In Part 6 – Magical Effects, witness how movie-magic became real: flying brooms, invisible cloaks, spell-casting, and epic battles rendered by a mix of practical effects and CGI. Explore the visual effects breakthroughs that powered the Harry Potter films. This is for fans in the UK, USA, Australia and the Philippines eager to see how the impossible became possible.
Harry Potter special effects behind scenes, making of Harry Potter part 6, wizarding world VFX, Harry Potter CGI & practical effects
#HarryPotterVFX #BehindTheMagic #MakingOfHarryPotter
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Harry Potter special effects behind scenes, making of Harry Potter part 6, wizarding world VFX, Harry Potter CGI & practical effects
#HarryPotterVFX #BehindTheMagic #MakingOfHarryPotter
Thank you for supporting our channel
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Short filmTranscript
00:00:00Harry is taken into this magical world, and he just sees this place as being amazing.
00:00:11And I like the fact that Harry has a moment in every film, just remembering how cool magic actually is.
00:00:17I love magic.
00:00:19Harry's magical world, it's a dangerous place.
00:00:23The magic is very real. It can hurt you, as well as charm you.
00:00:30We have to be sensing the magical all the time.
00:00:33You just accept that there is a universe in which this kind of stuff happens.
00:00:42There's a lot of magic in the Potter films.
00:00:47We're bringing to life that magic.
00:00:52It's just amazing what they can do.
00:00:56Seeing all that stuff come to life.
00:01:00You can go time lapses, you can bring things to life, you can make people who are dead come back.
00:01:09Or make things levitate.
00:01:11Wingardium Leviosa.
00:01:14Or sneak around under a sheet that makes you invisible.
00:01:18Magic is an infinite possibility.
00:01:21Hurry.
00:01:22Your eyesight really is awful.
00:01:23Every Potter film introduces a new challenge, where you're sort of breaking new territory, and you're doing things that haven't been done before.
00:01:31And we'll spend minutes, hours, days just looking at these effects and scrutinizing them and talking about character, story.
00:01:39Do we believe them? How do we make that better?
00:01:42Can you build this thing? Will the laws of physics defeat you? Can you get it into the set?
00:01:46Just working on it, I get excited, being like, oh, my God, I can't wait to see what this looks like.
00:01:58It really is a case of so many different partners, all coming together to create the most magical effects.
00:02:05One of the great things about the Potter films is we have all these different departments under one roof at Leavesden here.
00:02:28It's always a multi-department task to realize one of these films.
00:02:33So much of what we're doing, particularly on Potter's, all interacts.
00:02:39A lot of the stuff in the practical department is doing the foreground.
00:02:44Visual effects are doing the background and putting the two together.
00:02:48John will design a rig, and then we'll plonk our actors onto the rig, shoot the actors, and then we'll extract that back and put it back into our animation.
00:02:56We'll use the creature effects department to then build us a back for a creature which may be animated, it may not, it may be an animatronic.
00:03:04You know, it's like being in a street somewhere where you're going around to get the sugar or borrow the milk.
00:03:09It's a very, very pleasant working environment because there's always someone who knows how to do something you don't know.
00:03:15All right, so let's hand the set over to specials, please.
00:03:18So there's always somebody to ask for help, and you're always offering help, you know, to someone who comes to you for your skills.
00:03:24Cut! Clear, clear now, clear.
00:03:28Well, if you could wedge the milkiness as well a little bit, that'd be good.
00:03:31Yeah, okay.
00:03:32Because even now, now we're seeing different things.
00:03:34When you direct visual effects, you go in and you just hear this tap, tap, tap, tap of computer keyboards.
00:03:42And it's a bit like a chicken coop. It's kind of like, it's quite dark.
00:03:47Everyone's glued to these screens, and they're working so hard and diligently.
00:03:51So it's very, kind of, it's high-tech, but very quiet and intense.
00:03:57Tim Burke is my visual effects director.
00:04:00He's into story. He's into character.
00:04:03And visual effects are a tool to express those things.
00:04:06To me, visual effects are just one more tool at the disposal of the director
00:04:09to create something that you can't achieve in camera,
00:04:13or to build a set that you can't build,
00:04:15or populate a city that you can't populate for whatever reason it is.
00:04:21But the time-turner is a shot, which would basically be impossible to achieve otherwise.
00:04:26Where you see the two children reverse time,
00:04:30where you actually have a moment where the whole of the environment they're in,
00:04:33including the lighting, changes.
00:04:36It goes from night-time, when the moon goes down,
00:04:42it goes to, sort of, late evening, with the sun coming up.
00:04:45What just happened?
00:04:46All the events that happened in the past three hours happen in reverse,
00:04:50yet, at the same time, the two kids are actually acting in, sort of, if you like, forward time.
00:04:57Hermione!
00:04:57We then follow them on a journey after the time has been taken back to earlier in the evening.
00:05:07And we actually carry the journey on with them out of the set and into the environment outside.
00:05:15There's no way you could even conceive doing that practically.
00:05:18Practical effects is as important as the visual effects department,
00:05:25because there are many things on a day-to-day basis that we do with smoke and wind and people flying.
00:05:32It's not all done with visual effects.
00:05:34Ready? And one, and two, and three, and four.
00:05:38I do the practical effects on the Potter films.
00:05:46That involves anything that you see practically happen on film, on the screen.
00:05:55There are so many magical things that you can do.
00:06:00For instance, when dragons breathe fire, we do the fire.
00:06:05We had radio-controlled chess pieces that were 12 feet high.
00:06:12When the Black Lake turns into ice,
00:06:15we put a freezing unit into the tank and froze the set,
00:06:22so we had six inches of solid ice all over the set.
00:06:26This is the door from the Chamber of Secrets.
00:06:29It was built from scratch.
00:06:31We have a snake which comes out of the back of the door here from the hinge area,
00:06:37and it actually travels all the way around the outside of the door.
00:06:41And as it does so, all of these snakes, which are supposed to be the locks for the door,
00:06:47they all retract.
00:06:50I'm forever trying to talk people into doing it for real.
00:06:54The letters in Privet Drive, I can remember having a conversation with Chris.
00:07:01I said, oh, well, you know, we can do that, and fill the room with letters.
00:07:04And he looked at me, and I was slightly loopy.
00:07:09So I thought that'd be CGI, and I said, no, you know, we can do it.
00:07:13We built all these devices that would throw envelopes out at a very rapid but controlled speed
00:07:22and built them into the top of the set all the way around.
00:07:27And I remember seeing the first, when he showed me the first test,
00:07:30David and I looked at each other like, wow, he actually did it.
00:07:34John actually pulled this off.
00:07:36There's not a visual effect in that sequence.
00:07:39Those are all real letters flying around the room.
00:07:41But it gave you a real sense of practical magic.
00:07:51So the magic comes from all sides, visual effects, physical effects.
00:07:55What really makes it magical is when all those skills come together
00:07:58to create a piece of amazing magic.
00:08:01The battle between Dumbledore and Voldemort in the atrium.
00:08:05That really brought both disciplines of visual effects and special effects together.
00:08:10Because there's a lot of practical effects to make that environment alive.
00:08:15And then there's a lot of visual effects on top of that to extend the environment
00:08:19and add things that couldn't be done practically.
00:08:21For instance, generating the fire serpent.
00:08:23We've used a lot of interactive light on the set.
00:08:28We've used a red light on Harry here so that you can really feel that heat from the fire serpent
00:08:33is actually hitting him.
00:08:35And then we've used a combination of practical fire and CG fire to create the serpent.
00:08:40We created a moving, spinning, splashing six-foot ball of water
00:08:47for the visual effects department to use as elements
00:08:51to build up the ball of water that Voldemort is trapped inside.
00:08:57To shoot the scenes of Voldemort trapped in the water,
00:08:59one of the things they did was set up a rig for Ralph Fiennes to sit on
00:09:02up on the top of a large pole with a little seat.
00:09:06Like a tractor seat with belts holding me in
00:09:08so I could lean back, lean forward, you know, and feel safe.
00:09:13And David wanted to see the effects of the spells
00:09:17that they were casting back and forth, damaging the atrium.
00:09:20So we built rigs in to blow out large sections of the set.
00:09:25And we wanted to blow them up with the actors in the set
00:09:30or with stunt people in the set.
00:09:32So you can see all of these practical explosions
00:09:36showering around Dan with the slates coming off
00:09:38and he's really sitting in the middle of that
00:09:39so he's reacting to every single explosion.
00:09:42It's real and we're connecting the visual effects side of it
00:09:45to those explosions so that you think,
00:09:46wow, that's all coming from this big spell.
00:09:48Then the final culmination, the use of real sand
00:09:56as the glass turns to sand, being blasted onto Michael Gambon,
00:10:00who didn't appreciate it, but it looks real because it is real.
00:10:03So a combination of using visual and special effects
00:10:06to really tell a very exciting story.
00:10:14It's back.
00:10:15A lot of films about magic try and break the rules of physics
00:10:23and the rules of science
00:10:25and Harry Potter bends the universe, I think,
00:10:27a little bit more subtly than most films do.
00:10:31It's kind of hinged on certain principles
00:10:33and I think that helps to suspend the audience's disbelief.
00:10:41It makes it feel plausible in some way.
00:10:44Ordinary, Wizarding, Level, Examinations.
00:10:49O, W, Ls.
00:10:52I think it's the practicality of it.
00:10:53It's the fact that it's every day
00:10:55and you just need to learn how to do these things
00:10:56and that's obvious and clear and let's get on with this.
00:10:59It's like learning how to do the housework,
00:11:01which I think is tremendously interesting and very funny.
00:11:04Turn to page 394.
00:11:08You know, everyone's going,
00:11:09Oh, my wand's gone.
00:11:11And then they might as well be talking about a cooker or a washing machine.
00:11:15So there is a need to temper the magic with reality
00:11:28and, in fact, reality is often our starting point for creating the visual effects.
00:11:32Everything we build is fake.
00:11:33So if you can create a false reality that people buy into in your work, it works.
00:11:44Because even though it's magical, it still has to have real physicality
00:11:48and gravity has to affect things.
00:11:50Things have to move in a certain way.
00:11:52One of the really difficult things, and it happens a few times in the book,
00:11:56is when big chunks of masonry move.
00:12:00But if it is conceivable at all, then how would those bricks move?
00:12:06I'm thinking of that hole in the wall into Diagon Alley particularly.
00:12:11We did literally follow the progress of each brick
00:12:16as it moved both sideways and backwards,
00:12:19not just in two dimensions but in three dimensions.
00:12:21And there was a logic to it.
00:12:24In the vein of trying to keep things real,
00:12:27I try and look for inspiration from the organic world,
00:12:30the real world, wherever I can.
00:12:32I spend a lot of time looking at jellyfish
00:12:34and the amazing structures within a jellyfish.
00:12:37They emit a light.
00:12:39The translucency and transparency,
00:12:41if you can look at that and interpret that into a wand effect or something like that.
00:12:45For something like the stinging jinx,
00:12:47which is basically a disfiguring, swollen effect on the face,
00:12:51we looked at reference of all sorts of diseases like mumps,
00:12:54different things like that.
00:12:55And the ability to photograph that real thing is priceless.
00:13:00As far as building the fireworks sequence,
00:13:02John Richardson and the special effects team
00:13:04gave us a whole bunch of early fireworks reference.
00:13:08John said if he pretty much cleaned out his closet
00:13:10of whatever old fireworks he had,
00:13:12he would light the fuse and couldn't say what would happen
00:13:16other than as long as you stand about 20 feet back,
00:13:18it should be fine.
00:13:19And so we just rolled cameras on everything he could throw at us.
00:13:24So from those reference shoots,
00:13:26we built up an understanding of the little intricacies
00:13:29of real fireworks and pyrotechnics
00:13:31and the way they smoke and the way they flash.
00:13:36It's all about attention to detail.
00:13:39They're all things that the audience hopefully will recognize
00:13:45from their own experience in the real world.
00:13:48Because then that allows the audience
00:13:50to become emotionally invested
00:13:51in what they're actually looking at.
00:13:52Could you tell me how to...
00:14:11How to get onto the platform?
00:14:14It's not to worry.
00:14:15Now all you've got to do
00:14:17is walk straight at the wall
00:14:19between platforms 9 and 10.
00:14:21best do it in a bit of a run
00:14:23if you're nervous.
00:14:24And remember, Dan,
00:14:26keep your head up set in action.
00:14:44Hogwarts is a huge castle
00:14:46which is surrounded by a black lake
00:14:50filled with squids,
00:14:52giant squids
00:14:53and lots of other deadly things.
00:14:56There are thousands of staircase portraits
00:14:58that speak to you.
00:15:00Amazing!
00:15:01Lots of passageways intertwined.
00:15:03It's just like a really magical place.
00:15:09The whole castle's about magic
00:15:11so that if you're talking about a sequence
00:15:13in the girls' bathroom
00:15:14and moaning myrtles there,
00:15:15well, it wasn't just that it was going to be
00:15:17moaning myrtles the ghost
00:15:18is that the stained glass window
00:15:20is going to be moving as well.
00:15:25We're always looking for those opportunities.
00:15:28I mean, we're oftentimes presented with
00:15:30how do we create or bring the magic
00:15:32even before we get to Hogwarts.
00:15:36Welcome home.
00:15:38Each of the films
00:15:39has sort of done it in their own way.
00:15:40On the first film,
00:15:44when we were in the boats
00:15:45on the Black Lake,
00:15:47we literally sat in these boats.
00:15:49Underneath we had the cables
00:15:50going under the lake
00:15:51and it was actually a little
00:15:52sort of reservoir built in the studio.
00:15:56And as far as we were concerned,
00:15:57certainly just sitting on these boats
00:15:58and just drifting across the river
00:16:00effortlessly, which was fantastic.
00:16:03The third one,
00:16:05the carriage is being pulled
00:16:06by the invisible horses.
00:16:08There's just so much
00:16:11of that kind of stuff
00:16:12and you want to explore it.
00:16:14As somebody who's watching the films,
00:16:16you want to explore that place.
00:16:28We built a moving staircase
00:16:30in the first one
00:16:31that had the actors walking up it
00:16:33as it was swinging around.
00:16:34It had to be seen
00:16:37to close off one walkway
00:16:39as it moved into another
00:16:41and the banister rails
00:16:42had to all move.
00:16:45For us,
00:16:46it was a relatively
00:16:47simple mechanical rig,
00:16:48but when it all goes together,
00:16:50it does start to look
00:16:51like the magical world it is,
00:16:52I suppose.
00:16:57It isn't done in special effects.
00:16:59The stairs are on
00:17:00the sort of wheel system,
00:17:01so you do actually literally move.
00:17:02What happened then?
00:17:04Well, it hasn't quite
00:17:05clicked in, had it?
00:17:06Hasn't it?
00:17:07No, we jumped over heroically.
00:17:10I remember being quite
00:17:11taken aback
00:17:12when it suddenly started to move,
00:17:13but I guess you weirdly
00:17:14get used to it.
00:17:15Heroic deeds come naturally to me.
00:17:19Harry, are you sure?
00:17:20I saw it.
00:17:21It's just like with Mr. Weasley.
00:17:23It's the same door
00:17:24I've been dreaming about for months,
00:17:25and I couldn't remember
00:17:25where I'd seen it before.
00:17:27Guys, you can relax a second.
00:17:28After you, Emma.
00:17:29I can't relax until you're relaxing.
00:17:31No, please, ask me.
00:17:32Oh, all right, okay.
00:17:35Yes, sir.
00:17:36The moving portraits
00:17:37at Hogwarts
00:17:38is, I think,
00:17:39a really well-established,
00:17:40charming piece of magic.
00:17:44Someone's job
00:17:45in the art department
00:17:46to come up with
00:17:47the concepts
00:17:48for each of the portraits,
00:17:49and then the person
00:17:50will get cast
00:17:51or the people
00:17:51will get cast
00:17:52or sometimes
00:17:53members of the crew.
00:17:54I think there's
00:17:55David Heyman
00:17:56and the producers
00:17:57in one portrait.
00:18:00It's a reasonably
00:18:01simple effect.
00:18:04We shoot
00:18:05a background element,
00:18:06which is a flat painted element,
00:18:07practically painted,
00:18:09and we shoot that
00:18:10like a background plate.
00:18:11Then we shoot
00:18:12the character
00:18:13against a blue screen,
00:18:15composite them together,
00:18:16and then we add
00:18:17a portrait texture.
00:18:19You get that
00:18:19sort of reflection
00:18:20and crackling
00:18:21that you get
00:18:22on old oil paintings.
00:18:26We could not have
00:18:27just one or two
00:18:28portraits moving.
00:18:29No, wait!
00:18:30Everything had to be moving.
00:18:32And that was kind of
00:18:33complicated because
00:18:34you have to do
00:18:35each portrait separately,
00:18:36and then you have
00:18:36to plan the choreographies
00:18:38of how you go
00:18:38when you move characters
00:18:39from one to the next.
00:18:42We are developing
00:18:43some new portrait moments
00:18:45for Harry Potter 7.
00:18:47I think that's charming,
00:18:48really,
00:18:49that you can have
00:18:50these things
00:18:50that are just still
00:18:51there.
00:18:52And there's something,
00:18:53I think,
00:18:53reassuring about that.
00:18:56That's the thing
00:18:56about Hogwarts magic
00:18:58is that it's a continuity.
00:19:01It's an accumulation
00:19:02of magic.
00:19:03It's not real,
00:19:04the ceiling.
00:19:05It's just bewitched
00:19:06to look like the night sky.
00:19:08I read about it
00:19:09in Hogwarts,
00:19:10a history.
00:19:11We would do
00:19:12certain effects
00:19:13on a film,
00:19:14and maybe on the next film
00:19:15we would change them up
00:19:16a little bit.
00:19:16The candles
00:19:17in the Great Hall,
00:19:18we changed
00:19:19the pattern
00:19:20of the candles,
00:19:21and we added
00:19:22dripping wax,
00:19:23just something
00:19:24to make it
00:19:24a little bit
00:19:25more textural.
00:19:26The running joke
00:19:27for us on Potter
00:19:29was that
00:19:30that castle
00:19:31changed every movie.
00:19:34It had to do
00:19:35one thing
00:19:35for one movie,
00:19:36or something was added
00:19:38for the next movie.
00:19:41So we've done
00:19:42our best
00:19:43through all the movies
00:19:44to sort of
00:19:44not keep you
00:19:45in this one
00:19:46little space
00:19:47of the castle.
00:19:48well, the beauty
00:20:11of Harry Potter
00:20:12is that there's
00:20:12this whole universe
00:20:13that you're able to create.
00:20:15J.K. Rowling's books
00:20:16and all of these films
00:20:17have these beautiful,
00:20:18fantastic,
00:20:19and hugely creative
00:20:20visions
00:20:21that you conjure up
00:20:23when you read the books
00:20:24and when you watch the films.
00:20:26Salveo, Hexio.
00:20:27But the beauty
00:20:28of Harry Potter
00:20:28is that we get
00:20:29to actually make that.
00:20:30I mean, there's so many
00:20:36bits and pieces
00:20:37that we do
00:20:38in the creation
00:20:38of environments.
00:20:41We shoot
00:20:42various scenes
00:20:43actually here,
00:20:44at Leavesden Studios
00:20:45on the back lot.
00:20:47We use blue screens
00:20:48and green screens.
00:20:51We use bits of set,
00:20:53and then we use
00:20:54a lot of plates
00:20:55of Scotland
00:20:55or other locations
00:20:57like the burrows,
00:20:58and we use that
00:20:58to put that in
00:20:59to create the world
00:21:00as if the actors
00:21:01were in Scotland.
00:21:02You will have a space
00:21:04that is surrounded
00:21:05by green.
00:21:06That space is the size
00:21:07of a football pitch,
00:21:09and the stuff
00:21:10that's put on afterwards
00:21:11is wrapped around you.
00:21:14When you see Harry
00:21:16walking through
00:21:16the Scottish hillside
00:21:17in the snow,
00:21:19it's one single shot
00:21:20with a lot of different layers,
00:21:22so it was very complex.
00:21:23We had to build the snow,
00:21:25we had to create
00:21:26all the environments
00:21:27and piece them together.
00:21:29Piece that miniature model
00:21:30with that blue screen element
00:21:31and blend it seamlessly
00:21:32so you actually believe
00:21:34that it exists.
00:21:37The Quidditch World Cup
00:21:38is a classic example
00:21:39of elaborating,
00:21:41expanding on a set.
00:21:43We could build
00:21:44only so many tiers
00:21:46of the stands,
00:21:48and yet this thing
00:21:49had to be bigger
00:21:49than any stadium around.
00:21:52Well, even the tent city
00:21:54that leads up to it,
00:21:55you know,
00:21:56that was all just backlot.
00:21:58Welcome to the
00:21:59Quidditch World Cup!
00:22:00The set extensions
00:22:01are a huge part
00:22:02of our work.
00:22:04I think you get outside more,
00:22:05you get to see bigger vistas,
00:22:07and I think that opens it out
00:22:09for the filmmakers.
00:22:10And, you know,
00:22:11Harry Potter's a big world,
00:22:13and so you want
00:22:13the environments
00:22:14to reflect that.
00:22:16Go on,
00:22:16snap it, mates,
00:22:17don't be shy!
00:22:17Three heads!
00:22:18One lady!
00:22:19All go down!
00:22:19Let the four come up!
00:22:21Don't be so mean!
00:22:22Don't be shy!
00:22:23Don't be shy!
00:22:24Don't be shy!
00:22:25Don't be shy!
00:22:26Don't be shy!
00:22:27Don't be shy!
00:22:28Don't be shy!
00:22:29In the underwater sequence,
00:22:30we had to create for that
00:22:31not only an underwater environment,
00:22:33but it had to be
00:22:34a magical underwater environment.
00:22:35We began first
00:22:41with the thought
00:22:42that we might do it
00:22:43what's called dry for wet,
00:22:45where you take an actor,
00:22:47you blow wind on them
00:22:49to give the sense of movement.
00:22:50The problem with that for us
00:22:52was that the hair
00:22:53would never move
00:22:53and undulate
00:22:55at the right speed.
00:22:56It never really felt
00:22:57like you were going to believe
00:22:58that you were underwater.
00:23:00So it then became clear to us
00:23:01that we were going to have
00:23:01to shoot this
00:23:02underwater in some form or other.
00:23:06And we had to build a tank.
00:23:10We dug out the huge pit
00:23:12in D stage,
00:23:13which was designed by John
00:23:15and completely sort of
00:23:16fitted out under his supervision.
00:23:18We all thought he was a bit mad.
00:23:19Actually, it was a far too big a hole.
00:23:21Where we started,
00:23:22it was just enormous.
00:23:23I thought we were digging
00:23:23the whole studio up.
00:23:25But he was right.
00:23:26Actually, in the end,
00:23:27it was the perfect size.
00:23:29Three, two, one, go.
00:23:34The blue screen underwater tank
00:23:36was used essentially
00:23:37to allow us to key Dan
00:23:39off the background.
00:23:41We used backlit blue screen material
00:23:43in this instance,
00:23:44where we basically created
00:23:45a three-walled tank
00:23:47with a viewing window
00:23:48at one side
00:23:49so that there were no lights
00:23:50in any of the shots.
00:23:51And the screen itself
00:23:52was perfectly evenly lit
00:23:54from behind,
00:23:55which helps us massively
00:23:56in the actual keying
00:23:57and getting a decent mat
00:23:59and good edges.
00:24:00Again, it's all part
00:24:01of the technical side
00:24:02of then putting him
00:24:03into the other world.
00:24:05The sequence itself, you know,
00:24:06offered lots of different challenges.
00:24:08There were so many different
00:24:09aspects of the sequence.
00:24:10It was weeks and weeks
00:24:12of shooting.
00:24:12Go for it.
00:24:13I'll rehearse one.
00:24:14Go for it.
00:24:15It's not man.
00:24:16We had to train Dan Radcliffe
00:24:18to swim underwater
00:24:20and Dan had to perform
00:24:22while holding his breath,
00:24:24effectively.
00:24:25Breather out.
00:24:27The bubble's clear.
00:24:29And action.
00:24:31So he would perform
00:24:32for 10 seconds, 15 seconds.
00:24:34And looking down, Dan.
00:24:37Air it.
00:24:38Air it.
00:24:39And then one of the divers
00:24:40would swim over with the oxygen.
00:24:42He'd breathe.
00:24:43And then he would
00:24:45do the next take.
00:24:46Very good, Dan.
00:24:47The main thing that really
00:24:49sort of was a bit frustrating
00:24:51was the fact that communication
00:24:53is obviously quite difficult.
00:24:54There are certain signals
00:24:56like this.
00:24:56This confused me
00:24:57because this means
00:24:58quick, I'm drowning,
00:25:00get me up to the surface.
00:25:01Whereas to me,
00:25:02that means, hey, I'm fine.
00:25:03It does take a while
00:25:04to get used to it.
00:25:05We built an underwater habitat
00:25:07so that the actors
00:25:08didn't have to come up
00:25:10to the surface
00:25:10in between takes.
00:25:12Guys, just take a 15-minute break
00:25:14for the minute.
00:25:14Drink some water.
00:25:16Okay, can we stay down there, yeah?
00:25:17Stay down there for a minute.
00:25:18He had a loudspeaker
00:25:19and camera system
00:25:20to give them contact
00:25:22with the surface
00:25:22so they could talk
00:25:23to the director
00:25:24and get instructions
00:25:25for the next shot.
00:25:27Hands up!
00:25:28So it was hugely challenging
00:25:30from a physical
00:25:31and practical standpoint.
00:25:33Dan, thank you very much
00:25:34for a good week.
00:25:35There's Dan outwards, please.
00:25:37Quit that one as well.
00:25:38Thank you very much, Dan.
00:25:42And then,
00:25:43with the aid of digital effects,
00:25:45we had to create
00:25:45the environment
00:25:46and create the creatures.
00:25:48It's virtually,
00:25:56completely computer-generated,
00:25:58apart from Harry himself.
00:26:01The scale of things
00:26:02had to be beyond
00:26:03what was real.
00:26:05There was very complicated
00:26:06rocks and cliffs.
00:26:09The water was filled
00:26:10with particulate
00:26:11floating around.
00:26:12Everything was covered
00:26:13in lots of different
00:26:14types of seaweed,
00:26:15all of which was moving
00:26:16in every single shot.
00:26:18We had to make it
00:26:20feel underwater.
00:26:21We had to make it feel
00:26:22murky and dank and deep.
00:26:26But at the same time,
00:26:27sometimes we needed
00:26:28to be able to see
00:26:28hundreds of metres
00:26:30into the distance
00:26:30to get some beautiful,
00:26:32wide landscapes.
00:26:34At one stage,
00:26:35we changed the look
00:26:36of everything completely
00:26:36and started again
00:26:37from scratch
00:26:38because it looked fantastic
00:26:40at that stage,
00:26:41but it didn't look
00:26:42scary enough.
00:26:43So the whole sequence
00:26:45took about 18 months,
00:26:46right from the first
00:26:47imaginings of the
00:26:48of how to make it work
00:26:50to the final delivery
00:26:51of the last shot.
00:26:53So it was a lot
00:26:54of fabrication,
00:26:55a lot of imagination
00:26:56while shooting it.
00:26:59A real challenge,
00:27:01but an awful lot of fun.
00:27:07Here we go.
00:27:08Shooting and action.
00:27:10Mind your head.
00:27:11Why the long faces?
00:27:18Why the long faces?
00:27:22If we are something
00:27:23like this.
00:27:25I think there's great
00:27:26scope for creativity
00:27:27on Harry Potter.
00:27:28And action!
00:27:31This?
00:27:32And if it's the right thing
00:27:46to do,
00:27:47and even though
00:27:47it's technically challenging,
00:27:49then we'll try and do it.
00:27:52I'm playing a character
00:27:53called Aunt Marge.
00:27:54She blows up like a balloon
00:27:56and floats away.
00:27:58And it's a lot easier
00:27:59to say that
00:28:00than it is to do it.
00:28:02The biggest makeup effects
00:28:03thing we had on Azkaban
00:28:04was Aunt Marge.
00:28:07Poor Pam Ferris.
00:28:08She went through
00:28:09inflating suits
00:28:10of different sizes.
00:28:12She's in a prosthetic makeup
00:28:13where we just inflated
00:28:14around her neck.
00:28:16Then she's in a body suit
00:28:17where you're actually
00:28:18inflating everywhere.
00:28:19The blowing up happens
00:28:21with what they call
00:28:22bladders.
00:28:24And at my biggest
00:28:25I'm about four foot six
00:28:26across.
00:28:28The whole process
00:28:29of getting into that
00:28:30takes about five hours.
00:28:32I have a leaning post
00:28:33that I can lean on
00:28:34when the weight
00:28:36of the costume,
00:28:36which is about 50 pounds
00:28:37on your shoulders,
00:28:39is heavy.
00:28:41It's a strange business
00:28:42is all I can say.
00:28:44One of the weirdest,
00:28:45weirdest things
00:28:46I've ever done in my life.
00:28:48It was hysterically funny
00:28:49and all done practically.
00:28:50We shot it in about
00:28:51a week and a half,
00:28:52I think,
00:28:52but it was months
00:28:53of preparation.
00:28:55Generally,
00:28:55when we come to shoot
00:28:56Potter films,
00:28:57the more we've talked
00:28:57about it,
00:28:58the more we've pre-planned,
00:28:59the more effective
00:29:00we are at being able
00:29:01to film it correctly.
00:29:04You take something
00:29:05like Quidditch,
00:29:07and if you haven't
00:29:07figured that out
00:29:08before you get on stage
00:29:10and you start rolling
00:29:11the cameras,
00:29:12then you're in trouble.
00:29:14The process starts
00:29:16when we pre-vis storyboards.
00:29:17Once the director
00:29:18has designed the sequence
00:29:19with the storyboard artist,
00:29:20we take those storyboards
00:29:23and we do a 3D animatic
00:29:25interpretation of the storyboards,
00:29:26which we call
00:29:27a pre-visualization.
00:29:29There's an awful lot
00:29:30of information
00:29:30that you need to go
00:29:31onto the set
00:29:32armed with,
00:29:33and we find
00:29:33using this technique
00:29:34of producing an animation
00:29:36in advance
00:29:37informs everybody
00:29:38from the director
00:29:39to the cameraman
00:29:39to the actors themselves.
00:29:41It's just a very good tool
00:29:43for exploring the space
00:29:46before we actually
00:29:48go and shoot it.
00:29:49You can see the snake
00:29:50and Harry coming
00:29:51out of the wall.
00:29:54Here you can see
00:29:54all the controls
00:29:55for animating the snake,
00:29:56and just take her,
00:29:57animate her around.
00:29:59We animate the camera
00:29:59like any other camera
00:30:01you would do,
00:30:03different lenses.
00:30:04and we ended
00:30:06shooting some of these
00:30:07in the real set.
00:30:11Oh, yeah, that was great.
00:30:13My camera up.
00:30:14You need a bit more.
00:30:15I just need to get a plate
00:30:17without the fallen toys in
00:30:19and set up
00:30:20for the first show
00:30:20of the morning.
00:30:21And when you lean in,
00:30:25try and bring your hand
00:30:26as close to that
00:30:27as possible.
00:30:27That's it.
00:30:28Right, so it goes in.
00:30:28Fabi, right.
00:30:31We don't adhere
00:30:32strictly to the previews.
00:30:34We'll adapt
00:30:35and work
00:30:35when we're actually
00:30:36in the filming stage.
00:30:38Yes.
00:30:40Can you go faster?
00:30:41Yeah.
00:30:41It's magic.
00:30:42It's magic.
00:30:43You've got to be flexible.
00:30:44You've got to be able
00:30:45to change.
00:30:45You've got to be able
00:30:45to move with it.
00:30:46All we do is
00:30:47we shoot it like this
00:30:47and then we'll
00:30:48completely change it.
00:30:49A lot of the time
00:30:51we will have done
00:30:52all that planning
00:30:53and we'll get to set
00:30:54and something really
00:30:55exciting will happen
00:30:55with the actors
00:30:56or the walkthrough.
00:30:58Adio, definitely.
00:31:00There we go.
00:31:00That's great.
00:31:01And we think
00:31:01it'll probably be
00:31:02visual effects
00:31:02ultimately.
00:31:03We'll take the wires
00:31:03and everything away.
00:31:04But it was really.
00:31:05We'll be so interested
00:31:06to see how all these
00:31:07bag tricks come out.
00:31:08And we'll just go off
00:31:09at a completely
00:31:10different tangent
00:31:11and we'll all be going
00:31:12OK.
00:31:13Let's run to catch up
00:31:14and that's fine.
00:31:15Head that way.
00:31:16I've just been told
00:31:17to head this way.
00:31:18Oh, did you?
00:31:18Is that all right?
00:31:19It might be.
00:31:20More interesting.
00:31:21Oh, brilliant.
00:31:23Turning everything
00:31:24upside down.
00:31:25Perfect.
00:31:26Good plan.
00:31:27Yeah, good idea.
00:31:28OK, go for it.
00:31:29Yeah, let's see.
00:31:30All right.
00:31:31There's something in there
00:31:32that might be a good idea
00:31:34and you want to be able
00:31:35to explore it.
00:31:36So there's always that
00:31:37room to experiment
00:31:38and change things
00:31:39around a little bit.
00:31:40It's about finding solutions.
00:31:42OK, here we go.
00:31:43And action.
00:31:45We were here on Friday night
00:31:48shooting Harry on patrol,
00:31:50taking watch by a fire
00:31:52and he then sees a doe Patronus
00:31:54coming through the woods
00:31:55towards us.
00:31:56Because Patronus shines
00:31:57with its own light,
00:31:59in order to get moving light
00:32:01on the foliage
00:32:02and the trees around,
00:32:04animals fried dust
00:32:05with the dog
00:32:05and we then made a suit
00:32:07out of LEDs
00:32:08and batteries
00:32:09that went on its back
00:32:09which could cast light
00:32:11in all directions around it
00:32:12as it moved
00:32:12in its own pool of light.
00:32:15We call this glow beast.
00:32:17Let's see, glow beast
00:32:18out and his mark.
00:32:19We'll do that again, please.
00:32:22It looks silly
00:32:23when you shoot it
00:32:25and there's tons
00:32:26of that stuff
00:32:27where you might look silly
00:32:28in the process
00:32:29but it gets the job done.
00:32:32And in fact,
00:32:33when we sit in meetings
00:32:34and we go round and round
00:32:36and round in circles
00:32:37and talk about something,
00:32:38eventually we might
00:32:39work our way back
00:32:40to the book
00:32:41because you just go,
00:32:42well, what was in the book?
00:32:44Oh, that was,
00:32:45actually, that's a really good idea.
00:32:47Why don't we just do that?
00:32:49Messers, Mooney, Wormtail,
00:32:51Padfoot and Prongs,
00:32:52purveyors of AIDS
00:32:53to magical mischief makers
00:32:55are proud to present
00:32:56The Marauder's Map.
00:32:57We always try
00:32:59and follow the description
00:33:00in the book.
00:33:00I solemnly swear
00:33:02that I am up to no good.
00:33:04Where there is description,
00:33:05we will take it
00:33:05and there's always
00:33:07plenty of room
00:33:08to then build on it.
00:33:09When we started
00:33:10to think about
00:33:11The Marauder's Map,
00:33:12that was from
00:33:13the idea that
00:33:14the four characters
00:33:15who had created this
00:33:16were mischievous
00:33:17but in a kind of
00:33:18creative way
00:33:19and that they wanted
00:33:20to just make things
00:33:21as complicated as possible
00:33:22and crazy as possible
00:33:24so I decided
00:33:25to do that for myself
00:33:26and make it as complicated
00:33:27as possible.
00:33:28Physically,
00:33:29that was what I set myself up
00:33:30to do was to try
00:33:31and have something
00:33:32that felt that you could
00:33:32unfold it at any point
00:33:34and there would always
00:33:34be another bit
00:33:35that you could discover
00:33:36and then in terms
00:33:37of the actual design
00:33:38there are no lines
00:33:39on it.
00:33:39It's all created
00:33:40with words.
00:33:41Mischief managed.
00:33:45We did have Paul Keith
00:33:47who's a magician
00:33:48come and work out a rig.
00:33:49And so he came in
00:33:50and showed us
00:33:51how we could do
00:33:52all of these actual tricks
00:33:53on set
00:33:53and one of which
00:33:54was with tiny, tiny threads
00:33:56that had to be pulled
00:33:57in a certain order
00:33:57in a certain way.
00:33:59Mischief managed.
00:33:59And the order's map
00:34:02that opened on its own.
00:34:03I always remember
00:34:04being really, really
00:34:05impressed by that.
00:34:09Sirius.
00:34:10But different parts
00:34:11of the book
00:34:12as descriptive as they are
00:34:13there are parts
00:34:14that just are
00:34:15a little bit more ambiguous.
00:34:16They're hard to imagine
00:34:18what they are.
00:34:19Did you or did you not
00:34:20put your name
00:34:20into the Goblet of Fire?
00:34:22No.
00:34:23As it's written
00:34:24when Sirius appears
00:34:25in the fireplace
00:34:26he's described
00:34:27as being made out
00:34:27of burning embers
00:34:28and coming alive
00:34:29which is a fantastic image
00:34:31and one that
00:34:31quite a lot of people
00:34:32can probably just
00:34:32conjure up immediately.
00:34:35But we've spent
00:34:37an awful lot of time
00:34:38trying to make
00:34:38that image work.
00:34:40It's a lot harder
00:34:41than you think
00:34:42because you need
00:34:42to actually see
00:34:43pronunciation of the words.
00:34:45We really wanted
00:34:45to see that it was
00:34:46Sirius' face
00:34:47and that it was
00:34:47Gary Oldman
00:34:48giving that performance.
00:34:49And we spent
00:34:51months and months
00:34:52experimenting
00:34:52with different ways
00:34:53of actually making
00:34:55that not look cartoony.
00:34:57What we really wanted
00:34:57to do was make
00:34:58realistic,
00:34:59photographic-looking
00:35:00embers talk.
00:35:02And we took this idea
00:35:03that by putting air
00:35:04on them
00:35:04they glow
00:35:05and therefore
00:35:05we can use that
00:35:06to accentuate words
00:35:07and that it'll go
00:35:08hotter and colder
00:35:09depending on what he's saying.
00:35:11I haven't a clue
00:35:11of what your name
00:35:12in that goblet,
00:35:13Harry,
00:35:13but whoever did
00:35:14is no friend
00:35:14to you.
00:35:15People die
00:35:16in this tournament.
00:35:18It had this sort of
00:35:19plasticky,
00:35:20cartoony quality
00:35:21to it.
00:35:22On Order of the Phoenix,
00:35:23we wanted to improve it.
00:35:25It's a simpler effect.
00:35:26You can see
00:35:27Gary Oldman,
00:35:27you can see it's him
00:35:28and you can hear
00:35:29what he's saying
00:35:29and see him
00:35:30pronounce the words.
00:35:31What does he think?
00:35:31We're forming
00:35:32some sort of
00:35:32wizard army?
00:35:33That's exactly
00:35:34what he thinks.
00:35:35But Dumbledore
00:35:36was assembling
00:35:36his own forces
00:35:37to take on
00:35:38the Ministry.
00:35:39And ultimately
00:35:40it was probably
00:35:41more successful
00:35:41in the storytelling.
00:35:42Yes!
00:35:48The magic is hugely
00:35:50important and really
00:35:51entertaining,
00:35:52but we've tried constantly
00:35:53not to let the visual
00:35:56effects overshadow
00:35:57the story.
00:35:58They should be there
00:35:59to serve the story.
00:36:00Basically, the frame
00:36:01is filled with birds.
00:36:03We have a lot of
00:36:03discussions with the
00:36:05director and with
00:36:06the editors and the
00:36:06producers in order to
00:36:08make sure that we're
00:36:08hitting certain beats
00:36:09of the story that
00:36:10they want to be told.
00:36:12The flight to
00:36:13Thames sequence,
00:36:16David was very keen
00:36:17to have a sort of
00:36:17protective formation
00:36:19design of the
00:36:19characters around
00:36:21Harry.
00:36:25And there's a little
00:36:26story of interaction
00:36:27between him and Tonks
00:36:28on the river.
00:36:30There were three beats.
00:36:31It was protection,
00:36:33enjoyment between
00:36:34Tonks and Harry,
00:36:35and then a little bit
00:36:36of a swerve,
00:36:37a little bit of a
00:36:38danger moment.
00:36:40The graveyard sequence
00:36:42in Goblet of Fire,
00:36:43it's a big visual
00:36:44effects sequence,
00:36:45but it's typical of
00:36:46a lot of the visual
00:36:47effects sequences.
00:36:48If you're doing it
00:36:50right, you're doing it
00:36:50because it's a
00:36:51contribution to the
00:36:52story.
00:36:53It has its own story,
00:36:54you could find.
00:36:55You know, someone
00:36:55seems to get the
00:36:56better of it, bang,
00:36:57bang, and then
00:36:58suddenly someone
00:36:58recovers and lands a
00:37:00massive punch.
00:37:02Expo!
00:37:02Harry's color would push
00:37:06on Voldemort's color,
00:37:07and then Voldemort
00:37:08would push back.
00:37:09You could tell which
00:37:10person had the upper
00:37:11hand when the hot spot
00:37:13of the wand was getting
00:37:14closer to the other
00:37:15characters.
00:37:16So there's a change
00:37:17in the mood of the
00:37:19visual effects that
00:37:20reflects what's going
00:37:21on with the story.
00:37:22He's mine to finish!
00:37:24I think that's always
00:37:25first and foremost with
00:37:26the work on the Harry
00:37:28Potter films.
00:37:29He's mine!
00:37:42I think the magic in
00:37:43Harry Potter, what makes
00:37:45the magic intoxicating is
00:37:46that that magic is very
00:37:48grounded in real
00:37:48characters.
00:37:53Look at the Weasleys
00:37:55and you look at their
00:37:56sense of mischief and fun,
00:37:57and that's most certainly
00:37:58expressed in their magic.
00:38:01Into the culture and
00:38:02handsome!
00:38:03And then Boggerts.
00:38:03Boggerts, it's the
00:38:05physical expression of
00:38:06each individual's deepest
00:38:08fear.
00:38:08Ridiculous!
00:38:09So that is obviously a
00:38:10very personal thing.
00:38:12I think that clearly
00:38:13with Patroni, it's very
00:38:15much a reflection of
00:38:17character.
00:38:20Fantastic, Ginny!
00:38:23When you form a full
00:38:25Patronus, a fully formed
00:38:26Patronus, it takes
00:38:27a unique, personal form
00:38:29of a creature.
00:38:31So again, it's this
00:38:31really personal connection
00:38:32that you have to your
00:38:33Patronus.
00:38:34And Harry's stag Patronus
00:38:36is always a very proud
00:38:37animal.
00:38:39There's something regal
00:38:40about it.
00:38:42Hermione had an otter.
00:38:45And that was a beautiful
00:38:46thing because we played on
00:38:47the idea that when they
00:38:49play, they sort of, they
00:38:51roll in water and they
00:38:52swim around.
00:38:52Ron creates a Labrador.
00:38:58And that Labrador is a
00:39:00sort of slightly goofy,
00:39:01clumsy puppy, but very
00:39:03loyal.
00:39:03And those are all the
00:39:04characteristics that we know
00:39:05that Ron has.
00:39:06Spectre Patronus!
00:39:07Luna's hair, for instance,
00:39:09the creature, the hair.
00:39:11It was a lovely little thing
00:39:12to animate because it really
00:39:13had to embody her soul and
00:39:15slight quirkiness.
00:39:16There was quite a big
00:39:17discussion about what the
00:39:19Patronus would be because
00:39:20David Yates was kind of
00:39:21thinking, wouldn't it be
00:39:22nice if her Patronus flew
00:39:24like a bird or a butterfly
00:39:26or something?
00:39:27But she's not all that
00:39:28airy-fairy.
00:39:29She has that real deep
00:39:30side to her as well.
00:39:31And J.K. Rowling said,
00:39:32it's a hair.
00:39:37It's quite a challenging
00:39:37thing because you want to
00:39:38try and make the hair's
00:39:39movement look as
00:39:40naturalistic as possible,
00:39:41but at the same time it's
00:39:42doing something which is
00:39:43quite unnatural.
00:39:44You know, it's running
00:39:44through the air, it's
00:39:45flying all around this
00:39:46room, it's defying
00:39:47gravity.
00:39:48And the idea is that the
00:39:49Patronus light becomes the
00:39:50creatures, the creatures
00:39:51become the Patronus light.
00:39:54We create many different
00:39:55layers of effects for this.
00:39:56There are big, flat, wide
00:39:58sheets of light, very thin
00:40:00ropes and braids of very
00:40:01energetic light.
00:40:03The hair itself gets several
00:40:04different layers of
00:40:05transparency and shine and
00:40:07glow.
00:40:08We add a little bit of what
00:40:10we call interactive light,
00:40:11so as the hair bounces off
00:40:13the walls, the walls glow a
00:40:14little bit.
00:40:15We also have to create
00:40:16reflections because there's
00:40:17a lot of reflective surfaces
00:40:18in there.
00:40:18There's mirrors and there's
00:40:19windows.
00:40:20So you can see here what was
00:40:21actually shot on set.
00:40:22She's flicking her wand to
00:40:24create the Patronus.
00:40:25When I was doing the Patronus
00:40:29with them, I was like, expecto
00:40:31patronum, and the thing didn't
00:40:32come out of my wand, you know,
00:40:34and I was a bit disappointed
00:40:36and I had to imagine it was
00:40:37there.
00:40:38It's a very kind of unsatisfying
00:40:39thing when you're kind of on set
00:40:41and you kind of wave your wand
00:40:42and literally you're just waving
00:40:44a stick in the air.
00:40:45It was almost like how I assume
00:40:51children play in the playground,
00:40:52how they're like shooting spells,
00:40:53but obviously nothing's
00:40:54happening until it goes on later
00:40:56on.
00:40:57But the whole thing just seemed
00:40:58like a load of adults like
00:40:59playing in the playground
00:41:00type thing with these spells.
00:41:01I was laughing the other day
00:41:03because doing the scene, I was
00:41:04blocking all these spells from
00:41:04Voldemort and I was doing all
00:41:05this and sort of jumping around
00:41:06like that.
00:41:07And then I just, and then I saw
00:41:08it on the monitor playing.
00:41:09It was like I was doing some
00:41:10weird dance or something.
00:41:12It was, it was just, it was so
00:41:13odd.
00:41:15Like Roop and Dan, you're in
00:41:17the frame here.
00:41:18You guys have to be looking
00:41:19eyes wide, scared, doing this
00:41:21a couple of times.
00:41:22If you do this, I can, I can
00:41:23put a CG pixie.
00:41:24And so if you do that, and as
00:41:26you get down, lift the books
00:41:27like that, looking over the books
00:41:29and Emma, Roop, you're doing
00:41:31the same thing, like looking
00:41:32around at them.
00:41:33Really put yourself into that
00:41:34moment because what you guys
00:41:35ended up doing last time is
00:41:36you're kind of laughing a little
00:41:37bit and it's not as, it's got
00:41:39to be real.
00:41:40It's got to be scary.
00:41:41And that goes for, that goes
00:41:42for all of you guys.
00:41:43If you guys really get into the
00:41:44scene and really start to duck
00:41:46and really pretend that you're
00:41:47seeing these things coming at
00:41:48you, it helps.
00:41:49Okay.
00:41:50No, no, no, no.
00:41:53Of course, with all the
00:41:54incredible effects that go on.
00:41:57You don't have any of it as an
00:42:02actor around you.
00:42:04You know that a phoenix is
00:42:05descending or rising or the
00:42:08whole thing is exploding all
00:42:09around you.
00:42:10And you try and live that.
00:42:13So you have to really know your
00:42:14cues, really be able to pinpoint
00:42:16where everything is meant to be
00:42:18at the right time.
00:42:19The Hall of Prophecies is a good
00:42:23example.
00:42:24The entire thing is a digital set.
00:42:30Of course, on the shelves there
00:42:31are millions of these glass orbs.
00:42:34When we looked at the designs,
00:42:35the first thing that sprung to me
00:42:36was, well, you can't build anything
00:42:38that big and you'll only be able
00:42:39to build a partial amount and
00:42:41then we'll have to extend it
00:42:42anyway.
00:42:44And everything's glass, so it's
00:42:46going to reflect anything.
00:42:47So we'll probably spend more time
00:42:48painting things out than putting
00:42:50things in.
00:42:51It just seemed like really this
00:42:52was the set that lent itself
00:42:53perfectly to using computer
00:42:55graphics.
00:42:56We basically shot all of the
00:42:58actors on green screen so that
00:43:00we could put the digital set in
00:43:02around them.
00:43:04I have to tell you, for the
00:43:06actors it's hard because green
00:43:08screen is not the easiest thing
00:43:10to key off if you're trying to
00:43:12find a performance.
00:43:12That was actually, I remember it
00:43:15being quite daunting.
00:43:16I think when we all stepped on
00:43:17we were literally kind of, is
00:43:18this all we have?
00:43:20You almost can't imagine that
00:43:22because a room like that doesn't
00:43:23exist.
00:43:25So you need to find ways of
00:43:26stimulating all the actors and
00:43:27making them feel it's real.
00:43:29So I got my sound designer, James,
00:43:31to create a soundtrack which
00:43:33created an ambience and a kind of
00:43:35spooky feel.
00:43:36And I'd play that to everybody
00:43:44before we'd shoot something
00:43:45sometimes.
00:43:45I'd say, listen, guys, I just
00:43:47want you to close your eyes and
00:43:48this is what this environment
00:43:49sounds like.
00:43:50And we'd press the button and
00:43:51this strange, spooky sound would
00:43:54come on.
00:43:58Have you got that?
00:43:59Okay, we've all got that.
00:44:00Good.
00:44:00Okay, hold that thought.
00:44:02Okay, turn over.
00:44:03Now, stupefy!
00:44:04After a day of shooting, I
00:44:08suddenly realized I was
00:44:09probably with the greatest
00:44:11green screen pros in the
00:44:12universe.
00:44:14When you say, I want you to
00:44:15imagine this whole shelf is
00:44:17collapsing, you know, most
00:44:19seasoned professional actors
00:44:21would struggle with that.
00:44:23Actually, you know, they've been
00:44:24doing green screen for like
00:44:2610 years.
00:44:30The action is that the
00:44:32spider on the end of the spell
00:44:35that Moody is putting out
00:44:37lands first down on Alfie's book.
00:44:41It then takes off and goes to
00:44:44Goyle's head.
00:44:46What often we do is we'll have
00:44:48maybe a fishing rod with a little
00:44:50tennis ball or a piece of paper
00:44:52hanging on the end of it.
00:44:53And we do rehearsals where we
00:44:54may bring in some kind of object
00:44:56or a stand-in that we can move
00:44:57around that the kids can actually
00:44:59see.
00:45:00But a lot of it really just comes
00:45:01down to imagination.
00:45:02It's not going to be the final
00:45:04one, you know?
00:45:05That's what acting's all about,
00:45:06really.
00:45:08It's about committing yourself
00:45:09to a reality.
00:45:11People say, you know, visual effects
00:45:13movies, you know, it's all about
00:45:14the visual effects.
00:45:15It isn't.
00:45:15It's about the acting because the
00:45:17acting makes the visual effects
00:45:18ultimately work.
00:45:19You definitely need the
00:45:22performance of the actor.
00:45:24And on a Potter film, a lot of
00:45:25the shots do build off of the
00:45:27movements of the actors.
00:45:30Merlin's beard!
00:45:32We started thinking about
00:45:34Slughorn and we thought about
00:45:35how it's written in the book and
00:45:37most of it is down to the
00:45:38character.
00:45:40Having Jim Broadbent play the
00:45:42character, such a fantastic actor,
00:45:44just talked it through with David
00:45:45and realized all we really needed
00:45:47to do is get Jim to play
00:45:49an armchair.
00:45:51And we'd just base
00:45:53everything from that.
00:45:57So we created a seating rig
00:45:59that would allow him to sit and
00:46:01have his arms spread at the
00:46:02correct dimensions of the armchair
00:46:04we wanted to make.
00:46:05And then at the correct moment in
00:46:06the shot, we lifted him up so he
00:46:08was raised up and he basically
00:46:10shook himself out.
00:46:11And then we drove all of the
00:46:12animation from that, basically,
00:46:13and then recreated the armchair
00:46:15and used his performances as the
00:46:18key motivation for what happened.
00:46:20You don't need to disfigure me,
00:46:22Elvis.
00:46:22Well, I must say, you make a very
00:46:24convincing armchair, Horace.
00:46:27All right, here we go.
00:46:28Shooting!
00:46:29And also things like the
00:46:30apparating, for example.
00:46:32Affiliate!
00:46:32What we realized through actually
00:46:35doing the effect, and it was a bit
00:46:37of trial and error, was that you
00:46:39needed the actor at the point of
00:46:41leaving, becoming smoke, and
00:46:45reappearing as smoke.
00:46:47And you needed some dynamic
00:46:48movement.
00:46:50Because that's the thing about
00:46:51apparating.
00:46:53They're there, and then suddenly
00:46:54they're over there.
00:46:55Helena Bonham Carter is a really
00:46:57good example of that.
00:47:01She's always gives this perfect
00:47:03performance where she stands up
00:47:05in a very melodramatic way, and
00:47:06her hair's flying all over the
00:47:07place, and her dress is flying
00:47:09everywhere, and she twirls around.
00:47:11And that's perfect for us, because
00:47:12it actually gives some momentum to
00:47:14the effect.
00:47:15So it's always choreographing all
00:47:17the stuff.
00:47:18A lot of times, it's pretty
00:47:19physical effects, and you put them
00:47:21through some paces.
00:47:25They do it, and luckily still have
00:47:27a smile on their face at the end
00:47:28of it all.
00:47:29Three, two, one, action!
00:47:32Diane and all the rest of the
00:47:33actors are great.
00:47:38They always have been, I mean,
00:47:40ever since they were very small.
00:47:42They're not particularly daunted by
00:47:44anything.
00:47:48If you say, stand in front of that
00:47:50wall, it's going to blow up.
00:47:51You know, it's very good when you
00:47:52work with guys in this special
00:47:53effects department.
00:47:54You know, there's nobody in there
00:47:55going to try and kill me or, you
00:47:56know, blow me up, so I'm just
00:47:57quite calm about it.
00:47:58You know what you're going to do,
00:47:59and it's quite straightforward.
00:48:00But at the same time, there's
00:48:01just that moment of doubt of,
00:48:02when they do golf, will I somehow,
00:48:03you know, I don't know, panic
00:48:04like a spooked horse or something
00:48:05and just do something weird?
00:48:06No.
00:48:07No.
00:48:08No.
00:48:09OK, Stand in.
00:48:10Cut.
00:48:11All right.
00:48:12You're OK, Dan?
00:48:13Yeah.
00:48:14Yeah, let's cut.
00:48:15spooked horse or something and just do something weird we've got a lot of spell hits and things
00:48:28blowing up a lot of wire rigs which is always a bit of a challenge in and around the kids and the
00:48:34actors so guys just go over the cues again we'll start the wind then we'll give action which will
00:48:42be for mark say let go rigs let's go i think kevin will give a count three two one go
00:48:55porky was a boot on top of a hill
00:49:03okay and everybody lies down and they're in a ring around the boot one two three
00:49:09me main deal with the rig it was really just to be able to position all the kids in a safe way
00:49:18so they had a massive studio and the kids are lying on a on a sort of semi-supported platform
00:49:23in a green screen basically it was like a roundabout the playground and they just span us it felt really
00:49:30quick and they did it after lunch as well so feeling quite sick at the end but yeah it was it was quite
00:49:36cool we all kind of fell from the sky on these like wires
00:49:45yeah we did that ourselves on the set they kind of padded the grass
00:49:50yeah it was quite high up it was quite fun all that all the wire stuff is really fun
00:49:59the worst stuff was in the maze
00:50:00we tried to make it taller than you've ever seen and bigger than you've ever seen so you're in
00:50:07channels which are just five feet wide but 25 sometimes 40 feet high
00:50:12it's misty and it's altogether completely disorientating and it gets pretty intense
00:50:16and pretty desperate in there it was quite claustrophobic really the cast and the crew
00:50:23started coming down with sort of maze fever at the end and just be like we need to get out of here
00:50:27soon we built a section of the maze that would actually move and the walls of the maze could
00:50:34close together and appear to crush you it was all hydraulically operated but it was controlled via
00:50:42a computer system so we built a little model maze and whatever we did with our model the real one would do
00:50:49you're running around actually fearing for your life in reality
00:51:00basically we were running through and pretending we were being hit by things
00:51:03and then digitally they sort of add in lots of vines and creepers hitting us in the face
00:51:09we had bits where cedric's on the ground i've initially shot with just ropes tied to him
00:51:15pulling him around we did little bits and pieces of the root movement but i think that mostly ended up
00:51:23with the visual effects boys it was trying to get that fine dividing line between something that was
00:51:31animal and something that was plant even though it's not a human or a creature you want to bring
00:51:38personality into it in a way it always has to have a character
00:51:42and i'd like to think that we can create a character that can then be directed by the director as an
00:51:49actor would we have to take notes from the director we have to embody them with personality you have to
00:51:55believe they have a soul ronald weasley how dare you steal that car i am absolutely disgusted
00:52:06for the howler letter we needed to come up with a design that would work for both the closed version
00:52:13and the howling version which would be animated by visual effects if you put another toe out of line
00:52:21we'll bring you straight home closed version is fairly straightforward standard letter but within it
00:52:28are elements that we knew that we could use for the shouting version the ribbon round it is there for
00:52:34a reason so that it can become a tongue that's that's waggling as it's shouting and the shape of the
00:52:42envelope lends itself to unfurling and becoming slightly mouth-like and the letter inside which does
00:52:48have the actual text of the scene of mrs weasley shouting becomes the teeth the ministry letter
00:52:59which is based on the whole howler concept dear mr potter it's a tricky thing as well to give it a
00:53:05great sort of performance the seal on the front of it turns into a pair of lips and the little slit
00:53:11that goes down in the sides open up into a pair of eyes you are hereby expelled from hogwarts school
00:53:17of witchcraft and wizardry and the idea is trying to add life to something that inherently is such an
00:53:24everyday sort of object another good example was the quick quotes quill in the fourth film
00:53:33we could have done the simple thing of it just sits there on the pad and it starts moving and all
00:53:37that but we just sort of extended rita skeeter into the quill itself scratch that last the length of
00:53:44the quilt it adds to the feelings of the flourishes every time the pen does a little twirl it ripples
00:53:50there's points when rita is slightly flirtatious and it's slightly flirtatious too and other times when
00:53:56it sits up and takes notice and other times when it sneakily goes off and writes something down that
00:54:01it probably shouldn't have written down and you can tell from the way it's been beautifully animated
00:54:05that it's got slightly sneaky intentions it's a classic example of one of the things that makes
00:54:10the harry potter movies what they are is this almost a throwaway little joker character
00:54:17it's a side thing in the scene but it's you know an extra level of humor and an extra level of interest
00:54:26just to give the movie the richness that it has
00:54:29what is nice about the films is the special effects that are the small special effects
00:54:33the delicate little moments that are just so beautifully done and some very comedic moments
00:54:53in a way we've got along the same journey that harry has gone on
00:54:57so in the first films magic is stuff of awe
00:55:03as harry enters this world it's a sense of wonder and amazement when we see anything magical
00:55:12as we've gone on i think we've sort of realized that people quite like seeing the magic
00:55:16and that we can do some really cool stuff with it professor
00:55:19and i think as we've gone on we've got slightly bolder with what we can do and how far we think we
00:55:24can push the magic
00:55:33there's loads of pressure to make the magic unique and wondrous fair warning it tastes like goblin piss
00:55:39we're always trying to do something different when we were doing the seven harry's it is a highly
00:55:43highly technical scene using an incredibly complicated camera that i couldn't even hope
00:55:47to understand and of course i'm i'm i'm delighted with it because you know there's seven of me at
00:55:53once on screen so it's any actor's dream and then how much you pass it to rufo yeah the whole order
00:55:58kind of get together again madai's plan i think is to create through the use of polyjuice potion seven
00:56:05different harries fleur hermione ron the weasley twins and mundongas transforming to me which means that
00:56:12i had to give impersonations of all those other characters as me this is you just shows dan
00:56:20what it involves us in is a very complicated technical process of motion capture both in terms
00:56:25of the performance of the actors that dan will be mimicking but also in terms of allowing dan to
00:56:31play each of those characters so we used a system called mova which is a facial capture system which
00:56:38is fantastic because a lot of the capture systems up until now you've had to put really big sort of
00:56:43lumpy tracking dots on onto faces or bodies or whatever you're tracking but with mova they actually
00:56:50coat the face with a reflective makeup the actor then performs in the makeup and the computer is able to
00:56:58extrapolate the movement from this reflective makeup this system gathers thousands and thousands of points
00:57:07of information therefore the detail that you see from the capture session is as photographically real as
00:57:14the actor themselves it's a breakthrough really in technology we're going to capture different
00:57:20performances from each of those actors and then they essentially do three-dimensional morphs between
00:57:25the two different animations so we end up with a mixture of dan radcliffe and emma watson so we
00:57:31we make a hybrid character that becomes a mixture of both of those personalities it's intriguing stuff
00:57:37actually and quite exciting to sort of play with and in terms of covering it what we have to do is
00:57:44do multiple passes basically and actually it was quite time consuming because we'd have a moco camera
00:57:49which is this camera which does these endlessly repeatable passes and then dan would have to be
00:57:54different characters we did 95 takes on that first of all they shot it with the cast and then they shot it
00:57:59once with me as harry and you know we do maybe six seven takes on that and it was very specific stuff
00:58:04so like if you moved too far an inch to your left it was unusable because then you would in theory be
00:58:11standing on a version of me that we then filmed next which is going to be put in later if you sort of
00:58:17follow me if you do follow that then well done you should join the visual effects department
00:58:23we shot with dan for like two days all on his own but we'd have the actors he was playing alongside us
00:58:29here we go rehearsing just for dan dan would watch fleur take off her top and sort of talk to bill
00:58:38and he'd study that very very carefully and then we'd talk together about how she would do that
00:58:45and she would explain to dan why she moved in a certain way and dan would listen and then dan
00:58:50would have a go we had to act it out first with them watching us to see how we move also in in our
00:58:59own habits and how we'd say things to make it real it's really weird kind of watching someone present
00:59:07to be you normally i'm saying to dan or ripper or any of the actors i work with where's the truth
00:59:14what i realized was that we had to push it a little bit to just exaggerate it by two or three
00:59:19percent five percent to sort of really enjoy it it was more about the playfulness of it and he loved
00:59:25the challenge of all of that all right all right i watched him do do me and he got all the all the
00:59:33correct little traits when i put a jumper on it i always um i always put it up to my chest it's a
00:59:40childhood trait really put up to my chest put my chin in and then i hit the bottom and put it over
00:59:45my head and he captured all that it's great it really feels like there are seven of one person
00:59:53it is the film equivalent of actually doing magic trick
00:59:58wow we're identical and what's exciting about the visual effects stuff is that it's changing you know
01:00:04so often and so this is going to just get more and more exciting over the next few years hopefully
01:00:08and now we're getting into the end of of the harry potter series which is the main battle at the end
01:00:16of 7b the final battle is is really the culmination of 10 years of work of all these films is really
01:00:23going to be our greatest triumph in terms of the work that we've achieved it's so scary it's going to be
01:00:29great it's by far and away you know the biggest thing we've attempted the actual scale of the battle
01:00:37you know it's something spectacular and something that we've never seen before in a potter film
01:00:43because really that's what we're trying to do give the audience a magical experience
01:00:54that's one of the things that's great about the films is is we get to make something which makes
01:00:59the audience feel like they are doing it the potter stories are filled with the fantasies you have
01:01:06as a child of being able to be invisible being able to fly that's something that i've always said
01:01:12about harry potter is the sheer escapism of the whole story you know when you come home and and it
01:01:17was just like this mundane day and you could just lose yourself in this world of dragons and spells and
01:01:22magic the audiences want a heightened experience i think they want a rich bigger experience than they
01:01:29could ever have our job is to deliver it with as much integrity as possible that just comes from the
01:01:37talent of the people behind the scene it's the artist you know behind all that whether he's doing it
01:01:43with a mouse or a cursor or whatever they're the magicians you know the challenges are quite
01:01:52wide thankfully we've all been working together on these films so long now that we've got the right
01:01:57team on board and we've got the right people to do it i love the fact that on these movies i've
01:02:08actually managed to have a few moments myself where i've stood there and i thought you know nick
01:02:13dudman you know the little nick dudman um see over there look you know we did it you know that's a
01:02:19bloody dragon and that's magic i've often said that that doing special effects has given me the
01:02:26ability to do for a career what i always wanted to do as a kid and got told off for being a special
01:02:33effects man on a potter film is is is a dream that's a huge amount to this film and allow them to be the
01:02:44spectacle that they that they are it's the belief that what you're seeing is magic that's really
01:02:50exciting to me that's what harry potter is all about
01:03:00every great wizard in history started out there's nothing more than what we are now students
01:03:07if they can do it why not us
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