Both scenes in this analysis are in the Quidditch World Cup scene. Although not back to back, they describe the mood before and during the eruption of chaos. As Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), the obvious protagonist of the series, views the Quidditch World Cup (for all you Muggles out there, Quidditch is a wizard sport), thoughts of his archenemy Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), nicknamed 'Voldy' by his loyal fans, are nowhere to be found. Having a good time with his best friends, this peace of mind is suddenly interrupted by Death Eaters, faithful followers of You-Know-Who.
In this first scene, before the Death Eaters wreck havoc, the trio of friends are setting up in their new 'tent'. As
both author J.K. Rowling and director Mike Newell show, the Wizarding world can be . . . fun. From viewing the tents, the audience gets a sense that something is out of place; mainly the smokestacks and whether vanes. From the crazy and out of the ordinary items in this scene, a mood of happiness and joy is expressed to the audience. The main 'good guys' are predominate in the frame, and so are the Wizarding items that represent happiness, such as the tents. In addition to these examples, the happy attitude is also gained from the light (day) on the location. From these elements, Mike Newell tries to emphasize the peace before the attack of the Death Eaters. Unfortunately, evil arises when happiness is at its peak. With the Death Eaters comes destruction, pain, and a new Mise-en-Scene analysis (not all necessarily bad). The most obvious element of evil in this scene is the outfits of the Death Eaters. Shockingly similar to the robes of both the Grim Reaper and the KKK, this uniform installs fear in the audience, through previous knowledge of other 'non-fictional' characters of the real world.
In addition to the real fear the robes create, the hoods are draped over their heads, creating shadows and darkness. The masks also create an element of darkness in this scene. Unlike in the book, the Death Eaters are wearing masks representing a decaying corpse, a future no one looks forward to. The darkness is greatly emphasized in this scene, by the lack of happiness. In the previous scene, many crazy objects, such as weather vanes, are visible, giving the viewer a sense of happiness. In this scene, there are no objects to install laughter; the tents and good wizards are either missing, or are really small in the frame. Good is no longer the focus of the scene, causing it to be weak and insignificant. It is no longer day, and the darkness produced from the lack of light (and color) creates both shadows and a feeling of the unknown. Also, smoke clouds the horizon, showing any viewer that there is either chaos nearby, or that the Death Eaters weren't invited to a Barbeque. (Incidentally, that is probably not a witch being tortured by the Death Eaters, but a Muggle, a non-magical being)From the wonderful Mise-en-Scene that Mike Newell puts in his film, we can determine both the feeling and situation of the scene before viewing it. Just the simple technique of day and night gives an audience the feeling of the characters, and their intentions. Mise-en-Scene, included in even "children's movies", is in almost every film. Whether in a classic such as M, or a modern movie like Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Mise-en-Scene always guides the audience to the correct conclusion of what is to come in the film, or even the feeling of the characters and their thoughts.
*To my great dismay, I have found out that both of these scenes are not included in the film.*
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