My journey to Hogwarts. It all started with a 9 a.m. walk from Regent's to Euston Station. At Euston Station, a group of eight friends and I took the 15 minute Hogwarts Express train from Platform 9 3/4 to Watford Junction, then the Knight Bus (shuttle) to the studio. When we arrived at the studio, I was amazed at how big it was! Like it's own little warehouse town. It makes sense, though, because when they filmed the movies, they must have needed a lot of room for the different sets, props, and crew.
We waited in a long twisting queue (line) to get into the studio tour. It was a busy day for little English school fielld trips! I may or may not have eavesdropped on the kids speaking in their cute little accents. Once all nine of us shuffled in, we were put in a sound proof room with TVs lining the walls. They showed us a short video on how the adaption of the Harry Potter stories started. Apparently, the script writers saw the potential in Harry Potter before it became a popular book.
Then, we were shuffled again into a larger room with a big Imax looking screen and comfy seats. I actually fell into mine because it was more of a cushion than we have in movie theaters in the states. Then, the tour guide told us to put our seat belts on. I got nervous because I couldn't find mine, someone then explained it was a joke... oop! In the theater, we watched a more in depth introduction of what it was like on the set of Harry Potter. The last scene was Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint in front of the Great Hall doors telling us to enjoy the tour. They disappeared behind the doors, the Imax screen went up, and there were the actual Great Hall doors! We all jumped out of our seats and rushed to be in the front of the crowd. They invited the people celebrating birthdays to come to the front and open the doors, buncha liars.
The doors opened to the Great Hall set. The Great Hall is where all four houses of Hogwarts ate while the professors lined up in the front. On the set, they had two out of the four rows of tables so that we could easily walk in the middle of the set. The tables were set as if they were going to have a meal, while robes from each house were displayed around the hall. At the front, they had the costumes of many of the professors, Dumbledore included!
After the Great Hall, we were free to roam the big open room containing partial sets and important props. This is where the warehouse type feel came into play. they were set up in sections that you could go around to each one and observe.
After the spacious room, you could go outside and see the bigger iconic sets. Outside was the flying car, Knight bus, Potter's cottage, those big chess pieces, and 4 privet drive. This is also where you could get Butter Beer! It tasted like butterscotch and was really sweet.
After the outside section, you could go into the next and last building of the tour. The first room was full of the creatures they used in the films, and all about how they made it happen. THEY HAD A REAL LIVE BUCKBEAK. He was only featured in about 10 seconds of the movie because he was built to lay down. They also had the Hagrid head. Did you know Hagrid wasn't real? Could've fooled me! His head was on a platform and moved very human like. One of Doby's heads was also displayed in this section.
Next up, Diagon Alley! The full set had every shop the movies used in the film, but the rest was green screened. The stores were all so detailed; very well done!
After Diagon Alley, we walked into the White Room. It was modeled after the drawing room where the artists designed what the sets would look like. This room also had scales of many important sets from the movies. An informational video explained how they went about designing the ins and outs of the sets.
After the White Room, you turn the corner, and there's Hogwarts! It was a scaled replica of the Hogwarts castle and grounds, and it was simply amazing. Every inch of the castle has such detail and architecture. The pathway went all the way around the castle and sloped down to the bottom floor. The lights changed slowly to represent day and night in which there were lights inside the castle at night.
The last but not least room was the room of wands. There were 7,000 wand boxes labeled with names in which each was someone who worked on the film in some way or another. The famous actors were mixed in with the rest of the crew. They say it was like one big family on set. Wish I could be in Rupert Grint's family!
Thanks for reading!
That looks like it was so much fun! Lucky girl!
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