Harry Potter: Page to Screen

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It was fascinating to read what each actor thought of their own character-- Fiona Shaw had the most keen insights into her character of Mrs. Dursley that has sparked within me a desire to revisit the early HP novels and pay closer attention to the lesser-focused Dursley dynamic between the matriarch and her nephew (that is often overshadowed by the more comic relationship between Dudley and Harry). Thanks for another great review! I'm definitely getting this book :) Does anyone here know if there is any difference between the Titan Books and the Harper Collins versions? How I Came To Read This Book: I believe I first saw it in Entertainment Weekly and thought it'd be a good fit for my blog, so I requested a review copy. There are exclusive photographs of the actors and the crew. There's a list of the actors' heights at the start of the franchise, in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. There's sketches of Dobby and Kreacher and Quidditch. There are concept arts. There are costumes. There are character references. This book is what happens when someone converts all the behind-the-scenes portion of the DVDs into writings on the printed papers of a hardbound tome. (And the DVD's extra features still can't compete with even half of the book.) There is so much fascinating information on the cast and the characters and the creation of the locations, creatures and all the movie props. I particularly liked finding out the thought processes that went into making each of the movies and why they chose to do certain things the way that they did. It is great reading and there are so many stunning photographs and drawings.

Discover the filmmaking secrets behind Diagon Alley, the Ministry of Magic, and the other magical locations of the Wizarding World. Daniel Radcliffe wasn't even going to try out for the role of Harry Potter; fortunately for him, his family ran into one of the producers at an opera and talked his parents into letting him audition Leffoihin käytetty työ on kuitenkin jotain järjettömän suurta, ei voi kuin ihailla. Tuli hinku katsoa leffat uusiksi (aloitin jo), lisäksi lievitti tämänvuotisen kirjanaratonin jättämää haikeutta. Really, really cool behind-the-scenes information about the production of the Harry Potter movies. I learned so much about the Harry Potter universe, the actors, and the way movies are made. Like the fact that Mafalda Hopkirk was played by Sophie Thompson, the younger sister of Emma Thompson, and Bill Weasley was played by Brendan Gleeson's son Domhnall. And that the prop crew bought sixteen Ford Anglias from around the country to use in filming. That most of the amazing props and sets were really physically made, with animatronics to make them move—like the Whomping Willow, the doors to the Chamber of Secrets, Aragog, the basilisk's head and 25 feet of its body, etc. The wizard's chess scene was done entirely in real life—the only effects they added digitally were some extra dust and debris for the explosions. They built those giant pieces and actually blew them up on-set.There are three parts to the book. The first is "The Making of Harry Potter" and covers the complete film making process of all the seven Harry Potter titles. The second is "The Art of Harry Potter" and that covers the characters, locations, creatures and artifacts. The third is the epilogue. It took me several days to finish reading. The Plot: This is basically an encyclopaedia to everything on the Harry Potter films. The first half of the book is the 'story' of the eight films (although Deathly Hallows is combined into one chapter), including getting them made in the first place, before the series was the phenomenon it became. Each film is discussed in terms of how the casting process worked, with commentary from the producers and the actors on what it was like to add each new cast member. The plot is also vaguely discussed in terms of what went into bringing certain scenes (or adding / reducing certain plot points) to life on the big screen - whether it's technical effects, locations, or fun behind-the-scenes anecdotes and photos. There's also a fair bit of discussion and commentary from the three lead actors on what it was like to work with each director / make each film. The second half of the book is more where the encyclopaedia designation comes in. Giant chunks of the book are dedicated to costumes (really, characters), sets, props, and creatures and what went into the design / how they came to life / concept art. It's very photo / caption heavy at this point, with little snippets of information on materials used or hours that went into something. I'll just come out and say it: I freaking love Harry Potter. I loved the books as a child, I went to the cinema to see the movies as an adult and I still revel in anything Potter. Simple and to the point - this is a brilliant book for anyone who loves Harry Potter, especially the movies. Bob McCabe is a noted author, film critic, broadcaster, and screenwriter. He has written over twenty books, including the celebrated Pythons' Autobiography by the Pythons; Dreams and Nightmares: Terry Gilliam, the Brothers Grimm & Other Cautionary Tales of Hollywood; and The Rough Guide to Comedy Movies. He has written extensively for British periodicals such as Empire magazine, Sight & Sound, and the Sunday Times, and has appeared on numerous BBC film-related radio broadcasts. His screenwriting credits include Küssen verboten, baggern erlaubt and Out on a Limb. He lives in London. Mine is still in the mail. I hope it gets here alright, especially if it's so damn heavy. It looks gorgeous, can't wait to get my hands on it. *drool*

Having said that, if you are a fan of the movies or at least fans of the people working in the 8 HP movies, this is the one book you simply must have. If Harry Potter: Film Wizardry by Brian Sibley is the fan's ultimate fun book, this is the budding filmmaker's ultimate textbook on how to make an epic franchise that lasts a whole decade. Whatever shortcomings the films have, you can not deny that a lot of thought went into the making of the films. From casting to scriptwriting to designing sets and characters, this book reveals all of them. An amazing Christmas gift... no way is this amazing volume going to be merely a coffee table book. I plan to read it cover-to-cover and soak up every amazing little detail that went into making this series.

I was a bit reluctant to read this at first because I was scared the book would give away too much information and then the movies would lose its magic, if it makes sense. But I’m so glad I started reading it, it’s incredible everything the cast and crew did to bring to life this little and beautiful thing that is Harry Potter. Admittedly, it got a little rote. The first half of the book was definitely the most interesting to me, although even then it veered into really dry territory. The second half had much less substance and was almost distracting with all the photo / captions. I mean really, did you ever really care to know what thought went into Percy Weasley or Crabbe & Goyle's "Looks"? No. All too often, the book felt like it was written for the people on the film, as a way to sing the praises of the very talented designers behind-the-scenes that you probably don't give a second thought about, but would if they weren't doing their jobs as well as they were. Sort of a catch-22. Discover the filmmaking secrets that brought Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the other Hogwarts students to life on-screen. SNEAkoscope The Sneakoscope, used to detect untrustworthy or Dark magic, was created for a scene in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban that takes place after Ron and Hermione return from their first trip to Hogsmeade. Sad that Harry couldn’t join them, Ron gives him a Sneakoscope he bought for him at Zonko’s Joke Shop. Unfortunately, this scene ended up on the cutting-room floor. A 3-D masterpiece celebrating Harry Potter’s Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from New York Times best-selling pop-up engineer Matthew Reinhart.

The parts where they were putting together towers and parts for the school was just amazing. I was so enthralled with all of these things. It certainly makes me want to get out the blu rays and have my own Harry Potter day :) The book is like a tome and I love it! You get to read about how all of the sets of each movie were put together, who the directors were, how they found each person etc. Bohemian Rhapsody will look at all aspects of the making of the Queen biopic and the story of Freddie Mercury and Queen. Foreword by Brian May and Roger Taylor. The book itself is absolutely gorgeous. The biggest and heaviest book I own by far, and it's one of those books that you will look over again and again for years to come. It would have been nice to have a ribbon bookmark included for the book though, just as a useful crowning glory. This book is highly recommended to fans of the Harry Potter films. It gives a new sense of appreciation for the film and the people who worked behind the scenes. It's something you'll want to make the magic last a bit longer.The book consists of a detailed chapter on each of the films, characters, costumes, locations, sets, creatures, makeup /digital effects, artifacts and prop making. Emma Watson (Hermione) had a huge crush on Tom Felton (Draco) during the filming of the first several movies