After a recent visit
to the Harry Potter Studios in London, I just had to write something about it.
Some people aren’t fans and some are, even so, the sets, costumes and process
of actual creating a film like Harry Potter is pretty mind blowing.
The Burrow
You start off with a
quick pep talk by one of the guides about what to do and what not to do, then
you’re taken into a room where you’re shown a short film with the cast talking
about their experiences, to which then the screen magically disappears to reveal
the doors to the Great Hall! You’re shown around the hall where there are
various costumes from the different houses and the costumes from the teachers
at the front. After that you’re set free to go around the studio at your own
pace. Obviously I could list all the things I saw but that would be a massive post! Different sets, props and
costumes were on show, with little info descriptions about each one. You see
the make-up and wigs that they use, walls covered in drawings of each set with
everything written down and perfected to the last millimetre. You then go outside to see the Knight Bus, the Ford Anglia, Privet Drive, The Potters old house, the Bridge used at Hogwarts and some massive chess pieces! The final part is
the model of the castle, which is actually used for all the panning shots.
There were videos showing how long it took for the team to complete, something
like 8 or more weeks! But the attention to detail was all there.
Diagon Alley (My favourite bit!)
After that a trip to
the gift shop was needed. Trying on the costumes, riding a broomstick, swirling
a wand etc was all fun. The prices were not though. £18 for a mug?!! £125 for
five wands?! No thanks! Despite that I had
to get something, especially as Kamila wanted something too. £15 for two key
rings doesn’t sound as bad in comparison to what else was there!
Outside the Dursleys
They say it takes
about 3 hours to get around the whole thing, but I think that’s with an audio
guide coz we took about an 1 hour and a half, and that’s with stopping at every
single thing and taking a gazillion photos! Overall, I’d recommend doing it to
anyone and everyone, even if you’re not a Potter fan, the costumes, sets and at
detailing that all goes into it is astonishing, which I think we might all
gloss over when watching films sometimes and forget about how much work and
time goes into it all.
Hope you enjoyed this
post!
Rhiannon xxx
P.S Fun Fact of the day: Over 250 body casts have been made of actors for deaths, Petrifications and Stunning spells.
Looks like such a fun and interesting place to visit! The Harry Potter sets always look so wicked on film. Those gift shop prices sound crazy though! xxx
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