Hi Guys! Today I'm going to be looking at and analysing
'Harry Potter and the Philosophers stone' and how the narrative structure is
created in Harry Potter. ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ is a 2001
fantasy genre film based on a series of books by the author J.K.Rowling, (my
fave author ever) which shows the story of a young boy who was born into a
family of wizards but due to his parents death, he quickly becomes an orphan.
‘Harry Potter’ then becomes the strongest and most powerful wizard at Hogwarts
school of Wizardry. This is the first film from a series which are all based on
a series of AMAZING books. The genre of fantasy is shown throughout the film
mainly by the use of props and connotations that relate to witches and wizards.
The film stars, Daniel Radcliff, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint to name just a
few. This deviates from Richard Dyer’s star theory because at the time that
this film was filmed, these actor were unknown to the British public. This was
done deliberately by the producers of the film as they wanted new actors who
had no history in previous films which meant that an audience were not able to
pre-judge the film from the actors that were used. They wanted a clean sheet,
shall we say… This deviates from the Capital Value expectation as none of the
younger actors were known at the time of release. Daniel Radcliff plays the
lead character role of ‘Harry Potter’ who is represented throughout the film to
be the main male character who is accompanied by his two best friends Hermione
Granger, (Emma Watson) and Ron Wesley, (Rupert Grint). Harry is represented
through Propp’s theory of characters to be the hero as he has the most airtime
throughout the film and his name is in the title; self-explanatory really. All
three of these characters play the role of student wizards or witches at
Hogwarts school of Wizardry. The story is told through a characters point of
view. The whole film is filmed and based around Harry Potter’s character,
therefore, the narrative structure of a point of view shot is given multiple
times throughout all of the eight films. The film has a one-strand narrative in
which we follow Harry Potter journey. The narrative is shown mainly by props
and setting as the props and location that is used are typical connotations of
a fantasy wizarding world. I am going to be looking at how narrative is being
created and how genre is presented to us through the concepts of; editing, sound,
camera angles, mise-en-scene, lighting and reading. The film follows a linear
narrative structure.
Sound is used in ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone’
to represent the supernatural and fantasy word that Harry Potter is set in
through using diegetic/non diegetic sounds. The first non-diegetic sound that
we hear is the famous Harry Potter soundtrack of mystical and magical sounding
of a soundtrack, recognisable by all Harry Potter fans, created by instruments
to represent the fantasy atmosphere that is being created (De de DERDERDER der
derrrrr...). This helps to construct a narrative because to revels the spooky
and strange setting that was an audience are first about to arrive in. This
allows us as an audience to have a pre-perception of what we are about the see,
creating enigma codes which make us question where we are and what we are about
to witness. This soundtrack is also used throughout the film as a sound bridge
when there is a long transition or a visible on screen scene change to keep the
magic feeling. Sound has also been used through diegetic sound in Harry Potter
as we hear the ambient sound of owls hooting outside Harry’s home. This ambient
sound has been used as it creates the unrealistic situation to be portrayed as
realistic as there are thousands of owls gathered outside Harry’s house in
order for him to read this letter. This is the first part of magical and
unnatural circumstances that we see in the film as we as an audience have not
yet been told that Harry is a wizard. The beginning of the unrealistic
situations or wizard controlled situations, foreshadow where Harry is going to
be and what he will be doing when he finally gets to open his letter from
Hogwarts. This is shown through Todorov’s theory of equilibrium to be disequilibrium
as this is something that has never happened to Harry and his family before and
it is interrupted their everyday life. As the rest of Harry’s adopted family
are mortals, (His aunt, uncle and cousin), it cannot yet be made clear that
Harry is a wizard and he is going to wizard school as they are not wizards
themselves.
Why can’t they know Harry is a wizard? Well, as many Harry
Potter fans will know, the first rule of wizardry is to ensure that no mortal,
(normal person) finds out about the wizard world nor can they ever see you
conduct a spell. This is a binary opposition between Wizards vs Mortals as
Harry is made to keep his powers to himself in order to keep the wizarding
world safe and a secret. So, Harry’s entry to Hogwarts has to be kept a secret
from the rest of his mortal family but we soon see that to be impossible as his
vile uncle, who is represented through Propp’s theory of characters to be the
villain, refuses to let him have his mail. In comparison to Harry, Harry’s
uncle is the villain whereas Harry is the hero which also shows a binary
opposition between these two characters. This then leads to thousands of
letters flying down the chimney to insure that Harry receives his letter.
Whoops… This shows Barthes narrative theory of Action codes as we know this
action is going to lead to another important point in the story, (when Harry
arrives at Hogwarts). The editing type of special effects is used when letter
fly down the chimney as on screen, we see thousands and thousands of letters
flying all around the Dursly’s living room. This can link to Todorov's theory
of equilibrium as it can been seen as disequilibrium before the chaos when he
gets to Hogwarts... (Spoiler Alert). This hypothetically has been done by the
thousands of owls that are perched outside Harry’s house who are there to
insure that he reads this letter. Realistically, this has been done by the
special effects team to show again the genre of fantasy and supernatural
circumstances as this would never happen in the real world. But as this is not
the real world and it’s Harry Potter, it’s allowed… right? This editing type
helps to reveal the genre of fantasy as this is something that is extraordinary
and is not something we as an audience would see in everyday life. It also helps
to reveal the narrative as it represents the power that Harry has and that
nothing can or will stop him from becoming the greatest wizard in history. No
matter how hard his uncle tries. This is represented to be the repair within
the film as ultimately, there is nothing that Harry’s family are able to do to
prevent him from becoming the greatest wizard.
Camera angles are used to create a different view for the
audience depending on what the produces what emphasise or seen more clearly. In
‘Harry Potter’ a panning shot has been used to follow Dumbledore as he walks
down Privet Drive. This panning shot keeps the film at a fast pace and clearly
follows where Dumbledore is going and what he is planning to do. As Dumbledore
walks down Privet drive towards Harry’s house, he turns Professor McGonagall
from a cat into a witch. The narrative structure of an apparently impossible
situation as we know in reality nothing like this could ever happen but
throughout the film we see a lot of this narrative structure as it is a fantasy
genre film which in tales a lot of apparently impossible situations. Professor
McGonagall is played by dame Maggie Smith which can be seen as a star theory as
she will create a wider target audience because she is so well known as has
done many films in her time as an actress. This is significant to the way in
which camera angles are used and how this presents the fantasy genre because
cats are a stereotypical convention of wizardry and witches and especially the
fantasy genre. As the panning shot sown Dumbledore walking down Privet Drive,
the location is revealed to us and the night time setting that has been used at
this point in the film. The night time setting has been used as this is also a
common convention of the fantasy genre. Both concepts have been used to reveal
the genre of fantasy and the narrative because they are common conventions of
the genre.
Mise-en-scene is a vital concept in creating a narrative
structure and revealing the genre because it uses typical colours, costumes and
settings that a fantasy genre would use. The colours, costume, setting and
props all contribute to the structure in which narrative and genre are revealed
to the audience. Colours and costume in “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s
Stone” have been used as a typical convention of a fantasy genre. Colours on
costume are generally dark and mysterious but in Hogwarts, students wear a
specific uniform depending on the house they are in. This can be seen as a
binary opposition between light vs dark as the settings are dark and scary
compared to the house colours which are bright and primary colours. These
colours vary between; Blue, Red, Green and yellow, so the costume on the
Hogwarts students vary depending on which house they are put into.
Props that are used such as wands and animals are usually
brightly coloured or have sparkling vibrant colours such as the magic that
comes out the end of the wand, again presenting the fantasy genre. Setting is
usually based in Hogwarts or at Harry’s home but generally Hogwarts School is
the main setting for majority of the films as this is where the most number of
scenes are filmed. A state of chaos can be seen at this point as Harry and his
friends just arrive at Hogwarts which is something that is completely new to
them presenting Todorov’s theory of equilibrium through a state of chaos. These
features of mise-en-scene contribute to representing the genre of the film and
the narrative structure of the film because, they are all stereotypical
features of a fantasy genre film such as the dark colours, mysterious costumes
and gothic settings.
Finally, lighting is
used through “Harry Potter” to create a mysterious and other-world atmosphere
throughout the film. Most the film has dark lighting mainly using filler lights
to add to the old theme in which Hogwarts is based upon. Dark scenes such as,
when Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall are walking down Privet drive, using
back key lighting and spot lights, are filmed usually to add emphasis onto
other aspects of the film such as the light coming off the end of the wand to
represent the visual magic and spell that are happening throughout the film.
Reading is also important because it allows the audience to have an opinion of
characters and plot within the fil. Within ‘Harry Potter’, Harry is generally
seen as the preferred reading for the audience as he is using his powers for
good whereas Voldemort, (Who we have not yet met), is represented to be a hated
character as he is trying to kill Harry. This also relates to Strauss’ theory of
binary oppositions’ because it is ‘Good vs Evil’.
In conclusion, ‘Harry
Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ is presented to be a fantasy genre with the
narrative of a young boy who was born into a family of wizards who then, due to
circumstances becomes the strongest and most powerful wizard at Hogwarts school
of Wizardry. This is shown throughout the film using sound, editing, camera
angles, mise-en-scene, lighting and reading. The film ends with an open
narrative structure so that the audience are kept wondering what will happen
next, which is then revealed in the following film. These conventions build up
a structure of the audience to follow creating the narrative and the genre of
the film.
Why can’t they know Harry is a wizard? Well, as many Harry
Potter fans will know, the first rule of wizardry is to ensure that no mortal,
(normal person) finds out about the wizard world nor can they ever see you
conduct a spell. This is a binary opposition between Wizards vs Mortals as
Harry is made to keep his powers to himself in order to keep the wizarding
world safe and a secret. So, Harry’s entry to Hogwarts has to be kept a secret
from the rest of his mortal family but we soon see that to be impossible as his
vile uncle, who is represented through Propp’s theory of characters to be the
villain, refuses to let him have his mail. In comparison to Harry, Harry’s
uncle is the villain whereas Harry is the hero which also shows a binary
opposition between these two characters. This then leads to thousands of
letters flying down the chimney to insure that Harry receives his letter.
Whoops… This shows Barthes narrative theory of Action codes as we know this
action is going to lead to another important point in the story, (when Harry
arrives at Hogwarts). The editing type of special effects is used when letter
fly down the chimney as on screen, we see thousands and thousands of letters
flying all around the Dursly’s living room. This can link to Todorov's theory
of equilibrium as it can been seen as disequilibrium before the chaos when he
gets to Hogwarts... (Spoiler Alert). This hypothetically has been done by the
thousands of owls that are perched outside Harry’s house who are there to
insure that he reads this letter. Realistically, this has been done by the
special effects team to show again the genre of fantasy and supernatural
circumstances as this would never happen in the real world. But as this is not
the real world and it’s Harry Potter, it’s allowed… right? This editing type
helps to reveal the genre of fantasy as this is something that is extraordinary
and is not something we as an audience would see in everyday life. It also helps
to reveal the narrative as it represents the power that Harry has and that
nothing can or will stop him from becoming the greatest wizard in history. No
matter how hard his uncle tries. This is represented to be the repair within
the film as ultimately, there is nothing that Harry’s family are able to do to
prevent him from becoming the greatest wizard. 
Camera angles are used to create a different view for the
audience depending on what the produces what emphasise or seen more clearly. In
‘Harry Potter’ a panning shot has been used to follow Dumbledore as he walks
down Privet Drive. This panning shot keeps the film at a fast pace and clearly
follows where Dumbledore is going and what he is planning to do. As Dumbledore
walks down Privet drive towards Harry’s house, he turns Professor McGonagall
from a cat into a witch. The narrative structure of an apparently impossible
situation as we know in reality nothing like this could ever happen but
throughout the film we see a lot of this narrative structure as it is a fantasy
genre film which in tales a lot of apparently impossible situations. Professor
McGonagall is played by dame Maggie Smith which can be seen as a star theory as
she will create a wider target audience because she is so well known as has
done many films in her time as an actress. This is significant to the way in
which camera angles are used and how this presents the fantasy genre because
cats are a stereotypical convention of wizardry and witches and especially the
fantasy genre. As the panning shot sown Dumbledore walking down Privet Drive,
the location is revealed to us and the night time setting that has been used at
this point in the film. The night time setting has been used as this is also a
common convention of the fantasy genre. Both concepts have been used to reveal
the genre of fantasy and the narrative because they are common conventions of
the genre.
Finally, lighting is
used through “Harry Potter” to create a mysterious and other-world atmosphere
throughout the film. Most the film has dark lighting mainly using filler lights
to add to the old theme in which Hogwarts is based upon. Dark scenes such as,
when Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall are walking down Privet drive, using
back key lighting and spot lights, are filmed usually to add emphasis onto
other aspects of the film such as the light coming off the end of the wand to
represent the visual magic and spell that are happening throughout the film.
Reading is also important because it allows the audience to have an opinion of
characters and plot within the fil. Within ‘Harry Potter’, Harry is generally
seen as the preferred reading for the audience as he is using his powers for
good whereas Voldemort, (Who we have not yet met), is represented to be a hated
character as he is trying to kill Harry. This also relates to Strauss’ theory of
binary oppositions’ because it is ‘Good vs Evil’.