Are you a Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Slytherin or Ravenclaw? Just like each house, you probably also have a favorite set design or location in the mystical world of Harry Potter. Production Designer Stuart Craig is the mastermind behind designing its iconic architecture. Let’s take a look at the film’s set design process from creating a concept, transforming drawings into construction and decorating the set.
Creating A Concept
When building this fantasy world, Stuart’s philosophy was to base it around reality, taking a familiar piece of architecture and expanding upon it (making it more magical). Stuart started with a blank piece of paper and sometimes, even without an idea in mind. The concept artists would begin with a brief or concept and toss it around to each other before they eventually arrived at their desired vision.
Transforming Drawings Into Construction
Stuart’s first design of the set was the Hogwarts Castle’s exterior since it would become a staple for the story. He sketched what he believed the castle would look like and found locations for inspiration including the Durham Cathedral in Durham, England and the Gloucester Cathedral in Gloucester, England. From his sketches, artists created architectural drawings to pass along to the model makers, carpenters and plasterers who crafted the full-sized and miniature sets.
Decorating the Set
Set Decorator Stephenie McMillan received the drawings, created a plan, then discussed with Stuart the color palettes, styles and positions of the furniture to decorate the set with. If you’ve seen these movies, you know the sets dramatically differ in mood, color and structure. For example, The Burrow, which is the Weasley’s cozy home, contrasts completely from the Malfoy Manor, an eerie Jacobean style house. Each location reflects the personalities of the characters who inhabit it.
A favorite set among the crew became the Gryffindor Common Room. They recreated warm, colorful tapestries found in the Cluny Museum in Paris and used them to adorn the walls of the common room. They built around this central design element with smaller props created by the team including painted portraits and books with intricate design details.
From the large-scale design of the Hogwarts Castle to the smaller details of decorating shelves with books, each element plays its own role in the story of Harry Potter and shows how starting with a simple sketch or concept can lead to something truly magical.
References
Craig, S. (Director). (2012). Harry Potter Wizard’s Collection [Film; Designing the World of Harry Potter on bonus disc of 31 disc-collection]. Warner Bros. Pictures.