The Making Of Harry Potter Studio Tour

At the end of January, I was very fortunate to visit The Making Of Harry Potter tour at the Warner Bros. studios in Leavesden, just on the outskirts of London. I went with a group of friends to celebrate a milestone birthday. It was a fantastic day.

In a similar way to the Doctor Who Experience- albeit on a much, much larger scale- you start the tour with a guide who takes you through part of the tour and then you're free to explore and take your time (and as many photos as you like) with the rest of the exhibits.

One of the guided sections of the tour is the Hogwarts Great Hall:

(If you're wondering why there are Christmas trees and other decorations around, the site was still decorated for Hogwarts In The Snow)

Once through the Great Hall, you're at leisure to look around the exhibits, which not only include props and costumes and replica sets, but also feature interviews with the screenwriters, directors and effects staff who explain exactly how things were made. It's a fascinating glimpse behind the curtain, as it were. 

Potions class

Gryffindor Common Room

Dumbledore's Study

There are some amazing sights to see, including the Hogwarts Express (a fully working train), the Knight Bus, Privet Drive and the Hogwarts Bridge. You can even try your hand at wand combat or be photographed on a broomstick playing Quidditch, and- if it takes your fancy- you can even stop off and have some Butterbeer on your way round. 

The second part of the tour is more behind-the-scenes again, where the creature designers and prosthetic make-up teams divulge a few secrets. If, like me, you're a bit afraid of spiders, I'll warn you now- they do have a large scale model of Aragog on display. They also have the Basilisk, several dragons and Buckbeak the Hippogriff.

After the creature shop, it's a headlong plunge into a faithfully recreated Diagon Alley which is simply breath-taking:

After Diagon Alley, you get to see some of the original concept designs for several sets and props which is just sublime and can listen to interviews with several members of the team responsible. The level of detail is just immense, and the tour ends with a major surprise which I certainly wouldn't want to spoil for anyone. Make sure you've got plenty of battery left on your camera and plenty of space because it's a real doozy.

If you do go, give yourself plenty of time to enjoy and soak in everything. It's a real cinephile's dream. Fans of the Harry Potter franchise will be in seventh heaven here- I certainly was- but even if you're not a massive fan but like to know how films are made, there's plenty to hold your attention.

I loved it; I would recommend it to anyone and I would love to go back again.

For information about the tour, click here.

Tez

The Watchers' Advent Calendar: 5th December

Day 5 of The Watchers' Advent Calendar and today, we take a look at how Christmas is spent at a particularly magical place...

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Christmas At Hogwarts

The celebration of Christmas plays a part in all of the Harry Potter novels and also in the films. I've taken two examples here, but if you'd like to find out more about Christmas at Hogwarts, this article is a great place to start.

Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone (2001)

Harry remains at Hogwarts for Christmas during his first year and receives an unusual present from an unknown benefactor...

Hogwarts Great Hall at Christmas

Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire (2005)

During the Triwizard Tournament, Hogwarts hosts a Yule Ball for its students and the visiting students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang

The Yule Ball

You might need to get your thinking caps on for tomorrow's entry... Come back tomorrow to find out why!