On January 29th of this year I was lucky enough to be invited down to Leavesden Studios in Watford, England, to see the sets for the sixth Harry Potter film, Half-Blood Prince, interview the cast & crew and watch a bit of the filming. Whilst there I interviewed Dan Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Matthew Lewis, Bonnie Wright, Tom Felton, Jessie Cave (a newcomer to the series, who plays Lavender Brown), director David Yates and producer David Barron. Along with the other website representatives there that day, I was given a tour around the studios by one of the publicists.
I saw a huge array of sets including some which have been standing since shooting first began on the franchise way back in 2000. Highlights included sitting at Dumbledore’s chair in his office and sitting at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall, while watching the scene below being filmed;
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This sequence involves the Gryffindor team chatting before a Quidditch match against the Slytherins. I won’t give too many details away but I will say that it involves Luna's Gryffindor lion hat which, as with past props, was created with the aid of Evanna Lynch herself. This was shot many, many times; during one take everyone had a good laugh at Dan Radcliffe's expense when he fell over trying to get off the bench at the Gryffindor table!
In terms of new sets, I saw the cave construction, which will feature in a climatic scene with Dumbledore and Harry, the inside of which I can only describe as being very crystal-like - a cross between Isla de Muerta in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and the cave in Superman Returns. With the CGI effects added, I can only imagine how expansive it will look, and how eerie it will be with its Inferi inhabitants.
I also learned that there will be scenes which indicate our favourite trio are getting older, including a flirtation between Harry and a waitress, which David Yates said was meant to show how Harry is maturing. Yates also said a kiss between Ron and Hermione was also going to be included … much to Rupert's surprise when I informed him … but that got scrapped in favour of what comes in Deathly Hallows. We also got to see some really cool concept art, including that of Fred & George’s joke shop, which looked to be bright and colourful, with a sort of nutcracker feel to it.
Unfortunately that’s about all I can say for now, as this is only a report teaser. Watch out for the full thing, plus the interviews, which will be coming your way next year!
