J. K. Rowling’s astounding literary skills with the Harry Potter series of books has been transferred to the big screen in a beautiful way. The thrill of seeing the characters on the movie screen has drawn huge fan audiences to see each of the 6 films that have already come out. The concluding tale in the series of seven books will be presented as a two part film, the first of which is scheduled to hit theaters November 19, 2010; the second comes out July 15, 2011. Warner Brothers, the studio making the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movie, has also said that the film will be shown in theaters in both 2D and 3D formats.
The Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movie focuses on Harry, Hermoine, and Ron’s quest to find out how Lord Voldemort is able to keep his immortality. The stakes are high, though, because Voldemort and his evil henchmen are hunting for Harry Potter, trying to capture him and bring him to Voldemort. Harry’s life depends on finding Voldemort’s secret to immortality, the Horcruxes. In the process, he finds out about the legend of the Deathly Hallows and the final adventure begins to take shape.
The film studio debated long and hard before they opted to make the last book into two separate movies, but there are several reasons they decided to do so. The sheer length of the book would make it extremely difficult to keep true to the author’s story while still making a normal length movie. Also, since this story brings an end to a seven part epic tale, the characters all deserve to be developed and parted with in a full and detailed way.
January 26, 2009 marked the first day of pre production on the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movie. Leavesden Studios, where the other six films were all shot, was again used and filming began there on February 19, 2009. According to the director, David Yates, hand held camera work has been used extensively in order to create a new feel.
Some outdoor sets were used for filming, including London, Swinley Forest, and Freshwater West. June 12, 2010 was the final day of shooting for all of the Harry Potter films and was an emotional day for many crew members, some of whom actually wept.