The Making of The HP Book 7 Translator

The concept of The Harry Potter Book 7 Translator was born after reading the Guardian article about translators.

All the actors agreed to work for free, as well as the production assistants. Nevertheless, costs still managed to climb to $350 to cover the technical and production requirements to make this short video.

The owner of the Heritage Alternative Art Gallery, Mr. George Alcantara, readily agreed to be the sponsor for the venue.

There was no need for production design because the Heritage Alternative Art Gallery was totally perfect with its multitude of art pieces and bookcases filled with books.

The short video was shot in the afternoon of 17 February 2007 to take advantage of the light streaming through the glass windows. No artificial or supplemental lights were used.

This is my directorial debut as a video director, and also serves as the debut of my cinematographer and editor Jeanne Orara, who has only shot documentaries before.

Neither storyboards nor ID’s were used during the shoot. The lack of ID’s will be corrected on the next shoot.

The original plan was an estimated 2-minute piece that ballooned into 5 minutes plus 30 seconds of credits.

Mimi Orara, the adult female actor who played the translator, may be a familiar face because of her numerous TV commercials.

Juddy Lopez, the youngest child on the verge of tears at the end of the film, was put into that condition by his aunt who said, “No more Spiderman.” He recovered when he was reassured that it was “only till 6pm.”

Kara Lopez, the only female child actor, was the one who suggested how to stop the milk from dripping from the nipple and how to spurt the milk onto the book page.

Raya Lopez, the eldest of the three, was so convincing as the mastermind that we really had to tone down his performance through editing.

All three children are siblings in real life.

The slightly damaged book is a historical romance by Julie Garwood.

Whenever I tried to imagine hearing music while The HP Book 7 Translator ran through my mind’s eye, the music always disappears, hence, the decision to make it into a silent film.

I know there will be cause for confusion regarding the storyline, which is meant to leave room for a lot of speculation, and, as my brother warned me, The HP Book 7 Translator is not exactly You Tube fare.

Nevertheless, the Harry Potter fans might take delight in some details, while book lovers will be horrified with the book’s desecration.

The world premiere of The HP Book 7 Translator was delayed due to technical difficulties.

It is my sincere wish that Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Director Alfonso Cuaron and Harry Potter author JK Rowling, to whom this short video is dedicated to, will somehow stumble onto The HP Book 7 Translator. I can dream, can’t I?

Related Posts

The HP Book 7 Translator Video
Harry Potter and the Heritage Alternative Art Gallery Owner
Harry Potter 7 Double Deaths
Stephen King and John Irving Join Clamor for Harry Potter Survival
Raymond Red Lectures in Digicine