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The 25 Most Beautiful Shots of the ‘Harry Potter’ Franchise

From Sorcerer’s Stone to the second Deathly Hallows.
By  · Published on November 15th, 2016

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010) dir. David Yates, D.o.P. Eduardo Serra

In stark contrast to their Hogwarts’ digs, our heroes in hiding out are relegated to this dark, dusty abode, void of the light and levity of their former residence, as is their current shared emotional state.

The return of Dobby is met with appropriately dramatic framing of the character in silhouette atop a giant staircase.

At the end of the film Voldemort breaks into Dumbledore’s tomb to steal the Elder Wand. This most sacrilegious act is intensified chromatically by the black of Voldemort’s robe and the wand in sharp focus, obscuring the blurred white of the fallen wizard in his grave.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011) dir. David Yates, D.o.P. Eduardo Serra

The Elder Tree is presumably from what Death carved the Elder Wand. As such, it needs to be creepy, larger than life, and dominant in its environment. Check, check, and check.

Snape is perhaps the most self-sacrificing and noble character in all of the Potterverse, and the darkness he subjects himself to for the sake of keeping others in the light is represented by his solemn silhouette against a gray sky.

What else could we end with? The final scene of the franchise shows our heroes, grown now, sending the next generation off to school. There’s so much nostalgia in this shot I bet most of you are tearing up right now.

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