Potterdom Film/Score Series Thread

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

With the new innovations and better processing of film stocks often times the director of photography is not a hundred percent in control of the final image.

Of course he is. That's his job.

The DP will also be present at the grading sessions.

I personally think this film looks gorgeous, the sharpness of the image is great.

Sharpness? Wha?

Are you talking about the film itself, or just the lovely HD versions we get to see these days?

Because I damn well hope they'd have a decent focus puller on something like Harry Potter.

[FattyMcButterpants 1]

Quidditch games are the most skippable scenes during re-reads.

Oh YES!

That HBP includes one can only bring the film down a notch.

[John Crichton 4]

I always enjoy Quidditch, but by HBP you can tell that Rowling's just going through the motions writing it. She's been very upfront about how her Quidditch enthusiasm waned over the years.

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

At least in HBP she was able to give it a more interesting tone when Luna Lovegood starts commentating. I loved her insightful comments.

I agree though, it's skippable in most of the books.

[indy4 155]

Is there anyone else who is interested to know who wrote the music for the latest HP trailer?

Yes!

Do you mind sharing that information? "No!" won't do

It's not on soundtracknet.com, so I don't know where else to look. But if I do I'll be sure to mention it.

My guess is it's a piece of music written specifically for the trailer that will never be released, but maybe not.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

soundtracknet.com

[indy4 155]

Wow, I'm really tired.

[HPFAN_2 0]

With the new innovations and better processing of film stocks often times the director of photography is not a hundred percent in control of the final image.

Of course he is. That's his job.

The DP will also be present at the grading sessions.

Indeed in a perfect world. However working with my DP he only came in and did one session with us. His input was very important and taken into account and his decision ranks very high. However note i said that the dp is not a 100% in control. Also remember that a DP is a production job a lot of time a DP is on to a new project when films are starting to be color corrected. Bruno's stuff almost looks bleached and lots of contrast so this fits his style.

I personally think this film looks gorgeous, the sharpness of the image is great.

Sharpness? Wha?

Are you talking about the film itself, or just the lovely HD versions we get to see these days?

I'm talking about the beauty of Kodak and super 35. The beauty of grain in film and how organic it looks.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Ew, Super35. Give me good old Super Panavision 70 or MGM Camera 65 any day.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

I personally think this film looks gorgeous, the sharpness of the image is great.

Sharpness? Wha?

Are you talking about the film itself, or just the lovely HD versions we get to see these days?

I'm talking about the beauty of Kodak and super 35. The beauty of grain in film and how organic it looks.

Ah. Well, that it does.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Number in the title now, eh?

[Charlie Brigden 7]

Gandalf?

[John Crichton 4]

It's still green.

[Red 75]

It's still green.

It looks a little blue.

[Charlie Brigden 7]

I'd say teal, so you're both right.

[indy4 155]

Poster looks great, except for the 6.

[Pieter Boelen 740]

I thought we were past black and white films by now.

But the Harry Potter films and their promotional material seem to keep insisting on going further black and white. Uh?

[John Crichton 4]

I don't know what it is about natural colors that scares the pants off filmmakers nowadays.

[Charlie Brigden 7]

There's nothing wrong with black and white films, though. I wish more people shot in B&W.

[Diego 21]

Since they're starting to number the fims, I wonder what they'll do with the last two, will it be HP7 and HP8, HP7 and HP7.5??

[Pieter Boelen 740]

I don't know what it is about natural colors that scares the pants off filmmakers nowadays.

LOL! Same here. ^_^

There's nothing wrong with black and white films, though. I wish more people shot in B&W.

I'm not saying there is.

I AM saying there is something wrong with a colour film appearing close to B&W though.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

That of course depends on the kind of film, and how it's done.

[Charlie Brigden 7]

The first rule is, there are no rules.

[Richard Penna 3,688]

Oddly, my problem with the first two films were how unimaginative they looked to my eyes. Hogwarts just looked like whatever castle/church they had chosen that day. They clearly hadn't done any major digital grading/colour fiddling at all.

I still can't quite put my finger on what it is that I find so visually unengaging about them, but I think the IMO often poor visual effects and the completely natural colour that it has takes away the spirit of the book for me.

[Pieter Boelen 740]

That of course depends on the kind of film, and how it's done.

True. But nowadays it's done so much I'm just getting fed-up with it even if it IS done right. ^_^

I actually liked the look of the first two films. The look of the third film was also very good, actually. Apart from the werewolf, of course.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Dark and gritty is the popular look these days, sometimes it works. (The Dark Knight).

[Elmo Lewis 6]

I wonder if, after Voldemort's death in the final movie and after dealing with all of the deaths, the final minutes of the last movie will return to the color and feel of the first one.

[MSM 126]

I don't know what it is about natural colors that scares the pants off filmmakers nowadays.

Indeed. I hate this poster.

I wonder if, after Voldemort's death in the final movie and after dealing with all of the deaths, the final minutes of the last movie will return to the color and feel of the first one.

Like the Shire in LotR, which after the Mordor sequence looked like the hill from the teletubbies

Anyway I hope they will finally return to the cinematographic style of the first two movies.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

todays DPs are afraid of bright vibrant colors.

[MSM 126]

todays DPs are afraid of bright vibrant colors.

But why? Because of the economic crisis?

[JoeinAR 1,949]

todays DPs are afraid of bright vibrant colors.

But why? Because of the economic crisis?

what?

what does the economic crisis have to do with it.

the DP's are afraid of bright colors, no one uses them, no one likes soft filters anymore, to many films have that ugly grainy look in POA.

Yesterday my day was so bright and shiny but if it had been filmed it would have been so ugly and gray.

[MSM 126]

New featurette on HBP, with some new footage and comments by the actors:

http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1605506/story.jhtml

[Henry B 50]

The first sampling of Hooper's score? That's interesting that Hedwig's theme is quoted rather verbatim in the Williams style.

[indy4 155]

That sounds great!a

EDIT: If you try to scroll ahead too far in the trailer, the trailer discontinues and we hear a few seconds of new music.

[Datameister 2,042]

I don't have any trouble believing that the second bit of that 45-second loop is Hooper's, and it's not something I recognize from the fifth film. And the Hedwig's theme statement that it starts with is certainly quite similar to what we've heard from Williams, though it doesn't sound like any of his recordings, and it flows right into the second bit. I think your theory is probably right, Henry.

[ChrisAfonso 186]

But it's no sign yet Hooper has improved greatly since OotP - the orchestration is nice and magical, but the thematic material appears kind of unimaginative, as in OotP... I hope the score has some more promising gems to offer.

[Datameister 2,042]

I'm inclined to agree. We'll see how it goes.

[Richard Penna 3,688]

I saw some fan comments on DigitalSpy. If these aren't just fanboy talk, sounds like this movie really is in trouble. And then there's the strong rumours I've heard about Hooper's score being similarly in the drink.

Well they've got 4 months to do something about it. That's more than enough time to get it rescored.... come on Yates.

[John Crichton 4]

That just ties in to everything that's been said about the movie since just before the announcement of the delay. Just more confirmation that this is a large green turd.

[Joe Brausam 214]

According to Mugglenet they were contacted by WB and told that the screening never happened and that the comments are from the first screening. Huh..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7932390.stm

You can read an interview witht he composer for the game at that link and listen to a clip of the music for the game.

[Red 75]

That just ties in to everything that's been said about the movie since just before the announcement of the delay. Just more confirmation that this is a large green turd.

I thought it was teal.

[Richard Penna 3,688]

According to Mugglenet they were contacted by WB and told that the screening never happened and that the comments are from the first screening. Huh..

That doesn't change much does it though - negative comments are negative and there's only so much you can do to a film that's complete enough for the public to watch.

I've heard from a source about how close Hooper has come to rejection, and I gotta say I hope Yates gives in, because I really think Hooper's OOtP is by far the worst score of the franchise.

[Joe Brausam 214]

Oh, I know it doesn't really change much. It's just a shame that the film is in such trouble. I was okay with OotP but from what we've heard this film is just a mess.

And while I enjoyed Hooper's score more than Doyle's I certainly wouldn't mind him being replaced. Honestly, however unlikely it is, I want a Horner scored Harry Potter.

[Datameister 2,042]

I don't want a Potter score by Horner. I can hear exactly what it would sound like in my head already. In order for me to really look forward to a Horner score at this point, it's going to need to be in a genre that's vastly different from anything else he's done. For example, I'd be MOST curious to hear what he would have come up with for TDK. That's not to say I'd necessarily like it, but he certainly has avoided that sort of dark sonority. Harry Potter would just be...textbook Horner. I'd much rather have Williams return. MUCH rather.

As for the Doyle vs. Hooper debate...I've probably weighed in at some point, but I'll say it again - I think I prefer Hooper, but I'm not terribly fond of either. Doyle did a nice job on the marches and waltzes and so forth, and some of the darker material is pretty enjoyable for me, but the score is just too annoyingly enthusiastic in some parts. Too shrill. And the thematic material usually isn't very interesting. Hooper's effort sounds very generic and un-special to me, but there are some moments that I really do enjoy. Umbridge's theme does capture one side of her character pretty nicely, and there are some lovely woodwind passages and so forth here and there, and a few moments in the film's climax really caught my attention when I was watching the film, though they have somewhat less impact on CD.

In any case, it's all about Williams for me. The first and third scores were gold, as far as I'm concerned, and they demonstrate that he was perfectly capable of allowing his sound to change and develop as the saga did. (And anyone who thinks Doyle and Hooper were better choices because they wrote "darker" music should really take a listen to the Forbidden Forest cues, the music for the dementors, and even the numerous horn statements of the B section of Hedwig's theme in the first score.)

[indy4 155]

These negative comments really are a shame, because by the trailer, the film looks fantastic.

[Datameister 2,042]

Yeah, the trailers really have been quite good, overall. Oh well. I have no extraordinary expectations of the film, but I'll be pleasantly surprised if it surpasses my more modest ones.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

My excitement for a new Harry Potter film has waned since my utter disappointment with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire back when I was twelve. I will say that I enjoyed most of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (though I did not care for the beginning), but I always get this odd "vibe" from the film...to me, it just felt so...inconsequential compared to the other films. I am not sure if I aptly worded my feelings, though.

[Henry B 50]

I will say that I enjoyed most of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (though I did not care for the beginning), but I always get this odd "vibe" from the film...to me, it just felt so...inconsequential compared to the other films. I am not sure if I aptly worded my feelings, though.

You did.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

I am glad that someone thinks so.

[Datameister 2,042]

I agree. Actually, the only Potter film that I had very little to complain about was the first one. Looking back on it now, I realize the film is a bit childish, but it seems to capture the magic of the early part of the series better than the later films. COS was probably the biggest disappointment for me...I had a lot of problems with that film, most of which were probably exacerbated by the score. I probably didn't give POA enough credit at the time...looking back on it now, it really is an interesting film, in terms of the themes it explores and its visual style and so forth. Cuaron did a nice job of breaking the Columbus mold that worked so well in SS and so poorly in COS, IMO. Then GOF came out, and I was just kinda like...whatever. It's probably my favorite book of the series, but the film left me kinda cold in a lot of ways. And again, I put too much emphasis on the quality of the score when watching the film, so Doyle probably lowered my opinion of the film. By the time OoTP came rolling around, I really had no big expectations, and the movie was pretty much how I expected it. Perhaps a bit better, since I'm not a fan of the fifth book.

I just felt like sharing the track listing to my POA complete soundtrack, which I just completed (probably) a few days ago. Yeah, I know, I'm a little bit late to that game. Better late than never, though. Sorry about the long track listing! So many short cues that aren't conducive to combining in this score.

1. Lumos! (Hedwig's Theme) [1:38] OST

2. Aunt Marge's Waltz [2:15] OST

3. Family Photo [0:23] DVD rip

4. The Bus Stop [1:47] DVD rip and OST, with some help from the bonus DVD features for lovely unused material after Harry enters the bus

5. The Knight Bus I [1:01] OST - everything up to the goofy squeeze-between-the-buses music, with a clean ending from the end of the track

6. The Knight Bus II [1:02] OST with DVD-ripped end and bonus DVD clean opening - starts after the squeezing music, and has unreleased ending

7. The Knight Bus III [0:29] OST with bonus DVD clean ending - unused squeezing music on OST - clean opening by overlaying inverted ending of track

8. The Knight Bus IV [0:30] DVD rip - film version of squeezing music and ending

9. The Monster Book of Monsters [0:31] OST with reverbed clean ending

10. Grave Danger [1:02] mostly from DVD rip, with help from bonus DVD, particularly for the ending, which isn't audible in the film

11. Aboard the Hogwarts Express [0:19] DVD rip

12. Dementor on the Train [2:15] OST

13. Reflection - Double Trouble [0:58] DVD rip for "Reflection" cue, bonus DVD for clean ending, which overlays OST for last part of "DT"

14. A Word of Caution [0:47] DVD rip, with bonus DVD for some parts

15. The Gryffindor Common Room [0:14] DVD rip and bonus DVD

16. Dementors and Feathers [1:02] OST

17. The Grim [0:32] DVD rip

18. Hagrid the Professor [1:29] OST

19. Say Hello to Buckbeak [1:02] DVD rip

20. Buckbeak's Flight [2:08] OST

21. Ghosts of Hogwarts Past [0:42] DVD ripped percussion intro, sped up to match tempo of OST version, with reverbed ending

22. Like Trying to Catch Smoke [0:39] DVD rip

23. The Boggart: Snape [0:44] DVD-ripped beginning, then OST

24. The Boggart: Spider [0:30] OST with looped fade-in and reverbed ending

25. The Boggart: Snake [0:17] OST with reverbed ending

26. The Boggart: Dementor [0:32] OST

27. Conversations on the Bridge [1:38] DVD rip - two similar, consecutive cues with a brief moment between them

28. Flight of the Fat Lady [2:06] OST "The Portrait Gallery"

29. Secure the Castle! [2:03] DVD rip (and bonus DVD) with reverbed transition into OST

30. Quidditch, Third Year [3:47] OST (doesn't include film opening - see bonus tracks)

31. Woods and Winter [2:19] DVD beginning and ending, with OST "A Window to the Past" in the middle and bonus DVD near end

32. Into Hogsmeade [0:29] DVD rip

33. Honeydukes (Source) [0:29] bonus DVD rip

34. The Snowball Fight [1:02] OST

35. He Was Their Friend [2:02] DVD rip, with expanded ending from tracked music near end of film

36. Learning the Patronus Charm [3:07] DVD rip, with bits of bonus DVD; silence between cues removed

37. Sentenced to Death [0:34] DVD rip

38. Peter Pettigrew [1:28] DVD rip

39. Crystal Gazing [1:16] DVD rip with some bonus DVD

40. Professor Trelawney's Prediction [1:21] DVD rip

41. The Executioner [0:42] DVD rip

42. A Moment with Buckbeak [0:42] DVD rip

43. Buckbeak's Execution [2:22] OST with reverbed ending

44. The Axe Falls [0:16] DVD rip

45. Chasing Scabbers [1:05] OST, with DVD opening

46. The Whomping Willow [1:25] OST, with reverbed ending

47. Finding Ron [1:11] DVD rip with a bit of bonus DVD

48. Betrayal in the Shrieking Shack [1:34] DVD rip with some bonus DVD material

49. Pettigrew Revealed [2:06] DVD rip

50. A Sirius Conversation [1:49] DVD rip

51. The Werewolf Scene [4:25] OST

52. The Dementors Converge [3:13] OST

53. Forward to Time Past I [2:44] OST with DVD-ripped ending

54. Forward to Time Past II [6:59] DVD rip and OST

55. The Werewolf Scene Revisited [2:01] OST (no recorder overlay) and awesome DVD-ripped alternate ending

56. Saved by Buckbeak [0:35] DVD rip

57. The Patronus [2:04] OST with "The Patronus Light" for very end

58. The Rescue of Sirius Black [1:22] DVD rip (AMAZING CUE!) with rip of end credits for last third

59. Sirius Departs [1:28] OST (with DVD rip for first couple of notes)

60. Back to Time Present [0:41] DVD rip

61. Reunited with Ron [0:35] DVD rip

62. Mischief Managed! [12:42] OST and DVD rip (pitch-corrected ending replicated for beginning; missing start of end credits and Pettigrew theme from DVD; OST order of credits preserved)

63. Unused Flourish [0:11] from bonus DVD - I don't know if this was Williams or not

64. Aboard the Hogwarts Express (Alternate) [0:22] from bonus DVD, most likely an alternate cue - I like this better than the film version! Same harpsichord element at the end, but the rest is more eerie.

65. A Window to the Past [3:54] OST

66. Quidditch, Third Year (Intro) [0:29] DVD rip of film intro, with OST fading out

67. Quidditch, Third Year (No Choir) [0:12] DVD rip of short passage without choir mixed in

68. Forward to Time Past II (Alternate) [0:36] DVD rip of film version of the bats taking flight

69. The Werewolf Scene Revisited (Original) [0:33] OST - unused pizzicato passage, with faked shaker ending from Indy 4 =O

70. The Patronus Light [1:13] OST

71. Mischief Managed! (Extended) [0:13] bonus DVD - extended tremolos and so forth before the build into Hedwig's theme

72. Alternate Mixes 1 [2:34] end credits rear channels rip - "The Knight Bus" and "Double Trouble" with less rhythm section and accompaniments, respectively

73. Alternate Mixes 2 [2:34] end credits DVD rip - same cues as above, but similar mixes to

Told ya it'd be long. You're crazy if you read all of that...almost as crazy as I am for typing it up.