Analysis of ‘The Fellowship of The Ring’

Analysis of ‘The Fellowship of The Ring’

The scene begins with a long shot, showing the Hobbits to be very small in the centre of the screen. They are surrounded by dark space that is oppressive and makes the audience feel the Hobbits are trapped and vulnerable. It also suggests that the Hobbits are not alone and that something much bigger and more powerful than they are, is going to fill the space. The following shot is another wide shot but it is at al lower angle and the Ring Wraith takes up the majority of the frame, further showing that the hobbits are small and weak - in comparison to the larger figure. The scene establishes the relationship between the Hobbits and the Ring Wraith showing that the Ring Wraith is in control and dominant.

The next shot is a low angle close up on Frodo’s face. This allows the audience to literally feel closer to Frodo and makes us feel empathy towards him. The fact that the camera is only close to Frodo gives the impression that the character is more important than the other Hobbits, and also shows the significance of his role as the ‘Ring Bearer’. The way Frodo is looking up and the camera is at a slight low angle makes the audience recognise Frodo to be a heroic character. The shot that follows contrasts this because it is a high angle extreme close up, giving the impression Frodo is weak and powerless. His eyes are the only things that are in focus and they take up a very small part of the screen. Here Peter Jackson was illustrating how trapped Frodo was in this situation and there was no way for him to escape.

The next series of shots are cut in shots of extreme close up shots of the Ring Wraith and his horse. The initial cut in contains an extreme close up shot of the horse’s hoof and is a PoV shot from the point of Frodo. The movements of the horse and ring wraith are played in slow motion showing the significance of the creature and also highlights how it is unnatural. The slow motion instils fear into the audience and increases the sense of dread we have for Frodo. The fact that the shots are extreme close ups, we do not get a true sense of the sheer scale of the Ring Wraith giving it an air of mystery.

The following shot is a low angle shot showing the hobbits to be very small in the bottom corner of the screen and the Nazgul.

is very large and talks up a large portion of the frame. This again clearly shows that the Ring Wraith is in control and there is literally nowhere for the Hobbits to escape. Tension then builds as the Ring Wraith moves ever closer to Frodo and by the next shot its hand is very close to Frodo’s face. This is a PoV shot from the view of the Ring wraith and we are able to look over Frodo and see how weak he is in this situation. The hand of the ring wraith is encased in sharp black metal armour showing the evil and danger of the creature.

The next two shots are a series of two cut in shots that show insects emerging and running away from the Nazgul This illustrates the creepiness of the figure and shows that it repulses natural life. There is then a second set of two cut in shots showing Frodo as the ring starts to take control of his mind. This shot is very significant as it only shows Frodo as he battles with the ring and shows the audience that no matter how many people he has around him to help him on his quest to Mordor, it is really only Frodo that has to suffer. The connection between the Ring Bearer and the Ring Wraith is then established, as the ring grows power the closer the Nazgul it gets.