Begin with a beloved saga spanning seven volumes and eight theatrical releases.

Now, throw some nifty filmmaking wizardry into the mix. The result? A cultural watershed that can be enjoyed in a mere flick of the wand.

Created by a group of UBC BFA film production students, the mini-feature “Harry Potter in 60 Seconds” chronicles the perils and triumphs of of our bespectacled hero in the space of, well, 60 seconds.

The short has gone certifiably viral on YouTube with over 350,000 views at last count, earning mentions by everyone from CBS News to Smosh.

Thanks to Kori DePauw, Ian Holliday, Alex Magnall and Mackenzie Sheppard, anyone who has never read the books nor seen the movies can finally understand the fuss around those pesky horcruxes.

According to co-creator Sheppard, who also played Ron Weasley, the project began as a submission to the 2012 Virgin Radio Fake Film Festival.

“Originally, the main brains behind it were Ian and Alex,” he said. “They saw the poster for the Virgin Film Festival, so they brought me and Kori on board. And from there we just started crafting the story together, choosing the moments we liked the most from all eight films.

“We were all really big Harry Potter fans, liked getting into character a bit too much, so it was really fun to shoot. Re-imagining the Harry Potter world in a really creative way as a team.”

Shot in a week with a budget of under $100, most of the filming took place on campus. “The first Dumbledore scene was filmed in the Chapman Learning Commons—the Harry Potter room,” said Sheppard. “Even though we weren’t supposed to film there.”

Some of the other locations featured were the Irving K. Barber staircases, the underground parkades and the Rec building.

Since its release, “Harry Potter in 60 Seconds” has been met by admiration and adulation. One YouTube viewer wrote: “That was the best 60 seconds of my life. I will treasure it forever.”

Another commented: “You guys are by far my favourite of the contest, I hope you win. After a devastating power outage screwed our team out of uploading our entry this morning, this has been the only thing that’s brought a smile to my face all day. Outstandingly awesome.”

While Potter purists may quibble over the depiction of Sirius’s death, the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

When asked to speculate on the video’s popularity, Sheppard said, “Everyone loves Harry Potter,” adding, “Or they hate it, [but] they watch it anyways.”

Virgin Radio has named “Harry Potter in 60 Seconds” as one of the 24 finalists in competition for the $10,000 grand prize and People’s Choice Award.

The creators are promising to undertake The Lord of the Rings next if they win.

“It would be really cool to put money towards making something more sophisticated but with the same charm. No pun intended.”

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