Pre-Production Process of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ is a 2001 fantasy genre film based on a series of books by the author J.K.Rowling, which in tales the story of a young boy who was born into a family of wizards but due to his parents death, he quickly becomes an orphan. ‘Harry Potter’ then becomes the strongest and most powerful wizard at Hogwarts school of Wizardry. This is the first film from a series which are all based on a series of books. The film stars, Daniel Radcliff, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint to name just a few. The pre-production and production process took around 14 months in total to complete and it cost around $130 million from Warner Bros. Warner Bros. had initially planned to release the film over the 4 July 2001 weekend, making for such a short production window that several proposed directors pulled themselves out of the running. Due to time constraints, the date was put back to 16 November 2001. Production for the film to begin started in February of 2000 which gave them a short 14 month window for the film to be up and running. This time delay would have cost Warner Bros. more costs and expenses than originally planned, but it all began at the pre-production process. More costs and expenses would have been created by giving the film a longer time period to progress because the time scales would have been a lot longer than needed and as they say in the film industry… Time is money.

The pre-production process is made up of many above and below the line factors; Budget, location, equipment, costume and characters are just a few aspects that have to be considered to the creating of a film. Finance was a big part of Harry Potter’s pre-production and the smallest of changes such as deadlines could have altered the spending by thousands. The original budget for the film was around $125,000,000 and it made a box office profit of $970 million. Budgeting for a film is crucial as it gives the producers and directors a strict path to follow. Film budgeting is the process in which a line producer prepares a budget for a film production. This document is used to secure financing the pre-production and production of the film. The budgeting and finance of a film has many elements such as: story rights, screenplay, producers, director, casting, production costs, visual effects, music, costume, set production and props. All of these elements take up the majority of the budget of the film and finance of these elements can alter at any point during production which is why planning well ahead is completely necessary. In Harry Potter, the story rights were bought from J.K.Rowling for just £1 million but she demanded creative rights during production. These story rights allowed Warner Bros. to have the right to produce a film based on the novel which can cost anything from a couple of thousand to over $10 million. Deadlines, resources and regularity requirements can all alter the finance of a film.

Set construction would take out a large part of the budget that was set for the entire film, classing as an above the line cost. The set was constructed at Warner Bros. Leavsden studios in London were also majority of the filming was done too, therefore sound studios were hired so filming and set construction could go ahead. Over the course of filming, five warehouses full of props were used. There was an Animal Department, a Creatures Department, a Visual and Special Effects Department, and more, which made each detail of J.K. Rowling's magical wizarding world come to life. Elements such as fantasy creatures and dark hallways of Hogwarts School, making it something that engages the audience as it is something they have never seen before although they knew it was clearly not reality. Verisimilitude was an aim when creating this fantasy genre as elements such as wizards and wands were incorporated to make the film seem real to their audience. Set construction was one of the most costly blow the line costs as the setting of Hogwarts School was so detailed as it included sculptures and in prints to make the building look visually old and distressed as Hogwarts has supposedly been around for generations. It took hours and hours for artists to design and create the different sets just for the school. Also within the school, the common room and dormitories had to be designed and created. In Harry's Gryffindor dorm room, props changed depending on the movie. Producers lined bedside tables and walls with things the characters would be interested in, like sports posters and pennants. They chose all of these objects depending on the characters individual interests and personalities so no one dormitories would be the same but, the beds were never upgraded throughout all eight films. By the time the final movies were filmed, Daniel Radcliff and the other boys were far too big for their original beds but changing them would only add to costs so they kept them the same. This would have hindered the way production ran after a couple of years of filming as the boys began to get older so they were gradually out growing their beds. This would have been a problem for the directors and cinematographers as they would have had to carry on filming but ensure it was not obvious on camera that the beds were now too small for the boys.

It was setting such as a sculpture of Hogwarts School that took the longest amount of time and money to build. The model was built for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and has been used for exterior shots in every film since. When all the time spent by 86 artists and crew members is added up, it took an incredible 74 years to build, and measuring 50 feet across, it has more than 2,500 fibre optic lights to simulate lantern torches and students passing through hallways. It also has miniature owls in the Owlery and hinges on the doors. This only goes on to show the level of care and detail that was added into every set to make it as real and as fascinating as possible. This would have had a huge impact on the overall development of the film as it was a large part of the budget and time scale that was out of the way. Until that set construction had been completed, filming could not begin. The care that was put into the set design added to the overall box office of the film as it helped to make the film appear real to their audiences and it was clearly created on a high budget production company.

Costume is not something that comes cheap to such a huge film as Harry Potter, especially as they require thousands of different costumes for the enormous cast. The costume is a vital part in making the film believable and exciting or an audience. Weird and wonder characters such as Dobby and Hagrid required extra attention when the pre-production team were thinking about their costuming because of the amount of imagination that had to go into the design and visual outlook of their final character. Hagrid especially needed a lot more attention to detail when creating his costume as he is 6ft10” so obviously need a huge costume. To make Hagrid look giant, producers found a 6'10 double for the actor. They also made two different versions of the sets for his hut. A larger set made other characters like Harry and Hermione seem "normal" size and a smaller set was used to make Hagrid look large. This all adds the heightened extent that the producers were passionate about creating a real persona for each and every single character on set. The magic is added to be the creation of a “giant” character who befriends Harry, Ron and Hermione as this is something that is completely fantasy but is extraordinary in terms of being able to pressure these idea on screen which amazingly, the Harry Potter team did. Over 600 school uniforms have been created for Harry Potter for each of the students who attended Hogwarts. Costumes were created even for the child extras who appeared in Hogwarts at some point, adding a huge cost on to the budget total. Every child actor that was seen in Hogwarts had a personalised costume that what different depending on hat house the young wizard was in. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin are the four houses that are shown at Hogwarts School. Each of these houses have a different colour which then alters the design of uniform the actor wears. With 122 child actors to create costumes for along with the rest of the cast who all have at least three costumes each, the overall costume total would have been well into the thousands. Costumes were created by the designers and costume department and each costume was hand drawn to begin with to decide on final details and then costumes were made to fit each actor individually to their shape. This would have impacted production as it would have been very time consuming have to get a costume to fit every actor on screen and majority of the actors had multiple costumes for different scenes throughout the film. The costume department attempted to keep costs down by doubling up on costumes so two actors would share one costume but this only created a marginal gain in bringing costs down in the overall scheme of things. Costume would have had a big impact also on the film as it helps to create the fantasy genre of wizards and witches. Unusual costuming and uniformity across the students adds to the level of reality that is being included in the film to make the audience believe what they are watching could happen in the real world. Costuming may also help the cast to get into character as they are able to embody the characters that they are portraying on film, again adding to the reality of the scenes.

Make up and Special effects work alongside the costume department as it is all work with the actors on their characters representation. The makeup and special affects department spent hours with artists and graphic designers creating a visual look for each character. The money that was spent on makeup and special effects is most likely to be the second largest amount next to set construction. Quiddich was the work of the special effects and visual effects teams. Brooms were mounted in front of a green screen, which the visual effects team could replace post-production with a digital backdrop. Several versions of the golden snitch were designed. The final version was plated in gold which also took out an arguably unnecessary part of the budget. Another creation of the special affects team and makeup artists was Voldemort’s face. Voldemort's face was half-human, half-digital. Makeup artists created this by covering the actor Ralph Fiennes, (who played Voldemort) with temporary tattoos for veins and gave him contact lenses, fake eyebrows, nails and teeth. All of this contributed to the building of his character and his own ideology that was on to become a nightmare for Harry and the audience at home watching. The digital team switched out his nose for snake-like slits, (ironic). They also created models of things like Dobby and Mandrake plants that could be scanned into computers by the visual effects department which would then create computer-generated versions. All of this was done in the pre-production process in order to prepare for filming and costing for all of this would come from a below the line cost as it was done behind the scenes.

Hagrid was also a character who had make up and even a mask to create his character. The makeup department worked with the special affects department to create this mask for Robbie Coltrane who in boded the character of Hagrid throughout all eight films. Throughout all of these films, Hagrid’s mask was never entirely changed as this is what the audience was presented to see as Hagrid’s face and only a few fans know this is not his real face. Hagrid’s mask was only touched up and altered as it started to break away or fade to keep him looking in top shape. Make Up is used in films to ensure the real life aspects and detail of human features appearing on not so real characters such as Dobbie and Hagrid. The human features that appear on these two creatures help to create the fantasy genre and impact the film successfully but creating the genre that was desired. This would have impacted the film as it would have been very time consuming for the makeup and special effects team to get this image the same each time but, the reality of his final look would have increased the overall box office as it would have been portrayed on screen to be a high budget film and the level of detail that was put into his character would have made each scene he was in feel a lot more real to the audience.

Cameras and equipment are a major part of any film production process. The camera is the main piece of equipment as this is what is used to record all filming of scenes which is later edited together and cut depending on the cinematographer sees fit. For Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, John Seale oversaw cinematography and was the named director of photography throughout the process. A cinematographer or director of photography is the chief of the camera crews working on film and he is responsible for making artistic and technical decisions related to the image. In Harry Potter, hundreds of cameras were used to catch every angle of the scenes that was being shot. Although not all of these scenes were used for the final production of the film, it is vital all is filmed so editors have a lot of filming to play with and to be able to create imaginative film.

Other equipment was also used throughout this process such as: A Tripod which is a necessary piece of equipment to keep your footage looking steady and professional, A Camera Light is sometimes a nice pop of light from the camera can help fill in ugly shadows. A camera light is a nice accessory to have especially in a documentary/news style shoot where you might not have time for a full 3-point lighting set-up, A Three-Point Lighting Kit is only needed if you're planning to do a lot of shooting inside. Creating a well-lit scene usually involves a 3-way lighting set-up. Also, a shotgun Microphone creates great audio which often separates the pros from the amateurs. Having a shotgun mic prepares you for almost every situation. It's perfect for setting on top of your camera or a boom pole. A Boom Pole/Boom comes in handy to capture audio from a group interview, crowd scenes or any situation where you need to gather professional audio quickly. In addition to the boom pole, you'll need a shock mount and a shotgun mic. And finally, a Light Reflector which can turn an unprofessional amateur-looking shot into a golden and gorgeously lit scene. This equipment helped the film to succeed as it created the professional and high budget view that the directors and producers wanted. This also helps the volume in which the box office grew to as the audience felt what they were watching was real life.

Finally, transport and a transport captain are vital in the moving and setting up of all equipment needed at each set location. Transport Captains are responsible for the daily transportation schedule of the cast and key crew during a film shoot. They oversee all the Drivers employed to drive actors, crew, the director, producers, press and extras to and from key locations, unit bases, editing suites and production offices. Without transport captains, movement from set to set would be very chaotic in trying to organise who needs to be where and potentially very costly to the blow the line costs as the equipment could be in treat of being damaged or broken upon movement or wrong handling. Without this transport, it would have prevented the movement from set to set, limiting the areas and locations that the film can be shot in.

Working in collaboration with the Transport Co-ordinator, Production Co-ordinator or Line Producer, Transport Captains work out how many Drivers and vehicles are needed. They also work out the types of vehicles required depending on the equipment being transported. They hire the Drivers, making sure they are suitable and safe for the job. They co-ordinate driving schedules, making sure Drivers arrive on time and at the right place. Delays in getting a key member of the crew or an artist to the set can be costly. To keep within the transport budget, Transport Captains may ask Drivers to adjust their schedules, so that they pick up two or three staff on the way to a shoot in the morning. Transport Captains are also usually part of the actual driving team. They work very long hours during a shoot. They may pick up a cast member at 5am to deliver them on set for make-up at 6am, and then take the actor back at the end of the day's shoot. They also look after the roadworthiness of vehicles, making sure that all vehicles are fit for purpose. Again, without these vital people involved in the movement of sets, filming would have been limited stopping the reality overview of the final film. A shooting schedule call sheet allowed all of the cast on crew to know exactly when they were needed on set so timings could be kept too exactly. Each of the actors who were required in the scene would be explained on the sheet with precise timing. Even timings such as breakfast and lunch were scheduled on the sheet to ensure no one was late on set so the filming process would not be slowed down. Shoot day 129 of Harry Potter was organised so that breakfast was at 6:30 and filming would start at 7:50 until 9:00am for the first scene that day. These would be followed strictly by everyone involved so the filming process would flow without interruptions or delays of people being late to shoot.

Timing is very important in the production of a film. If a time scale is not set before the pre-production begins, it could take years for it to be completed for the production itself to start. The director and the producer both discuss time scales for each aspect of the film and how long each of these sections should take. They take in to consideration every area of production from movement of set to filming and everything in between. The time scale must be followed strictly for the film to be completed within an appropriate and realistic target. The pre-production and production process took around 14 months in total to complete in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Warner Bros. had initially planned to release the film over the 4 July 2001 weekend, making for such a short production window that several proposed directors pulled themselves out of the running. Due to time constraints, the date was put back to 16 November 2001. Time constraints such as this one would have cost the production company a lot of time stress and money to be able to pull themselves back on track and get a realistic release date. Timing in this production process could have been improved as it often went off tack as timing was varied throughout the process.

Throughout the films pre-production and production process, there are nine main workers that are vital for the construction and running of the film itself, these are: Director, Producer, Screenwriter, Composer, Editor, Special Effects/Make up Department, Set Director, Director of Photography and Director of casting. Without these nine people/departments, the production of the film would be unable to run and a lot of these roles also interconnect at some point throughout the process.

Chris Columbus was the director of all the Harry Potter films playing an important role in the running and organisation of the film. A film director works closely with the producer, editor and script write to insure all their visions for the visual outlook of the film are the same and to insure the film is being created in a way that they are all happy with. Many of Columbus' family members including, his children, his wife, his mother, his father-in-law, and his cousin Robert Ayres, have appeared in cameo roles in his films. Particularly, his own daughter, Eleanor, portrayed the Hogwarts student Susan Bones in the first two Harry Potter films. A film director also controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, and visualizes the script while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, production design, and the creative aspects of filmmaking. His vision “should be faithful to J.K.Rowling’s novel”. J.K.Rowling’s vision for her original novel was, “To offer moral lessons for the reader and the idea that if you work hard you will be successful and if you follow the rules you will be successful”. Both of these visions were achieved in the novel and film as the film was highly accepted by lawful J.K.Rowling fans and it created a huge box office and then went on to create 7 more films to follow on from her books.

Working closely with the director is the producer, David Heyman. He secured the film rights to the Harry Potter film series and went on to produce all eight instalments, becoming the most important member of the crew to be involved in all the films. Producers play an integral role in the television, film and video industries. A producer will oversee each project from conception to completion and may also be involved in the marketing and distribution processes. Producers work closely with the directors and other production staff on shoot.  David Heymen’s vision for Harry Potter when he first read it was, “might make a modestly budgeted British film”. He has reported said that he “fell in love with the storyline” and was “excited” to be involved. David’s vision was achieved in the final works of Harry Potter because although it massively exceeded his expectations about how well it did, the British element was kept throughout as all of the main characters are British keeping in with the British vision he had and all of the scenes that were filmed were filmed all over England, again achieving his original vision of a British film.

Working alongside both of these key roles is the editor, Richard Francis-Bruce. An editor polishes and refines, he directs the focus of the story or article or movie along a course. He cuts out what doesn’t fit, what is nonessential to the purpose of the story. He enhances the major points, drawing attention to places where the audience should focus. These three key people make up the top of the hierarchy to a production of a film and are initially seen as the most important people in the process, along with the actors. Richard Francis-Bruce explained in interviews the importance that he felt of “understanding internal rhythm and external rhythm as well as the choices he made in and between every shot throughout the film”. Richard Francis-Bruce wanted a well organised film had had class and rhythm throughout which can be seen to have been achieved in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone as the organisation throughout the film including the pre/production process created a multibillion profit film that took the world by storm and created seven films following this one on.

Following closely on a scale of importance is the screenwriter, Steve Kloves. Screenwriters work with directors and producers to write scripts for films or TV shows. Warner Bros. sent Kloves a list of novels that the company was considering to adapt as films. The listing included the first Harry Potter novel, which intrigued him despite his usual indifference to these catalogues. He went on to write the screenplays for the first four films in the series. However, he turned down writing the fifth film, stating that "The fourth film, Goblet of Fire, was really hard to do. I wrote on it for two years. But it’s not that simple and I don’t know that I’ll ever fully understand why I didn’t do it." After Michael Goldenberg wrote the screenplay for the fifth film, Kloves then returned to write the sixth, seventh and eighth instalments. Some may begin their careers as copywriters or writers for production companies. Screenwriters need to be able to work in a team and under pressure. A composer also follows a similar line of work but in the music department.  Steve Kloves made it clear in interviews after the film had been released that his vision of the film was, "It was always about what detonated in Harry, Ron, and Hermione. That's what was most important in the books.” He wanted to ensure that this was portrayed in the films alongside the books and this was achieved throughout the series of films as we see inside the minds of each of these characters the way that J.K.Rowling intended it too be and as an audience, we make an emotional link with these4 characters so we feel we already know what they are thinking and what they are going to do.

John Williams was the composer for the Harry Potter films and all the soundtracks produced during and after production. In the new millennium, Williams was asked to score the film adaptations of J. K. Rowling's widely successful book series, Harry Potter. He went on to score the film franchise's first three instalments. As with his Superman theme, the most important theme from Williams' scores for the Harry Potter films, dubbed "Hedwig's Theme", has been used in the fourth through to the eighth films. A composer is someone who writes and directs original music used to produce various types of media entertainment. The scores written need to be technically correct to create flawless performances by choruses, musicians or instrumental ensembles. John Williams wanted the music he write to reflect the mood and atmosphere within the film at this point alongside keeping in with the theme of a fantasy world. He clearly achieved this in each of the Harry Potter films as the theme tune to Harry Potter is known worldwide known and dramatically represents Harry Potter the way it was intended to be. The mystical and magical music that he created was used throughout all eight of the films he was involved in and continues to be sold as soundtracks that were used within the films.

Make Up and Special effects is a huge department in such a high budget film such as Harry Potter taking a large part of the below the line budget and having hundreds of staff and assistances to create art of the actors faces. Sarita Allison was the leading make up designer throughout Harry Potter who organised all the preparation for the makeup and the makeup designing. From sketches to on set make up, Sarita Allison oversaw it all. Make-up artists are usually employed by the entertainment and media industries. They are tasked with providing make-up and hair styling services to performers and other media personalities. Makeup artists may also take advice and hints from the script write and the producers to visualise what they are expecting to see on screen and the individual personas that they want each character in the film to have.

The Set Director, Stuart Craig assisted by Stephanie McMillan designed and created every set that was shown on screen during the production of Harry Potter. A set designer oversees designing and creating the sets that appear in films, on television programmes as well as in the theatre. The role involves working and communicating with directors, producers, costume designers and other members of staff attending rehearsals/film takes. Stuart Craig knew how he had to be in the making of each of these films and in a reported interview he said, “You have to be really tough and resilient, hold your position against the real world, against circumstantial things, locations you can’t get, things you can’t afford, conflicting ideas and the doubts of others, whatever it might be. You have to hold onto your idea and hold your ground…” Stuart was strong within his own ideas and already had visions about how he wanted the set to look. The sets he created allowed the audience to feel transported into another world which all started out with his rough drawing, showing his vision to have been achieved in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

The Director of Photography for the Harry Potter films was John Seale. A cinematographer or director of photography is the chief over the camera crews working on a film, television production or other live action piece and is responsible for making artistic and technical decisions related to the image. John had a vision the first time he read the script for Harry Potter in which he wanted “the fantasy world to come to life”. John’s vision can be seen to have been achieved in this film as he developed from J.K.Rowling’s ideas from the producers and director to create another world for Harry Potter that took the world be storm.

And lastly, the Director of Casting was Susie Figgs, Karen Lindsay Stewart, Jane Jenkins and Janet Hirehenson who oversaw the casting every actor seen on screen for ever Harry Potter film ever made. Casting Directors organize and facilitate the casting of actors for all the roles in a film. This involves working closely with the director and producer to understand their requirements, and suggesting ideal artists for each role, as well as arranging and conducting interviews and auditions. The casting directors are sometimes known to be the most important personal in the pre-production process because they have a large part in the decision of actors suited to the roles in the film. Susie Figgs already had ideas in mind about how she believed the children who came into her audition should have acted, “When you're casting a child, you have to find the thing that works for that film and run with it, which is why kids who are good in one particular part often don't go on to be adult actors.” Due to her already having this personal idea about how child actors develop in the world of Hollywood, it allowed her to choose the perfect children for each role which since Harry Potter have flourished into other things. Although the children who she originally cast were unknown at the time, it is due to her skill and profession in her job that she knew they would suit the role she was casting them for.

The filming process for a Harry Potter film is arguably the hardest part about getting the film together. Every angle of set was filmed but hundreds of cameras and hundreds of crews handling them to get the angles the producers and directs required. None of the scenes were filmed in order which is normally the case for a lot of films but filming was happening for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone for a full 14 months.

Two British film industry officials requested that the film be shot in the United Kingdom, offering their assistance in securing filming locations, the use of Leavesden Film Studios, as well as changing the UK's child labour laws, this added a small number of working hours per week and making the timing of on-set classes more flexible. Filming began in September 2000 at Leavesden Film Studios and concluded on March 23, 2001, with final work being done in July.

Principal photography took place on 2 October 2000 at North Yorkshire's Goathland railway station. Canterbury Cathedral and Scotland's Castle were both discussed as possible locations for Hogwarts; Canterbury rejected Warner Bros proposal due to concerns about the film's "pagan" theme. Some scenes also being filmed at Harrow School such as scenes in the hallway and classroom scenes as this school was chosen by the location manager as it was old fashioned and perfect for the job they wanted it to do. Other Hogwarts scenes were filmed in Durham Cathedral such as when Harry, Ron and Hermione go into Hagrid’s house which is located just on the outskirts of Hogwarts. This was filmed over a two-week period. Filming for Privet Drive took place on Picket Post Close in Bracknell, Berkshire. Filming in the street took two days instead of the planned single day, so payments to the street's residents were correspondingly increased.

To film sweeping views of the fictional Hogwarts castle, the art department built a scale model based on a sketch by one of the production designer, Stuart Craig. The castle takes up a massive room and details every courtyard, field and tower filmed in the movies. The towers could be lit inside. Real gravel and plants were used for the landscape. It took 86 artists months to construct. During the Quiddich match Harry's broomstick tries to shake him off, due to the other team’s spell. After Hermione tells Ron, "Leave it to me," in Harry's last close-up before he flips over, the seat that is attached to the broomstick, to make it more comfortable for Dan Radcliffe to sit on, is entirely visible. Glimpses of other seats can be had during the match as well. Special effects and green room filming were both used in this scene to create a realistic situation that Harry was in. There were approximately 12 cameras filming Harry during this scene each from different angles. Doing this allowed the editorial team to take what they wanted from theses shots and edit them together depending on the directors and producer’s visions. This would have impacted the film because the different angles that are able to be achieved creates a more realistic atmosphere for the audience, increasing the overall opinion of the film.

When Hermione dives under the sink to hide from the troll, in the first shot the area around her is mildly semi-wet and the fresh wet impression of a crew member's shoe/boot tread at the bottom right corner. After a quick shot of the troll, the area immediately surrounding Hermione her hand, cloak and foot are highlighted due to editing. This is all before the troll slams his club into the front basin of the sink. Editing has again chosen the shots specific to their ideas that will work best for the film and chosen different angles to illuminate Hermione’s positioning and the special effects team then edit in the designs of the artificial troll. Cameras and filming have been used precisely in both scenes to create a specific atmosphere that the director and producers wanted. Everything that we see on screen is deliberately created by the editorial team using different shots of scene each time. This engages the audience into the film making them feel more a part of it rather than just watching it from a spectator point of view and only being able to see one angle of the action. This makes each scene feel a lot more realistic and fetching. This was effective in the process of this film because it achieves the visions of the director of photography in which he stated in an interview wanted that he wanted “the fantasy world to come to life”. This has been achieved through the filming process because the scenery that is shown around each scene that is shot it developed to look realistic, making the fantasy world appear to be real to the audience.

Many facilities and services were used throughout the production process of the film. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone along with the other seven Harry Potter films were all filmed at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden. It is situated just outside central London, Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden is immediately accessible to both the M25 and M1 motorways and is within easy reach of major international airports. The studio is also well served with direct train links from nearby Watford Junction station to central London making transportation for actors and crew extremely easy but potentially costly. Locations for setting also changed throughout the filming production dependent on where the scene was. Greater London, Gloucestershire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, North Yorkshire, Northumberland, Co Durham and Oxfordshire were all also locations of filming for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. It pieces together disparate sites across the length and breadth of the UK. For instance, although the elaborate exterior of ‘Hogwarts School’ is largely computer generated, scenes inside the school were filmed in at least six different locations, ranging from County Durham in the north of England to Wiltshire in the west. This was effective during the pre-production process of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone because the different locations helped to create the realism within the film and filming at these locations meant that the audience may recognise some of the locations that they see on screen making it a lot more personal and real to them as they know where these actors were during this scene and they know they are able to visit these scene locations and imagine the scenes that the saw in the film.

We start Berkshire, where the house of the Dursley’s is based, at 4 Privet Drive, is 12 Picket Post Close, one rail stop away from Bracknell. In London, it’s at the Reptile House of London Zoo in Regent’s Park, that Harry learns he can speak to snakes and liberates the boa constrictor. This is just the first location in which we see in the film that is not filmed within Warner Bros. studios in Leavesden. The entrance to ‘The Leaky Cauldron’ was an empty shop too. ‘Hogwarts’ itself is a dizzying assembly of different locations. The richly-vaulted cloisters of Gloucester Cathedral, Gloucester, down in the southwest of England, became the corridors leading to ‘Gryffindor House’, where the lady in the oil painting asks for the password. The venerable Bodleian Library of Oxford University supplies two locations: Duke Humphrey’s Library and the elaborately fan-vaulted Divinity School became Hogwarts School’s hospital. The same location served as the lobby of the ‘House of Commons’. Alongside these locations lay many more in which required to be travelled to with the whole cast and all equipment needed for filming. If filming was going to be taking place for a few days in the same location such as Gloucester Cathedral, accommodation would have been needed for all crew and actors to rest in between filming. Having other accommodation available to the cast and crew was effective in the production of Harry Potter as although it took up some of the budget, it helped to keep the whole production process on the correct time scale and it also meant that if whether conditions were to change and prevent cast and crew who weren’t already at set from getting there, everyone needed for the production to carry on would already be ready and waiting on set.

The pre-production team would book accommodation well in advance for everyone involved on a set. Whilst it would have been costly to accommodate nearly 100 people made up of cast and crew for each location change, it would save time money and effort without the travelling. A set wouldn’t normally take place in one location for more than three or four days due to scheduling but those that did take place for four days, it was fa easier to book accommodation and stay close to set, instead of all cast and crew going home each night and travelling back every morning. Accommodation outside of London also has its benefits as it would ensure that everyon3e had slept and eaten ready for the following days shot and it helped everyone be on time to set which was a vital part of the time schedule. Travelling and staying over was all included in the directors and producers time scheduling however it could have been the smaller things such as traffic or whether that delayed their timings.

To find these locations that were eligible to be filmed in was a location manager who takes ideas from the director and producer about what visions they have for the scene and how they would ideally like it to look. The location manager is a member of the film crew responsible for the finding and securing locations to be used, obtaining all needed fire, police and other governmental permits, and coordinating the logistics involved for the production to successfully complete its necessary work. They are also the face of the production to the community and responsible for addressing the issues that may arise due to the production's impact on the community such as homes and business being in shot. Anyone in the community who had any queries or questions about the run of production, it would be up to the location manager to answer and reassure. For Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the location manager for all eight films was Keith Hatcher with her assistant location manager Simon King. In the past, the duties of the Location Manager (Keith Batcher) were the responsibility of the Assistant Director (Simon King). However, as the film industry grew and created a need for greater oversight, both the Assistant Directors were focus on internal aspects of the set and were dedicated individuals to focus on the external influences on the unit. The assistant director for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone quickly became the location manager on the second and every Harry Potter film from that point onwards.

Computer facilities for editing and special effects were also an important facility for the pre-production teams. “Wondershare Filmora video editor” is a highly recommended editing software by the best companies in film production. These software’s do cost money but in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, the pre-production team would have already been purchased and installed these software’s so they are ready to be used by the special effects team when they are needed.

Special effects are commonly divided into two categories; optical effects and mechanical effects. Due to growth and mass production of digital filmmaking, there is a distinction between special effects and visual effects which has recently has grown, with the earlier association referring to digital post-production while special effects s now known to be referring to mechanical and optical effects.

Mechanical effects are usually accomplished whist filming is taking place. This includes the use of props, scenery and scale models creating physical whether or atmospheres which are commonly used to add a mood are feeling to the scene they are being used within. Props such as all of the wands that were used in the Harry Potter films are under the pre-production process of the mechanical effects of the films production process. Every wand seen in Harry Potter was been created on-site, taking up a lot of the pre-production time. This included the 60 to 70 that Daniel Radcliffe has worn out during the last seven films. Just like in the books, no two wands are alike, not even those of identical twins Fred and George Weasley. Although Radcliffe has been through a few, most of the wands have remained the same throughout the films, staying he same throughout the films, staying a consistent 13-15 inches long, like in the books. This means the characters have grown into their wands over years of filming. Dumbledore's wand has also stayed the same, although its elaborate design was imagined before the film company knew of its significance as the Elder Wand Mechanical effects are often incorporated into set design and makeup, for example, in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Hagrid is a mechanical effect because his character appearance is constructed through make up and masks to create the fantasy genre in which the film is. Also, optical effects are techniques in which film frames are created photographically, either on the camera itself, using multiple exposure, the Schüfftan process, or in post-production using an optical printer. An optical effect might be used to place actors or sets against a different background. Optical effects are used frequently throughout Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone using green screens to present the actors to be somewhere that is not real or fantasied for dramatic effect for example, when harry is playing Quiddich on the game field on his broom stick, this scene is created by green screen and special effects. This was effective in the production process in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone because, as all of the special effects were prepared by the special effects team in the pre-production process, when it came to filming, the effects were already prepared to be filmed saving a lot of time during the filming of each scene which required special effects. This contributed in creating a convincing scene when Harry is on his broomstick playing Quiddich because, the effects have been perfected so that it looks real on camera.

The materials used for the films would be those which suited the fantasy genre whether it be physical or graphical materials. All the physical materials from costuming to a final copy of the script would all have been created in the pre-production process for it to be ready and prepared for shoot. J.K.Rowling’s original book of the later to be film was used alongside her own ideas on what the characters, costume and setting should be like. These aspects were discussed between the director, script writer and producer and their final ideas were then passed onto the costume designs, set designers, location managers and the makeup artists to make these ideas come to life. Chris Columbus’ original drawing of Harry, Ron and Hermione are classed as an original material and were used to create an individual persona and identity for each character. The photo library was then used to create a more detailed and more realistic image of the characters, costumes and sets which enabled the designers to being their process. This was effective during the Harry Potter production process because it allowed J.K.Rowling’s, the designers, producers and directors ideas to be combined and come to life in detail and just how they pictured them,. This was successful in doing this as the film was so well perceived by the public and Harry Potter fans as this film is extremely loyal to the original novel.

Sound-library materials were needed to create any song or theme tune that features within the film. These sounds were created by the films composer, John Williams, and then stored to be later added in when all the filming had been done and editing began. The sound library would have been used by editors to insert sound in to already filmed shots during the editorial stage. Most of the sound that were not spoken by a cast member or created by a physical on screen object would have been created by the sound library. The sound library would have also been used to create added emphasis at specific points within the film or to heighten the sound of an object that has already been created on screen for a dramatic effect. Recorded music from the films composer would also be inserted into the sound library so that it was easily assessable when the music was later required. This was successful during the production process of Harry Potter because it allowed all necessary sounds and music to be kept in one safe place that was accessible at any time. This kept the music safe and secure until it was needed after filming had finished.

Recorded music for the soundtrack was created by the composer John Williams. All of the music he created for the film was his own original works, therefore it did not need copyright clearance but he copyrighted the music he created himself to ensure no one else took his ideas and used them before he could himself. The music that John Williams created during the pre-production of the film added to the tone and atmosphere of the scenes it was used in and it quickly became a worldwide trademark of the Harry Potter series. The music that was created engaged millions of fans with the extraordinary reference to the fantasy genre which had never been done to this standard before. Alongside the typical Harry Potter theme tune, a CD was burn with all of the other music that was used within each film and this was distributed to the public shortly after the film aired on DVD. John Williams is still the rightful owner of these soundtracks as they are his work and the director and producer still stand by this. As copyright clearance was not needed on his music, this was successful as it saved time for the pre-production team in having to chase down rightful owners and receiving their consent. This also allowed Harry Potter to start from scratch so everything that they did had never been seen or heard by anyone else before as it was all their original works.

All research that needed to take place before production of the film began would have been conducted by the films researchers. Research of locations, permissions, permits and personal research would have been constructed using the internet and meetings between managers. Primary research is new research, carried out to answer specific issues or questions. It can involve questionnaires, surveys or interviews with individuals or small groups. This was a way of finding out vital and valuable information that could potentially impact the flow of production. If research was conducted incorrectly or even in some cases not at all, it could cost the production company a lot of time and money to sort out which is not something Warner Bros were prepared to do.

Physical materials are also important to be prepared in the pre-production process as each cast and crew member require a hard copy of the script to follow the scene structure and flow of filming. Cast members are expected to know their scripts before filming takes pace but they may refer to it off camera when needed. A copy of the script is necessary for everyone involved so everyone is aware of what scenes are being filmed and who is required on set. This helps to keep everyone organised and on task so the timings are followed strictly. A director may have a copy of the script on hand during filming so he can prompt actors and extras what to go and when to come on and off set if they don’t already know, this helps to prevent double takes, saving time. Actors and extras are expected to follow the script exactly to how it is written, also following stage directions and gestures. Any graphic materials that are required are created also in the pre-production process, therefore it is ready for production and filming. Graphic materials such as sketches, drawings, storyboarding and character portfolios would be created by the director, Chris Columbus and these would then be used by designers, script writes and the main characters to construct the overall design of the film and for the main actors the construction of the characters and their personalities. Drawings and sketches would be used by designers to create ideas that they believe would suit the director’s wishes from their original creative aspects of the film. This part of pre-production is essential as it creates a base of ideas in which can be then built upon and extended further using different creative concepts. 

Interview materials were used continuously throughout the film so everyone was aware of the desired outcome of the film. Crew members such as a script write and the director of photography would have used these materials to make sure everyone was effectively working on the same film so the best possible product was created at the end. J.K.Rowling would also have needed to be impressed with the final display of the film along with the director Chris Columbus as it was their original ideas that the film had been based on.

All of these critical materials that were used within the film added up to take a large piece out of the films overall budget. Costumes and props were a large percentage of this as there were so many required due to the high level of cast and the level of detail that was put into them also altered the budget. Although many of the other materials would have cost anywhere near as much as these such as the interview materials, they were still a vital part of pre-production that added to the films overall success.

The guarantee contract is used to perform the obligation or to discharge the liability of a third party in case of its default is called contract of guarantee. Guarantee contract includes three parties; Creditor, Principal Debtor and Surety. The person who is granting the loan, the person who is applying the amount of loan is principal debtor and the person who is giving guarantee is called surety or guarantor or favoured debtor. In case of guarantee contract there will be two types of liabilities namely; Primary liability and secondary liability. Primary liability will be with principal debtor and Secondary liability goes to surety. This contact is used to ensure that everyone involved in the making of the film is covered by insurance so no one can be held responsible for any injuries or accidents.

Copyright laws are vital to be completed and accurate in the creation of a film because copyright laws protect certain kinds of original works. Any creation that is fixed in a recording medium is subject to copyright. Any music that is used within a film or other aspects that may be copyrighted need clearing in order to avoid possible prosecution from the rightful owner.

Public liability is also important when members of the general public will be featured within the film. Insurance is needed to cover them as they need to agree to be featured in the film as they are not an official cast member and therefore are not receiving payment for their role. Public liability insurance protects you if clients or members of the public suffer personal injury or property damage because of your business. It can pay for the costs of subsequent legal expenses or compensation claims and is an integral cover for businesses that interact regularly with customers. If a member of the public is injured during the filming of a film, they could potentially prosecute or sue the production company for damage which will harm their right to film, budget and insurance.

A completion guarantee is a form of insurance offered by a completion guarantor company that is often used in independently financed films to guarantee that the producer will complete and deliver the film (based on an agreed script, cast and budget) to the distributor. This guarantee is necessary because it guarantees that the film will be completed and produced to the standard that the production company are happy with. It secures the name of the production company so they know what standard of media they are going to be presented with in film completion.

A trade union is important to all cast and crew involved within the making of the film. A trade union is an organised group of workers. Its main goal is to protect and advance the interests of its members. A union often negotiates agreements with employers on pay and conditions. It may also provide legal and financial advice, sickness benefits and education facilities to its members. Your union will charge a union membership fee finance the work of the union. This can be the same amount for all employees or based on how much you’re paid. Workers are able to join trade unions at any time and they will be supported through disputes and issues that are occurring within the work place. It is not compulsory to be in a trade union nor is it a right of a worker but it is their choice who to join and it is their responsibility to pay for the union membership and also to come into contact with them when they are required.

The BBFC are a trusted guide to media content. Working as an independent, self-financing and not-for-profit media content regulator, the BBFC operates transparent, consistent and trusted co-regulatory and self-regulatory classification and labelling systems in the UK. As a trusted organisation, the BBFC aim to; protect  the public, and especially children, from content which might raise harm risks; empower the public, especially parents, to make informed viewing choices; recognise and respect adult freedom of choice within the law; respond to and reflect changing social attitudes towards media content through proactive public consultation and research; provide a cost-effective, efficient classification service within our statutory remit; work in partnership with the industry to develop innovative service models to provide content advice which support emerging media delivery systems and to provide an effective service to enforcement agencies. These aspects combine in order to create appropriate classifications for each film and what is expected to be shown in these different classifications. In order to protect children from unsuitable and even harmful content in films and videos and to give consumers information they might need about a film or video before deciding whether to view it, the BBFC examines and age rates films and videos before they are released. This independent scrutiny prior to release ensures the highest possible level of protection and empowerment. The BBFC watch films and videos all the way through and award an age rating and “BBFCinsight” to each one. They reach an age rating by applying the standards and criteria contained in their Classification Guidelines.

For Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the BBFC awarded the film as a PG, in the UK, as it includes some scary scenes which require an adult to be present when a child is watching. PG stand for Parent Guidance so it is mainly suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children. A PG film should not unsettle a child aged around eight or older. Unaccompanied children of any age may watch, but parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger, or more sensitive, children.  The BBFC gave Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone a classification of PG because it contains mild scary scenes, violence and language when Harry begins to discover what really happened to his parents although he doesn’t realise the danger he is putting himself in. Every other Harry Potter film has been classified as a 12 by the BBFC because they all contain moderate threat, injury detail and language which they believe is not suitable for anyone under the age of 12 as it may scare or harm them. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: Additional Scenes was awarded the certificate U by the BBFC as it is not as violent as the original film itself so it is suitable for all viewers. Discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly disapproved of, or in an educational or historical context, or in a particularly dated work with no likely appeal to children. Discrimination by a character with whom children can readily identify is unlikely to be acceptable. Drugs, imitable behaviour, language, nudity, threat and violence are all aspects that would be considered when classifying a film and the frequency or strength of these will alter the age rating of a film. None of these would be shown in a PG film or if they are, it would only be very mild violence with no gory scenes shown on screen as these may harm or disturb a young child.

In conclusion, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone was a multi-million bestselling film which sold around $130m in the US alone. It soon went on to a further seven films all based on the books by J.K.Rowling, alongside a Harry Potter world based in Florida, America and a studio tour based in Leavsden studios, London. The novel won most of the British book awards that were judged by children and other awards in the US. The book reached the top of the New York Times list of best-selling fiction in August 1999 and stayed near the top of that list for much of 1999 and 2000. It has been translated into at least sixty-seven other languages and has been made into a feature-length film of the same name, as have all six of its sequels. This world renounced series of books and films continues to grow and gain fans around the world every day generating thousands of pounds in merchandise everyday across the globe.