Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Structure

There is a lot that screenwriter Steve Cloves had to accomplish in this first film in the Harry Potter series. Specifically, to introduce not only the many characters of the story and their capabilities, but also create Harry's back story and define the rules of the Hogworts-world where Harry now lives. The Screenplay Summary shows how every Sequence and Scene in Act I and II has a purpose in this regard. Screenwriter Cloves makes almost no assumption that everyone in the audience has committed J.K. Rowling's brilliantly conceived and written book to memory. There's also six more books to foreshadow. Act I also presents key plot points necessary for the Sorcerer's Stone story itself (such as the small packet that Hagrit retrieves from Vault 713 at Gringott's Bank). This is a screenplay world filled with fascinatingly entertaining Sequences: the snake at the zoo, Harry choosing his wand, the Sorting Hat and the Quiddich game. Harry slowly accumulates these clues throughout his year at Hogwarts. Note that Harry's mission to save the Sorcerer's Stone from being stolen by Lord Voldemort, only becomes evident at the end of Act II. In other words, some of the mystery of the story is exactly what is the mystery quest that Harry must solve! The Sorcerer's Stone becomes the classic Hitchcock McGuffan. This structure of this wonderful film is laid out clearly in the Screenplay Summary to both learn from and enjoy.