Harry Potter Opening Scene

In the beginning of The Deathly Hallows Part 2, we see a long shot and the camera running above water while tracking up which then fades back into a black screen, the camera then fades into another shot which this time is a medium long shot of a mysterious moving white structure, by the time the audience are trying to work out what this is, the camera cuts to a close up of the films antagonist, Voldemort. This antagonist would likely be recognised by everyone in the audience as he is the iconic villain in every Harry Potter film. The camera then cuts to another close up but of Voldemort's hand which is seen holding a wand. We then see a high angle shot of him holding up the wand aiming at the sky and using it which creates a lightning effect which goes up into the sky. The camera then cleverly uses the light from the clouds to fade into the production company logo (Warner Brothers).

The camera then continues to zoom through the company logo leading to another location, we then see an establishing shot of Hogwarts which with the use of a misty effect makes the audience question what has happened. The camera soon cuts to a medium shot of the back of a man in all black to which the camera cuts to a low angle shot from the front revealing the identity of this man. The use of a low angle shot resembles power and authority. This shot also reveals that this character is another iconic figure in the Harry Potter franchise (Professor Snape). This will leave the audience questioning why he is standing out on the edge of Hogwarts on his own and why the place looks abandoned.

The camera then cuts to the title of the film "Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2". After this title sequence, we see a close up of a gravestone with the writing "Here lies Dobby a free elf", this links back to the previous film in the franchise where a very well known and loved character had died. This will take the audience back to the last film leaving them grieving his death - this creates an emotional impact on the big fans of this franchise.

The camera next cuts to a high angle long shot showing where Harry Potter is sat. As we can see it is not located in Hogwarts this time which indicated that something bad has happened forcing him to leave - the camera also cuts to a medium shot from inside the house on the bottom of the hill showing the other two main protagonists in the film. By their facial expressions the audience can tell that an unfortunate event has occurred leaving the audience questioning what has happened.