Movies today follow several steps building up to a full trailer. Character reveals, teasers, more teasers for the trailer itself, interviews, and a whole bunch of social media activities are involved before we even get to see the first proper trailer. Not to mention some movies have up to three trailers, even some involving red herrings. However, the formula was much simpler in the early 2000s. Poster, teasers, and eventually trailers gave us everything we needed to know before watching the movie, without giving too much away.
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The posters gave us the first look and feel of the movie, along with how the characters would look. This was especially important for popular sci-fi or fantasy franchises, as fans would be eager to see the movie’s take on the setting, as well as the characters. Since they set the audience’s first impression of the movie, posters were a very important part of the marketing cycle, and had to strike a balance between the characters and the setting. That’s what this set of original concept posters for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone attempted to do.
Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone Original Concept Poster Are Going Up For Auction
This set of 12 concept posters, which will be available for auction in September at Heritage Auctions, gave us the first glimpse at what Warner Bros. Pictures’ Harry Potter universe would look. While author J.K. Rowling brilliantly brought the world of magic to life with her words, it was up to us to imagine how the characters, Hogwarts, and the overall wizarding world looked.
While the posters primarily feature the characters, they feature hallways, windows, doors, and other locations from the school of witchcraft and wizardry, which is really a character on its own. It’s not much, but they give us a taste of what to expect from the magic-filled castle. There’s also a separate poster for the Goblins working at Gringotts Wizarding Bank. I assume the creators wanted to make more for the other magical creatures, but never got to them.
While they’re not the final versions, the posters acted as frameworks to help the marketing team build excitement and mystique for fans who were waiting to see their favorite magical franchise come to life. They also feature the first instance of the iconic blue/green and gold color tone that would eventually be used in all future marketing material for the first few movie series, with later ones becoming darker.
When the movies were first announced, fans were especially curious about how Warner Bros. would depict Hagrid and Dumbledore, as they both have a very distinct look, as described in the books. This set would have been one of the first ever depictions of the characters in the movie setting, and late actors Robbie Coltrane and Richard Harris fit into their imposing roles perfectly.
Despite a bit of wear and tear, these concept posters were part of the first few items to bring the beloved Harry Potter franchise to life. Little did we expect that it would eventually turn into spinoffs, stage productions, theme parks, and even video games. To add to that, the auction goes live just a few months before the release of HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series, so you can Expecto a lot of fans to show their love by trying to get their hands on it.
Which was your favorite Harry Potter movie? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Forum Conversation: If You Could Time Travel to See Any One Movie Open In Theaters What Would It Be?
Go to ForumI have actually asked Santa to let me put on a tux and travel back to Hollywood. To the opening of Casablanca. To the red carpet at Grauman’s Chinese Theater. 1942, To sit right behind Bogart and Bergman, and proudly watch Nazis get their ass handed to them, during the War.
Gotta go and see that Angela Anaconda short before it
This is an obvious choice for me. I would suit up as Batman, but not for fun—I’d travel back in time to the Century 16 theater in Aurora, Colorado. I’d buy a ticket to the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises and enjoy the first few minutes of the movie. Then I’d slip away to stop the horrible event from ever happening that night and save the innocent. The real Batman usually refuses to alter history, but in this case, I’m breaking his rules.