MortalSwordsman told me to take a look at your creations, since im experimenting with lightning. And i must say WOOOT. Youre very very good both with your builds and your light setup. Im very impressed ! :)

I have read each book 8 times. No person could have shown the second-greatest movie franchise ever in Lego better than you did. absolutely fantastic. I would love to see other MOCs of HP by you!

EPIC!!!!

Why am I just now seeing this? This is fantastic! I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan (except for the Legos)! You did a great job on Godric's Hollow! The graveyard also looks equally good! Great job :D

wow really nice, you really thought at anything for this build, as usualy... i love the front of the house with the halloween thing in the front yard, and ofcourse voldemort spirit there fly's around in the underworld, really nice build,

Cool! The voldemort losing his spirit part was amazing, and I also loved the voldemort killing harry's mom part!

i m no fan of hp, but, this captured my imagination, such pieces, such mood, and lighting, excellent leda!!!

Nice build. I don't understand the last scene, though...

Very nice, the house looks perfect for the scene

Wow :)

Leda your lighting effects are sublime, beautiful and magical. Very inspirational stuff! Don't stop building...EVER!

Oh wow! So would I! How cool would that be?

After realising what this MOC is about, I stopped looking at it any further, because I'm right in the middle of book 7 and I was afraid that your MOC might contain spoilers. After a friend assured me that it is save to look at your creation, I finally did. Leda, this is fantastic! I'd love to own a Harry Potter book collection, illustrated with your MOCs, like this one guy did with the bible.

Well mate, I know what an effort it was for you to get the photography right and it was time well spent! I hereby dub thee Leda, Mistress of special effects! Lovely job mate, great details, superb presentation. Good luck as you advance.

WOW

Wow, nice! Like all the cool lights and stuff.

And that means I'll not be making it to round five... Thanks for your comment. Fingers crossed you have your second ever failed attempt next round so it might give me some slight glimmer of a hope at beating you. No I'm not that mean as to wish that upon you... out loud. No seriously, good luck ;)

Wow... I'm at a loss for words.. *blink*blink*

I'm not a big Harry Potter fan but the photography of this is superb. The lighting really gives a nice cinematic look. Well done and congrats...oh crap...that means I'll be facing you in round four :

Ummm, Leda, ummm - wow. Not sure what to say but you just knocked my socks off. The pants are sure to follow, so where should we meet? Lee.

As someone said, really great lighting! I wish I could do that...

Great job! My favorite shot has got to be the lightning with Voldemort's head. And nice job working in a Catwoman easter egg!

Nice! I'd love to see more HP stuff from you!

Good use of lighting, love the green and the blue. Congrats on your victory!

Yes I totally agree with you that would have been very cool and a great composition. My initial photos of the scene were indeed just that. However it detracted from the purpose of the moc which was from Voldemort's point of view. It's his story, not Harrys. To focus on Harry at this point when I had not before then disrupted the flow of images in my opinion so I pulled out and tried to let the entire scene be the focus. This is just a reminder to the viewers that Voldemort is about to return and what had to happen in order for him to return. Thanks for your feedback, I really appreciate it. My plan may not have been entirely successful perhaps it is too much of a difference in style from the previous images, but of all the images that is actually my favourite. It looks like Beetlejuice. :)

Mark may have meant something other than what I'm about to say, but the last shot, although recognizable from the film, may have been a bit more dramatic from about 45 degrees to the left. Getting what's-his-name a little taller over the cauldron, and having both him and Harry closer, with their faces visible, and all the other stuff slightly out of focus in the background might have sharpened the shot. It would also minimize the amount of open field between the camera and the subjects, getting right up in there, if you know what I mean. I really enjoyed all the action in the trick or treat shot of the house. Congrats on the win!

Wow another amazing creation from you! I really like Potters house and that spell! =D

Thanks Mark, its always good to get a critique from a talented artist such as yourself, I value it and will take it on board in order to improve for the future... but I have to admit that this particular line is a bit vague... I need just a tad more information if you get the time. Which images? All of them or just one in particular? Which parts are too busy? Do you mean the composition is busy by there is too much "stuff" in frame, ie Lego, lights, focused bits, unfocused bits, colours etc or busy as in the actual build is too cluttered. and how do you think I could lesson the clutter without sparking another of the "your build is too simple" discussion as my round 1 entry did... again, thanks for the imput and I know you are pressed for time, but I'm into round 4 and I need all the help I can to hold my own against the person I fear I am up against...

Love it all! You managed to create a fantastic "ambience" here! All the story, creations and that ligh effects! Superb!

I'm an absolute maniac for anything Harry Potter - so ya had my attention from the onset. I felt like some of the images were just a bit visually busy for my tastes, but that's the only nit I could come up with. Some great scenes and your usual brilliance with presentation. Congrats on the win, and just to make it official...you've got my vote as well! See ya next round!

See, aren't you glad now that you put a whipping on me in the second round? You might not have done this one quite so awesomely if the desire to put me in my place hadn't been there. You're welcome!

Thanks mate. That was a close battle. I have to tell you I was sweating while I opened the two judges comments! I really couldn't have said which way they were going to go. Keep building mocs like that one man. It really suits you!

Congratulations Leda on a deserved victory. I agree with the judges your build was more complex and the worthy winner. It was an honour doing battle with you and I hope you go all the way. Good luck :). I'll be back next year ;)

Thanks Barty you are awesome! And Batty you also are awesome!

Ms. Kat, Truly wonderful build and idea, but again, the photography and presentation put you over the top. You have my vote. ~Dave

Well, your competitor really put up a wicked entry, but my vote goes to you. The room and the house show a greater complexity in terms of building, and that's what it's all about right? Good luck with the other judges!

Leda, this creation is wonderful, the light game, that you used, is superb! All is fantastic... Master Leda, teach to us! ;)

Your modesty is just one of the many things that I love about you. I JUST watched all the movies back-to-back-to-back...and this makes me want to do it all over again! Grrr, I can't wait for the last one to come out on dvd! I look forward to your future 'Harry' posts with breathless anticipation.~H

Again - excellent work of yours - Your photography, light and other arrangements amaze me every time! - K.

Nice built and outstanding photography.

To everybody; WOW! Thank you all so much. 57 smilies in 36 hours!!! Never in my life! I'm so happy you all like my photography in this one as my closest friends all know the time it took to get that last image right. I know this is a Lego building site and also a Lego building contest and perhaps my photography by far exceeds the "build" of this post but the fact it has been so well received by you all has inspired me to continue in this theme. I have a series of Harry Potter Magic mocs planned for the near future. Probably just single image "one shot wonders". It doesn't matter what your views are on the subject of magic, the fact is, despite whatever controversy they might bring the Harry Potter films have some of the most BEAUTIFUL imagery in modern cinema history. Yes my passion for this subject is exceeded only by my passion for Lego itself. Best of luck to MortalSwordsman in this round and to all the rest of the MO and MIT participants.

Yes you're right that is Cedric. It is the moment in the books/movies when it all of a sudden becomes not a children's story any more. Cedric on the ground, Harry trapped in the statue and Wormtail about to chop off his hand into the cauldron where Voldemort will rise again. I am currently making another Harry Potter moc which I will photograph tonight. I've been inspired by all the beautiful images in the films and realised I need to re-create them! Look out for it in the next few days. :) PS, thanks everybody for such wonderful comments! I've never had a moc so well received.

I have read all the harry potter books, and i have to say that this moc was FABULOUS! I loved all the little details, like cedric lying on the floor dead. (i think thats cedric) Oh, and the photography is AMAZING.

Yes, Voldemort is a lot scarier than the Terminator. Good choice for the topic, and good luck!

Great build, especially the house and interiors, and your lighting effects are just boss. Top work, best of luck with your judges! :)

You are the queen of lighting! Great work and good luck in the competition!

wowzers! great story, and brilliant job!

Wow Leda, another visually stunning creation from you and a great story too. I expect nothing more :). I love the green glow and the spiralling head. I have finally started my photos and hope to post a first draft later today. Good luck.

Excellent! Very good lighting and stuff.

Amazing lighting! A nice re-telling as well. >Eric

lighting and MOC are phenomenal. Good Luck!

Oooh spoooky, the moody lighting is very good. I wouldn't go as far to say I hate Harry Potter but I'm not really a fan. You chose a very important subject from the story and this moc depicts it very well. Best of luck

Thank you, that's a great compliment! Not a professional. I just love and admire film cinematography and artistic images.

Whoa!Are you,like,a professional photographer??Cause the mood lighting rocks!!(No,seriously,are you??)

Yet again fabulous use of lighting to set the mood, i also like the wisps of smokey gray clouds at the last picture phenomenal.

I like it.Very nice stuff bro.I like the lighting fx you gave it.I've seen all the movies except Half Blood Prince

WOW! I totally hate Harry Potter, BUT this build is awesome! Love the scene where the evil guy (forgot his name) does the spirally thing.

Wow! That lighting is great, you have some of the best lighting I have ever seen on mocpages. I believe that what gives a moc greatness is the small details, and you most certainly displayed a large amount of them. Those details really gave it some life. Great job and good luck!

Absolutely love it! The storytelling and light use is just awesome :-) Love seeing this scene depicted in MOC!

I could probably hook that up after the weekend. I have only the graveyard scene still intact (can't bare to destroy it yet as it took soooo long to get right) but it could be fun to do a behind the scenes post on how I create the lighting. Thanks.

Ahah, a happy mistake. The background fabric just needs an iron... but yes you're right, I hadn't noticed that at all but it does give a cloudish look. Thank you :)

This is impressive! The lighting continues to amaze me!

This is a great representation. I like the Voldemort perspective.

Very nice! I love the lighting and the Halloween part is nice too :D

Great build, and absolutely stunning lighting. I'd love to see a behind the scenes of this to try and improve my own lighting skills. Very nice work and good luck!

Excellent build(s). I am debating about whether or not you should have included photos with normal lighting to show more detail of the things that were lost in the mood lighting.

epic! that spell looks so great with the lighting! nice use of that head for volde! never would have thought of that!

epic! that spell looks so great with the lighting! nice use of that head for volde! never would have thought of that!

Leda this is an amazing build and your photographs/lighting really bring everything to life. The Potter's home in ruins is my favorite part of the build, it is just perfect!

Oh yes, I know what's the next thing I'm linking to my friend.

Holy cow! That looked like a real magic attack as Harry's mother was thrown back from the blast. Brilliant work, your special effects are certainly a treat.

Love it. There may not be any new books or movies, but Harry Potter lives on in Legoland. Thanks Good Luck!

Woah!! Great job!!

Amazing work and beautifully photographed.

WoW! Exceptional lighting, and so many details. Very good interpretation of the quote. Good luck.

Good work, your photography though is doing the magic.

Awesome. My favourite part is the house bursting with dark magic :)

I keep trying that curse on people but it never seems to work... The house exterior is my favorite part but the whole thing is just... WOW! Good luck with your judges! ~ Chris.

Nice idea and well built. Best of luck in R3!

Give me a minute to get on my chair again...LEDA!!! That is truly mindblowing. I'm not going to state all the beautifull detail in here, the excellent lighting, PERFECT picture angles, the smashing take on the theme. Really, I'm not even going to mention the overlapping of the roof (tiles?) in the first pic as my favourit feature. I'm so jealous! Good luck with your judges. (Yeah, like you need any...)

Should I put a spoiler warning at the top? Maybe I should...

Leda, excellent stuff! As always, your lighting adds a ton to the final build which is also amazing. A very solid build that will be a tough competition for your competitor. Best of luck with your judges!

Great builds and storytelling. And, as usual, your mastery of lighting effects brings this alive.

The lighting here is beyond perfect!

The rating button does not have enough stars for me to express how much I LOVE THIS!!

He came back, alright. XD ... Amazing build! Superb action + photography + lighting! Avada Kedavra! *poof*

Brilliant entry Leda, great colors and lighting as usual... my favorite picture is the one with the spirit, good luck!

SPOILER ALERT.....SPOILER ALERT!!!!! OMG you just totally ruined Harry Potter for me! I still haven't seen any of the movies! Just kidding ;) Not sure what I like more, the awesome scene with everyone outside in costumes...or his head spiraling. Either way it looks fantastic! Good luck with the judges!

You are the undisputed master of mood lighting! And all other details are wonderful as well!