Accio talent! Warner Bros. to use Wizarding World to inspire creative careers

Mar 04, 2020

Posted by: Amanda Kirk

Colleen Atwood, Crew Interviews, Education, Filmmaker Interviews, Films, Heyman, Heyman Interviews, Info, Interviews, MinaLima, News, Studio Tour, Tech, Videos, Warner Bros.

Quick!  What are the twelve uses of dragon’s blood?  What are the names of all the behind-the-scenes creative careers that make the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films look and sound so amazing?  Bet you could rattle off the answer to the first question easily but get Ron’s “Bloody hell, Professor McGonagall is calling on me but I don’t know the answer!” face after a few guesses at the second.  When we think of filmmaking, the actors come to mind first, because they are the most visible.  Then we might think about the director, the screenwriter, the composer.  We know that there are people who design and make the costumes and sets and props, who create sound and visual effects and lighting, who wrangle the live animals used on-screen, and apply make-up and wigs.  But much of the behind-the-scenes creative process might as well be magic, pun intended, for all we know about how it translates into job functions and careers.  Do you stay for the credits at the end of films?  They scroll on and on and on as the theme music plays out.  You may recognise job titles like “gaffer”  and “grip”, who both work on the lighting, but that barely scratches the surface of the creative teams that make the Wizarding World come alive.

Warner Bros. UK wants more young people to consider creative careers.  That requires students to make the connection between their interests and hobbies, such as photography and making music, and viable creative careers.  Called Imagine Creative Careers, this new initiative builds on the WB Creative Talent programme and will involve interviews with members of the creative team behind the Wizarding World.  A Wizarding World Creative Careers Portal, showcasing over 100 possible careers, will launch this summer to inspire school leavers to expand their career horizons.

According to this comprehensive article in The Courier:

“Launching in time for summer exam results, the Portal will dive into over 100 creative roles across film, theatre, game development, publishing, touring exhibitions, theme parks and more.

Bringing together personal stories, anecdotes, Q&As and tips, it will offer free access to practical first-hand advice gathered from creative professionals, together with a comprehensive directory of industry-backed schemes and support sites to help young people navigate common stumbling blocks.”

President of Warner Bros. UK and Harry Potter Global Franchise Josh Berger says:

“This is part of our ongoing commitment to attract the next generation of young people from all backgrounds into our business. As one of the world’s best-loved and most expansive franchises, the Wizarding World is excellently placed to illustrate the depth and breadth of careers in the creative industries.”

The initiative will kick off during Careers Week in the UK (March 2-6), with a video interview conducted in the Great Hall at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London with some of the creative talent behind the films.  This live recording, Making The Magic: From Story To Screen will form part of a new trove of online career resources presented by BBC Bitesize and BBT Teach.  In the video, BBC Presenter Mobeen Azhar and BBC Radio 1’s Kate Thistleton chat with Costume Designer Colleen Atwood, Junior Costumier Rianna Charles, Graphic Designer Miraphora Mina, VFX Supervisor Christian Manz, and Compositor Brooke McGowan in front of a live audience.

Here is a teaser video that Wizarding World posted on Instagram:

You can watch the entire programme here.

Stay tuned as the initiative unfolds and highlights more creative roles.  Producer David Heyman and Cursed Child composer Imogen Heap have already agreed to participate, with more Wizarding World talent to be announced soon.

Are you already in a creative career or planning to enter one when you finish school?  Tell us about it in the comments.





The Leaky Cauldron is not associated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any of the individuals or companies associated with producing and publishing Harry Potter books and films.