HARRY POTTER: FILM WIZARDRY by author Brian Sibley
HARRY POTTER: FILM WIZARDRY, by author Brian Sibley, hits shelves October 19th – just in time for the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 in November. The book is a massive collection of fantastic memorabilia from ten years’ worth of filming, with everyone pitching in down to the producers, the different directors that have each shared their vision and genius to the franchise, the production designer. And of course the three main actors (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson) weigh in with memories of their funniest and worst times on set while filming the roles of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, respectively, in the movies.
The book starts out with forewords from Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, who each share their personal thoughts, experiences and feelings from working on the Harry Potter film franchise for the past decade. They talk about how they relate to the characters they’ve played and how proud they are to have been given the opportunity to be a part of such a magnificent experience, and the journey they’ve shared with their characters while growing up on the film set. Producer David Heyman, who has been there since the beginning and is the one who read the first Harry Potter book and immediately asked his friend at Warner Bros. about making it into a movie, wrote his own introduction to the HARRY POTTER: FILM WIZARDRY book in which he talks about the start of filming the movies and the impact they’ve had on him and on the world.
HARRY POTTER: FILM WIZARDRY continues the journey through the decade-long filming of the Harry Potter film franchise. The book is set up chronologically according to each movie, and includes insights into the characters, sets, scenes, production notes. Also featured are hundreds of behind-the-scenes images, concept art, production photos, movie stills and models, and interviews with cast and crew. Any Potter fan will absolutely fall in love with the details in the films that were never revealed throughout the movies’ releases, included shots of thestrals, Buckbeak, Diagon Alley, Hogwarts and so much more.
The interviews with the cast and crew were amazing. It was so interesting to see how much effort and how much care and intensity they put into bringing their characters to life on the big screen. And not only was this the norm for the main characters, but the actors playing smaller roles placed just as much importance on bringing authenticity to their characters as did the main actors. Any fan in love with Sirius Black and Bellatrix Lestrange will be anxious to read about how Gary Oldman and Helena Bonham Carter immersed themselves into their characters histories to get into their roles and make them feel real and true what J.K. Rowling wrote in the Harry Potter books.
One of the best things about HARRY POTTER: FILM WIZARDRY are the props found throughout the book and how they are presented to the reader. It is virtually impossible to pick a top three since they are all amazing and perfect in their detail, but the ones that really jumped out were the Marauder’s Map, the Quidditch World Cup programme, a Yule Ball programme, a Educational Decree Proclamation issued by Umbridge, and a shopping catalogue from Borgin & Burkes with an image of the Opal Necklace and the words “Price: on request.”
HARRY POTTER: FILM WIZARDRY also has never-before-scenes from Deathly Hallows, including Bill and Fleur's wedding, and Harry and Hermione at Godric's Hollow, the Lovegood’s home - and a sneak peak at concept art and set notes from Deathly Hallows: Part 2 featuring photos from Gringotts and Hogwarts. The book does include all eight of the films in the franchise in this respect, and you will be dying for more Deathly Hallows information at the end – a perfect teaser for the films’ upcoming releases!
It is obvious that the cast and crew really loved what they were doing these past ten years in how much detail and care they put into every aspect of their work at Leavesden Studios in England and on-location during filming. The pages of this book reflect that care and devotion, too, in the amount of attention paid to the detail with which the films were made and the insightful interviews with the cast and crew. You will never be able to go through everything that this book contains in one sitting, and even after looking through it once you will still want to go through the book again and again. It is a definite must have for any Harry Potter fan and belongs right up there with any fans’ collection of Harry Potter books.
We highly recommend HARRY POTTER: FILM WIZARDRY for any passionate Harry Potter fan. It’s a perfect gift for the November release of Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and will also make a great gift for the holiday season!
You can purchase a copy at Amazon.com
Thank you to Harper Collins for sending along a review copy!
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