begins with a black screen and before you actually see anything on the screen, the classic Harry potter theme song begins to play and this indicates to the audience that the film is about to start and because the theme song was in the first film, this therefore allows the audience to associate the song with the Film series.

The first image that the audience is properly presented with is of the Warner Brothers logo. This allows the audience to familiarise themselves with the logo and also shows them who the film is distributed by. Also the fact that the film in in association with Warner Brothers, the audience automatically  knows that the film will be a success due to the legacy that Warner Brothers has created. The colours that are shown create a calm, yet mysterious atmosphere. The blue tones create the sense of calm and tranquil tone. The purple tones then creates the tone of fantasy and illusion. They cleverly entwine with one another and give off a harmonious mood.  

The next image that is shown to the audience is the actual title of the film. The fact that the title is in gold, adds the bold sense of superiority and the magical, yet powerful element. The sun also shines on the title in the back. This adds an extra glow to the picture and also highlights the title even more to make it stand out.

The fact that both the Warner Brothers logo and the title are in the sky, creates the idea of illusion and fantasy. This is because as an audience we feel as though you have escaped from reality and are completely alone in a peaceful environment.

The next image that is portrayed on the screen is of the houses and the street that Harry Potter and his family live. When the scene pans from the sky and clouds, to the streets and the ground, it is as though we as an audience are being pulled back to reality. The colours are dark and therefore indicate that something bad is going to happen and creates a sinister tone to the scene.
The rows of houses and streets indicate that the family are 'normal' and are common like everyone else, which is why majority of the houses look the same.

Shortly after the screen focusing on the houses, we are introduced to the first and most important character. This character is Harry Potter. Harry is sitting at a desk which has a window in front, we presume that Harry is in his bedroom because there are no other characters present.
The colours inside the room are warm and quite neutral tones. This causes a relaxed and cosy feel to the scene.


The next image we as an audience are presented with is a picture of a man, a woman and a baby. We automatically assume that these two people are Harry Potter's parents and the baby in the photo is him when he was younger. This image causes the audience to feel happiness and comfort because the family in the picture have happy expressions on their faces,
this creates a wholesome feel to the scene. The colours again are  neutral, warm tones, which gives the scene a relaxed vibe.

The next image is of Harry potter and his two friends. In the picture Harry looks roughly the same, therefore we as an audience know that the picture must have been taken quite recently and therefore he is still friends with the other two people in the picture. Again the characters have happy expressions on their faces and therefore provokes the audience to feel happy and comfort. This is a clever way to introduce the audience to two new characters. Also, in both of the photos Harry is in the centre of the two other characters, this therefore shows how he is the main character.
Next we see Harry potter talking to his pet bird. This possibly indicates that Harry is a lonely character and that his pet bird may be his only companion. If you observe closely, as an audience we are able to identify that Harry's room is fairly plain and that he does not have many possessions of value. the colours of the room are quite bland and dull. This adds to the idea that Harry is not a confident person or very bold. When Harry is talking to his pet, he mentions his uncle. This therefore indicates to the audience that this is someone who Harry lives with.
Once the scene has moved on, we are introduced to a new character( Harry's aunt). We are able to identify this because previously Harry's uncle shouted up to him and Harry mentions his uncle too. From the mise en scene we are able to acknowledge that Harry's relatives are accustomed to luxury. However Harry is not a part of that. This is because Harry's costume is consisted of bland, dark and plain colours, whereas his aunt is wearing bright pink, feminine colours. This shows that Harry's aunt is feminine, motherly and cares about her beauty. We as an audience are also able to observe how the background that they are in is filled with a range of colours, prise possessions and luxurious items.
We are then introduced to two new characters (Harry's uncle and cousin). Both characters are smartly dressed in suits. This implies that they once again accustomed to luxury and money. We are also able to observe the fact that the three characters are all smartly dressed, wearing either bright colours or bold colours and are all fairly arrogant and rude, this is because of their body language and dialogue. However Harry is the opposite and is not included with the rest of the family. This therefore shows the audience how excluded Harry is from his relatives and also shows his relationship with them.


The scene then progresses to the Dursley family preparing for when their guests arrive. Harry's uncle Vernon asks his wife Petunia and son Dudley what they will be doing when the guests arrive. However when he asks Harry what he'll be doing, he does not address him by his name and instead refers to him as 'you'. This enforces the rude and cold attitude the Dursley's have towards Harry. The camera is angled so that it is slightly looking up at the Dursley's, this portrays power and dominance, however when it is focused on Harry, it is positioned so that it is looking down at him. This is to reflect weakness.

The last image that the audience is shown is of Harry looking sad, disappointed and defeated. His facial expressions portray how low his mood is. As an audience we are also able to notice how in the background (behind Harry), there are picture of the Dursley's, however there is none of Harry. This again shows how excluded and isolated Harry is to the rest of the family.