….
The dragon's tail whipped toward the camera in perfect 3D, and Lily actually gasped.
Harry grabbed the golden egg, the dragon lunging after him, jaws snapping closed on empty air as he rolled away with impossible precision.
Tonal shift with beauty instead of terror.
The Great Hall transformed, ice sculptures catching light from thousands of floating candles. The 3D made the space feel genuinely massive, architecture extending upward into darkness while dancers moved across the floor in the foreground.
Hermione in her dress, descending the stairs. The camera pulled back to show Ron's stunned expression, and the depth between them somehow made the moment more intimate rather than less.
Music swelling - not the diegetic ball music, but the trailer's orchestral score building toward something.
Couples dancing, the camera weaving between them, showing faces and emotions and small moments of connection rendered in beautiful detail.
….
Then came the glimpse of the underwater darkness.
Harry swimming deeper, the Black Lake stretching endlessly below him. Schools of fish moved through different depth layers, some close enough to seem touchable, others distant and ghostly.
The merpeople appeared from shadows, their movements alien and unsettling. The 3D made their otherness visceral - too close and fast, surrounding Harry from multiple directions.
Captives suspended in the water, sleeping faces peaceful while danger approached from below.
Harry reaching for them, his hand extending toward camera in perfect 3D perspective–
Something grabbed his ankle from behind, and the color drained from the world.
The Portkey sequence - spinning, disorienting, the 3D effect making the rotation genuinely nauseating in the best possible way.
Landing hard in darkness.
Tombstones emerging from mist, each one occupying a different depth plane that made the graveyard feel vast and claustrophobic simultaneously.
"Kill the spare." a voice hissed.
Green light with cedric falling.
Harry's scream, raw and broken.
The cauldron bubbling, something forming in the darkness. Shadows moving with terrible purpose.
Peter Pettigrew's terrified face as he performed the ritual, the 3D making every desperate gesture feel immediate and present.
And then—
Voldemort.
Not fully shown but just suggestions.
A hand emerging from darkness, skin too pale, fingers too long. The edge of a face, features that looked wrong even in shadow.
Red eyes opening.
"I can touch you now."
….
During the last seconds, the trailer accelerated, frames flashing faster:
Harry dueling, wand movements creating light trails through 3D space.
Dragons circling overhead, their wings creating depth and shadow.
The maze, walls shifting and closing, paths changing as Harry ran.
Dumbledore's face, grave and worried.
The Cup glowing gold.
Fire and darkness mixing.
Wands connecting, light streaming between them.
Faces of everyone Harry loved, flash after flash.
Richard Harris as Dumbledore, his final appearance in the franchise, delivering a line with such weight and warmth that it transcended the screen
"Dark and difficult times lie ahead." Dumbledore said, his voice carrying the wisdom of someone who'd seen this pattern before. "Soon we must all face the choice between what is right, and what is easy."
His face held on screen for just a moment longer than the other shots.
A goodbye to the actor and the character both.
Then—
Title card:
[HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE]
[Directed By Chris Columbus]
[Screenplay and Story By Regal Seraphsail]
The 3D made the letters seem to float in space, each word occupying a different depth.
[May 31, 2015]
Thunder, dragon roar and darkness.
The screen went black.
….
Lights came up slowly, giving everyone time to adjust.
Nobody spoke immediately.
Rupert was the first to break the silence, pulling off his 3D glasses and just staring at the now-empty screen. "I had chills, th–"
Daniel finished. "That was absolutely terrifying in the best way."
Lily had tears running down her face, but she was smiling. "Seeing him again like that—" Her voice caught. "I haven't seen new footage of him in so long. And he looked so—"
She couldn't finish.
Gwendolyn was already moving, settling into the seat on Lily's other side and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I know, sweetheart. I know."
"He would have loved this." Lily managed, wiping her eyes. "The 3D, the dragons, all of it. He was so excited about where the franchise was going, so proud of being part of it."
"He was proud of you, the whole cast and crew." Gwendolyn said gently. "He told me constantly - how proud he was that you had chosen a film, how much he loved watching you develop as an actress and a person."
Daniel still hadn't moved his hand from Lily's arm, and Rupert was genuinely impressed by his friend's ability to provide comfort while simultaneously looking like he might die of nervousness.
Rock appeared silently, materializing like a ghost despite being built like a tank, holding out a box of tissues. He offered them first to Lily, then to Gwendolyn when he noticed she was also tearing up despite trying to stay composed for Lily's sake.
Simon sat in his seat actively crying, not even attempting to hide it. "That scene with Cedric dying, and then Dumbledore's line about choosing what's right—" He gestured helplessly at the screen. "How is that a trailer? That's an emotional assault disguised as marketing!"
Samantha stood beside him looking caught between sympathy and second-hand embarrassment. "Simon. You know this is a professional screening with industry executives present, right?"
"I don't care!" Simon wiped his eyes aggressively with tissues Rock had provided. "That was emotionally devastating and beautifully crafted and you can't judge me for having human feelings!"
"I am not judging—"
"You are definitely judging."
"I am just suggesting that maybe crying this hard at a trailer is—"
"Is what? Appropriate? Because it is! Rock's crying too!"
Everyone looked at Rock, who indeed had tear tracks on his face despite maintaining his usual stoic expression and complete silence.
"Rock cries at everything." Samantha said. "He cried at a detergent commercial last week."
"It was very moving." Rock said quietly, his first words of the entire screening. "The mother reuniting with her son after he'd been away at college."
"It was a detergent ad!"
"Emotional truth transcends medium." Rock replied with perfect seriousness.
Rupert started laughing, which broke the remaining tension in the room. "I love that Rock's deepest philosophical statement today is about laundry detergent."
"Mock all you want." Rock said. "But that mother's joy was real."
"It was acting!"
"All art is artifice. The emotion it creates is genuine."
"Did Rock just—" Daniel looked around. "Did he just get deep about a commercial?"
"Rock contains multitudes." Samantha said, sounding resigned to this fact.
Lily was laughing now too, which had probably been Rock's intention all along - distract from grief with absurdity.
….
Across the room, Regal stood with Deonte Maravich while Zack and Chris Columbus hovered nearby, clearly waiting to hear the distribution president's reaction.
"So." Regal said. "Worth the delay?"
Deonte nodded slowly, still processing what he'd just seen. "Going for 3D was the right call, it looks exceptional on the screen."
"That was the goal."
"The dragon sequence alone will sell tickets. And that graveyard atmosphere–" Deonte shook his head appreciatively. "You were right to take the extra time. This is substantially better than anything we could have rushed to release earlier."
Regal didn't mention that this opinion hadn't been universal within Red Pictures.
When Richard Harris's death had been announced three months ago, certain executives had pushed hard to accelerate the release schedule. Their logic had been mercenary but not irrational from a purely business perspective, capitalize on the emotional response, get the film into theaters while audiences were already thinking about the franchise and its legacy.
Regal had shut that conversation down immediately.
"We're not using Richard's death as a marketing opportunity." he had said flatly during the conference call where the suggestion first emerged. "We release when the film is ready, not when it's emotionally advantageous to exploit a tragedy."
Some executives had pushed back. Argued about market timing, audience sentiment, maximizing opening weekend potential.
Regal had been equally blunt: "If Red Pictures wants to delay for quality reasons, I support that completely. If they want to rush to exploit a man's death, I will pull LIE Studios' involvement and you can explain to your board why you lost your franchise producer over basic human decency."
The conversation ended quickly after that.
Now, watching Deonte's genuine appreciation for the finished product, Regal felt vindicated. They had made the right choice for the right reasons, and the work spoke for itself.
"How's the full film looking?" Deonte asked.
"The final cut is locked." Chris answered. "Color grading is nearly complete, 3D conversion for the non-native shots is finished, sound mix should be done by the end of next week."
"You feel good about it?"
Chris smiled, though there was melancholy underneath. "This is my best work on the franchise. I know I am biased because it's my last one, but yeah - I am really proud of what we made."
Zack added. "The pacing in the third act is particularly strong. We found a rhythm that lets the emotional moments breathe while maintaining tension through the action sequences. The 3D actually helps with that, spatial depth creates natural pause points that wouldn't work in standard format."
Regal glanced toward the front row where the kids were still processing, the conversation having shifted from tears to laughter through Rock's bizarre detergent commercial tangent.
Daniel still hadn't moved away from Lily's side.
Rupert was watching them with the long-suffering expression of someone who'd been witnessing this slow-motion romance for three years.
"Give me a minute." Regal said to Deonte, then walked down the aisle.
Lily looked up as he approached, wiping her eyes one final time. "Sorry, I didn't mean to get so emotional—"
"Don't apologize." Regal cut her off gently. "That was the appropriate response to seeing someone you loved on screen. If you hadn't reacted, I would be worried something was wrong."
She smiled weakly. "The trailer's beautiful. Really beautiful."
Daniel finally spoke up, though he was still positioned protectively close to Lily. "When are you planning to release this? Because if the trailer hits this hard, the full film is going to destroy people."
"We're releasing it next week across all platforms. Standard trailer campaign - theaters, television, online. The 3D version will play exclusively in 3D-equipped theaters to give people a preview of what the format adds."
"And the film releases when?" Lily asked.
"July second." Chris answered. "Wide release, all major markets simultaneously. We're targeting maximum theater count because the 3D experience is the selling point - this needs to be seen on the biggest screens possible."
Deonte stood, clearly ready to move toward next steps. "When can we schedule the full screening for the executive team?"
"Two weeks." Regal said. "The final cut will be completely locked by then."
"Good. I will coordinate with your team." Deonte shook hands with Chris, then Regal. "Congratulations. This is going to be massive."
After he left, the room's energy shifted again - less formal, more celebratory.
The kids were comparing notes on which 3D moments had been most effective. Gwendolyn was showing Lily something on her phone that was making her laugh. Simon had recovered enough to start explaining shot composition choices to anyone who would listen.
Rock stood in his usual position near the back, silent and observant, tissues still in hand just in case anyone needed them.
Regal watched them all, feeling something close to satisfaction.
They had made the right choices. Delayed for quality, refused to exploit tragedy, invested in technology that actually enhanced the story rather than existing as a gimmick.
And now they had a trailer that worked, a film that would honor everyone who'd contributed to it, and a franchise that continued to mean something beyond just commercial success.
The Goblet of Fire would release in four weeks.
Audiences would experience the first 3D Harry Potter film.
And Richard Harris's final appearance as Dumbledore would remind everyone why they'd fallen in love with these movies in the first place.
Not because of the spectacle - though the spectacle was impressive.
But because underneath the magic and danger and adventure, these films were about people. Real, flawed, courageous people trying to do the right thing in dark times.
That was worth protecting, honoring and taking the time to get exactly right.
….
.
[To be continued…]
★─────⇌•★•⇋─────★
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