I’ve been spending a lot of time recently watching short films on Youtube, and one of the recent surprises I’ve had is discovering the “Wand Duel” genre. Similar to the “Lightsabre Duel” genre that has been floating around on YouTube for a while, the Wand Duel genre takes the simple premise of the Harry Potter wand duel as presented in the movies and runs with it.
Most are short and to the point, with some being simple…
And others fairly complex…
And still others trying to be full short films…
…But they’re all variations on a theme.
In a weird way, the Wand Duel genre is a perfect one for student (and especially teen) action/special effects fanfilms. Unlike Lightsabres, which are tied to a whole otherworldly fictional universe, the Harry Potter setting is inherently our own, so beyond having wands (sticks of wood) no other special props or costumes are required.What also helps them is the incredibly vague and fluid nature of exactly what’s happening in a Harry Potter-style magic duel, which pretty much seems to be whatever the writer/director wants it to be!
About the only things these filmmakers need is a camera, a knowledge of basic cinematography and some software that can overlay effects. (Which they can learn to produce through YouTube tutorials.) It’s a great training ground for aspiring fimmakers to play with and learn their craft, and I hope they keep at it!
Rob
