Harry Potter is popular, do doubt about it. But the
enchantment of the movies was deliberately developed in incredible detail, with
stunning animations, and through unbelievable imagination.
So much was built, embellished, rebuilt, altered, and done
again. The drawings that were done (and redone) to start it off were incredible
on their own. The tiny models were stunning and detailed. The real life models,
characters, figures, masks, and more that came out of it all were unbelievable.
Hogwarts, even at model size, is incredible and detailed.
The mountain, the trees, the towers, buildings as well as the water lapping at
its feet, all were part of the model. It’s amazing to think that so many of the
shots of the castle were really this 30ish foot tall model. The technical use
of green and blue screens behind so many scenes allowed a small model to
transform into quidditch matches, magical battles, and majestic castles.
The Great Hall was made as a permanent prop since it was a
focal point for so many scenes. Candles did float (thanks to fishing line) but
the ceiling was totally digitally created after scenes were shot, whether it
was clouds, snow falling, fireworks, or battles. The walls had included a
couple of murals, wizardly type things, but unfortunately, with the lights of
filming, none showed in the movies.
I never really realized the actual placement and
configuration of Dumbledore’s office. The triple towers jutting off the side of
the main tower lent itself to the triple rise rooms for his office. Walking
through the set was fabulous, checking out paintings (all the wizards were
sleeping, eyes closed, though I wouldn’t have been surprised to have seen one
move), the incredible wizardly tools and the books. The tools were a
conglomerate of normal things, glued or welded together, painted gold. The
imagination was incredible.
I loved the fact that the crewhat did all the hard work,
the details, the ingenuity were included in various ways in the films. The
names of the workers are on the wands in Olivander’s wand shop. The portraits
hanging on the walls were actual oils done of the various workers and quite a
few of them were part of the moving scenes.
They even used the workers in the
Ministry of Magic to make the halls seem full with wizards coming in for work.
Anyone not actually filming donned a hat and costume and walked right through.
Then, of course there’s Diagon Alley, a construct with full
size and miniature models with fronts of the store as well as the internal
construct as a set. The Knight bus that Harry rode was actually multiple buses
– one that actually drove, and one that all the inside scenes were shot from –
the skinny bus was, of course, all digital.
The animatronics were phenomenal – Buckbeak regally bowed to
us, watching for our bow (of course). The work that went into each and every
animal and creature, down to perfect feathers that fit together fluidly. The
incredible machinery required for Aragog and the other spiders, the masks
created and even the work to create Hagrid! The man was over 6’ tall, wore thick-soled
boots and the face was a mask, a mask that he could control all of the
movements.
Now to reread books and watch the videos…again!
