Harry Potter Studios

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.