Setup for OOTP

[susanbones2003]

--- In HPFGU-Movie at yahoogroups.com, Richard <hp at p...> wrote:
>
Richard wrote (and I snipped)>> 
The movies *have* to stand alone, and in particular PoA, GoF and 
OotP, which are/were released at 18-month intervals, with an 
attendant drop in hype between releases, and the valuable teenage 
demographic getting older and potentially losing interest. I suspect 
that Heyman & Co would like to  release the last three movies as 
close to each other as possible, with no  more than a year between 
them. Partially to keep up the momentum, partially  to avoid the 
Trio getting too old and partially (being realistic rather than 
cynical) wanting to avoid the possibility of some of the older adult 
actors meeting Richard Harris's fate before the series is done At 
the same time, though, the movies should not waste time or internal 
> coherence reiterating plot elements from earlier in the series or 
setting up for the future unless strictly necessary. The movies 
don't need to lay down the same clues, or in the same order, as the 
books, although I'm sure that if (my eternal gripe) the adapters  
knew the details of what was coming up, they could write something 
more appropriate to the different medium from the outset - although 
even the smallest deviations from JKR's plotting have met with 
derision from some part of the fandom or another.
> 
> Overall, given the constraints under which the movies are being 
made, I 
> think they are doing an admirable job of keeping the whole thing 
> homogenous, despite, for instance, the changes in visuals (e.g. 
uniforms and Hogwarts geography), not to mention a very different 
> Dumbledore,  between the first two movies and what follows: it'll 
be interesting to see if Peter Yates changes anything more (although 
I'd expect not).
> 
> --
> Richard, who's beginning to ramble (again...)

Richard,

Of all the books, this next one is the least able to stand alone in 
as a novel, at least that's how it strikes me. There's a million 
things going on, with lots of preparing for things and tying up 
loose ends. (and with FULLCAPS Harry, he isn't as cuddly as he used 
to be) How is this going to affect the adaptation? Is this why, 
(again in your humble opinion:))treating the films as stand alones 
is not just an option but perhaps the only option? If you can't get 
Jo to tell you what matters most (just what shouldn't happen) you 
have no compass and you have to fly blind. Make the best story with 
what you've got, I meant to say... And did I read that this too is 
going to be treated in the "thriller" mode? It makes sense, of 
course. Maybe there are only 3 main threads that have to be worked 
in to make this a reasonable story. Umbridge/Harry, Harry's 
dreams/legilmens with Snape to stop LV and then the build-up to the 
showdown at the MOM, resulting in Sirius'death. Does that sound 
workable?
J
>