Don't worry I won't post them all on my blog I took over 200 of them, I'll just add some of my favorites and explain as I go along! The three of us, myself, MC and TP, spent over 3 hours in this huge building and I want to go back again and again! Few things I must point out, everything in this studio is the real deal. This is where they filmed parts of the movies, the props and costumes and decorations and sets are what can be found in the movie at some point. There was only 1 thing that I read that was a copy, but I'll get to that later! The two studio lots that was used for filming were ironically named J and K, in the middle of the two was a large backlot cafe (which had butterbeer) and outside sets.
This, of course, is the entrance:D
While waiting in line to get into the cinema at the entrance to the studio, they have Harry's cupboard under the stairs! It's super tiny and cute. They even have the glasses Daniel Radcliffe wore in the first movie sitting on the shelf in that cupboard.
The first set you get to walk into is the Great Hall (unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the front doors or me going into the hall, there were quite a few people in our tour group).
They had two of the tables in the GH and everything was decorated for Christmas! They had costumes of actors between some of the trees and fireplaces. The thing I was amazed about was the size of the Hall, it looks much larger on screen.
At the front of the GH they had the professor's robes and the hourglasses that held the house points in them and the table that the professors sat in! One interesting fact, the floor is made of actual stone instead of plaster because this was used throughout all 8 movies.
Outside of the GH, they have an entire row filled with wigs for all the actors. Of course, one of my favorites was Bellatrix Lastrange's wig that Helena Bonham Carter wears. I cannot image that huge thing sitting on my head for hours at a time.
More costumes, these were from the Yule ball (I still love Hermione's dress in this movie)
Next to the wigs and costumes were the gates into Hogwarts that we see in the 6th HP movie (Luna and Harry walk through them together).
Bigger props such as the Mirror of Erised and the Fat Ladies Potrait were displayed next to the Griffindor Common Room and the boy's dormitory (The mirror didn't seem to be working for me, must have meant that I was the happiest girl on earth at the moment)
The entrance to Dumbledore's office that we see in the 2nd movie (Sherbet Lemon!)
And Dumbledore's office! All of the books that line his bookshelf are just phonebooks wrapped in old book covers.
Potions class and Alan Rickman's costume. There were certain cauldrons that were stirring themselves to add to the magic of class. Apparently many of the jars were filled with bits of odds and ends. It was said that the prop team filled them with toy animals and chopped bits off to make them seem strange. A couple of the jars even have cooked bones or discarded meat from a nearby butchers office.
Magic is Might! As seen in the 7th movie! a bit behind it you can see the windows of the offices seen in the Ministry of Magic. I read that the green tile you seen in the movie throughout the Ministry is actually some sort of wood and then painted with 5 or 6 different colors to give it the shine it has in the movie.
Transportation! This one flew!
The Knight Bus! I wish I could have taken it to the Leaky Cauldron, but unfortunately it was out of gas.
This was one of the few outside sets. They actually went to Berkshire to film scenes in the first movie, but when they found out they would be using the set for later movies, they built number 4 Privet Drive on the lot. On this house is the only replica found in the studio! Rupert Grint took the number 4 as a memento, so they had to remake the one seen on the house above.
This here is the Hogwarts Bridge seen in multiple movies. Yes, it is crooked, it gives the bridge character and makes it seem old. This is also the bridge that Neville Longbottom blows up in the last movie.
Of course we HAD to get butterbeer which was tasted wonderful! Although I didn't know that it was a carbonated drink (which I haven't had for 10 years, so it made me a bit sick).
The next lot was K and it held the larger set (Diagon Alley) and the creature workshops!
Fawkes the Phoenix. Apparently, Fawkes was so lifelike on set that Richard Harris (Dumbledore in HP 1&2) thought that it was a real bird.
I know what you must be thinking and yes, Hagrid's head is in fact a creature. Robby Coltrane, who plans Hagrid is only 6 foot 3 (or thereabouts), so the scenes where you see a giant Hagrid, but not much of a face is where this comes in. A rugby player who was 6'7" or so was placed in a Hagrid suit and had this head fixed onto the top of this suit. The facial expressions could be controlled by a remote off screen.
Buckbeak was SOO lifelike. I don't remember how long they said it took to make him, but each feather had to be put on individually and I'm sure that took forever. There were also 200+ computer programs that had to be run to control his every move (nostril movement, blinking, etc).
Through another door was the Hogwarts model used on wide scale shots found in the films (You know the ones that pan the entire school or show the seasons changing). Now this model took up an entire room and 40 days to build. Normally, it's not covered in snow, but we came while everything was still dressed up for Christmas, so there was snow on the castle grounds.
The final room we walked through was not really Ollivanders, but it was just a room full of all of the wands that were made. I think it was said that each box was pass produced, but the decorations and the stickers were handwritten and there were 17,000 different wand boxes. I don't think they are all in this room (maybe they are) but these all have the names of the people who made every single movie possible.
After the wand room they had a HUGE shop where you could buy all sorts of merchandise (I had a really hard time choosing what I wanted to take home with me). I really want to go again and I think I'll get the opportunity to go once my mom comes for a visit! If you have the opportunity to come to London, this is a MUST see! It's a bit of a ways outside of Central London, but definitely worth the trip out!
Lucky London Girl!! Love!!
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