Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Characters

Characters 

A series of close up shots initially introduce the audience to Harry Potter,whilst an extreme close up shot takes use of the rule of thirds to signify Harry's importance in the film. To the right is a close up shot of Harry. Instantly,we can deduce that from the background and props (lamp, bed, desk, and curtains) Harry is in a room, most likely in his own. His costume constitutes of a blue faded jumper, suggesting that the clothing is old and has been handed down to him, this is further supported by the voluminous size indicating that another sibling gave it to him. What's more, the colour blue is significant as it's a stereotypical colour associated with boys, showing that the film plays on the stereotypical male. Harry has been presented to look simple and ordinary, as seen from the plain haircut. The glasses act as a prominent icon to the film but also act as an icon of weakness, fragility and vulnerability deduced by the fact that glasses concord to eye-sight problems.

We are introduced to Aunt Petunia using a close up shot of a cake which then tilts upwards. From this shot we can identify that Petunia already subscribes to the feminine archetype because of her costume and make-up. Petunia wears a fairly peach/pink coloured dress. The colour pink is a stereotypical female colour. The dress in itself is an icon of innocence and fragility and thus the subscription to the feminine archetype is further enhance by her jewelry. Hanging from her neck and ears are white pearls. Pearls symbolizes innocence with reference to purity. She also has make-up on which shows she has a value on looking good. All points mentioned give the preferred reading that she subscribes to the feminine archetype. What's more, the use of props in reference to the cake further establishes this inference because archetypally, a woman's role would have been to cook and provide for the family which she is in fact, shown to be doing here.

This middle shot shows Vernon and Dudley, the son and father of the household. We immediately recognize that they are both wearing suits. A suit is an icon of power and wealth, instantly establishing that the family is quite wealthy and that these two characters dominate the house. Dudley's hair has been flattened out with wax to make him appear sophisticated whereas Vernon's hair isn't smoothed back. He also has a bushy and untidy mustache implying that he is less practical in the household. Nevertheless his authority over the rest of the family and most notably, Harry, suggests he is the 'breadwinner' of the house which therefore shows us that he, along with Dudley, subscribes to the archetypal male; this establishes that the 'muggles' in the movie have been characterized in such a way, due to the archetypal perception of each gender.