A fan-produced movie called "Voldemort: Origins of the Heir" was released on YouTube last month, free of charge. The movie is an unofficial "prequel" that tells the story of how Tom Riddle became Voldemort. Warner Brothers, the Hollywood studio that owns the rights to Harry Potter films, allowed the movie to be produced as long as it was released without charge. Plus, learn how to use the phrasal verb "come out" when talking about books and movies.
Also in Today's Lesson
Transcript
A new Harry Potter movie is on YouTube for free
Welcome to Plain English, the podcast that goes at the right speed for English language learners. I’m Jeff and on today’s episode we’ll talk about a new fan-made Harry Potter movie that was released on YouTube last month; it’s gotten over 12 million views and it’s totally free. And I’m not talking about the pirated version either! The movie was released to YouTube for free; And I’ll tell you more about that later. In the second half of the program, we’ll talk about the phrasal verb “come out.”
Before we do, though, just a quick reminder to click “subscribe” on Apple Podcasts or “follow” on Spotify. If you like listening to Plain English, you can make sure that new episodes show up on your phone by clicking “subscribe” or “follow”, depending on the app you use to listen. The more people we have subscribing on Apple Podcasts, the more people will see Plain English when they search for something to listen to—so with that out of the way, let’s get going on the Harry Potter movie.
New Harry Potter movie
If you just can’t get enough of the Harry Potter series, you’re in luck: a new film about Tom Riddle and his progression into the Dark Lord Voldemort was released on YouTube for free.
Now, this one is a little different than what you might be imagining. First of all, it’s not written by JK Rowling and was not produced by a major Hollywood studio. Instead, it was written and produced by a group of fans—true fanatics—of Harry Potter. The movie is called Voldemort: Origins of the Heir and tells the story of how Tom Riddle rose to become the main antagonist of the Harry Potter series—He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
This isn’t the official story; it’s only the backstory as imagined by a group of passionate fans. And as a fan-produced movie, it’s definitely not the same quality you’re used to seeing at the movies. Still, it might be good enough to satisfy your curiosity while you’re waiting for the next Fantastic Beasts movie to come out in November.
The total runtime is 52 minutes, more like the length of a TV show than a movie. But this is an impressive production, with special effects, well-constructed sets, and good costumes, so it’s better than most fan-produced movies. The plot is elaborate and well-researched, as well. The story is told as a series of flashbacks. One new character, Grisha McLaggen, is captured at the beginning of the movie. And viewers get bits and pieces of the Voldemort story through McLaggen’s flashbacks under questioning.
The movie is created in Italian and was dubbed into English. The director, Gianmaria Pezzato, said he wanted to write a film that explores the dark backstory to Voldemort. He said he wanted to know what made Tom Riddle become Voldemort. In the director’s opinion, there are a lot of clues in the official Harry Potter books that are not explored in the movies.
Over 30 million people watched the trailer when it was first released last June; the full movie came out on January 13th and so far has over twelve-and-a-half million views on YouTube.
According to Wikipedia, the reception by critics has been mixed. Some reviewers complimented the special effects and production; one reviewer said the visual effects were better than some multi-million dollar movie productions. But others criticized the acting, saying the actors were way too old for the characters they were portraying.
The project began on Kickstarter, a web site that raises money for new businesses and projects. But the Kickstarter campaign quickly drew the attention of Warner Brothers, and not in a good way. You see, Warner Brothers is the studio that owns the rights to the Harry Potter series. They were worried about copyright infringement. The director of the movie, said he had a confidential call with Warner Brothers, which eventually agreed to let the fan movie go forward—but on a non-profit basis only. That’s why the movie is free on YouTube instead of being offered for sale.
As you might know, JK Rowling is writing a series of films that also cover the time before the Harry Potter movies. The first was called Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and was released in 2016. The second movie, Fantastic Beasts: the Crimes of Grindelwald will be released in late 2018. The first Fantastic Beasts movie won two Academy Awards—something none of the Harry Potter movies achieved. There are expected to be five Fantastic Beasts movies in total.
If you want to check out Voldemort: Origins of the Heir, I’ll put a link in the show notes, which you can see right from your podcast app, and on the web site, at PlainEnglish.com/22
I want to say a big thank-you to Mayra for suggesting today’s topic. Mayra listens from Bogota, Colombia, and says she’s been working at English and is getting better with time. That’s how it works—it takes time and practice, right? Thanks again Mayra for listening and for suggesting today’s topic.
And if you like listening, I wanted to also tell you about the e-mails that I send out every Monday and Thursday. The e-mails include a summary of the new episode, links to the English articles that I use to prepare the show, and an explanation of an additional word or phrase. If you want to get those emails, just go to PlainEnglish.com/mail, fill in your details, and you’ll get those emails every time a new show comes out.
¿Hablas español?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into Spanish. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .
How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
你说中国话？
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Parlez-vous français?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Você fala português?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
日本語は話せますか？
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Parli italiano?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Sprechen Sie Deutsch?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Sen Türkçe konuşmayı biliyor musun?
The transcripts of Plain English lessons are available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation. Turkish translations are available starting at Lesson 278.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Mówisz po polsku?
The transcript of Plain English lessons are available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation. Polish translations are available starting at Lesson 278.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Audio
The fast version of this lesson is available for subscribers of Plain English Plus+.