Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Pinoy in London - Tour of Harry Potter Warner Brothers Studios

Harry Potter - Studio tour bwI was back in London for work. And then I stayed for a couple of days after my official work duties so I can visit the Warner Brothers Studios where the Harry Potter Tour is located. 

This is a virtual tour of the studios. Enjoy!


I visited London a year ago in May 2017 and the closest Harry Potter experience I got to was at King's Cross station where a Platform 9 3/4 is on display next to a Harry Potter souvenir shop.
London - Platform 9 3/4 London - Platform 9 3/4 store


I feel very fortunate that I had another chance to travel to London this year, albeit for work. So I took that opportunity and made time
 to visit the Warner Brothers Studios. 



  From London, I took the London Underground to Euston station. From there, I connected to the London Overground. My weekly train pass was only good for Zone 1 and my destination of Watford Junction is outside the allowed zone so I had to pay extra to augment my ticket. The ride lasted for almost an hour. A Warner Brothers shuttle was waiting for ticketed visitors outside the Watford Junction station and the roundtrip ride is for a small fee. (I bought my tour ticket weeks in advance.)
Harry Potter - London overground 

Finally, I reached the parking lot of the Warner Brothers Studios.  My ticket was timed at 6pm but I got there two hours early to give myself ample time for taking pictures outside the studios. Several life sized pieces of the Wizards Chess are on display outside. I noticed that everyone got a giddy smile on. 
  Harry Potter - Outside ticketing 

The fence is also covered with what looks like news articles from the Daily Prophet. For fans of Harry Potter like me, these are the kind of things we came here for.
  Harry Potter - Outside Daily Prophet displays 

Long lines to the bag check.
  Harry Potter - Entrance queue 

Here are hand prints of Harry, Hermione and Ron during the London premiere of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2.
  Harry Potter - Hand prints 

This huge background is great for photo ops and selfies. I think this scene may have been from the very first movie when the kids were being whisk to Hogwarts via tiny magical boats.
  Harry Potter - Entrance wall 

Afterwards, I walked through this long hallway. To make the long walk less boring, it was a brilliant idea by the Studios to use famous quotes from the movies as wall displays in the style of Marauder's Map. Of course, the tour designers made the displays big enough which is perfect for group pictures or selfies.
  Harry Potter - Entrance hallway 
Harry Potter - Entrance hallway Prof Flitwick Harry Harry Potter - Entrance hallway Luna Harry Harry Potter - Entrance hallway Hermione Harry 

Finally, I reached the lobby of the Studios. There was a huge Goblet in the middle because the theme at that time was the Goblet of Fire. This display might change throughout the year depending on the theme. I got to the Studios around 4:00pm and to the entrance by 4:30pm but they let me in as soon as I got there even though my ticket was timed at 6:00pm.
  Harry Potter - Entrance goblet of fire 

My ticket came with this digital guide which has wealth of information about each section of the tour. It also has behind the scenes tidbits and commentaries from the movie makers and cast members.
  Harry Potter - Entrance digital guide

There was another line beyond the ticketing gates. That didn't matter because we were admiring the Cupboard Under the Stairs while waiting for our turn to go in.
Harry Potter - Cupboard under the stairs

After a short video about Harry Potter's different movie posters used around the world, we were ushered to the main door of the Great Hall.
Harry Potter - Hogwarts door

I almost whispered Piertotum Locomotor when I saw these statues of suit of armor.
Harry Potter - Great Hall suits of armor

These were my first glimpses of what was going to be a several hour treat. I was so happy that my smile was so wide my face hurt. I wasn't the only one having a great time. I figured, people were there because they are fans of Harry Potter. We were all giddy like little kids in a candy store. 

They had on display life sized samples of the professors at Hogwarts, students in Hogwarts uniforms and the long dining table with plates and glasses.
Harry Potter - Great Hall

Harry Potter - Great Hall Slytherin Harry Potter - Great Hall Professors Harry Potter - Great Hall looking back

Since the theme that time was Goblet of Fire, they had arranged the dining hall as if it was a scene in that movie installment.
Harry Potter - Great Hall Goblet of Fire

After the Great Hall, we were ushered to the next section called Interior Set which showcases lots of props used in the film. Lots of props equal a very distracted Filipino Harry Potter fan. I didn't know where to start! I don't really know how the section is arranged. Nevertheless, being in the Interior Set reminded me of the feeling of seeing the Harry Potter film for the very first time. It was magical. 


Speaking of the Goblet of Fire, do you remember the Golden Egg which contained the clue regarding the second challenge? This is one of the props that can be found in the Interior Set section.
 Harry Potter - Golden Egg



Another favorite of mine is the Mirror of Erised, even though the scene in the Philosopher's Stone where the mirror was introduced for the first time when Harry saw reflections of his parents is somewhat saddening.
Harry Potter - Mirror of Erised



Here is the Gryffindor Common Room. It is interesting that there are a lot of details in this room like the wall art, the tables and charges and wall paper. I didn't pay attention to them while watching the movies but I absolutely noticed these little details while at the studio. I learned that this set took nearly three months to complete.
 Harry Potter - Gryffindor common room


Here's a sample of one of the walls in Hogwarts with Portraits and proclamations. Also seen in the photo is the moving stairs. Did you know that there are about 350 portraits hanging in the walls of Hogwarts?
Harry Potter - Stairs 



Here are more Portraits and in close up. I learned that these portraits are hand painted portraits of the film's crew which I think is a brilliant way to immortalize the people working behind the scenes and in the background.
Harry Potter - Portraits



Remember this Vault Door in the Philosopher's Stone and then it made another appearance in the Deathly Hallows Part 2? The craftsmanship and details of this door is outstanding.
Harry Potter - Gringotts vault door



This is the Ollivander's Wand shop and it has thousands of wands and wand boxes where each one is distinctive and one of a kind. The boxes have names of more than 4000 names of people who worked in the Harry Potter films. Want a little challenge? Look for the box with J.K. Rowling on it.
Harry Potter - Wand boxes 



Speaking of wands, here are the wands of Harry, Ron and Hermione upclose.
Harry Potter - Wands


I realized I have a lot of favorite apps. I actually trimmed down the props and apps that I featured in this blog.
Here's Marauder's Map. This is displayed high up on a board so I couldn't see it upclose.
Harry Potter - Marauder's Map



This was used as a hallway in the Leaky Cauldron. It uses a Forced Perspective technique to make it look longer than 50 feet on screen.
Harry Potter - Leaky Cauldron 



This is the Hogwarts Doors where it appeared in the Prisoner of Azkaban. I learned that each handle, bold and latch was mechanized by the Special Effects Department.
Harry Potter - Hogwarts Door



Here's the Flying Car used by Ron and Harry and was later smashed by the Whomping Willow.
Harry Potter - Flying Car 



And who can forget about the Hogwarts Clock? This is huge!
Harry Potter - Clock   



Do you remember the spell that lets you access the Griffin stairwell?
Harry Potter - Griffin Stairwell


One of the more popular stops in the Interior Set section is Hagrid's Hut.  The crowd was thick and they were all congregating in front so it was hard to take a proper picture. It didn't help that the set is in a cul-de-sac.
Harry Potter - Hagrid's Hut

Here's the interior of Hagrid's Hut. Again, there are a lot of details in here that I had never paid attention before. Unlike in the movies, I had the chance to linger here and look at this set longer.
Harry Potter - Hagrid's Hut inside 


The Potions Room looked spooky complete with mannequins resembling Professor Slughorn and Professor Snape. I learned that in the Philosopher's Stone, this room was shot on location at Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire, England and this set was built for the subsequent films.
Harry Potter - Potions room 

I also learned that more than five hundred peculiar jars and bottles are in the dusty shelves that line the walls of this classroom. Here's an up close look at the table in the Potion's Room. Can you spot where Felix Felicis is?
Harry Potter - Potions room table


Another popular set in the Interior Section is The Burrow or the Weasley residence. I learned that this set is only a small part of the original set which stood more than 44 feet tall. I remember seeing their home for the first time and I thought it looked like a country home that is very rustic, super cluttered and crooked as though it was built by someone with no construction experience, but it was very homey. 
Harry Potter - The Burrow 


Can you spot the magical pot scrubber?
Harry Potter - The Burrow Pot Wash 

Can you spot the magical knitting of scarf?
Harry Potter - The Burrow Knitting


Adjacent to the Interior Set is the Interactive Photo and Video experience where kids can experience being on a broom and have their pictures taken with the CGI background like in the Harry Potter movies. I wanted to have my pictures taken here but I didn't see any adults doing it, so...
Harry Potter - Interactive Photo Video Experience 

Remember the spell to get the broom to go up?
Up, up, up...
Harry Potter - Interactive Photo Video Experience Up


The next section is the Ministry of Magic. The set was huge. It was imposing and truly scary. The office facade is made of shiny red and green tiles. The Ministry sculpture they used in the films is imposing.
Harry Potter - Ministry of Magic 


Afterward, I got to the Forbidden Forest. This set is also big with a matching rolling fog on the floor to create the same effect as in the movie.
Harry Potter - Forbidden Forest 

Here is Buck Beak from the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Harry Potter - Forbidden Forest buckbeak 

I wasn't paying much attention to the trees and their huge trunks until I saw this. Amazing!
Harry Potter - Forbidden Forest back of tree

Finally, I got to the Platform 9 3/4!  Though I've seen a small part of this at Kings Cross Station, seeing the entire set is a whole different experience. I must have lingered in this set for 20 minutes or too long.
Harry Potter - Platform 9 34 

The line going into the train was long. This train was used as the Hogwarts Express in the film and it is an authentic Great Western Railway 4900 Class 5972 Olton Hall 4-6-0 locomotive and coal tender.
Harry Potter - Platform 9 34 line 

Thankfully, there is Carriage Interior set showing what it is like to be inside the train.  I learned that the actors had to imagine the sceneries out of the windows because all they saw was this green  screen.
Harry Potter - Platform 9 34 interior



I got to the Cafe and decided to try the Butter Beer. I thought, this is part of the experience when you go to the studio tour so might as well go for it. It tasted like a mildly sweet cream soda topped with vanilla ice cream.
Harry Potter - Butter Beer


Next to the Cafe is the Backlot Exterior Sets. This is where the Knight Bus, Privet Drive house, Potters' Cottage and the Hogwarts Bridge are located.
Harry Potter - Knight Bus 


The Privet Drive house is where Harry's relatives who raised him live. I learned that in the Philosopher's Stone, the exterior was filmed in Bracknell, Berkshire. It was later realized that the house will again be featured in the next films so it was decided to recreate the same street to give the production team more flexibility.
Harry Potter - Privet Drive 


This is the Potters' Cottage in Godric's Hollow. Unlike the Privet Drive house where you can go inside and see the interior, I am not sure if you can see this cottage's interior. I didn't see any lines going in.
Harry Potter - Potters Cottage Godrics Hollow 


I learned in this tour that this is the only section of the Hogwart's Bridge that was built. The bridge was also not in the book and the script and it was the director Alfonso Cuaron's idea in The Prisoner of Azkaban to create the bridge to give Harry and Hermione's Time Turner journey more exciting. Harry Potter - Hogwarts Bridge whole 

Here's what the bridge looks like inside. Harry Potter - Hogwarts Bridge


The next section is the Creatures Effects Department. This is where the design of any creature you can think of is made - the elves, goblins, owls, dragons, etc. I learned that it is done in three steps - design, moulding and application. 
Harry Potter - Creature Effects Dept 

Looks like this is the robotics table. I would have enjoyed working here as an assistant!
Harry Potter - Creature Effects Dept table 

Do you remember the Mandrake plant?
Harry Potter - Creature Effects Dept Mandrake

Finally, I made it to Diagon Alley. I can almost hear the background music in the movie when Hagrid brought Harry to Diagon Alley for the first time. I noticed that everyone had a smile on while taking the pictures.
Harry Potter - Diagon Alley 

Here's the wand store Ollivander's. I wanted to go in but it was not allowed.
Harry Potter - Diagon Alley Ollivanders 

Lots of recognizable stores from the movie including Gringotts Bank all the way to the end of the street. The street looks like it is not as long as the one in the movie and not as crowded. I noticed the street is made of cobbled stone.
Harry Potter - Diagon Alley Looking toward Gringotts 

Here is the facade of Weasley Wizard Wheezes.
Harry Potter - Diagon Alley Weasley Wizard Wheezes



As a designer of software and business applications, another section that I immensely enjoyed and appreciate is the Model Department. This is where everything is designed and conceptualized. Harry Potter - Model Dept designs 

I wonder how big the design team is and what their design process is like? What about the deadlines? Is their work schedule dotted with sleepless nights and weeks and non stop work? What about prop malfunctions?
Harry Potter - Model Dept desk 

These are called White Card Models before the actual set construction began. They were used by the director and production designer to look at size and scale and determine camera angles. Film makers used a small camera called lipstick camera to plan shots and camera movement and get a perfect point of view.
Harry Potter - Model Dept white card models 

Here's a model of Hogwart's Bridge.
Harry Potter - Model Dept Hogwart's Bridge 

Here's a model of Diagon Alley.
Harry Potter - Model Dept Diagon Alley

Here's the Hogwarts model.
Harry Potter - Model Dept hogwarts grounds 

Unfortunately, all good things have to end. 

Lastly, the Shop is still a good deal of site seeing, at least for me. Here is a sweater of Hermione and Ron. There are sizes for kids and adults.
Harry Potter - Shop Hermione Ron sweater 

Here is Hermione's gown in the Goblet of Fire. This one is kids size. I didn't see an adult version of the gown.
Harry Potter - Shop Hermione dress 

And Bertie Bott's Everyflavour Beans. This one I bought and it does have random flavors, some pleasant and other unpleasant ones.
Harry Potter - Shop Everyflavour beans

All in all, I had a truly great time touring the Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studios. It brought smiles to everyone. I will always remember my trip to the studios every time I watch the reruns of the Harry Potter films.

~rl

No comments: