The opening scene of the Hobbit:an unexpected journey

The Hobbit: an unexpected journey

The opening to the Hobbit starts with a completely black screen and utter silence which is then interrupted sharply by Bilbo striking a match and a candle being lit. This sudden interruption and burst of light grabs the audiences' attention and pulls them instantly so their focus is solely on what Bilbo is saying.

This is a very good technique as it creates an air of mystery and builds tension very effectively.
This is something I am definitely taking note of for my coursework as it very effective and I am hoping to implement a similar technique.
Bilbo then proceeds to walk down an unlit corridor in his house with the candle as the only source of light illuminating a tight and cosy environment with an air of tension around it and I think this is used to represent the story beginning as if the light is being shed on the situation of what is going on and it correlates to the story because Bilbo is talking about he has 'always told Frodo the truth but not the whole truth' and this is him telling the rest of the story, so the candle illuminating the hallway is also an excellent metaphor for that.
Bilbo then goes to open a chest of seemingly old things perhaps from previous adventures, and the camera itself is actually situated within the chest itself and ever builds the sense of tension that has been present throughout the opening as it provides a close up look of the sense of 'reluctant awe' on Bilbo's face and prevents the audience from seeing what's in the chest at first and this really makes them curious and draws them in even more.
Again an effective technique I am considering using in my coursework to create anticipation for the rest of the film.
Bilbo then is seated in a cluttered, candle lit room in his home as he starts to write his book and tell the story and the camera is looking on at him from behind while slowly backing out of the room into the dark corridor as the screen fades to a map of middle-earth.
Then the moves around the map and focuses and zooms onto the place called Dale before cutting to what is going on in Dale. An interesting twist on an establishing shot but a very effective one, in a fantastical place it can be very difficult for a film to communicate where everything is taking place and this technique does it very clearly for the audience without it being cheesy or amateurish.
The image of Dale (still part of the opening scene) is clearly a flashback, given away by a faint white glow around the edge of the screen and this is a common technique used to communicate a flashback so the audience instantly know that from the screenplay and what Bilbo is saying.
In contrast to Bilbo's home Dale is light, grand, bustling and a massive difference compared to the previous environment and after the tension building in Bilbo's home would help the audience relax into the film. In Dale there is all natural light, the bustling sounds of people going about their business and the happy screams of playing children in the background which helps the audience to establish the sense of equilibrium (Todorov's structure of film) at the beginning of the film.
The camera then performs a flyover shot of the town of Dale to the mountain just beyond it (Erebor) which after seeing the size of Dale and prosperity really helps the mountain show off its grandeur and magnificence. This is because everything about Dale really pales in comparison to Erebor and this is an effective technique to display to the audience the sheer magnificence of something, in this case; Erebor, compare it to something already very brilliant and then let it be shown up.
The camera then focuses in on the dwarfs manning the stronghold and Thror (the king of Erebor) before panning through the massive halls of Erebor, the camera emerges from dark halls into a brightly lit central chamber; the throne room, the lighting and positioning of the chamber portraying the importance of it, before a close up shot of Thror and his kin.
The camera then continues to pan through the halls of Erebor displaying the grandeur of the halls as Bilbo continues his voiceover and a calm orchestra music plays in the background that communicates a fantasy setting and massiveness of the city. Before the camera switches to shots of the mines and while the music remains and so does Bilbo's voiceover the sound of pickaxes striking the gold in the walls.
The camera circles around a circle of dwarven smiths all hitting a molten hot piece of metal in turn, passing by each one as they strike the metal, the sound of the hammers being exaggerated and echoed, to help with the sense of grandeur of the environment they are in.
The camera is then brought down one of the mines passing by the miners and focusing on one in particular, zooming in on the hammer and chisel stripping away the rock as the shining stone is uncovered and the camera shows the miners face in surprise and awe as his face is illuminated by the glow of the stone slowly. The music then reaches a kind of apex as a choir sings when the stone is uncovered and the shot ends. A very well thought out shot but not the kind of thing I would use in my coursework as I am thinking of doing a more action focused piece and the genre does not suit this kind of shot generally.