Binary Oppositions

Binary oppositions are a pair of related terms that are opposite to each other. They are set up in movies to present two different sides. E,g. good vs. evil. An example of binary opposition in a movie is Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. Harry is portrayed to be the good character, while Voldemort is the bad.

Binary oppositions in movies are presented through miss en scene, sound, camera and editing.


Mise En Scene:
In Harry Potter the character of Harry is presented to be good through his actions. In all 8 movies Harry is seen to be becoming a stronger wizard so that he is able to protect everyone against Voldemort and the death eaters. The movie is mostly set in Hogwarts where the atmosphere is quiet dark at times which contrasts with the students that go there as they are there to learn how to fight against evil. Harry is always called when something goes bad and is cared for a lot by the teachers as it is clear that he is the chosen one who will be able to fight against evil. The evil character in Harry Potter is Lord Voldemort. It is clearly apparent that he is the evil one through the way he is dressed(in black), and he speaks in an evil tone.


Camera and Editing:
 The camerawork throughout all the movies when Harry and Voldemort fight against each other is close up on their faces. It shows the facial expressions on both characters. During the fights between the two characters you can clearly see the struggle and the smug look on Voldemort's face which shows that causing others pain makes him happy - the whole idea of him being evil. The setting is usually dark which shows that the 'dark side' is there. After the fights are over the atmosphere and setting goes brighter which implies that the 'good side' have won.