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katiebell · #1 (**permalink**) 10-05-2010, 08:22 PM

Today Warner Bros has given us the go ahead to tell you about part of SnitchSeeker’s visit to Leavesden Studios back in March of this year to visit the set of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. We spoke with Dan Radcliffe (who wasn’t scheduled to film that day but came in just the same – thanks, Dan!), director David Yates, actor Warwick Davis, who plays the dual roles of Professor Flitwick and Griphook the Goblin, and costume designer Jany Temime. You can read their interviews below. We also interviewed some other crew members, and we’ll have those interviews up shortly.

Although we did see some filming take place, we can’t talk about that yet, or share all of the excerpts from the interviews, because they relate to Part Two of the film. We did, however, get to wander through some of the sets, new and old, which we can tell you about. We saw the courtroom for the Muggle-born Registration Commission where Mary Cattermole’s trial takes place. It is circular and very dark as the walls and floor are covered in black tiles, similar to the green tiles used throughout the rest of the Ministry of Magic.

Speaking of the Ministry of Magic, we got a quick peak at the new Fountain of Magical Brethren. For those of you who’ve read the books, you’ll know that the fountain goes through an overhaul in the final book, becoming gigantic thrones built out of slews Muggle bodies locked together like puzzle pieces upon which a witch and wizard sits. The muggle figures, nearly 60 in all, were sculpted one by one and then cast and assembled to create the base of the chair. Art designer Nick Dudman told us that the figures were based on quick sketches done in a “Stalinesque approach” to help give the final piece a totalitarian feel. The witch and wizard will be added in digitally as they would be too large to create in real life.

The Great Hall was completely empty the day we were there, save for two things: the House Points counter and a white peacock.

I mention the House Points counter because it’s something that’s always there in the back of the room behind the teachers’ tables, but you never really get a good look at it. It’s a really beautiful piece made of glass and metal, and the PR rep for the studio told me that it actually works. When it was originally made, set designer Stuart Craig wanted to have it be functional in case any of the films' directors ever decided to shoot it up close on screen. Unfortunately, none ever did. The rep also said that when they purchased the beads to fill it, which by the way are just ordinary tiny plastic beads like these, they actually caused a shortage in the U.K.

Those of you who’ve read the books may recall that there is a white peacock seen at Malfoy Manor in the very first chapter of Deathly Hallows. In case you’re wondering what it was doing in the Great Hall, its trainer often takes it to different areas around the studio to get it used to the hustle and bustle of noisy, crowded film sets so that it will be able to focus on whatever tasks it’s needed to perform for the scene it eventually will be used for.

Dan Radcliffe interview

We asked Dan Radcliffe if he could go into detail about the Seven Potters scene, where Harry leaves Privet Drive for the last time. He said that while it took about three days to shoot the entire scene, which takes place at the Dursley home, the one particular shot where Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, Fleur and Mundungus all drink the polyjuice potion took a staggering 95 takes – the most he’s ever done for one single shot:

Quote:

Could you talk a bit about the Seven Potters scene?
Dan Radcliffe:Absolutely. That was originally one of the most daunting scenes to do because it was a highly technical visual effects scene. A lot of it’s more just painstakingly slow than it is complex. There was one shot that was 95 takes because it was … yes, you may well recoil. Basically, if I’m here in the scene as the real Harry, then we filmed say, seven or eight takes of me playing the scene as me and the keep the camera – it’s a motion controlled camera so it’s controlled by a computer so it can create exactly the same move at exactly the same time, every time.

And so, I stand there, we do the take just me standing there, and then the camera continues its move, which is panning ‘round. At this point it’s panning around on empty space. Then we do the next take and the camera does the same move but instead I’m standing here, pretending to be Fleur or whoever starting to take the drink [polyjuice potion] and transform and the camera pans around us all. So basically we filmed it each time in seven different places. That was a bit of a half-baked explanation but it got the point across. That was how it was done, but at the end of the day we were then shown the very primitive version of what it was going to look like eventually.

After 95 takes, you’re crawling up the walls anyway. It was the most gratifying thing to see how good it looked because it really does look great. Because you know how normally in films if there’s a scene with one person playing two people you’re aware that the screen’s been split. They’re always like this far apart. But in this scene it’s great because everyone’s overlapping and it’s all arms and hands. It should be really effective. It did take a long time to get right because if I stood one inch too far to my left I was, in fact, standing on the feet of the ‘me’ that was then going to be visual-effects-ed in later. It was a tricky thing to do, but ultimately very, very gratifying. And fun to be able to do impersonations.

There was no middle ground. They were either were almost so subtle you will have no idea which character it’s supposed to be or so caricatured and exaggerated that you can be of absolutely no doubt which character I play. It’ll be very obvious which one’s Mundungus.

With a slight French accent perhaps [for Fleur]?
Dan Radcliffe: I didn’t because I don’t think they’re going with my voice. I think we established that polyjuice maybe doesn’t change your voice, or that has in other films but maybe this batch is weaker. (laughs) So I think it will still be Clemence’s voice coming out of me, which will be interesting. It’ll be very good. I was just delighted by how good I looked in Clemence’s costume. It was fantastic, like a David Bowie outfit. It was brilliant. (looks over at one reporter’s notes) Stop saying I look good in girl’s clothes. I’ve got to stop eluding to that. There are all these rumors already, jeez.

Dan also spoke a bit about the scene where Harry and Ron fish Gryffindor’s sword out of the pond:

Quote:

Can you talk a little bit about the nude scene?
Dan Radcliffe: It’s not really a nude scene. I’ve done a nude scene (refers to Equus). There’s a fair amount of stripping off, but it’s only down to the pants [underwear], really, at the very most. There’s one scene where I have to because I’m jumping into a pool of ice. I’m jumping into this icy pool and, obviously, have to be in my pants for that. Jump in, locket tries to kill me and then Ron saves me at the last minute. I dress in a hurry. It’s not big, it doesn’t really worry me. It’s fine, and this time around they even heated the water, which was pretty nice. You felt cold out of the water, but when you’re in it, it’s pretty nice.

Dan stated that his favorite film from the series is Order of the Phoenix:

Quote:

Did you have a favorite movie?
Dan Radcliffe: Well, so far, the fifth. Hopefully, that will be overtaken by 7, parts one and two. But at the moment, the fifth. I was actually quite relieved in a way that it remained my favorite after the sifth because I was so tired every year when you guys would interview me and ask, “What’s your favorite film?” “Oh, coincidentally, the one that’s just come out.” (laughs) But it was always the truth. So when the sixth film came out I was, “Oh, I can actually seem pretty genuine when I talk about the fifth.” It was an exciting moment for me.

Dan said he doesn’t like watching himself as Harry:

Quote:

Do revisit the films?
Dan Radcliffe:I see every film, on average, generally about three or four times, but never after the premiere. I see it once before the premiere, then I might see it again with my parents so they have a look.

They can approve.
Dan Radcliffe:Yes, exactly. Approve me as their son (laughs). “No, you’re crap.” Or, “You’re still in the family.” One of my favorite Simpson’s lines is when Bart’s in a golf tournament and he goes up against Ned Flanders’ son and Homer goes, “Remember, son, if you lose then you’re out of the family.” Then I see it once at each premiere, and then that’s it. It’s not something I do go back to. I see occasionally clips of them, and that’s more than enough to put me off.

David Yates interview

Director David Yates described the graphic nature of the torture scene between Bellatrix and Hermione:

Quote:

How are you working with the actors to get these very emotional scenes out of them?
David Yates: There’s this torturing with Emma and Bellatrix. Emma was really keen to do this torturing scene. I said, "It will be really great. We have to be really careful of how we do it.” She completely gave herself to the process. What we did was we set up a couple of cameras and Helena got on top of Emma. Basically she was writing ‘mudblood’ on her arm. She was scoring it into her skin.

We just let the whole thing roll for about three or four minutes. In that three or four minutes there were some good bits, and some not so good. There were one or two really powerful bits where Emma was able to just let go a little bit and forget that she was acting. She’s still acting, but she lost herself in this process for a moment. The screams were quite horrible to listen to. You could feel it onstage; everyone felt uncomfortable. Everyone just sort of stepped back a bit. It was a very odd energy in the room because she was kind of exploring - exorcising demons really - and serving the scene in doing that. It was really interesting.

Yates also delved into the grittiness that makes Deathly Hallows very different from the other films in the series:

Quote:

These kids are on the road. They’re very small in this very big world. They’re away from Hogwarts - this very big, familiar comfort blanket that they’ve grown up with. They feel surprisingly vulnerable and fragile in this big, muggle world. I’ve shot it in a way that it’s not very measured. It has more rawness to it.

The style of Part One suits Part One. We always say these films are slightly about coming of age, but when you take these iconic characters out of that framework of Hogwarts and you put them in this dangerous world and they have to bury their first body, for example … There’s a moment in the film where Harry and Hermione dance for the first time. It’s full of proper sexual tension because they’re both teenagers and they’re at that stage where Ron’s left and there’s a sort of intimacy between them. So there are all sorts of corners that you turn because they’re young adults. And turning those corners in the real world is actually quite fun and interesting because the verity just seems to suit that.

Warwick Davis interview

Actor Warwick Davis said, if pressed to choose, he prefers playing the character of Flitwick to that of Griphook, although he admits it can get confusing coming in one day as Flitwick and the next day as Griphook, and occasionally refers to himself as ‘Flithook’:

Quote:

Do you prefer playing Flitwick or Griphook?
Warwick Davis: That’s a difficult question. Both of them are good, and that sounds like I’m being diplomatic. But Griphook’s such a more involved character. He’s a sneaky character. He’s essentially a villain, which is more fun as a performer. It’s lovely to have a villainous character. They’re quite opposite ends of the scale ... to choose one is really hard work. Flitwick. If he was somebody I’d want to hang out with. I wouldn’t want to hang out with Griphook. You’d never know quite whether to trust him or not. So I’ll have beer with Flitwick.

How long does it take to get into makeup for each of your characters?
Warwick Davis: Flitwick is about three to three and a half hours, and the goblin Griphook is about four hours.

Jany Temime interview

Costume designer Jany Temime went into detail about the special wedding dress she created for Fleur and Bill’s wedding:

Quote:

So, we have the first Harry Potter wedding … can you talk about designing that dress?
Jany Temime: Yes, this is the first Harry Potter wedding. They are getting at an age where they start thinking about marriage. Before that, we never had that problem. So, he’s [Bill] marrying Fleur. Fleur is French so the idea was to have a wedding with a little French tone. So not a Weasley wedding, which would have been tragically bad taste, but to have a French wedding with style.

Fleur was somebody really liking of clothes and very coquettish and anti-Hermione and anti- every single girl of Potter. She really believes in clothes and in being beautiful and all that. So I wanted to design for her a real witch-princess dress. How princess can a witch be? But I also wanted to find a very witchy thematic so I thought of the phoenix. The phoenix being a bird, maybe not of love, but at least of rebirth, and because love is eternal it’s the same sort of idea. So I have the two phoenix here in the shape of a heart, and the black so it’s not really a white dress, which would have been not good for a witch wedding.

We created lace which was handmade and cost a fortune. Actually then when one was finished we had to make a second one because it was so fragile that one couldn’t do. We had to have another one standing by. So we had this lace made, and I also wanted the feeling that it belonged to the family since twenty generations. So it’s an old dress. The lace is all broken. Then we had to find the right fabric because I wanted something very dreamy-like. Actually the fabric came from New York. The only organza I could find worth getting was coming from New York. So we had to have the first forty metres, and then another forty metres, and then wait. It has been a nightmare. But it’s beautiful, so it’s worth it.

It’s funny because Clemence Poesy just finished a French film, which is called My Wedding, a French comedy. And when she heard that I was making the wedding dress for her, she called me and said, “I hope it’s not going to be the same because I just spent six weeks in a wedding dress. If I have to spend again two or three shooting weeks in a wedding dress, I want something different.” I said, “I’m sure that the one we are designing for you has nothing to do with the one you are wearing now. I don’t even want to see it. I know it will be different.”

She also spoke a bit about a few of the other characters whose outfits she designed for the wedding, including Bill, the Lovegoods and Hermione:

Quote:

Did you pair the style or colors with any other outfits?
Jany Temime: Yes, we made it purple and black. The wedding colors are purple and black, which are very witchy colors. And the Weasleys, they all have issues you cannot believe. The only one who is slightly looking better than the others is the bridgegroom because, I suppose, that his wife must have tipped him and said, “If you look like a Weasley, I’m not going to marry you.” He looked very, very beautiful.

In the case of Luna … it was written in the book that Papa was in yellow, and I thought that’s a very good idea to have Lovegood in yellow. So I thought, “Yeah, ‘cause Lovegood’s in yellow, his daughter should be dressed up in yellow. Then they’re a yellow couple.” It’s quite nice. Quite lively in the wedding.

[Emma] went from a child to a teenager to an older teenager, but all the time she kept in mind that she was Hermione. She never asked me for more glamorous clothes. Even when we were doing our cocktail dress, the red dress – she knew that it had to be Hermione’s dress and not something that she would wear herself. [It] would be more simple, and it shouldn’t be as glamorous or as fashionable; something that Hermione would wear. She’s good, she’s a good girl.

We will have our Deathly Hallows: Part Two report up, plus more interviews, closer to the release of the eighth and final film next summer.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 will be released November 19, 2010. SnitchSeeker is readying for the November release of part one via a daily photo countdown on our official Twitter (click here to follow).

Moaning Myrtle lover · 10-05-2010, 08:32 PM

Cool! It's good that they are trying to make the new Minister of Magic be Stalinesque because that is exactly what the Death Eaters are like.

johnlocke06 · 10-05-2010, 08:51 PM

''… There’s a moment in the film where Harry and Hermione dance for the first time. It’s full of proper sexual tension because they’re both teenagers and they’re at that stage where Ron’s left and there’s a sort of intimacy between them."

What the hell is this? *groan*

Prof. McGonagall · 10-05-2010, 08:54 PM

Have to read this when I get home! Hurry November HURRY!!!

JackW092 · 10-05-2010, 09:23 PM

Amazing Interviews! I can't wait for November!

alohomora♥ · 10-05-2010, 09:29 PM

I love all interviews!!!!! Seven Potters scene is going to be very interesting! Can't wait!!!!!♥

Buggy-Boo · 10-05-2010, 09:29 PM

Great Picutres and Interview. I can't wait for HP!

sml · 10-05-2010, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnlocke06

''… There’s a moment in the film where Harry and Hermione dance for the first time. It’s full of proper sexual tension because they’re both teenagers and they’re at that stage where Ron’s left and there’s a sort of intimacy between them."

What the hell is this? *groan*

You know, I actually understand what David Yates meant. I definitely felt a tension between Harry and Hermione when they were on the run together. In fact, during that scene in the graveyard, when they left together, I would have thought that they were the ones to end up together had I not already known that Hermione and Ron ended up as a couple. I'm older, and read the books with my son, so while reading, I actually never cared much about the romance aspect or who ended up with who ("shipping" as they call it?). But, I do not think this is a stretch at all.

R-Luchy~W*7*PG~ · 10-05-2010, 09:50 PM

Great report..

Fastbak · 10-05-2010, 09:58 PM

Quote:

''… There’s a moment in the film where Harry and Hermione dance for the first time. It’s full of proper sexual tension because they’re both teenagers and they’re at that stage where Ron’s left and there’s a sort of intimacy between them."

It's after Ron leaves. The scene was mentioned in the test screening reports:

princess of*hp* · 10-05-2010, 10:05 PM

David Bowie clothes!

That'll definitely come to mind when I watch the films.

The torture scene is really that brutal? I won't judge now, but I suppose that I'll just wait for November to see how badly I cringe.

Emma and Dan in his pants. That'll be one for the parents to be covering the eyes of their kids.

Overall, I can't wait, for the scary, hilarious, serious, and every other emotion that will accompany these last films. Good job, Katie! You're quite lucky to have visited the set!

johnlocke06 · 10-05-2010, 10:18 PM

hmm. Well I respect your opinion about the graveyard, but I just saw it as two friends mourning together. I didn't really see as a moment or romantic. I thought it was a sad moment.

Ok, edward's description makes the dance sound really platonic so I'm confused with what yates is saying.

lorlor57 · 10-05-2010, 10:27 PM

fantastic interview! i really cannot wait untill next month ahhh

insanelysyd95 · 10-05-2010, 11:09 PM

Such a nice interview! Can't wait until November - holy crap, NEXT MONTH!!!

Ginny GL · 10-05-2010, 11:18 PM

I can only imagine how surreal the Seven Potters scene was for Dan, and absolutely tiring, since there's so much work involved. Yes, Dung is more than obvious. Actually, all the characters are so clear to discern. Dan's an amazing actor, and has the most expressive face, wich helps a lot.

Amazing interview, guys, thanks a lot!

MelissaWeasley · 10-06-2010, 12:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnlocke06

''… There’s a moment in the film where Harry and Hermione dance for the first time. It’s full of proper sexual tension because they’re both teenagers and they’re at that stage where Ron’s left and there’s a sort of intimacy between them."

What the hell is this? *groan*

I KNOWWWW!!!! i was like wth, people said it was brotherly so it better be like that in November!!!!
and they better add the r/hr scene when theyre dancing at the wedding because if they don't ohhhhh they will never hear the end of it, i don't care if they have to film it lol, it's just sooo not fair

reina9 · 10-06-2010, 01:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnlocke06

''… There’s a moment in the film where Harry and Hermione dance for the first time. It’s full of proper sexual tension because they’re both teenagers and they’re at that stage where Ron’s left and there’s a sort of intimacy between them."

What the hell is this? *groan*

i think they're doing it for the h/hr shippers, and I hate that because they're ruining the harry/ginny there. i wonder what intimacy what DY talking about? is it harry/hermione or ron/hermione. i still agree with the original h/g and r/hr and jkr made a perfect pairing for both of them. well, almost perfect with r/hr because they arguing a lot.

i personall doesn't like david yates since OoTF. all first three movies, i love it. but never satisfied much since DY... he seemed to be changing a lot and adding this and that... the only scene i was glad DY did was the "Attack at the Burrow."

johnlocke06 · 10-06-2010, 02:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reina9

i think they're doing it for the h/hr shippers, and I hate that because they're ruining the harry/ginny there. i wonder what intimacy what DY talking about? is it harry/hermione or ron/hermione. i still agree with the original h/g and r/hr and jkr made a perfect pairing for both of them. well, almost perfect with r/hr because they arguing a lot.

i personall doesn't like david yates since OoTF. all first three movies, i love it. but never satisfied much since DY... he seemed to be changing a lot and adding this and that... the only scene i was glad DY did was the "Attack at the Burrow."

^Bah, that's so OOC for everyone involved.(as usual) Harry and hermione should be upset after ron leaves, they couldn't even communicate for days. They couldn't even function, you got how important ron was to both of them and how strong the trio bond was. They wouldn't be in the mood for freaking dancing, that's like a slap in the face to ron. I don't like it, even if it's platonic.

BearyMay · 10-06-2010, 03:32 AM

Awesome interview!

I can't wait!

HogwartsHokage · 10-06-2010, 03:45 AM

Amazing interviews!

And as for complaints of the H/Hr dancing scene...come on guys, it's just a movie. I'm more of a R/Hr fan than a H/Hr one, but Yates will still use his own interpretation of the book every now and then. That's usually what happens when directors try to adapt books into movies.

mr_bellamy · 10-06-2010, 04:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnlocke06

''… There’s a moment in the film where Harry and Hermione dance for the first time. It’s full of proper sexual tension because they’re both teenagers and they’re at that stage where Ron’s left and there’s a sort of intimacy between them."

What the hell is this? *groan*

What the hell is this? This is David Yates, once again, over-exaggerating something about his grand epic masterpiece because he's an ~artist~. He said the Dumbledore Vs. Voldemort battle was like the D-Day landing at Normandy Beach. He said the Half-Blood Prince movie was going to be all "sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll" and that it was going to be extremely reminiscent of the movies "American Graffiti" and "Trainspotting". He said that all of the Harry/Ginny scenes were going to be very realistic and moving, and full of a lot of raw, romantic, sexual energy. Uhhhhhhh no. Sorry, Yates.

He's a movie director and he's got a lot of creativity and passion for his projects, so he attaches a lot of powerful, controversial adjectives to his projects to get people excited and talking. I've noticed that Daniel Radcliffe tends to do the same thing. They're just blowing hot air, fueling the hype machine. The people who actually saw the movie, without bias, said that it's just a cute little scene where Harry walks into the tent, sees Hermione sitting alone, completely miserable, pining for Ron, and listening to the Muggle radio, and so he tries to cheer her up by making her get up and dance with him. You could probably read into it that it's full of "sexual power" or whatever, but you can read a lot of things into a lot of things, know what I mean?

possummink · 10-06-2010, 05:35 AM

Loved reading all about the 7 Potters scene--95 takes-WOW! Can hardly wait for the movie to premier and then seeing it over and over as each time I notice things missed when watching before.

RadcliffeWatson · 10-06-2010, 06:09 AM

95 takes :O WOW! He must of been exhausted.
I am really excited to see the Harry and Hermione scenes, Dan and Emma's chemistry is just so natural and beautiful.

ainacelis · 10-06-2010, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sml

You know, I actually understand what David Yates meant. I definitely felt a tension between Harry and Hermione when they were on the run together. In fact, during that scene in the graveyard, when they left together, I would have thought that they were the ones to end up together had I not already known that Hermione and Ron ended up as a couple. I'm older, and read the books with my son, so while reading, I actually never cared much about the romance aspect or who ended up with who ("shipping" as they call it?). But, I do not think this is a stretch at all.

I absolutely agree.
I mean just the imagery that revolved around the graveyard scene and the way things were described, even a canon shipper could have seen that as intimate. Of course it's hard to admit that, but really guys, there was a moment there when it could have been them.

bonnieginnyfan1 · 10-06-2010, 10:36 AM

Wow! What a great Set Report! That was a lot of detail and I can't wait for some more to come up. I was hoping there would be information about the Wedding. There was so much detail. I think it took me like 20 mins to read it all.

The Seven Potters will be very interesting to watch to. 95 takes! Phew! That's a lot. Dan doesn't really watch the HP movies. He plays the main character so I think it is different to watch from a fan's point of view. I know every cast and crew of HP would of done the best job they could of done with the two last movies of Deathly Hallows!

I can't wait to see both movies!

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