AV script sheet for History of Gaming assignment

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Study assignment in order to pass*

Student Name ANNABELLE BLACKMORE

Task 1 of 3:
Introduction: write the script that you will be recording for your introduction here. Introduce yourself
and say what the documentary will be about. Maybe make a statement that you are going to challenge or
ask a question that you’re going to try and answer through the course of the documentary and in the
conclusion.

Harry Potter is one of the most popular and loved franchises, having over millions of views throughout all
eight films. I’ve always been interested in behind the scenes of any production, whether it’s a movie, tv
show or advert, and since Harry potter is my favourite series, I thought I would unpick the cinematography
behind it. The lighting, in particular, is rather fascinating; how did it change over time? How did it alternate
between the warm scenes and the cold scenes? Whose idea was it to produce the lighting to how it is? My
name is Annabelle, and this is inside the Harry Potter films.

Task 2 of 3:
Audio: Visual:
(script being narrated/additional sounds heard. (what will the audience be seeing?)
Write ROUGH timings in here where possible)
The Hogwarts theme song played in the
background to the introduction.

Ambiance music quietly in the background.

Cinematic shots of lights and lighting behind the
“The lighting of a film can influence the way the
scenes of films.
movie as a whole or a particular scene is
portrayed to its audience. The cinematography
crew behind the scenes uses multiple lightening
techniques to help their ideas and visions come
to life.”

Ambiance music in the background, quietens Fade to an establishing shot of the castle in the
when I speak. scene when the first years arrives on boats and
whiteness Hogwarts for the first time.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, also Text displayed on the screen: The beginning.
known as The Sorcerers stone in America, not Clips of the appropriate scenes/behind the
only welcomed the audience into the series, scenes footage displayed on screen when I
but also the characters to Hogwarts. mention them.
The main colour schemes throughout the eight A colour wheel turning through colours.
films are red, blue and green. Minus the
Deathly Hallows which, alongside darker
scenes, have a darker colour pallet as well. The
first film signifies in red, showing warmth to the
viewers. Red is also the colour of courage and
danger, which happens to be the trait of
Gryffindor. And the ruby fire towards the end
of the film shows Harry’s dangerous but brave
start to his seven years at the school. The
lighting in the film as a whole is dimmed to
convey comfort into the series and it’s about
starting a new life in a place far from what
you’re used to, in Potters case, to escape his
Aunt and Uncle. When Harry gets left at their
doorstep, the natural lighting from outside is
dark to portray night time, only street laps
making the actors visible. It is on both sides of
the road, lighting up both McGonagall and
Dumbledore as they walk down the road. The
screen becomes brighter when cut to inside the
Dursleys’ house years later but is surrounded
by unervey pink, similar to later on in Order of
the Phoenix with Delores Umbridge’s character.
It shows discomfort and how Harry was never
able to call the building his home, despite
actually living in it. In the sorting hat scene, a
more low-key lighting style is used to give the
impression of a large room lit with candles as
the only source of lighting. This is used to give
an effect of the castles interior and it allows the
shadows to be more apparent and homely as if
you’re there with the actors. The crew on set
started by using real candles to light Hogwarts,
but when the fire started burning through, they
resulted into Visual effects.
Director of cinematography, John Seale, states; Clip of John Seale talking in a past interview
“I was asked to shoot the first Harry Potter with text of the answers to my interview
film which was called “Harry Potter and the questions I asked him displayed over top.
Philosophers Stone” or ,in America it was
called “Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone”.
I had previously been offered a number of
films by Chris Columbus over the years, but
due to a heavy work schedule, was not
available for those films .
I had travelled to England to do a survey for
another film and different director , when I
learnt that that film was not going to be made.
This can happen in the film industry, often.
I knew that a producer (Duncan Henderson) I
had worked with in the past was in London , I
had his number , so rang to say hello , and he
asked had I read the book of “Harry Potter” ,
which I had not , and I was on a plane back to
Australia that night . He said to please buy the
book at Heathrow and read it , you have the
film if you want it .
I read the book on the plane , landed in
Sydney , rang him back and said I would like to
do the movie as I was now available , but
more that, I had enjoyed the book , and could
see a great movie potential in the book.
We had a very enjoyable shoot , Chris was
great director for the child actors , and he had
a very good grasp on the directorial side of the
film, as to its context , and its position as the
first introductory film of seven films .
At the completion of shooting, Chris then
asked would we ,the HOD’s (head of
departments) roll over into the second film.
I would love to have been able to do it , but I
had made a commitment to another director
to shoot his film in that year , and could not
service the two films .I was assured that the
other film was a go that year , so had to pass
on Chris’s request .
The film industry is such a turbulent industry
that in fact , that film did not go , so I had
passed on the Harry Potter , lost the other ,
and had to find another film to work on.”

Ambiance music in the background, quietens

when I speak. Fade to an establishing shot of green screen
quidditch game, going from it in front of the
green to edited.
Text displayed on the screen: Creating lighting
in front of a greenscreen.

“Green screen shooting can be a real Continuing on Johns past interview with text
challenge. If there are good concept paintings, over top of him answering my interview
then this can simplify the lighting and questions.
matching, without them it’s a nightmare. Now
we have Zoom screens, which are interactive,
and can be used as a lighting source as well as
an image, which simplifies the colour and key
light source. I have had to guess the key light
direction and colours many times in the past,
and it is not a comfortable situation. There
were not that many, on “HP” except for the
Quidditch game, which had rapid changes of
direction by the actors, but the fast editing
helped to hide any problems with the light
directions, so we were saved by the editor!”

Seale shot Philosopher's Stone with Panaflex Stock footage of the correct lights used, also
Platinum and Millennium cameras, at times John using them.
shooting six units at once, each being equipped
with the same zoom lens.

“Once the camera package, there are many to Continuing on Johns past interview, the same
choose from, and the lenses are selected, we one as previously, with text over top of him
can pull in more cameras and or lenses to suit answering my interview questions.
other scenes, as we can with lights and grip
gear, and return them when the scene is
complete, and continue on with our standard
set of lenses and cameras. Generally, in pre -
production, we know what we need and can
pre -order them prior to shooting.
Camerapersons will always have a vision as
they read a script, you cannot help it, but it is
not always the one used. The director,
Production designer will also have visual ideas,
but the Director always wins, and with a lot of
help from his team, will achieve the vision of
his/her film as a co-operative agreement.” He
concludes.

Ambiance music in the background, quietens Fade to an establishing shot of lighting beroll
when I speak. Text displayed on the screen: Different types of
lighting.

Three point lighting is a mixture of a key light, A picture of the three point lighting; key light,
fill light and back light. Such as in, Harry Potter fill light and back light diagram. Clips of the
and the Half Blood Prince, this style of lighting appropriate scenes/behind the scenes footage
allowed director, David Yates, and displayed on screen when I mention them.
cinematographer, Bruno Delbonnel, to create a
dark mood throughout the whole film with
dramatic use of the shadows. However, in the
Weasley Wizard Wheezes scenes, natural
lighting from outside the shop is shining
through, with a brown hue, giving it that
realism look and a form of chaotic comfort in
the shop with the brown. This is called low-key
lighting; also used in Harry Potter and the
Philosopher's Stone when Harry receives the
cake from Hagrid. By this, you are able to see
that due to the natural light that is portrayed
coming from outside the shack by the moon
light and lightening struck, you can see inside
the building clearly. In the quidditch scene
where the Gryffindor quidditch team are
getting ready for the first game of the series,
front lighting is used, causing their bodies to
stand out and the background darkening. This is
made to come across that they’re looking at the
stadium in the outside daylight and have just
come from a room inside. Soft lighting is used
in scenes such as in Deathly hallows part two
with Potter and Dumbledore in Harrys head,
having a white background, with a gentle glow
overtop, and middle aged Tom Riddles
memories with a green hue.

In scenes like in Order of the Phoenix, when

Harry and Dudley are in the park near their
house, the mood changes from bright to dark in
a matter of seconds; meaning evil is coming.
Throughout the entire film, a much darker
approach is given, as, in Goblet of fire
Voldemort returns and in Order of the Phoenix
Sirius gets killed by Bellatrix. The characters can
feel the war on its way.

Ambiance music in the background.

Fade to black screen.
Text displayed on the screen: What was your
favourite scene to film?
Continuing on clips from one of Johns past
“I did look forward to the chess scene, it was
interviews, with text over top of him answering
one I really enjoyed lighting and shooting, and
my interview questions.
I feel it came out really well in the final edit,
and above all the actors were now very much
more comfortable as the characters , and I
think they had a good time doing it as well.
There are of course hard scenes to shoot, or
easy ones, but that challenge is why we are
there , so maybe they are all favourite scenes,
and when they are all glued together, the
whole film becomes your proudest scene.”

Ambiance music in the background, quietens

when I speak.
Fade to the Battle of Hogwarts.
Text displayed on the screen: The end.
The series ends with a war. It is much darker
Clips of the appropriate scenes/behind the
and much more serious now it’s come to a
scenes footage displayed on screen when I
close. The characters may be in Hogwarts or
mention them.
the Burrow or any set the audience found
comforting in the other six films but the
atmosphere has dulled and is gloomier. Bill and
Fleur’s wedding is the only scene all characters
are properly happy, the last as well. It’s the only
colourful scene and is lit by lamps on the tables
and wall lights. There are many different
benefits to using both low-key and high-key
styles of lighting together. The low-key lighting
brings the emotions of dark, gloomy, and that
bad things are coming. The random scenes that
include high lighting bring the hope that better
things might be on the way. The final scenes
after Lord Voldemort was defeated were bright,
to let you know the darkness and traumatic war
has ended. In contrast to the first film, being
optimistic reds and comforting browns
welcoming you into Hogwarts and the series,
the last film shows red being blood of those
who lost their life or got injured and the once
homely Hogwarts walls crumble to the ground.
This film is about death. Harry Potter and the
Philosophers Stone was about life. Little to no
other lighting is used in Deathly Hallows, only
the soft lighting of Harry and Albus in Harry’s
head I previously mentioned. The
cinematographers wanted to give it that dark
practicality feel as a war is taking place, so only
natural lighting of outside and the Hogwarts
candles kindle up the screen. The final scene of
the students nineteen years later at Kings Cross
station with their kids shows closure in a way,
the war and Voldemort ended years ago, the
characters who were once experiencing this are
re living the moment with their children. The
lighting is kept bright but uplifting to match
when Harry first Met Ron twenty five years ago.
It makes the viewers reminisce when Potter
was this age, like they’ve been on this journey
with him.

Task 3 of 3:
Conclusion: write the script that you will be recording for your conclusion here. revisit your initial
question or statement from the introduction, recap some highlights of the things you’ve studied for your
question/statement and suggest whether the statement is supported or what the answer to the question
was.
In conclusion I found out that John had the opportunity to work on Chamber of secrets but declined as he
had another film to work on, which ended up not being a go. Seale stating “If there are good concept
paintings, then this can simplify the lighting and matching, without them it’s a nightmare” really
interests me as I didn’t know they had to paint or draw the scene before shooting it. As well as
both the director and cinematographer deciding on the lighting and coming up with a vision for
that shot and the film in general. It always gets me with how fast the atmosphere can change
between scenes; for example, in Chamber of Secrets, the students are in the castle which is still
rather homely but as soon as Ron and Harry reach the Chamber of Secrets, the lighting and feel of
the building becomes cold, as the colours go from red in the castle to green in the chamber.
Including the coldness from Ginny Weasleys shivering body on the stone floor. Finding out what
lighting equipment Seale used and how many were needed was fascinating, although I’m not
surprised it occasionally was six with the amount of people were in big and spacious rooms.
Thank you for watching my documentary; next time you watch Harry Potter, or any film, always
think about what goes on behind the scenes and how the production is actually produced.