Mediating the Stories of the Muggle and Wizarding Worlds

About

About This Blog

Introduction

I put this fansite together in part to train my students in how to navigate through the culture-shaping materials of media – print, film, digital, etc. I am a student of cultures, as well as a student of “strategic foresight” (aka futurist studies/”futuring”). Over the past 15+ years, I have been developing a theoretical model and practical curriculum for how to observe, analyze, and interpret cultures, and from there, how to match organizational systems development to cultural realities – while not letting culture crush creativity. I’m intrigued by philosophical paradigms; by how culture shapes us; and by how we shape cultures and, through them, how we shape our possible futures into the most preferable future.

Media of all kinds fit into these studies. I especially enjoy films and am always looking for a good story to help me with showing how a particular concept plays itself out in peoples’ behaviors. But I am also always on the lookout for press, promotional, and professional resources to help me in that pursuit. Over the years, I have gravitated to certain categories of marketing media to help me understand the directions our culture may be driven toward, and why. For instance:

  • Film press kits and related promotional media tend to have intriguing quotes and tidbits of information the general public is unlikely to find elsewhere, since it is material created specifically for film critics, reporters, reviewers, etc.
  • Background documentaries and DVD special features likewise tend to yield some insights.
  • Cinefex produces in-depth behind-the-scenes photo essays on the special effects in a film, and how the unique issues of those effects affect the directing, acting, and editing of the film.
  • Different media from international sources may help us understand why some movies “travel” easily across cultures, and others do not.

All together, we can learn from these sources and others about how media shapes culture – and since the Harry Potter series has already become a cultural phenomenon on multiple levels of influence, we would do well to take a look at how the publishers of the books and the producers of the films “position” their products, and how film professionals analyze aspects of movie making that they most care about. (For instance, see the page on Social Impact of the Series.) This blog shares detailed descriptions of material I have collected and studied during that pastime, plus, in many cases, images about the item or product. It also shares some of the ideas and conclusions I have come to along the way.

I hope you’ll enjoy surfing through Harry Potter Notes, and find something of interest to you!

~ Brad Sargent “futuristguy”

Notices on Copyrights and Vero

Harry Potter Notes is a fan website. I have no official connection with or endorsement from J.K. Rowling, Scholastic or Bloomsbury (US and UK publishers of the Harry Potter books), Warner Brothers (producers of the Harry Potter films), or Universal Studios (parent company of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park). This site is meant to serve as a source of information and entertainment to its readers. No rights or transfer of usage is implied by the presence of any information or image here.

I make every effort in good faith to maintain the copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property rights of those who produced the materials and memorabilia mentioned.

  • I only use stock photos from other websites when that is explicitly allowed, and if I do, I abide by their “terms of use.”
  • I use scans or photos of items I have at one time owned, and there are times in these images when I cover over or otherwise obscure important details (such as signatures) that could otherwise be misused to counterfeit the product.
  • Whenever possible, I link to another source’s website so you can see the whole context of what they said. When I quote other sources, I seek to abide by the U.S. rules of “fair use,” which means short quotations, not wholesale copying-and-pasting. This is also why I do not post entire documents, such as production notes or promotional brochures found in film press kits.

I seek to demonstrate ethical integrity. However, I am not a lawyer or a professional publisher and probably make mistakes at times. If I’ve accidentally overstepped boundaries, or if you have corrections or additions to site information, please let me know through the Contact page, and I’ll take care of changes as quickly as possible.

Notices to eBay Sellers

Item Descriptions. If you are an eBay seller, you are welcome to quote or adapt my descriptions for your eBay listings, but I would appreciate your giving credit to “futuristguy at Harry Potter Notes.” Also, please note when text you use from here is quoted from some other website, and give credit to that site instead.

Item Images. However, please do not use images from Harry Potter Notes in your postings. Your potential eBuyers deserve to see the actual items you are selling, not the items from my collection.

Also, please do not copy my information pages/posts or images onto any other website without prior written permission.

Thanks for respecting my work and my wishes on this material.