Last week on Thursday 29 September 2016, my media group joined with the art, business studies and ICT classes to go to the Warner Bros. studio tour of the 'Making of Harry Potter'. It was really enjoyable experience.
Whilst there we were given a talk on marketing and the promotion of films which was very interesting. The speaker explained how they use different methods ranging from newspaper adds to fan events such as film premieres and Comic-Con. It was also very interesting how they appeal to the audience for the film. It was explained to us that the posters for 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1' portrayed different characters so that they appealed to a wider audience. For example, there were posters of different characters like the one to the right of this text of the character Bellatrix Lestrange which would have appealed to the fans of the Death Eaters whereas the poster below would have appealed to all Dobby fans.
Not only did we have a talk on marketing and promotion of the Harry Potter films but we also learnt about the prosthetics and props used during the making of the film. For instance, the prosthetics for Fenrir Greyback - a Death Eater who is a werewolf - were made from squirrel and goat hair. An odd combination! We were also allowed to see the actual costumes worn by the cast during the films. We started by looking at Umbridge's pink dresses which gradually got brighter and pinker as her character gained more power. We also saw the goblin and house-elf prosthetics which were eventually worn by small adults and children, changing their identities completely with facial prosthetics. As well as this we got to see the cloak that Voldemort wears in the final battle scene of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1'. It was very interesting to learn that throughout the films, Voldemort's cloak started as being an extremely dark shade of green but as the films progressed and the horcruxes were destroyed, his cloak got lighter in material. They also designed the material of the cloak to be rough on the edges of the cloak which meant that the material would catch in the wind easier and give it a smokey, weightless look as if it had a life of it's own.
Although I had already been on the tour before, I enjoyed the tour. There were at least three or four new exhibits which were all very interesting such as the scene in the clip below.
In the exhibit, Nagini was shown slithering across the table, about to strike at the woman hanging above the table. It also had the costumes and props of the characters placed on mannequins to create a complete idea of what scene it had come from, making it very effective.
Overall, I found the costume design one of the most interesting parts of the trip. The unique aspects of each character's appearance was heavily emphasised on and I will definitely be considering this for my short film.
Not only did we have a talk on marketing and promotion of the Harry Potter films but we also learnt about the prosthetics and props used during the making of the film. For instance, the prosthetics for Fenrir Greyback - a Death Eater who is a werewolf - were made from squirrel and goat hair. An odd combination! We were also allowed to see the actual costumes worn by the cast during the films. We started by looking at Umbridge's pink dresses which gradually got brighter and pinker as her character gained more power. We also saw the goblin and house-elf prosthetics which were eventually worn by small adults and children, changing their identities completely with facial prosthetics. As well as this we got to see the cloak that Voldemort wears in the final battle scene of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1'. It was very interesting to learn that throughout the films, Voldemort's cloak started as being an extremely dark shade of green but as the films progressed and the horcruxes were destroyed, his cloak got lighter in material. They also designed the material of the cloak to be rough on the edges of the cloak which meant that the material would catch in the wind easier and give it a smokey, weightless look as if it had a life of it's own.
Although I had already been on the tour before, I enjoyed the tour. There were at least three or four new exhibits which were all very interesting such as the scene in the clip below.
In the exhibit, Nagini was shown slithering across the table, about to strike at the woman hanging above the table. It also had the costumes and props of the characters placed on mannequins to create a complete idea of what scene it had come from, making it very effective.
Overall, I found the costume design one of the most interesting parts of the trip. The unique aspects of each character's appearance was heavily emphasised on and I will definitely be considering this for my short film.
