| The first three installments of the Harry Potter series | | | | case also the author's trick) hooks us immediately |
| have shown us flashbacks, hallucinations, magic | | | | into the action, and then shocks us by revealing that |
| mirrors, time travel, and other altered states of | | | | it was all just a dream. |
| consciousness as Harry drifts in and out of reality. | | | | The second dream sequence happens in real-time |
| Haunted by ghosts of his past, a demonic wizard | | | | also. We know it's a dream, however, because we |
| hell-bent on destroying him, and soul-sucking | | | | see Harry sleeping fitfully in bed before it starts. |
| dementors who want to tap into his misery, Harry's | | | | Throughout the sequence, we see scenes of Harry |
| state of mind is a constant concern for his friends | | | | sleeping. The dream is similar to before, but we learn |
| and adopted family at Hogwart's School of | | | | a little more this time. Because it's not a surprise, this |
| Witchcraft and Wizardry. In "Harry Potter and the | | | | dream looks like a typical movie dream with slow |
| Goblet of Fire," however, for the first time we are | | | | motion, blurring, and an unreal quality. Harry awakens |
| invited into Harry's tortured dreams as he enters his | | | | in a frightened sweat again. We don't feel quite as |
| fourth year at the school. | | | | threatened this time because we're led to believe |
| Director Mike Newell includes three dream sequences | | | | that Harry suffers from recurring nightmares (and |
| taken from the book by J.K. Rowling. Although all the | | | | with his troubled past who could blame him?) |
| dreams take place in the same location with the | | | | The third time we see Harry's dream is through a |
| same characters and have the same theme (i.e., let's | | | | flashback as he recalls the dream out loud in Albus |
| kill Harry Potter), their presentations differ greatly | | | | Dumbledore's office. We're still confused about the |
| and therefore produce different emotions in the | | | | relevance of these dreams. Because the dream is not |
| viewer. | | | | happening in real-time, but is a brief flashback - a |
| The first dream sequence begins the movie. We see | | | | mere memory of what Harry thought he dreamed, |
| an old caretaker notice a light in an abandoned house | | | | the dream's importance may be lessened. After |
| that he's watching. He angrily marches over to the | | | | recounting the dream, he asks Dumbledore if the |
| house expecting to find some unruly teenagers. | | | | dreams could possibly be something other than |
| Instead he finds Lord Voldemort, Wormtail, and | | | | random and meaningless. Could they be telepathic |
| another mysterious man talking about the ultimate | | | | scenes currently taking place or possibly prophetic |
| demise of Harry. A huge snake slithers by the | | | | dreams that predict Harry's future? The final thirty |
| caretaker as he listens outside the door. Suddenly his | | | | minutes of the film answer this question. |
| presence becomes known and as the caretaker is | | | | The reason why filmmakers (and authors) use dream |
| attacked, Harry awakens in a terrified state from the | | | | sequences is to increase audience involvement and |
| dream. | | | | connectedness to the character. Getting inside of |
| Unlike dream sequences that use black and white or | | | | Harry's head allows us to feel his horror and share his |
| distorted color, garbled sound, and illogical images to | | | | sense of dread. |
| indicate an altered state of consciousness or | | | | By keeping us off-guard as to whether or not these |
| specifically a dream, this first dream sequence has no | | | | dreams are true events, real-time dreams, or |
| visual or aural cues. The dream occurs in real-time; | | | | memories of dreams, the director confuses us as to |
| we feel what Harry feels and we assume that it's | | | | what is real and what is an illusion. It's cinematic |
| really happening. Until we see Harry awaken, we | | | | sorcery that bewitches us into reading the book, |
| believe (and are supposed to believe) that the scene | | | | going to the multiplex, and buying the DVD. |
| is actually taking place. This director's trick (and in this | | | | |