Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban - Thriller Research

Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban (Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, 2004)

 

 

The very first shot of the opening sequence is of a dark night, with just a single light shining through, the music (as described below) giving a feel of mystery as the low notes of the piano are slow and the sequence purposely builds up the reveal towards where the source of this light comes from. The Warner Brothers logo is revealed before the window of the bedroom is eliminated prolonging the secret. 

During the opening sequence one of the main focuses is of that of the book Harry is studying, the importance of this is emphasized through the close up of the props, these being the book and wand, thus gaining the audience’s attention as well as creating tension due to the apparent secrecy in which he is reading this book, highlighted by the fact the lights are out and he is under his sheet. The close up also allows for the word ‘incantations’ to be read, the word creates a sense of mystery and sets a number of questions into place. A two shot is also used to create tension as when the character’s uncle storms into the room and bangs the door, Harry pretends to be asleep, purposely avoiding a conflict, this creates the possibility of his uncle being an antagonist and due to the fact the music becomes quieter as the uncle enters the room it helps the audience to personalize themselves from the viewpoint of Harry as the purpose of this adjustment in volume is to link the audience in with Harry’s point of view as well as highlight the fact Harry is the character to empathize with. 

Throughout the opening sequence the Harry Potter premotif is used, this being the distinctively recognisable and associated with the films ‘Hedwig’s theme.’ The motif starts with a lone piano playing the tune with a slow tempo which gradually gains pace as more instruments are added, mainly after Harry’s uncle has left giving a sense of triumph, this gives an opinion to the character of his uncle as it insinuates that he is an intimidating figure to the main character who is portrayed by a teenage boy, offering a large contrast between build and age, a factor that makes Harry seem at a large disadvantage as well as under threat.  The fact he is using his wand as emphasized through the sound effects adds to the feeling towards his uncle and the sympathy for Harry as it seems that he is worried about his uncle catching him, this suggests that his magic is something secretive and possibly dangerous and the fact that a man like his uncle seems threatened by it only adds to the mystery and dark background surrounding its origin. This is supported through the diegetic sound that is heard when his uncle walks down the corridor, adding a feel of suspense as Harry has to react quickly to avoid being caught for a second time.  All this creates tension as it underlines and alerts the audience to the fact the main aspect of the film will be focused around this character and his magic also creating a narrative enigma.

For the film title sequence the light produced from the wand zooms away from the character into the night and the film title appears as the light shines through it, the title being shown through a specialised font designed specifically for the film based around the theme of the main character’s scar being used. This is then followed by the light zooming back in towards the character insinuating he is the character the film is named after. The final transition signifying the end of the opening sequence also creates this impression, as the fade to black is centred on Harry’s head, showing him grinning as it finally all fades out. These all being editing techniques, as the fade is used as a transition and the light would have been edited in post production.