I have a confession to make. I was not a fan of the Harry Potter books. Maybe my age – way too old for all that!
But then, one rainy Sunday afternoon around 17 years after it was first released, I found myself watching the film of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and I was hooked. I am happy to say I have now seen every film in the series multiple times and, if you asked me if I wanted to watch one right at this precise moment, I’d be sitting in front of the screen in a flash. Oh, I’m still not sure I care about an orphaned wizard but the costumes, the sets, the props, the artwork…these are truly magical.
Therefore, if you want a day out looking at some great art, sculpture, installations, design and graphics, I would definitely recommend the Warner Brothers Making of Harry Potter Studio Tour.
Illustration
Everything started on paper. Just as J. K. herself set pen to paper, the Production Designer gives Director-approved sketches – visual interpretations – doodles to Concept Artists such as Paul Catling to fully visualize these ideas. Character studies, moodboards, storyboards and illustrations combine to define the aesthetic of Harry Potter’s world which, in turn, inspire the Set, Costume and Prop Designers.
Paintings
Works on canvas played an important role in the storyline too with the ‘moving portraits’. Many of the paintings featured on the walls of Hogwarts were painted by just one artist – Sally Dray.
Graphic Design
The Weasley & Weasley Joke Shop – also known as Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes – displays some of the hundreds of packaging designs that were created for the Diagon Alley scenes. Add to this the book cover designs, newspaper layouts, letters and posters and you have thousands of pieces of graphic design that go a long way to defining the look of the world of Harry Potter. The artists responsible for all these designs are Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima and their Design Studio, Minalima.
Setting the Scene
The scenery shows off the work of the Set Designers, Art Department, Construction Team, Lighting Department and Set Decorators. Each set – 588 in total across all the films – is swarming with creativity.
Costume Design
Jany Temime designed a vast majority of the costumes including over 300 for the Yule Ball alone! A huge band of seamstresses, textile artists, wardrobe staff and make-up artists were employed to bring the characters to life.
Making the Props
An army of craftspeople under the very hands-on Head Prop Maker, Pierre Bohanna, rose to the challenge of creating everything from wands to hippogriffs! The level of detail is stunning – even the Gringotts Bank ledgers have entries in them!
Animatronics
Some of the props required a little more engineering! And some required just a sprinkling of Special Effects. But, again, expert teams of creatives were on hand and the exhibition offers a peak at the secrets of how this magic was made.
The work benches in the prosthetics and animatronics department reveal that a little Winsor & Newton Artist Oil and a bit of Liquitex Acrylic are used in the making of a goblin!
Model-Making
The exhibition also features the intricate and beautifully-crafted models produced in the Art Department. Anything from scale models of buildings and interiors to full size statues and even much of the food in the Great Hall were created by the model-makers.
From the technical drawings that were produced based on the concept art, the model-makers built scale models in white card of buildings and interiors to establish the look and practicality of the designs. Aesthetics are important but so is whether a camera can get round it before time and money are spent on the real thing.
And the most impressive model is that of Hogwarts itself which involved over 80 artists and crew.
If you appreciate art, design and craftsmanship, this exhibition has all the disciplines covered and there is a great deal to admire in the creativity on show.