Working With Harry Potter Child Actors is 'Brutal,' HBO Cinematographer Says, Because They Have to Mostly Attend School

Working with child actors on HBO's Harry Potter TV series is a "brutal" experience, the show's cinematographer has said, as the young stars have to spend most of their time off set, in school classes. With only a limited amount of time available for filming each day, child actors such as the new Harry Potter actor Dominic MacLaughlin can only shoot so much material — forcing crew to squeeze in as much as possible when they are around. It's a situation that veteran director of photography Adriano Goldman has discussed in detail with YouTuber Andre Pilli, where he revealed that McLaughlin and co. could only be on set for about "an hour and a half" each day. "You have to shoot really fast, and the faster you go, the more you compromise quality," Goldman said of having to rush to make the most of the young actors' limited time. "There's no way around it, right? Obviously, we have a lot of resources, but it's brutal." "The kids screen time is really brutal," Goldman continued, noting that he was tasked with working up to "six setups" during a daily filming stint. "So the methodology is very specific," he added. "You practically have to pre-shoot all the scenes while they're in class. It

Jul 22, 2026 → Aug 5, 2026