Motion Graphics 19 - Hogwarts Castle

Establishing shots in films aren’t the most glamorous moments, yet they tie a story together and set the tone for what’s ahead. In the Harry Potter movies, several of the Hogwarts Castle establishing shots took my breath away with their grandeur and majesty. I recently had the opportunity to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood. While there, I captured still photos of the castle with the hope that I could discover a way to use one of them in a moving picture establishing shot. Here’s what I came up with. To add dimension and drama to the scene, I combined four elements with the still photo of the castle. The first was an Aurora Borealis time lapse captured by my friend Luke Seaward. The second was an actual 3D model of a gargoyle textured and animated in Element 3D. The third was swirling mist created with the Trapcode Particular After Effects plug-in, and the fourth was a soundtrack by the legendary Alexandre Desplat appropriately titled ”Statues.”