C ontents

PART I 8 The Making of Harry Potter

17 introduction
21 setting the scene
43 harry potter and the sorcerer’s stone
71 harry potter and the chamber of secrets TM

93 harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban

119 harry potter and the goblet of fire
149 harry potter and the order of the phoenix

PAGE TO SCREEN
171 harry potter and the half-blood prince
195 harry potter and the deathly hallows

PART II 8 The Art of Harry Potter

233 introduction
The Complete Filmmaking journey
235 characters       Costuming
323 locations        Set Design
421 creatures       Special Makeup and Digital Effects
479 artifacts       Prop Making

PART III 8 Epilogue

529 the golden boards
531 acknowledgments and colophon

An Insight Editions Book

 hogwarts castle
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had to be grounded
in reality. “An early decision was not to make it whimsical, not
to make it a fairy-tale castle, but to make it heavy, enduring, and
real,” explains production designer Stuart Craig. “Here is a story
about an English public school [similar to an American private
school], so we made it as much like one as we possibly could.” And
so Craig looked first to “the two great universities in England—
Oxford and Cambridge. But we also went to the great European
cathedrals. We wanted Hogwarts to be in the medieval Gothic
style, which is strong and dynamic, and so we cherry-picked
TOP Concept art by Dermot Power of
Hogwarts seen through the trees from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. 8
Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
324
from everywhere—the best from the universities, the best from
the cathedrals—and then slammed them together.”
Although designed to look and feel like an enduring institu-
tion, Hogwarts has evolved to match the needs of the story over
the course of eight films. “The way to go would have been to be
able to read right through the seven books when we started,”
Craig laughs. “But I think some of these changes and additions
have added a level of interest to the films. We’ve moved things
around, let things expand, had them develop, or made them
disappear altogether.”
LEFT Concept art by Andrew Williamson of the castle from Harry
lo c at ion s 325
 The
slytherin
common room
The Slytherin common room has a completely different atmosphere than
Gryffindor’s. “It’s in the dungeon under the lake, literally underwater,” says pro-
duction designer Stuart Craig. “We chose a slightly earlier style of architecture
that’s Norman or Romanesque. It’s stockier, sturdier, much more dungeonlike.
Our other premise was that the room should appear to be carved out of solid rock,
like Petra, in Jordan.” The Slytherin house colors of green and silver added to the
austere atmosphere. “They have those wonderful black leather sofas,” says Craig.
“And the tapestries on the walls have all the red taken out of their color palettes.”
Not surprisingly, the silver fixtures in the room are replete with snake-head motifs.

left The Slytherin common room, as seen in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The décor makes
ample use of the green and black colors of the house. 8 TOP Another view of the common room, highlighting
its tapestries. 8 ABOVE LEFT Detail of the Slytherin door knocker. 8 ABOVE RIGHT The list of Slytherin house
captains from throughout the house’s distinguished history.

lo c at ion s 349
 The
HOwler
Graphic designer Miraphora Mina wanted to give the Howler
in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets the look of origami,
the Japanese art of folding paper. “I thought there were so many
things in the design that lent themselves to this,” she explains.
“The ribbon that encircles the letter could turn into a tongue,
for example. The white paper inside could turn into teeth within
the red mouth. I didn’t want there to be a face put on the letter
digitally; I wanted the letter to tell its own story.” As the talking
Howler would be animated, a library of shapes that mimicked a
real mouth saying the dialogue was created.

The
sorting hat TOP Expression studies by Adam Brockbank for the Howler, ranging
from a demure, sealed envelope to a hysterical, spitting, screaming
The Sorting Hat was originally to be portrayed using a puppet, but letter. 8 ABOVE The design by Adam Brockbank for the Weasley wax
seal that adorns Ron’s Howler. 8 RIGHT The text of Molly Weasley’s
when the filmmakers tested it on camera, that’s exactly what it
letter was transcribed onto a sheet of paper that was incorporated into
looked like—a puppet on a child’s head. So the on-screen Sorting this mock-up of the Howler. 8 BELOW Phonetic mouth shapes for the
Howler animation.
Hat was created digitally based on a leather hat made by costume
designer Judianna Makovsky. The leather hat was soaked in water,
squashed into a cone shape, left overnight to dry, and then fur-
ther shaped with wires sewn into its lining. When Makovsky first
brought the hat to the set, visual effects supervisor Robert Legato
TOP LEFT Different views of the Sorting Hat from pre-production on Harry Potter and
asked, “Where does it talk?” Director Chris Columbus looked at the Sorcerer’s Stone. 8 MIDDLE The final Sorting Hat 8 ABOVE Steve Kill, a member
Legato and said, “She made the hat. You make it talk.” of the design team, breaks down a group of Sorting Hat props to ready them for filming.

486 a r t i fa c t s 487
 The
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. Unfortu-
nately, this scene ended up on the cutting-room floor.

The
Deluminator
The Deluminator, or “Put-Outer,” as it is also known, was first
used by Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone to
withdraw illumination from the street lamps on Privet Drive.
After Dumbledore bequeaths the Deluminator to Ron in his will, it
is learned that it also functions as a type of homing device.

TOP Blueprint by Hattie Storey for the Deluminator, a device that captures nearby light
and holds it until the owner chooses to release the light again. 8 RIGHT A preliminary
concept for the Deluminator by Peter McKinstry. 8 BELOW The final Deluminator prop,
as seen in the Deathly Hallows films.

THIS PAGE Concepts by Dermot Power of a variety of different designs for the
Sneakoscope, and the final prop (top right). The illustration directly above
describes materials to be used in making the prop and attempts to explain how
it might work.

520 a r t i fa c t s 521
 harry potter
and the
D e ath ly H a llows

W hen harry potter and the deathly hallows was published on

july 21 , 2007, the filmmakers were presented with an incredible
challenge : how could they condense this immense book—the
finale of the entire series—into one movie ? although they ’d
once considered splitting goblet of fire into two films , they
realized that by focusing on the story ’s essential elements

they could successfully bring Harry’s fourth year at Hogwarts to the screen in one movie. Deathly Hallows, however,
contained masses of material crucial to resolving all the intricately intertwined elements of the story.
“It was not an easy decision at all,” recounts David Barron. “When we first read Deathly Hallows, we all thought,
‘My God, this is a huge book.’ When producer Lionel Wigram suggested they divide the book into two films, David
Heyman was reluctant.
“I was not initially for it. We’d never broken up any of the Harry Potter books,” says Heyman. But it became
increasingly clear that if they tried to condense the story into one film, it might run to five or six hours. As Heyman
explains, “To condense it to a two-and-a-half- or three-hour film would have meant leaving out so much that it
would compromise not just this individual film but the overall saga, because it is one saga. It’s seven books that form
one long story over seven years. There is so much information in the last book, so much resolved emotionally and
practically that we would have had to leave out, it would have meant that resolution would be unsatisfactory.”
Even though it meant committing to two more movies rather than one, director David Yates agreed it was the right
choice. “It wasn’t a big decision for me,” says Yates. “Basically, David Heyman and David Barron said, ‘We think it
should be two movies. What do you think?’ I knew Steve Kloves said it should be two movies, and I trust Steve’s instincts.
If Steve thinks we’re going to have a problem squeezing it into one script, I trust that we would have a problem.”
In fact, “At one point during the process,” Barron recalls, “Steve Kloves said, ‘You know, this should almost be
three films.’ We tried hard to avoid it, because, of course, we knew that there would be some cynical people who
would say, ‘Ah, Warner Bros. couldn’t resist one last dash to the till.’ That was not it at all. Warner Bros. said to us,
‘Whatever you decide is creatively the right way to go—we’ll support it.’ ”
In the end, the filmmakers determined that the book would become two films. They then decided quickly that
the movies would have to be shot simultaneously, leading to an unprecedented Potter shooting schedule of nearly
eighteen months of continuous filming.
“It was the only way to guarantee that we got the entire cast,” Barron explains. “It’s a tough thing to get every-
body on board for a schedule that long, but I think it would have been impossible if we said, ‘Okay, we’ll shoot a
movie, we’ll release it, then we’ll come back and shoot another one.’ ”
The prospect of shooting two films at once didn’t seem to faze the director all that much.
“Two things have really helped,” Yates explained at the time. “The first is, I’ve made two of these films before,
so the system is in place and I have a solid understanding of the mechanics that make up the world of Harry Potter.
Secondly, I’ve got a great crew, and I’ve got a great team. But it’s not a way I would like to work again, because you

OPPOSITE Rupert Grint (left) and Emma Watson filming a scene during the battle of Hogwarts, the spectacular conclusion to the series.

195

TOP David Yates stands in front of the Magic is Might
monument, which replaced the Fountain of Magical
Brethren after the Ministry was claimed by the Death
Eaters. 8 ABOVE A prop reference photo of Bellatrix’s
dagger, which she uses to kill Dobby. 8 BELOW Plans for
the construction of Dobby’s headstone by Hattie Storey.
split your brain about three different ways. For example—within a single day, you’re doing a
very big, emotional scene on one set with Robbie Coltrane, where you want to be with Robbie
and guide him. Then I’ve got a big scene with two hundred extras on another set, which is
for the other film. And in a water tank at another location, I’ve got my first assistant director,
Jamie Christopher, getting everything ready for an underwater scene. So you have to para-
chute into each situation, keep your notes, and do what you need to do, and then you jump
out and get into the next one. It’s an odd, unusual way of working. But it works.”
Despite the fact that Kloves had written two scripts and that both films were being shot
at once, the filmmakers had yet to finalize the point in the story at which the first film would
end. In fact, the dividing point between the two films shifted back and forth several times.
“The original ending was closer to where Part 1 ends now,” explains Heyman, “around
the death of Dobby. Then we moved it, and decided that the first film should end with a cliff-
hanger, with Harry, disguised by the Stinging Jinx, being caught by a group of Snatchers and
taken to Malfoy Manor, where the Death Eaters discover that they do have the real Harry. We
were aware that movies four, five, and six had ended with a death—and we didn’t want to
repeat ourselves. When David Yates saw the first cut, he felt that the ending was good, but it
didn’t feel as if there was any emotional resolution. You were in the middle of something, and
we wanted the film to still have an ‘ending,’ even though it’s Part 1 of a longer story. David
Yates decided to end it with the burial of Dobby and with Harry’s resolve to carry on and
defeat the Dark Lord, no matter what.
“The audience really liked Dobby,” David Heyman continues, “but although he’d
appeared several times in the books at this point, it had been a while since we’d spent any time
with him in the films. We wanted to make sure the audience was invested in him, and that
his death would resonate. So, unlike in the book, Dobby accompanies Kreacher in bringing
back Mundungus Fletcher to Grimmauld Place. We also added a bit more of him to the rescue
at Malfoy Manor, just before we see the knife being thrown by Bellatrix Lestrange. Having
Dobby die in the beginning of Deathly Hallows – Part 2 would have diminished that moment’s
emotional weight—as we would have been separated by eight months from having seen him.”
David Yates recalls shooting the emotional scene in which the trio buries Dobby outside
of Shell Cottage. “Harry, Hermione, and Ron are clawing away at the ground,” the director
says. “It’s the first time these three kids actually bury something. I shot it all handheld and
just let them find their way into the scene without saying, ‘Right, you have to go here for that
shot, and you’re supposed to be over there for that shot.’ None of that. It’s a universal human
experience to bury the dead and pay homage, but to see these three iconic characters digging
their first grave was very moving.”
David Yates came up with a final “beat” to the film, which was, as Heyman describes, “an
image of Voldemort desecrating Dumbledore’s tomb and grabbing hold of the Elder Wand.
This added the cliff-hanger, in the sense that you feel, ‘He’s got the most powerful wand in
the wizarding world. They’re in trouble. What’s going to happen?’ But it also enables us to
resolve Dobby’s involvement in the story.”
Yates also saw Part 1 and Part 2 as very distinct movies. In the simplest terms, the first
film would be something of a road movie, leaving the world of Hogwarts far behind for
the majority of the story, while the second film would return to the school as an all-out
war movie.
“Each film feels different,” the director states. “By that I mean [in] shooting the first film,
we used a lot of handheld, vérité-style camera work, and overall it’s much more naturalistic,
because the kids are out in the real world. They’re away from the safety and the ‘island’ of
Hogwarts, so they’re far more vulnerable and, in a way, innocent, which is interesting.
“The second film feels more operatic, because there are big battles and big, dramatic
climaxes. We’re also back at Hogwarts, which always gives you scale. I’m really excited about
TOP Luna (Evanna Lynch) consoles Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) as he cradles the gravely injured house-elf Dobby. 8 ABOVE Hermione (Emma Watson, left), Ron (Rupert Grint,
each of them. One’s more epic, and the other’s a little bit more nuanced, as it looks at the center), and Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) arrive at Shell Cottage after their narrow escape from Malfoy Manor. The Shell Cottage exterior set was erected on location in Freshwater
human detail of the trio’s relationship.” West beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
h a r r y p o t t e r a n d t h e d e a t h ly h a l l o w s 197

TOP LEFT Rupert Grint celebrates his twenty-first
birthday at Leavesden on August 24, 2009, during
the filming of the “Seven Potters” sequence. 8 TOP
RIGHT From left: Louise Leguen De Lacroix (personal
assistant to Emma Watson), Emma Watson, Sarah
McKenna (personal assistant to Rupert Grint), third
assistant director Eileen Yip, and Rupert Grint on
Freshwater West beach. 8 ABOVE Chanya Button (far
left), Michael Berendt (left), and Daniel Radcliffe
(center) present Emma Watson with a surprise birthday
cake during filming on April 15, 2010, for her twentieth
birthday.
198
As the final two films were being made, the cast and crew reflected on the overall
experience.
“We’ve been working together for ten years or so and, over that time, have become a real
family,” says David Heyman. “As the end draws close, I think we are all aware of how the
family is going to go its separate ways very soon.”
For the three young leads, filming the final two Potter films not only marked the end of an
era, in many ways, it also marked the end of their childhoods.
“It’s something that doesn’t seem real at all at the moment,” said Dan Radcliffe at one
point in the arduous shoot, “and won’t until the last day, probably.”
“There is just that part of you that thinks you might not see that person again. I would
be sad about that happening with anybody on these films,” Radcliffe continues. “It’ll be very
emotional, particularly for me. Lisa Tomblin, my makeup artist, started on the second film,
missed the third and fourth, was on the fifth, and then she started [heading] the hair depart-
ment on the sixth, and now the seventh. Amanda Knight, my hair stylist, has headed the
makeup department since the first film. Lisa’s very much like a sort of older sister to me, and
Amanda is—and this is not reflective of a difference in their ages—more of a mum to me.
There’s a lot of care and fondness and feeling between not just those people and me, but also
with people all throughout the set.”
Will Steggle worked in the costume department for the whole run of the shoot and was
not only Dan and Rupert’s dresser, but also became Dan’s best friend on set.
“I’m sure when I get in the car on the way home I shall have a tear,” Steggle ventures on
the final day of principal photography. “I’ve been here since August 2000. Dan hadn’t long
been eleven, I think, and Rupert was eleven or twelve. It’s been a long, long journey and a
great lesson looking after the boys before I had children of my own. I was a single man when
I started these films, and now I’m married with three kids!
“It really is a great family, and I know everyone keeps saying that,” Steggle continues.
“I’m sure people on the outside might say, ‘Oh, please!’ But it’s true. We really are a family
now, and I’m sad to see us have to go our separate ways, though I’m sure Dan and I will work
together again.”
For Rupert Grint, the ending was disconcerting. “It’s really weird,” the actor confesses.
“I just can’t visualize how it’s going to really end. I can’t imagine not coming here every
day. It’s going to take a while to adjust. I’m going to miss this place quite a lot, because
it’s become like a second home. I spend more time here than I do at home, really, which
is quite scary.”
Emma Watson was also emotional about the series coming to an end. “I’m sort of in
denial, really,” the actress says. “I can’t get my head around it. Until they say ‘Emma, you’re
wrapped. That’s it. You’re done. We don’t need you anymore,’ I don’t think I’ll believe it.”
Radcliffe was particularly surprised by how emotional it was shooting Harry’s final good-
bye with the Dursleys. He recalls, “It was Richard Griffiths, Fiona Shaw, and Harry Melling’s
last scene for the films, and it was the first time that we had to say good-bye to people who
we’d been working with from the very first film. That made it a bit of a landmark scene.”
After the Dursleys leave, the film offers a bit of comic relief. “The Order bursts through
the door of Privet Drive to rescue Harry,” Radcliffe continues, “and it’s very much like
The Magnificent Seven. It’s the cavalry coming over the brow of the hill. This then leads
into the ‘seven Potters,’ which is a sequence where Fleur, Hermione, Ron, the Weasley
twins, and Mundungus Fletcher all take Polyjuice Potion and transform into me, which
meant that I had to do impersonations of all those characters impersonating me.”
Radcliffe had to shoot the scene portraying each character, including himself. “I think
I broke the record for the most number of takes ever done for a scene, because it all counts
as the same shot. We’d shoot one version with me as one of the characters, and then the
camera would stay in exactly the same place, and we’d shoot another version with me
as another character. Eventually they’d lay them on top of each other. Each pass I did,
whether Fleur or Mundungus, was part of one shot, and I think we got up to ninety-five
takes on that one. It was a long day!
“The thing I was most pleased about was how good I looked in Fleur’s costume,” Radcliffe
laughs. “It has a sort of glam rock feel to it. Well, at least that’s what was going on in my head,
and that’s what everyone told me to keep me sweet on set.”
When each of the seven “Harrys” pairs up with another member of the Order for their
escape, the real Harry is accompanied by Hagrid because, as Robbie Coltrane quotes, “I
brought you here sixteen years ago when you were no bigger than a Bowtruckle. Seems
only right that I should be the one to take you away now.”
Harry and Hagrid take off in a modified version of the motorcycle the half-giant used to
bring the infant Harry to Privet Drive. This time, Harry rides along in a sidecar. “I can’t think
of anybody I’d rather be next to in a sidecar than Robbie Coltrane,” says Radcliffe. “We went
less than about three meters in it, but those three meters were some of the most fun I’ve ever
had. That’d be a great way to come to work in the mornings, although probably very danger-
ous. I’m not sure how Warner Bros. would feel about that, insurance-wise.”
After audiences had their final visit to the Dursley home, they made their very first visit
to Hermione’s home—a scene written especially for the film.
“I was charmed that Steve Kloves wrote that,” says Watson. “I think it really shows the
TOP TO BOTTOM Third assistant director Eileen Yip
magnitude of the sacrifice that Hermione and Ron make for Harry, for their friendship, and (right) gives stunt coordinator Greg Powell a hug on
for what he’s doing. I think the audience will connect with Hermione and her personal story the Privet Drive exterior set. 8 Robbie Coltrane tries
out Hagrid’s motorcycle. 8 Deathly Hallows – Part 1
through this scene, seeing her so vulnerable like that at the beginning of the film. expanded upon an opening scene in the novel where
“She has a very difficult decision to make. She knows that by siding with Harry, she’s Hermione casts a Memory Charm on her parents. 8
In a dramatic visualization of the spell, family
putting people around her in danger. She knows she has to protect them, and the only way photographs (photoshopped images of a young Emma
she can do this is by cutting them off from her. She makes her parents lose every memory of Watson with Michelle Fairley and Ian Kelley, the
actors playing her parents) offer a glimpse into the
her, and that’s tragic. But she’s very brave and very loyal, and she knows that she must do the Granger family past, only to have Hermione disappear
right thing.” picture by picture.
Emma Watson also knew enough about Hermione to give Stephenie McMillan some
advice on her bedroom’s décor. “I remember walking into Hermione’s room, and it just
looked too girly. I’ve been playing her for so long now, I feel I intuitively know what she’d
like and what she’d want. Hermione is a voracious reader. ‘Why are there not more books?’
I asked. There needed to be books everywhere.”
h a r r y p o t t e r a n d t h e d e a t h ly h a l l o w s 199
 Behind the Scenes
harry times seven
One of the most complex effects in Deathly Hallows – Part 1 didn’t
include flying creatures or shattering explosions. It was just Harry
Potter, albeit seven of him. Layers and layers of live and computer-
generated action were composited together to achieve this star-
tling—and amusing—multiplication.
In order to achieve the scene in which six Order members
morph into Harry after taking Polyjuice Potion, filmmakers uti-
lized the Mova Contour Reality Capture system. First, a thin layer
of UV paint is applied to each of the actors’ faces. Though invisible to
the naked eye, the Mova cameras recognize the paint and are then
able to pick up the tiny facial details and movements that are unique
to each actor. These shots are then combined to create digital hy-
brids that will ultimately, once perfected, replace the actors’ heads.
200
“It’s a full CG, close-up character, being driven by a live-action per-
formance,” explains visual effects supervisor Tim Burke.
However, the scene would not be complete without Harry’s in-
teractions with the other “Harrys.” To create this comedic sequence,
Dan Radcliffe reenacted the performances in each of the character’s
costumes. “Dan studied the way each of the actors behaved and then
mimicked their actions,” says Burke. “The amount of detail he in-
corporated was incredible—proving that he knew the others very
well. Each pass needed at least ten takes, so we ended up doing up
to seventy takes for each shot.” These snippets, filmed in very spe-
cifically blocked spots on set, were layered together in the computer.
This live-action time line was then used as reference for a proper
CG pass at the sequence, which eventually became the final scene.
ABOVE Daniel Radcliffe poses for costume continuity photos dressed as (left to right) Fred, Fleur, Mundungus, Hermione, and Ron, after they have taken Polyjuice Potion. The colored tape on
the carpet is to assist with the extremely complicated blocking for the scene. 8 BELOW Concept art by Andrew Williamson of the seven Harry Potters making their getaway from Privet Drive.
h a r r y p o t t e r a n d t h e d e a t h ly h a l l o w s 201
 TOP LEFT A white card model showing giants and humans on the pathway that leads from the courtyard. 8 TOP RIGHT A destroyed part of the castle’s marble staircase. 8 ABOVE
Stretchers lay in the battered Great Hall to hold the wounded and dying. 8 OPPOSITE TOP Concept art by Andrew Williamson of the battle of Hogwarts. 8 OPPOSITE BOTTOM
Concept art by Andrew Williamson of Hermione, Harry, and Ron together, after the battle has been won. 8 FOLLOWING PAGES Concept art by Andrew Williamson of the burning
Hogwarts (top) and the castle as the smoke clears (bottom).

220 h a r r y p o t t e r a n d t h e d e a t h ly h a l l o w s 221
 GRAPHICS
PRODUCTION DESIGNER’S NOTEBOOK
Name: Stuart Craig

ight from the first film, when
number four, Privet Drive is bombard-
ed with letters from Hogwarts, you get
a strong indication of the impact that graphic artists Mira-
phora Mina and Eduardo Lima, together with their assistant
Lauren Wakefield, have had on the Harry Potter films. By
crafting all the graphic and printed materials mentioned in
Jo’s stories, such as books, newspapers, “WANTED” posters,
TSDKTC
signs, cereal boxes, invitations, exam papers, and packaging
for Honeydukes sweets and Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, the
graphic arts department has done a superb job of bringing
these important details to the screen.
There’s no clear-cut way in which we work together; it’s
more trial and error. Miraphora and Eduardo come up with
ideas and treatments, and then it’s a case of “Can you just
try this?” or “Could you make this a bit less important and
increase the impact of that?” Having been on this project for
132 ten years and eight films, we know the territory pretty well,
and have developed some distinct aesthetics.
Cover and illustration from Hermione’s
copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard.
Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs’s Marauder’s
Map, first created by the graphics team for Prisoner of Azkaban.

7T4'"#7+,

arry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
was, in some ways, the most difficult
of the adaptations. It is hard to drive a
narrative forwards in a story that is constantly looking backwards.
Harry is quite passive as Dumbledore shows him Voldemort’s history,
and although Voldemort’s history is a part of the story, the Dark Lord
himself never appears in the present. Also, the narrative drive was inter-
rupted every time we cut away to Voldemort’s past. When Steve Kloves
delivered his script, however, it was the most complete first draft I have
ever seen. He had reduced the number of “memories” and focused on
the relationships instead of the narrative drive. While we all loved the
memories in the book, they posed a problem for the film, and so Steve
One of the many issues of the Daily Prophet had made a benefit of a potential problem. One of the great pleasures
created by the graphic arts department. of the Harry Potter films is the characters, and for all the magic and
adventure, they are the key to the films’ success. I think the characters
in Half-Blood Prince are richer and deeper than ever before, and David
As graphic designers, Miraphora and Eduardo are Yates finds the humanity in each one, whether they be on the dark side
unbeatable. They’ve designed the Marauder’s Map, the Daily or the light.
Prophet (in its two different styles, before and after the paper I love the humor in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and think
was taken over by the Ministry of Magic), and The Quibbler, as it is the funniest of all the films. I particularly enjoy the romantic in-
well as all the Hogwarts textbooks such as The Monster Book terplay between Ron and Hermione, who cannot acknowledge that they
of Monsters, the Advanced Potion-Making textbook (including are in love and do everything possible to make each other jealous. In
the old copy with Snape’s handwritten notes), the complete Jessie Cave’s final audition for the role of Lavender Brown with Rupert,
works of Gilderoy Lockhart, and Rita Skeeter’s The Life and David Yates told them to abandon the script and to improvise. Jesse
Lies of Albus Dumbledore. perfectly captured Lavender’s annoying obsession, and it was great to
When Jo Rowling was shown copies of their interpretation of see Rupert’s discomfort as she found any excuse to get closer to him.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard, which they made for Deathly Hallows, When it came time to filming the celebration after the Quidditch match
she was so moved she asked if she could take one home with her. Of where Lavender grabs Ron and they “snog,” Dan made sure to be on set
course, Miraphora and Eduardo happily gifted her one. for every take. And he took every opportunity to make fun of Rupert,
Their work has such a strong impact because it is thoroughly just as Rupert had done with him the year before!
researched. The subject matter may be fantastic, but you see The sixth film is about Dumbledore preparing Harry for his future—
all kinds of influences from art and culture—whether ancient a future that will involve the final confrontation with Voldemort. (It is
runes or Victorian typefaces—that give a sense of history to also a future without Dumbledore, though Harry does not know that.)
their work. This clever pastiche produces mysterious echoes Dumbledore has been an ever-present, guiding force in Harry’s life. It
of things that are strangely familiar or that you might dimly was he who called Harry to Hogwarts—the first real “home” Harry ever
understand—quite like magic. I should note, too, that they knew—rescuing him from the drudgery of life with the Dursleys. And David Yates directs Daniel Radcliffe and Michael Gambon
also designed the book you are now reading! for almost six years, he’s been a father figure to Harry. With Dumb- in the cave scene.
ledore gone, Harry has nobody to turn to for guidance. His educa-
tion is over. He is now a man.
 -+#*2-,1
C
ctor Tom Felton is not recognized in
public as often as some of his Harry Potter

DRACO MALFOY
costars. For his role as Draco Malfoy, his
brown hair is bleached a pale, nearly white blond, changing his
appearance dramatically. While he may joke about the peroxide
going to his head, Tom is serious when talking about some of his co-
stars. Imelda Staunton? “They say ‘roll cameras,’ and she just gets
this psychotic look in her eyes.” Jason Isaacs and Helen McCrory?
“The best evil family anyone could ever ask for.” Alan Rickman?
“Literally, you give him three lines: he’ll take a minute and a half
to say them.”
When he was cast as bullying Draco, Tom was one of the few
children on the set who had had previous professional acting
experience. Tom recalls sitting with a group of seven other boys
at the Sorcerer’s Stone auditions—the rest of whom were diehard
Harry Potter fans trying their luck. They were asked to name their

favorite scene in the book. “Of course I hadn’t read it,” Tom recounts.
“The guy next to me said, ‘Oh, Gringotts, I love the goblins!’ So I
just said the same as him—‘I love the goblins, they’re brilliant.’
Straight away Chris Columbus saw through that,
and I’m pretty sure it gave him a little internal
laugh. That could have helped me.”
A couple of years older than Daniel Radcliffe,
Tom says they were polite to one another but did
not bond as friends until they both got a little older.
Watching Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
recently, Tom hopes his acting has come a long way
since then: “I was watching the little scene between
Daniel and [me] and just thinking ‘Oh my God,’” he
laughs. “Not Dan or the film—but just looking back
on myself thinking, ‘. . . How did you get away with
that sort of thing?’ I like to think we’re both a bit
better now than we were then!”

om has thoroughly enjoyed playing a
more complex side of Draco in the Half-Blood
Prince and Deathly Hallows films. As Dumble-
dore’s would-be assassin in the sixth film, Tom’s performance received
praise from critics, fans, and his fellow actors. In an interview with
Rebecca Murray, Daniel Radcliffe stressed that Felton was the key to
the film’s story. “I think for Tom to come in . . . and give this perfor-
mance in the sixth film is remarkable,” he said emphatically. “And it’s
a fantastic performance.”
With Lucius Malfoy in jail, Draco takes on his responsibilities as a
Death Eater but, as Dumbledore is able to see clearly at the end, is not
completely sure of what he is doing—or that he is on the right side. His
“posturing” is even reflected in his costumes—very formal and stark
black, the kind of things that his father might have worn. An emotional
fight scene between Draco and Harry in a Hogwarts bathroom was a 141
highlight for both actors to film. “It was great,” Tom told Blast magazine.
“We did our own stunts; it was a week of being rigged up in a bathroom
filled with explosives.”
When asked about the end of the series, Tom is reflective and notes (above) Storyboard
how many happy memories of his childhood he will be leaving inside sketches by Stephen
Leavesden Studios. He is grateful that his character appears in the Forrest-Smith for
epilogue and is sincerely looking forward to filming it. “It’s all beautifully the scene in Half-
Blood Prince
left to interpretation, isn’t it?” he told the Wall Street Journal of the scene
where Harry
and the speculation that Draco has changed for the better at that point: confronts
“One thing I got from that final scene a sobbing
is that there is a recognition moment Draco.
between Harry and Draco as they put
their kids on the train—and it’s a very
real moment, and very touching.”

Tom Felton origi-

nally auditioned
for the roles of
both Harary and
Ron before being
cast as Draco
Malfoy.
(above) Draco’s cartoon of Harry drawn by
Eolan Power, son of concept artist Dermot
Power. The cartoon appears in Prisoner of
Azkaban.
 The LOVEGOOD HOUSE
&#3' *#0
M e based it on an American press
from 1889,” says Stuart Craig, “but
we added to the original mechanism,
and, with the help of the special effects department, we had the
D"'2-0EF
-4#%--" newsprint on a conveyor belt system—rollers rushing across the
ceiling, up and down the walls, and into the guillotine. The result
was more dynamic and more fun.” As Evanna Lynch remarks,


n the seventh book by J. K. Rowling, “It’s a perfect sort of place where all those crazy stories would
Ron Weasley describes the Lovegood house as be printed.”
looking like “a giant rook,” the castle-shaped Xenophilius also wears a necklace with a symbol that, as he
piece in a chess game. explains to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, represents the Deathly
That became the inspiration for the Lovegood house in Harry Hallows. Describing the character he portrays in the film, Rhys
Potter and the Deathly Hallows. As Stuart Craig explains, says, “He’s kind of jumpy and busy and eccentric, you know. But
“Jo Rowling says very clearly that it’s a black tower. Nothing not mad.”
ambiguous about that; it was quite a precise instruction. What For Jany Temime, Xenophilius’s character was shown in his
we tried to do was to make it as interesting as possible: not clothes. “He has causes, this man,” she says. “He believes in things.
just a cylindrically shaped building, but a tapering, leaning, I wanted all the layers of his costume to express the layers of his
distorted cylinder.” personality. Because he is so isolated and works at home, I wanted
Care was taken in choosing the scenic backdrops for the sets. to make it feel as if he’s in his pajamas all the time. He wears
“The magical houses that are not visible to the rest of the world,” a beautiful antique handwoven coat and a waistcoat made up of
says Stuart Craig, “work very well in desolate landscapes. An pieces of Luna’s childhood embroidery—a puzzle representing
area of moorland near the Yorkshire village of Grassington his daughter worn close to his heart.”
in northern Britain provides the beautiful vistas around the For Evanna Lynch, the look was perfect. “They brought
Lovegood house.” The garden, however, contains Dirigible plums, Rhys to meet me,” she recalls. “He came in his robes, and he
a fruit not usually found in the Yorkshire countryside. had all these funny things on and, for just a few moments, I
Because the building is shaped like a cylindrical tower, forgot myself and felt, ‘Oh, that’s dad!’”
the rooms had no flat wall surfaces. For the kitchen, the set
designers
design took their cue from the book and built a stove, sink,
and ccupboards that were curved to fit the walls.
The Lovegood house features various painted
decorations by Luna inside and outside that were
156 specially designed by the artist and illustrator
Th
Thomasina Smith , inspired by Evanna Lynch’s drawings
an J. K. Rowling’s companion book to the Harry Potter
and
series, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
“The house has been, if you like, lovingly vandalized by Luna,”
says Rhys Ifans, who plays her father, Xenophilius. “She’s got
her drawings right across the house. It just feels like a really
happy place to grow up.”
The main room in the house is Xenophilius’s workspace
where he prints The Quibbler, the eccentric, often controversial,
alternative paper of the wizarding world. This required not only
piles of back issues of The Quibbler, but also a full-sized, working
printing press.

(below left & right) Two views of the Lovegood

house. Sketch by Stuart Craig and illustration
by Adam Brockbank.

The graphic
arts depart-
ment designed
seven differ-
ent covers of
The Quibbler and
printed around five
thousand copies.