How they made Hagrid look so great in Harry Potter

Harry PotterThe VFX team tried many exciting techniques to make Hagrid look almost twice as big as a regular-sized human, but how did they make Hagrid so big? Rubeus Hagrid is around 8 feet tall, much smaller than the 12-foot half-giant described in the books, but the adaptation’s VFX crew nailed the job of making him look too big for his surroundings, especially since he Is always walking around with Phil. Smaller students. This character was the first of many examples that he succeeded in bringing Harry Potters magical world-building to the screen, giving life to the absurdities that make the reality of the wizarding franchise so unique.

Hagrid is one of Harry Potter’s most valuable allies in the books, and there couldn’t be a good movie adaptation without him. Robbie Coltrane was cast as Hagrid in the Harry Potter Kino, winning the role over Robin Williams, and he proved to be the perfect choice, capturing all the idiosyncrasies of the half-giant, half-human character and his sensitive heart. Most importantly, Coltrane quickly adapted to Hagrid’s clumsiness, which only makes the practical effects used to bring Hagrid to life even more effective.

Practical effects are used to make Hagrid look great

Hagrid’s size in the movie was achieved using several techniques

Making Hagrid look great was a huge challenge for the original Harry Potter Director Chris Columbus. The first idea was to digitally insert Robbie Coltrane into every shot that Hagrid is in, but that was unfeasible given the expense at the time. Resorting to in-camera practical effects was the most cost-effective option. Throughout the movies, many practical techniques were introduced and enhanced by different set departments. For example, the production design team created two versions of Hagrid’s hat at Hogwarts Harry Potter, One bigger so that regular-sized letters would look small, and another smaller so that Coltrane would look huge.

In addition, the Harry Potter Cinematography team used forced perspective, cleverly positioning Hagrid closer to the camera to make him look bigger. However, the VFX team often superimposed Coltrane’s body in scenes with the help of a green screen to make Hagrid look larger than the characters next to him. for Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsColumbus hired Martin Bayfield, a 6’10” former rugby player, as the perfect body double for Hagrid. Through enhanced heels, layers of fat, and the help of animatronics, Bayfield stood in as Hagrid for long-distance shots and full shots. – Body appearances where viewers could only see the character’s back.

Harry Potter was full of practical effects

Hagrid’s size isn’t the only illusion with minimal CGI

Harry PotterThe use of practical effects made the magical world look as real as it could. Almost all of the iconic exterior shots of Hogwarts are possible because of giant miniatures. Over eight movies, Harry Potter also faces all sorts of magical creatures, such as giant spiders, hippogriffs, and even a basilisk – a 50-foot snake – which are all at least partially achieved practically. Other examples include the iconic life-size chess match and Aunt Marge floating away, practical effects that enabled the Harry Potter Movies to explore the impossible with just hints of CGI while also helping the actors feel immersed in the fantastic world.

Practical effects like the one used for Hagrid’s size helped Harry Potter age

Given how popular the franchise remains in the 2020s, it’s sometimes quite surprising to think that JK Rowling’s novels were first adapted for the big screen more than two decades ago. The first Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, hit theaters in 2001, with the final installment, Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows – Part 2 Arriving a decade later in 2011. Despite so many years since both the first and last movies, many moments in Harry Potter Still hold up without looking dated, and a key reason the films have aged so well are its practical effects.

Robbie Coltrane was on the shoulders of Martin Bayfield during Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets could be an incredibly simple solution to the problem of creating a half-giant, although it was implemented so well that Hagrid’s scenes in the second Harry Potter Movies are still convincing over two decades later.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Arrived at an interesting time for cinema, as CGI became more and more affordable (and, as a result, often overused or poorly implemented). There are several examples of CGI that has not aged well in the past Harry Potter Movies, such as Voldemort appearing on the back of Quirrell’s head. However, thanks to practical effects like those used to make Hagrid bigger, the franchise has stood the test of time overall.

Robbie Coltrane was on the shoulders of Martin Bayfield during Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets could be an incredibly simple solution to the problem of creating a half-giant, although it was implemented so well that Hagrid’s scenes in the second Harry Potter Movies are still convincing over two decades later. Other moments created with CGI in the same film, such as Dobby’s scenes, seem notably more dated (despite the House-Eleven still being a beloved character).

While the CGI in Harry Potter Certainly of a high standard for its time, these are the practical effects that have carried the legacy of the movies through the years. Making Hagrid bigger with practical rather than digital techniques has ensured these Harry Potter Movies remain more-or-less timeless, and stands as a testament to the fact that, sometimes, CGI is not the solution to create fantastic or magical moments on the big screen.

Other movies that used similar effects

Hagrid in Harry Potter was not the only size illusion made without CGI

The same practical effects that made Hagrid look bigger have been used in other moves to make an actor look different in size than they really are. Forced perspective is like this Lord of the Rings Hobbits look small compared to regular-sized characters. Camera tricks were used to get the proper Hobbit height, including moving sets that would shift in synchronization with the camera’s movements, which would maintain the same height perspectives throughout the scenes. When the hobbits did not need to interact with other characters, the hobbit actors would be filmed separately, and they would be superimposed in the full shot in post-production.

The MCU used the same Harry Potter Effects too. in Avengers: Infinity War, Peter Dinklage plays Eitri the dwarf, who is actually a giant. The effect of making Dinklage look bigger than Avengers characters was by having him stand next to miniature cardboard cutouts (via Inside). While She-Hulk is mostly made up of digital effects in She-Hulk: Attorney at LawDirector Cat Coiro revealed that She-Hulk’s Movements are based on a double’s movements too. The filmmaker revealed:

“We had an actress, a stand-in who was 6:7 with us at all times, and we would ask her to walk across the room so we could see what her stride was.