WARNING: SPOILER ALERT!!!
I am about to share with you the secrets of how the Harry Potter movies were made. If you would prefer to stay ensconced in the magic and remain oblivious to the technical side of movie making, then please read no further.
You are also about to be bombarded with 1.2 million photos that were taken whilst at the Harry Potter Studio, so if you are going to come along for the ride, then buckle up your broomstick, you're going to be here for a while.
I must apologise straight up for the quality of the photos. I'm not sure why, but I chose this day as one where I wouldn't take my normal camera and would rely on my phone.... which died half way around and then my only photographic device was my iPad, so again..... I apologise.
First of all, you need to know that the studio is just out of London and therefore I needed to take a tube and then another tube and then a train (which had to stop after one station due to a technical problem and the driver couldn't give an time frame of when we would move again) so I got a cab to the Willesden Junction, then another train to Watford Junction...... then you get a big black Harry Potter bus to the studio.
All the original sets and props and costumes are there. From the very first film they put so much work into the tiny details of everything and maintained that standard throughout all eight films.
This is Harry's cupboard under the stairs at his Aunty and Uncle's house, No. 4 Privot Drive.
I remember reading the first book when my baby nephew, Charlie had just been born, 12 years ago. I was staying with my sister in Melbourne and I fell in love with Harry and Ron and Hermione. Each time I'd finish a book I couldn't wait to get my hands on the next one. I'd stay up to silly o'clock just to get a few more chapters in.
After a short video of the main characters talking about their experience, the screen rolled up and behind it was a very familiar wooden door.
The door to the Great Hall. The actual door!
It was brilliant. The ceiling in the Great Hall was all done using CGI for the floating candles and the night sky etc..., so the set was roofless.
This was the model roof that was used to shoot ceiling shots.
All the original costumes were on display. This yellow and black number was worn by R.Patz in H.P. and the Goblet of Fire. The one on the right was the first set of robes that Harry wore in the first movie when he was only 10 years old.
Here is an example of the meticulous detail that went into every set and prop.
The Hogwarts crest.
Even though these were dummies with no faces, you really felt like you were on the set with the actors.
The Great Hall was were the students would sit their OWL exams. Like this one.
Saskia decided that she would be part of the Gryffindor House and was demanding her lunch!
Hagrid was very tall and although he was played by Robbie Coltrane, who was clearly not tall enough, but it was a 6ft 10" English rugby player in a Robbie Coltrane head mask and stilts in his shoes that actually did all the standing and walking around shots.
(More on this later)
We only had a small amount of time in the hall before the next group was due to come in..... You really didn't want to leave.
The next room we went into was a massive warehouse of sets and props and costumes and wigs and CGI technology and ..... and..... and
The Weasley wigs.
You don't even need the face to guess which actor belongs to this wig.....
(Helena Bonham-Carter)
Costumes
Each character had their own wand, even the extras. The wands were all numbered and if an extra came back in a subsequent movie, they would get the same wand back for continuity.
The mirror that when you looked into it you saw exactly what you wanted. Harry saw his parents, Ron saw himself as Head Boy and captain of the Quidditch team. When Saskia and I looked into the mirror, all we saw was us, so my guess is that we are extremely happy with who we are!
The Tri-Wizard Cup and the Golden Egg.
All the portraits that hung throughout the castle were paintings copied from photos of the cast and crew.
They then used this CGI frame for the paintings that moved..... which was all of them - this was Hogwarts Castle after all!
The moving staircase
Quidditch was all filmed using CGI as well. The characters sat on these mechanical broomsticks that were attached to a movable crane.
We even had a go at the CGI. We sat in the flying car and where we probably should have looked a little terrified in this shot, we're smiling and looking as happy as Larry! So much for our acting! We also had a go on the broom stick which was pretty cool.
You could have a go at casting some spells by watching the choreographer of wand usage on the screen. He was giving instructions how to flick the wand etc..... I think that this guy on the right was going to lose whatever battle he was in...... maybe if he'd put down his shopping and put the wand in the correct hand it wouldn't have looked so awkward?
More props.....
Doors
Horcruxes
The Marauders Map
Train tickets for the Hogwarts Express and a school supply list
The letters that kept arriving at Privot Drive. There was a bit pile of them under these two.
This board showed you all the animals used in the films. There were more than one animal to play each animal character. There were 4 Hedwigs, 4 Cruikshanks and 9 dogs that played Fang.
The detail in each set was amazing. In the boys' dormitory each bed had a trunk with the boy's initials on it and it was like you were looking at a real dorm, even down to the socks hanging over the heater.
The Gryffandor Common Room. It was designed to look homely, comfy and lived in.
There was even sets that you probably wouldn't remember or recognise from the movies. They were in the background, just there to set the scene.
Dumbledore's Office
All the books on this shelves in this room were old English phone books that had been covered with leather.
The Sorting Hat
The Potions Classroom
The Shrieking Shack
The Burrow - The Weasley's House
Hagrid's Cottage
The Ministry of Magic
The Black Family Tapestry
Out on the backlot is where all the outside scenes were shot.
Here we have the night bus.
The flying car
And the bike with sidecar
Some Wizard Chess pieces
Tom Riddle's Gravestone
The front of Privet Drive. Saskia is just seeing if anyone is home.
This is the bridge at Hogwarts. Harry and the others have a lot of deep and meaningful discussions about things on this bridge.
A little like Saskia is here.......
Even though the car is magical, it doesn't mean that you can drink and drive.
This was our first taste of Butterbeer. It tasted a little like a cross between Butterscotch and ginger beer with a sort of frothed cream on the top. It was sweet and rich and in my mind (and mouth) quite delicious!
Saskia, on the other hand, wasn't a massive fan of it and felt a little bit sick for the rest of day after just a couple of sips.
Next stop, for all your wizarding needs ...... Diagon Alley
It was hard to believe that you couldn't go into the shops. I realise that it was just a set, but it felt so real. All the scene needed was some extras in costume just lurking about.
The Prop Room was were they kept all the fabulously designed things that were so important to the movies.
There were mechanical books and different creatures, including Dobby
This is Hagrid's mechanical head mask that was worn by the tall rugby player. The mechanics meant that the facial features could be manipulated by remote and it was so lifelike that you obviously couldn't tell on screen.
This is the chap without his head.
Gawp, Hagrid's giant brother and some other creatures
Sir Nearly Headless Nick
Press PLAY on these ones
I didn't take a video of the dementor because obviously dementors suck out the very soul from your body and that wouldn't benefit either of us!
For everything that was made for the film a plan first had to be drawn, then a small model was made......
Then a large model would be made......
This model of Hogwarts was used to film all the outside shots of the castle like when Hedwig is flying in and around the owlery in the top towers.
This model is just massive and you can walk the whole way around it. It's quite moving because we were staring in awe as well as trying to work out where Dumbledore's office was all while this dramatic and moving music was playing in the background.
This gives you a tiny idea of the scale
The last room on the tour before you reached the shop was The Wand Room. Each member of the cast and crew have a name tag on a wand box. There are thousands! We spotted a couple of big names.
Then sadly our tour was over. I did spend a bit of time and money in the shop though and all up we were there for three full hours!
This was definitely worth the train debacle. I don't know if you have to be a die hard HP fan, but it helps your enjoyment if you've seen the movies.
I would like to thank Saskia for accompanying me on this journey. This is definitely an adventure that needs to be shared with somebody, a likeminded HP fan - even better!
No comments:
Post a Comment