Fellowship Of The Ring Opening Analysis

This scene is a montage that opens with a black screen as we hear an orchestral non diegetic sound that slowly starts to fade in before the narrator beings telling the story. As the narrator continues to speak the music becomes louder and clearer and it has an almost angelic, fairy tale feeling that could be used to set the tone and mood of the scenes to come. The use of the non diegetic sound of the narrator is to present the tale of the rings to the audience in a fairly short amount of time and give the audience a quick and simple back story before the film starts. The scene then starts with a fade in of the Lord Of The Rings Logo that stays on screen for around seven seconds and then fades back out into black.

The next scene starts with a close up of the rings being forged and then cuts to three shots of the elves, dwarf lords, and the race of men who are the people that the rings have been given to, the use of this introduces the rings owners to the audience and the use of the soundtrack presents this as an important scene to the film, the shot then fades out and then fades in as we are shown a visual shot the map of the area that the story is going to take place in, this is used to introduce the new area in a small amount of time as this happens the non-diegetic soundtrack changes to a more sinister sounding theme, this could signify that there is something evil located at Mordor it then fades out and the audience are shown an establishing shot of Mordor to indicate that the story has moved to a new location.

The shot then fades out and then fades in as we are shown the next shot which is a close up shot of a map of the film world and the area the next section of the story is going to take please, this helps the audience understand that the location of the story is moving and as this happens the non diegetic soundtrack changes to a more sinister and mysterious sounding theme. The change in soundtrack could signify that there is something evil located inside this area. The scene then fades out and the audience is shown an establishing shot of Mount Doom to indicate that the story has moved to a new location, the establishing shot is also lit using low key lighting to present Mount Doom to the audience as a dark, dangerous and  place.

It then cuts to the camera zooming in on Sauron who is surrounded by fire, this scene is shot using low key which gives the impression that this character may be evil and dangerous as fire is often associated with danger, the fire then fills the screen and wipes to a mid shot of him standing on a ledge once again surrounded by fire reinforcing the idea of danger and another wipe is used to end the shot.

Next there is a close up of the ring falling through the air as the non-diegetic music in the background becomes louder and more dramatic as the ring falls, this helps build tension as the ring is an important part of the story that the audience will have to pay attention to this could also put the audience on edge to see what happens next, hen it cuts of an extreme close up of the ring on Sauron’s finger as you can see the inscription being carved as the non diegetic sound of the narrator translates what is being written, this could be used to indicate that Sauron holds all of the rings power and is in full control and that the inscription is an important component to the whole film.

A cut is made to show that the story has moved forward in time and we see the soldiers marching their way through Mordor this shows that the ring has caused conflict and a war is beginning because of it, the non diegetic soundtrack does not get louder but becomes more intense and suited for a battle scene the use of this music helps shift the mood and atmosphere of the scene and inform the audience that a battle is about to commence. Over the non diegetic sound we can hear the loud diegetic sound of the footfall of all the soldiers this tells the audience that the ring has affected so many people and they are prepared to fight for possession of the ring or fight to destroy it once and for all. Then there is a crane shot used to show the audience the large scale of this battle, the hundreds of soldiers getting ready to fight and the many soldiers falling from a cliff tops.

The main fight scene is made up of very quick and sharp action shots of people fighting that have been cut together to recreate the urgency and speed of the fight, this is effective because the sequence runs smoothly and the audience are engaged in the scene because of this. As the fighting begins the non diegetic soundtrack builds up and becomes louder and more urgent sounding and also matches the diegetic sounds of footfall made by the characters to put more emphasis on the battle.The use of the diegetic sound helps to make the scene more authentic and realistic as even over the sound of the music you can still hear the typical sounds you would associate with a battle such as shouting, footfall and the sound of the arrows being shot. Next camera switches to what could be a POV shot of the action and this could be used to try and make the audience feel like they are a part of the scene too and are watching as it takes place.

The non diegetic music becomes even more sinister and dark as we see a close up of the ring on Sauron’s finger as he approaches the battle this signifies that it is Sauron and because even though the audience knows who is approaching because of the close up, the style of music creates suspense, tension and the feeling of impending danger as the audience are wondering what is going to happen next. Then we see a high angle shot from just above and behind Sauron’s head showing that he is powerful, dominant and in control of the situation at hand it then cuts to a close up of the ring and its we can see that the inscription is glowing, this suggests to the audience that even though Sauron may be in control of this situation but its only because the ring that is controlling him.