Sirius Black and the Secret Keeper

“Sirius Black and the Secret Keeper” is a movie prequel to J.K. Rowling's famous novel and movie series Harry Potter. Made entirely by fans, “Sirius Black and the Secret Keeper” tells the story of one of Rowling's famous characters, Sirius Black. The series only has one episode going so far, which is about eleven minutes long and was released to YouTube July 14^th. The reaction to it, though, seems great so far.

I originally discovered it through this post on Tumblr, and like many others, had absolutely no idea what was going on. I clicked the link listed beneath the post and was brought to this website. The website, as it seems, is entirely dedicated to this fan-made universe of Sirius Black and those he interacts with.

I was still intrigued and confused before clicking on the video. I thought maybe it was a hidden project Rowling had been working on herself. However, with the beginning of the video, it was made clear that Rowling, nor anyone else associated with Harry Potter, had absolutely nothing to do with this. Still though, I thought I should give it a fair chance, seeing as I am a large Harry Potter fan myself.

I think the video has a strong beginning, and sticks very true to the opening in all Harry Potter movies.

Then, I started to have mixed feelings about it as the video continued on.

Firstly, I feel like there should have been an introduction of some sort. While some characters were obvious – Sirius, Bellatrix, and Barty Crouch, Jr. among them, others were not. From what I understand most of the characters in this first video were fictitious, as their names do not seem to strike familiar to me, but either way, I feel there should have been some way to tell who was who. Perhaps there should have been a photo of each cast member with their character's name alongside it. Somehow I think there should have been some way for the viewers to become familiarized with who plays who.

Another thing I disliked was the fight scene towards the end of this first video. While I know it should not be Hollywood standards, and I should not hold it up to such, I felt it was, to put it bluntly, a bit corny. There should have been more substance to it. I didn't fully believe what was happening. I have taken a video class for two years straight, so I understand how it can be difficult to make a believing scene such as that, but I do feel like there should have been something more. I am hoping this “something more” happens in the videos to come.

Put those two errors aside, though, and I feel that the video was okay, and it leaves a good first impression. I think the casting for the main characters – again, Sirius, Bellatrix, and Barty Crouch Jr. - were right on. I think the costumes were very nicely done, and stuck true to Rowling's characters. The script gives me mixed feelings, but I feel like it was fine overall. The special effects for the wands, though, were brilliant, as were all the other special effects used. Those who made this video did a wonderful job of sticking close to the details used in the Harry Potter movies.

Also, the theatrical posted (referring to the one posted on Tumblr in the link provided above) is genius. Coming from an aspiring graphics designer, it makes my heart flip, it is that beautiful.

All-in-all, I plan to try and stick with these videos. I am hoping that they turn out good in the end, as this seems like such a wonderful idea. Although there were parts I disliked, it is easy for viewers to tell how much hard work and dedication was put into this tribute to J.K. Rowling and her fans. I encourage other Harry Potter fans to give the website and video a look if interested, as I do not think anyone will regret it, and spread the word to other fans who might want to check it out as well.