Fifteen years later, that girl stood by that cupboard as portrayed in the films based off those books.
On Tuesday, I finally made it to the Warner Brother Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter at Leavesden Studios. It was one of the best days of my life.
The Studio Tour is an exhibition, on location, of how the Harry Potter films were made. Housed in two sound stages in the studios where they shot the films (buildings J and K, actually), it holds the original sets, props, costumes, and more used in the films. It is a Potter fan's dream come true.
After class, we bolted out the door and to the Tube stop. I waited impatiently as we took the Tube and a train and a shuttle bus. And then finally, finally, I was standing in front of those doors. I confess, I ran around like an eleven year old as our group collected tickets. I took pictures, I jumped in the air, I couldn't wipe the grin off of my face.
And then, we entered the building. The first thing you see when you walk in is a bunch of beautiful portraits of the actors, a few larger props, and a queue.
And right there is the cupboard under the stairs. Inside, the original pair of glasses Daniel Radcliffe wore in the film sat on a shelf. You could almost believe Harry was right there, coming back soon or just out of sight in the cupboard.
They finally let us into what they call the holding room. On the walls are eight screens, each showing the posters for each of the eight films. Once everyone is inside, they start a small film featuring the production team, describing how they found Harry's story and decided to make it into a film. The next stop is a theatre. There, they show an overview of all eight films. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson narrate an overview of the experience of working on the films and what visitors will find in their tour. And then, the three of them walk through the doors of the Great Hall on the screen. The screen rises.
And then the magic begins.
Right behind that screen are the actual doors to the Great Hall.
Needless to say, I sprinted towards them. I could feel tears rising in my eyes. These were the actual doors. And then, they opened.
Into the Great Hall I stepped. Yes, some of those tears escaped. I could hardly walk down the Yorkshire Stone floor, the same floor that the cast and crew walked on for ten years. The tables were set with dishes, and original costumes were placed by each House table.
The first thing that struck me was the incredible amount of detail. There were such small things that you could never see on film, but they included them anyway. You could tell right away that the production of these films was a labor of love for the stories they were bringing to life.
From there, the tour continues on. Original props, costumes, and more were everywhere. Everywhere I went, I noticed all of the incredible detail, and my happiness was just...complete. My only problem? I wanted to touch everything!
We continued on through the tour, and though I could describe everything in detail, you probably don't want to read about it, so we'll just do some pictures. The way the tour works is that you can spend as long as you want looking at the props, sets, and costumes, taking pictures, etc. (I think I spent about four hours in there, but I'm not really sure). They have a fun interactive green screen section, where they take photos and a video of you flying the Ford Anglia and on a broomstick (where you get to where a House robe!). In between the two buildings, they have some of the larger outdoor sets. The second building houses the creature shop, Diagon Alley, concept art, and models. Everything is absolutely incredible. I'll just go through a few of my particular favorites (though it's so hard to choose!)
The Gryffindor Common Room was just as cozy as it appears on screen. I wanted to sit in every chair! There are books on the desks, beautiful paintings, a gorgeous tapestry, sweet wrappers, robes, scarves, and the costumes from the third film. At the top of the spiral staircase is Harry and Ron's Christmas jumpers, as well as Hermione's from the end of the first film. Fun detail: the doorway over Hermione's jumper says "Girls", as it leads to the girls' dormitories. That was never seen in the films. Second fun detail: one of the paintings on the wall was of Minerva McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor House!
Now for some magic. The Weasley family live in a wonderful house known as the Burrow, and since they are all wizards, of course their house is full of magic...including knitting that knits itself! All of the moving pieces were controlled by elaborate systems of pulleys, wires, and electronics so that they would move by themselves.
The Burrow set was absolutely wonderful!
More detail fun! The graphics for the films were created by a team called MinaLima. Their work is astounding. They include so many tiny details that could never be seen in the films. It is absolutely incredible.
This is Lily's letter to Sirius, which Harry finds near the beginning of the seventh film. The letter is copied exactly from the letter written in the book. I don't believe the letter was included in the final cut of the film, and you certainly wouldn't be able to see it on camera. And yet, it is there in its entirety.
This is my absolute favorite MinaLima piece. They created all of these fun things to fill Fred and George Weasely's joke shop, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. This one made me laugh, as it's a toy version of the flying Ford Anglia the twins fly in the second book/film, something they are very proud of. Of course they would include that in their joke products! It just shows how well the designers knew the characters.
Next, we head outside to some of the larger outdoor sets. The backlot is pretty much a paradise of awesomeness.
I loved the bridge. This area is never mentioned in the books, but the director of the third film, Alfonso Cuaron, created it for Harry and Lupin to have a conversation on. Later, it was where Harry and Hermione discussed the Triwizard Tournament, where the idea for the D.A. was cemented, and where Neville, Ginny, Seamus, and more students fought off Death Eaters (eventually blowing up the bridge). It is beautifully made, and uneven, which gives you the idea that it is being held up by magic!
Drinking some delicious butterbeer in front of Number 4, Privet Drive! The butterbeer tasted just like the stuff I make at home. Funny detail: the only thing recreated on the house was the number 4, as Rupert Grint took it home as a memento. Rupert played Ron Weasley. He was never on this set. It just goes to show how random and quirky he is!
The Knight Bus seems to dominate the area with its three stories of purple glory!
Having a moment by the Potter's Cottage in Godric's Hollow. The hole in the room just makes your heart ache.
After drinking our butterbeer and looking around the backlot, it was back inside to see the Creature Shop! This area houses all the creature creations, from goblin masks to Fawkes the phoenix to wax figures of characters who died. It also includes animatronics used in the films. The largest is Buckbeak, who moves in a way that you almost have to believe he is real!
Of course, the proper way to get close to a hippogriff is to bow. If he bows back, you may approach! The creature shop head told a funny story about how a group of dignitaries came to visit once and bowed to Buckbeak. They had him bow back of course. The dignitaries bowed again. They went back and forth until one of the dignitaries asked if they could please get him to stop, as their culture dictated that as long as Buckbeak bowed, they had to bow back!
The next area was Diagon Alley. Standing there was like a dream come true. It felt like you had really entered the magical place. And once again, I got giddy over the incredible detail!
This was on the door of the Apothecary. Never seen in the films, but it made me laugh!
After that, we saw a lot of the concept art. It was so beautiful. I want this one printed and displayed in my future house.
And then, my absolute favorite moment.
We turned a corner into the next room. The soundtrack from the last film was playing. And there, right in front of me, was Hogwarts Castle itself.
This is the to scale model of the castle used in all eight movies to create aerial shots. I knew it was coming. However, it still took my breathe away. I literally stopped in my tracks. Tears came to my eyes. It was beautiful. Pictures cannot do it justice.
I watched as the lights dimmed, and candles were lit inside. Slowly, the day lights came back, as if the sun were rising, and one by one, the lights in the windows went out.
I stood there for a while, tears in my eyes. Right then and there, my five year old self, the little girl that dreamed so much and found something so beautiful in a story...that piece of me, the part of me that still believes in fairy tales and magic, in true love and dreams coming true, the part of me that has become my writer's imagination...that little girl felt like she had come home.
The tour ends in a small room full of wand boxes. Each one has a name on it. Every single person who was involved in bringing Harry's story to the screen - from J.K. Rowling to the directors and actors to caterers and drivers - has a box with their name on it. It is a beautiful sentiment, and it's fun to try and find familiar names amongst the boxes!
In the wand box room reads one of my favorite quotes from J.K. Rowling: "Whether you come back by page or the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home."
Hogwarts is a home to me. I fully believe that there is magic in stories. We can learn so much from them. There is a magic in storytelling, in the way that people can connect so fully to something born in the imagination of another. Stories are born in one person's imagination, but they grow in the imaginations of others. We find homes in the places we find in our imaginations. Magic lives in the stories we love.
We finished the day by having a look around the gift shop. Yes, I wanted to take all of it home. I ended up just buying Harry's sweater he receives from Mrs. Weasley for Christmas his first year at Hogwarts. It's wonderfully warm and fluffy, and made by the same company that made the sweaters for the films.
Channeling my inner Hermione by petting Crookshanks
Owls! One day, I will take an owl home. After all, it's the same one I have on Pottermore!
I can't wait to go back to the Studio Tour. It was one of the most wonderful experiences I've had. Luckily, I have the opportunity to go back for MuggleNet when the Studio hosts Wand Week, a special event showcasing wands and dueling in the films. It's sure to be another magical day!
