Analyzing Opening Credits – Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2

Introduction:

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 is a fantasy film directed by David Yates and was based on the ‘Harry Potter’ series of books written by J.K Rowling. It was produced by Warner Brothers and was released in 2011, as the final film of the Harry Potter franchise. The target audience for this film is for people aged 14+, due to containing dark elements which could be frightening for a younger audience but also having more action, suspense and adrenalin appealing to a teenage audience.

Technical Codes:

The establishing shot is presented in a tracking upwards motion, signifying the importance of location; in being a mountainous island area. The shot uses very dark colours signifying a sinister atmosphere and possibly danger. The non-diegetic sound is of a build-up suggesting that the next scene is of importance, whilst also creating an atmosphere of suspense.

The following long shot is of some type of abstract vault opening. There is diegetic sound of the opening being of a slow and creepy nature. The use of dark colours and thin crooked trees contributes to the overall sinister and tense mis en scene. Enigma coding is used in this shot as no characters are seen nor is any dialogue used; adding to the preferred reading of this shot to cause uncertainty and fear amongst the audience.

The screen fades from black to a close up shot of the character looking down, suggesting despair from his facial expressions. This is the first character that the audience sees and he is of an odd nature with

some sort of deformed nose, connoting tragedy, battle and a supernatural theme. The audience would be cautious towards the character, as they do not know him yet and

based on his appearance of dark colours should not trust him. The facial expression combined with the diegetic sound of panting suggests that the character has been through a physical struggle and possibly also a mental struggle. This therefore suggests that some type of physical battle has taken place, or perhaps a chase.

The close up shot of the character holding a wand emphasizes the wands importance, possibly showing its power. The dark wand combined with the characters dark outfit suggests that this character is evil; connoting that with the power of the wand the character is going to do sinister things. The use of a wand also conveys the element of fantasy and supernatural as this is a magical item. The preferred reading of this shot is to engage the audience through

uncertainty towards the character but also with the lighter concept of fantasy.

The quick cross cut between the character using the wand, to the light/power that the

wand produces emphasizes the wands power, also conveying sinister elements. The audience gets a sense of how powerful the wand really is therefore allowing them to create and imagine ideas of how the character is going to use it; in a negative way. This power makes the audience feel threatened and fearful of this character, creating a defense towards him therefore engaging them into the film in order to make sure that this character is defeated. This long shot of a single island also connotes isolation and therefore easily hidden crimes, adding to the sinister mis en scene. The sinister mis en scene combined with the diegetic sound of powerful lightening emphasizes the terror and evil within this shot or film.

The extreme long shot of the castle surrounded by floating demons suggests evil lies within the castle whilst also conveying an element of control and observed. The

dark colours and mist used in this shot add to the enigma coding used throughout this opening scene, also adding to the tense and sinister mis en scene. The non-diegetic

sound is of a girl singing in a high pitch, conveying a sense of religion and holiness; connoting a significant death and atmosphere of misery.

The low angle shot of another male character emphasizes his importance, whilst also

showing power and arrogance as he watches at the children marching below. However, the close up of his face shows his meaningless facial expression suggesting that he has become accustom to what has happened or changed. This could also be seen as an element of sympathy towards the children, or sadness towards the situation; leading to the audience being unsure of whether to trust him. The holy music combined with the positioning of the character suggests that something significant has happened here highlighting the characters remorse.

The tracking inwards shot of the title ‘Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2’ is surrounded by mist, creating an

atmosphere of mystery, magic and fear as to what’s going to appear or happen. The non-diegetic sound is sad but also more powerful emphasizing this contrast between triumphant and tragedy, foreshadowing the events of the film. The preferred reading of this shot is to engage the audience through the enigma coding of no use of dialogue and the mist suggesting tragedy; the audience

would feel curious, uncertain and fearful.

The close up of the gravestone tracking out to the reflection of a male character in a small mirror shows the close

relationship between the deceased and the character. This shot is followed by an establishing shot of where this character is emphasizing its importance; connoting

isolation and possibly refuge from the tragedy that has occurred.

Symbolic Codes:

The establishing shot, presented in a tracking upwards motion, of the mountainous island area signifies danger and sinister elements through the use of dark colours combined with the build-up of non-diegetic sound. This suggests a theme of thriller and action.

The close up shot of the character holding the wand, emphasizes the wands importance. The dark appearance of the wand combined with the characters dark clothing suggests that this character is evil, signifying a good Vs evil situation in the concept of a fantasy, action or drama genre. The idea of fantasy or supernatural is highlighted through the presentation of wand which is associated with magical powers.

The extreme long shot of the castle surrounded by floating demons signifies evil lying within the castle suggesting a genre of horror and drama; through the idea of control. The dark colours and mist add to the sinister atmosphere suggesting horror whilst the non-diegetic religious sound connotes a significant tragedy creating an atmosphere of misery; signifying a drama or action genre. Enigma coding is used in this shot as the audience doesn’t know what’s happened or why the castle is being controlled, in turn engaging the audience.

Audience Appeal:

The target audience would enjoy this opening scene as it combines action, adrenaline suspense and drama into one scene. Especially with the increasing demand for horror and action films, the audience would love this concept of adrenaline and tension they can receive from this engaging enigmatic opening scene.

The audience would be able to experience escapism, shown in The Uses and Gratifications Theory, as a fantasy world containing magic is presented to them entailing tragedies and adrenaline which they wouldn’t normally experience in their everyday lives. It allows them to engage and escape into a film which is not mentally demanding but physically tense and gripping.