Famous for his creative hand in the Harry Potter and fantastic beasts movies, MinaLima is responsible for bringing so much magical art to life. The duo behind the scenes, Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima, are the official content designers for Wizarding World. The pair sat down with AlloCiné to discuss their work on both franchises.
MinaLima’s recent creations can be seen everywhere Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore’s Secrets. Shop signs in Berlin’s cityscape, campaign banners held up by supportive citizens, and an ornately decorated Portkey, among other things, were all elements that had to be considered for the film. Miraphora Mina was the first to respond when asked which designs they prefer to create.
We had a lot of new worlds to imagine, but I think going to Bhutan – and having this completely new environment that was very local, very primitive, in a way, in its style and because it was so remote and separated from the cities but also from all these dogmas to which we were accustomed in the world of Harry Potter – it was an opportunity to reinvent some of the symbols, figures, shapes and styles that could be found in this magical and sacred destination, which we had never seen before.
Eduardo Lima also continued with some of his most memorable designs.
Another big part of our work on this film was the elections. We had to create all the material for the fans of Santos, Tao and Grindelwald. And for me, in particular, having a bit of Brazil in this movie is really important to me because that’s where I come from. Thus, the creation of the badge of the [Brazilian] Ministry of Magic and all the other material from Vicência was fantastic.
There are always challenges when there are new areas of design to explore. Mina said recreating parts of Berlin for the film was tricky and required organizational skills.
When we went to muggle worlds in Harry Potter, it was a bit boring because it was contemporary. But in the fantastic beasts series, it’s always great because you have to bring the streets of the 30s back to life quite often. We’ve done it for New York, Paris and now Berlin. But because of the fantastic way these films are made, almost everything is done in the studio.
So the streets are all built in the studio. To create so many streets that feel like part of an entire city, we need to cram everything into a smaller space but use graphics to make sure a single space feels like three or four different locations. It’s a real challenge because it becomes a kind of organizational logistics.
Lima noted, “It’s the magic of cinema!
A bit of digital cinema magic may have helped the creative duo finish the job, but it’s safe to say that it’s the original and unique quality of art that only MinaLima can create that really makes these movies. As Mina said so well during the interview, “The idea is always to make people feel like it’s magic rather than show them. We wanted to give a feeling of magic. It was a joy to do.
While new artwork is always a treat for viewers, it’s also fun to revisit the classics. Asked about one of the MinaLima “the most emblematic creations”, the Marauder’s Map, they both agreed it was a longtime favorite. The key to layout, Mina described, is not just to draw a map in the style preferred by the designer, but also to get into the minds of the original map creators.
And so right from the start, we had to make sure that it wasn’t us who were designing the map, but these four Marauders, and we know a little more about them thanks to the fictional story. And I think if you understand the personality of the person behind the piece, then you can start finding visual cues to help you. So in this case, they were a little cunning and creative and a little cheeky and naughty.
Check out more design content from MinaLima on the official site.
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