Before Warner Bros. took the stage at CinemaCon, I got to speak with Harry Potter producers David Heyman and David Barron on the red carpet. With the final installment set to hit theaters in July, this was the final time they would be promoting Harry Potter to theater owners. Thankfully, the pair brought some incredible footage from the final installment (read about it here) and after watching, I think the last chapter will be the best.During the interview, Heyman and Barron talked about how they decided what footage to show, they confirmed the final installment would be in 3D, revealed that Part I is heading to Blu-ray in 3D and some of the previous films might as well, confirmed Part II is loaded with action, and Heyman said that the last chapter "will be the shortest film." After the interview ended, he told me it would be over two hours, but I don't think much longer than that. Hit the jump to either read or watch the interview.Finally, due to some audio issues (which I didn't know about until I started to edit) I'm offering both the full transcript and the video. Don't worry, this will be fixed tomorrow.-Collider: How did you guys decide what footage you wanted to show the theater owners today?Heyman: Well part of it was what was ready, quite frankly. Because weâre still very much editing and also still very much doing the visual effects. So a lot of the visual effects being shown here will be very rough, and the footage is still rough. But we just showed some exciting bits and some really good dramatic scenes. Barron: What the movieâs about. Heyman: To let people in, a little bit. When you guys first presented Harry Potter, I believe it was last year but maybe 2 years ago, but you guys actually showed a scene from Harry facing Voldemort for the final time. And it was in the very beginning of the footage you showed, and for me, I gasped, because I couldnât believe you were showing this.Barron: (laughs) Just teasing. Heyman: You had to wait a little while before you actually saw it in the film. Are you showing anymore of that scene today?Heyman: No Barron: Thereâs one shot of each, I think. Heyman: Yeah thereâs a couple of shots, but weâre not showing cut footage. You guys decided not to do the 3D conversion for Part 1, but you said 3D for Part 2. Is Part 2 still being released in 3D?Heyman: Yes it is. The reason we didnât do it on the first part was because we didnât feel that we could do it justice. And actually the 3D would actually compromise the film, so we didnât have the time. Barron: We were diving into 3D for the first time, it was a new world for us, and so we didnât get off to a fine start. There wasnât time to do it properly, and so Warners very very kindly supported us. Iâm sure they were wishing it was not the case, but they were hugely supportive to not put out something that we werenât happy with. You mentioned that you guys were eventually gonna release Part 1 in 3D whether it be on Blu-ray or a re-release theatrically.Heyman: Weâre doing Blu-ray. Barron: Itâs going really well. Heyman: Weâre in the process of doing it right now and weâre really excited about the quality, we feel it adds something to the film and is really immersive as opposed to taking out, which I think a lot of 3D can do. And itâs been great for us going through that process to lead into the theatrical because I think weâve learned an awful lot. Barron: We have learned a lot. Heyman: David Yates is approaching 3D from a character point of view. Barron: Itâs a storytelling aid. Rather than being a special effect gimmick where itâs like âOh thatâs cool.â Weâre using it to help tell the story better. Heyman: Itâs probably gonna be more subtle than on some films, weâre not gonna have tons of stuff flying out the screen, weâll have some but not much. The depth will not necessarily be as great as some films. But it will make the film feel larger, be more immersive, and I think it will add to the stories as opposed to take away. Do you guys ever envision a 3D conversion of the earlier films and also the theatrical re-release of them in 3D?Heyman: We havenâtâ talked about it but I wonât be surprised if that happens. I donât know about theatrical but I suspect in 3D that will go on. Whatâs the running time of the final film?Barron: It will be one of the shortest films. Heyman: It will be the shortest film. So what does that mean?Heyman: We donât know yet, because weâre still editing. Barron: Itâs not a short film, but it will be shorter than the others. When I spoke to you guys last time, you mentioned that the last film was much more of an action film. Is that still the case?Heyman: Itâs not non-stop action, but itâs a lot of action. But, one the the things that makes Harry Potter so special is itâs not just action, not just magic, itâs characters, humanity and truth. Barron: And a strong emotional core. Heyman: And thatâs what this film has: a real strong emotional center. So yeah thereâs a lot of action, and itâs a really thrilling ride, and it ends with the final confrontation with Voldemort with Harry, but most importantly itâs a film that moves you and it makes you really involved and invested in the characters.
Exclusive: Producers David Heyman and David Barron talk HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS - PART 2 at CinemaCon
Exclusive: Producers David Heyman and David Barron interview HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS - PART 2 at CinemaCon. Updates on 3D, running time..