Harry Potter Page to Screen: Thoughts and excerpts

Harry Potter Page to Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey by Bob McCabe

LM and I binge watched Harry Potter moives 1-8 during Christmas. It felt like reconnecting with a long lost friend, a very endearing friend in fact. Alan Rickman's passing was especially hard to sink in after immersing myself in the wizard world and not wanting to emerge from it. It was moving to see how fans around the world honored him, like the flowers on Platform 9 and 3/4 (image from web).



Ultimately I think the credits go to Rowling who conjured the greatest antagonist of all time. The immense impact of HP over a decade is impossible to grasp. We are talking about people growing up with it and their lives revolving around it or even defined by it. The actors were 12 when they started filming Sorcerer's Stone. Ten years flashed by when the last film was shot. Can you imagine? I was just stunned after reading Harry Potter Page to Screen. The stories from everyone involved are every bit as imaginative as the novel/film. Given another life time, I'd very much like to build models of castles and beasts... Below are some brilliant details of production. Even if some only lasted split seconds in the film, or worse still didn't even make it into the film, the sheer amount of passion is worth the highest accolade. It's a designer's dream to work on fantasy world projects.

A map of Hogwarts like it's a real, breathing thing.

Model of Hogwarts. Top left are miniature owls made for the owlery.

A wintry Hogwarts achieved by sprinkling salt as fake snow. All the more painstaking to vacuum it without destroying the delicate structures.

Model of Diagon Alley shops, with their miniature candy shelves, cages and lamps.

Diagon Alley concept art. It's both real (based on colonial architecture) and surreal (nothing is quite straight).

Basilisk model, fitting skin over frame

Plates of animated cats in Umbridge's office. There were 30-40 photo shoots of different cats in muggle or wizard settings.

Design of Quidditch costume, considerations of how to make it sporty yet medieval.

Design of Hermione's Yule Ball gown which shows a coming-of-age femininity

Prof. Snape wasn't always brooding.

To Alan Rickman, and Professor Snape. Always.