Snape's Wand Analysis

The other thing that had a lot of care put into it was the design of Snape’s wand. Alan wanted it to be plain, but special. His wand is fashioned in a dark, ebony black, with an intricate, unique design that is doubled on both sides of the handle. The majority of wands used in filming were made from resin or urethane rubber; wood versions were used for close-ups. Alan Rickman was one of the few actors who was able to keep one of the original wood wands that he used on set. Alan kept two souvenirs from Harry Potter. His wand and a drawing that eleven-year-old Rupert Grint drew of him while filming the Potion Class scene in the Philosopher's Stone. Alan’s best scene where he uses his wand has got to be either his duel with Gilderoy Lockhart,
who is a complete idiot, or his duel with Minerva McGonagall. Actor Kenneth Branagh gave great consideration to his wand moves for his duel with Severus Snape. Branagh said, “If you’re down at the other end of the platform from Alan Rickman and he’s got a wand, you’ve got to be very good to get noticed down at your end.” Alan said, “Holding a wand is not the most threatening thing. And pointing it at Dame Maggie Smith and she’s pointing it at you. She can arch an eyebrow like nobody. So thank God for the sheets of flame.”