The Harry Potter Franchise

Many of us grew up withthe Harry Potter series.Let’s take a closer look at the films.

The CastingBefore J.K. Rowling sold the rights of the first four books to Warner Bros, she had one important demand:

• The main cast had to be British.

• An actor for Harry was chosen and quickly dropped due to the fact that he wasn’t British. The agreement was taken seriously.

The Casting•J.K. Rowling was deeply pleased with Daniel Radcliffe’s audition tape, seeing him as the Harry Potter she envisioned.

•Rupert Grint was a fan of the books. Upon hearing of auditions being held, he submitted a video of himself rapping about how he wanted the part. Aided by his ginger hair, he was interviewed and casted.

The Casting• Emma Watson, during her interviews, had a self-confidence and maturity that made her perfect for the role of Hermione in the eyes of the casting directors.

The Sorcerer’s Stone• Known as the Philosopher’s

Stone everywhere in the world but the US.

• Directed by Chris Columbus.

• Harry Potter was originally supposed to be an animated film, though J.K. Rowling did not allow it.

The Sorcerer’s Stone

Why would Warner Bros. consider animating the story rather than making a live-action film?

It was not an easy production, as the crew needed to work with around 300 kids at one time.

Conflicts included:

•Kids butting heads

•Coordinating the children

•Managing time well (UK labor laws restricted work time)

Production

ControversyDespite the fact that Harry Potter served as a role model for many children, many religiousgroups were opposed to the book for promoting“witchcraft.”

Reception•Made more than $974 million

•Second-highest grossing film of the series

•Was received well by critics

The Chamber of SecretsProduction began 3 days after the release of the first film.

(Notice how each Potter film gets darker than the one to come before it.)

Aragog was an animatronic prop, but the rest of the spiders were CGI.

The Prisoner of Azkaban•Director Chris Columbus decided not to direct the 3rd film, as he "hadn't seen his own kids for supper in the week for about two and a half years."

•Alfonso Cuarón was chosen to take on the project. After reading the books and watching the movies, he was sold by the world and accepted the role as director.

Understanding the Characters•To better understand the characters, he asked the central trio to submit essays written in 1st person as their characters.

•Emma Watson wrote a 16-page essay.

•Daniel Radcliffe wrote a simple one-page essay.

• When Rupert Grint didn’t submit an essay, Alfonso asked him why. The actor replied, “I’m Ron. Ron wouldn’t do it.”

The Recasting of Dumbledore•Richard Harris, the original Dumbledore, died in 2002, and required a replacement.

•Ian McKellen (Gandalf) was offered the part of Dumbledore, but he declined, saying, “"I had enough trouble living up to one legend. Two would be too much to hope for." 

•Michael Gambon was chosen as the replacement.

The Goblet of Fire

• This is the first Potter film to receive a PG-13rating.

•As the book was 730 pages long, there was talk of splitting the movie into 2 parts, but the director chose to specify the narrative rather than splitting the book.

• Alfonso Cuarón announced that he was only directing the one Potter film, and so a new director had to be chosen for the 4th film in the franchise.

• Mike Newell became the director of the Goblet of Fire.

Directorial Change

The Yule Ball•The Yule Ball was a very difficult scene to film. Thewalls of the hall were lined with reflective silvermaterial that made filming a challenge.

The Underwater Sequence•The tank of water used for the sequence contained half a million gallons of water.

•Radcliffe spent over 41 hours in total underwater.

The Order of the Phoenix• The first Potter film to be released in IMAX 3D.

• David Yates replaced Mike Newell as director, and he believes that he was chosen because he could handle an edgy and political story.

Ministry of Magic •The Ministry of Magic was destroyed using hundredsof squib explosives.

The Department of MysteriesThe Department of Mysteries was the first completelyCG set of the series. The crystal balls would be tooexpensive, and clean-up times would be inconvenientand impractical.

Unscripted MomentWhen the trio are discussing Harry and Cho’s kiss, they began to laugh, which was not scripted. It wasdecided that the laughter was appropriate, and so the director kept the cameras rolling.

The Half-Blood Prince• The remaining Potter films, including this one, were directed by David Yates.

• Before production began, Emma Watson considered dropping out, as she wanted to pursue her education. The filming schedule was worked around her exams, however, and she decided to stay.

The iconic Diagon Alley was an indoor set.

Diagon Alley

Young Voldemort The kid who played young Voldemort is Ralph Fiennes’

nephew.

The PoisonThe poison that Dumbledore drinks is watered down milkthat is lightly CG’d.

Deathly Hallows Part 1M. Night Shyamalan was interested in directing this film. Because this movie was intended to be good, Shyamalan did not end up directing it.

With the script close to 500 pages, the decision was made to split the final book into two films.

7 Potters

Daniel Radcliffe studied the other cast members inorder to replicate their movements.

Bill WeasleyThe actor who plays Bill Weasley, Domhnall Gleeson,is the son of Brendan Gleeson, the actor who playsMoody.

The Torture SceneHermione’s torture scene was cut down to avoid an R rating.

“I kind of let the camera roll for four or five minutes and I let Helena and Emma improvise, build an intensity together. It was getting scary. Emma was able to just let go and forget for a moment that she was acting. And the screams were quite horrible to listen to. It was a very odd energy in the room. In that moment and in that day and in that room, she kind of crossed the line as an actress. She discovered something within herself that will make her a great actor.” - David Yates

Deathly Hallows Part 2

The final film in the franchise, well received by critics.

Crabbe and Goyle

Jamie Waylett (Crabbe) was arrested for drug charges, and was replaced by the character Blaise Zabini.

Draco’s WifeDraco’s wife in the epilogue is Tom Felton’s girlfriendin real life.

Directors

Sorcerer’s Stone Chris Columbus

Chamber of Secrets Chris Columbus

Prisoner of Azkaban Alfonso Cuarón

Goblet of Fire Mike Newell

Order of the Phoenix David Yates

Half-Blood Prince David Yates

Deathly Hallows Part 1 David Yates

Deathly Hallows Part 1 David Yates

Why was this franchise so successful, despite the fact that it faced so many

changes and challenges?