My presentation explored the value in textually analysing a variety of paratexts for the Harry Potter film franchise, since they shed light on the ideas and themes that are emphasised to audiences before, during and long after the films have had their cinema run. My particular focus was to look for ideas and themes that may shape conceptions of British national identity.
I was very grateful for the questions that I received which I will consider as I continue to work on this project:
- While the casting process for Harry, Ron and Hermione in the films was a rather exclusive affair that called for children who looked like the existing illustrations of the [white] characters, the more recent casting of black actress, Noma Dumezweni, as adult Hermione in the stage play prompted Rowling to state that the books do not mention this character's ethnicity and that there is no reason why she should be white. What does this mean in terms of the films' approach to representing ideas on 'Britishness' and Rowling's input throughout the franchise's history?
- At what point do the paratexts (such as the theme park, the studio tour, Platform 9 3/4s) become the main text and the films the paratexts? Have people visited these sites without seeing the films?
The theme of the conference, Anchoring New Cinema History, invited presentations on a variety of different methodologies for research, such as: collecting audience memories, analysing the programming for a particular set of cinemas throughout a specific time period, utilising DVD rental data to determine audience preferences. Wider questions were also raised throughout, such as what is contemporary cinema history and how do we study it?
Conference participants
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