We see the scene where Harry tells Snape that, “He has Padfoot. He has Padfoot as the place where it’s hidden.” Why was it never mentioned that Snape was the one to alert the Order that Harry & Co. are going to the ministry?

In the past, there has been a certain amount of criticism level towards Mr Kloves and the way he had adapted the books, particularly when it comes to changing certain characters’ personalities and lines. Were you aware of this and did it have any bearing on how you approached the adaptation OotP?

Hi Michael!
What would you say was your favorive/least favorite part about being the scriptwriter for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
-Liz from St. Paul, Minnesota

Do you have any advice for aspiring screenwriters?

Oooh. Yay!
How much contact did he have with JK Rowling during the writing of the script?
About how long did it take to write the script?
How much changed from the original draft to the final one? And how much of the script changed during filming? How do the screen writer, directors, and producers work together?
What was the hardest thing for him to lose from the book to the movie?
What was the most challenging/frustrating part of adapting the novel and what was the easiest/most enjoyable?
Which part of the film is he most proud of?
Is there anything he wishes he’d done differently?
What surprised him most about working on the HP movies?

Is that too many questions? Sorry. If I think of better ones later, I’ll comment them too.

Michael Goldenberg, if you’re reading this, thank you so much for going to LeakyCon! It means a lot.
Also, Order of the Phoenix is my favorite of the HP movies so far. Haha.

FYI…The link above to amend our registration to include the keynote seems to go to the regular registration, not to something that says “amend” or “modify”.

Hey, Mr. Goldenberg!
What do you need to take into consideration when converting the books to a script?

how do you decide what stays and goes in the movie and what can be cut? I also loved the Order movie. thanks

Was there any pressure to keep any parts of the book in the movie? If so, which parts?

Why didn’t you connect the story better? I know its the hardest book of HP series, but I was dissapointed as so many others. Because the movie looked like : cool dementor attack – lets introduce the Order – now a bit of Umbridge – D.A.- ok,lets now put a few cute deep statments – and Ministry battle(which was the only part I really liked) – and lame ending. thank God we have special effects. because if we look at how the book is retelled in script- grade 2/5

What is your favorite part of Order of the Phoenix?

How did you get into script writing and was it what you wanted to do all your life??

Catriona

I really wish I could go :(

Was there anything that you hated not to include in the movie?

Dammit, I think Olivia here already asked the questions I wanted to ask. :-D My questions would have been something like..

- Did you have much contact with JK Rowling when writing the scritp? Did she give you any advice on what you absolutely have to keep and what you could possibly ditch?
- Considering that OOTP is nearly 800 pages long, how did you make up your mind about what to keep and what not to keep?
- What kind of input did the director and the producer give you when you were writing the script?
- Do you have any favourite characters or any characters that you don’t like at all?

There were a lot of positive comments about Ron’s character in the fifth film. Did you consciously attempt to make him less goofy than he was perhaps previously portrayed and more true to the Ron in the books?