The Making of Harry Potter - Warner Bros Studio London

[acciowinter]

^ SO JEALOUS. ugh.
It will be super intense the first day it opens. I mean they will have the media there as well and everything. But it's still something special and if I lived closer by I would have tried to get a ticket.

Originally Posted by mollypotter

I totally live on the wrong continent.

There's pretty much no hope that i will get to visit.

I totally for once do not live on the wrong continent (:
and even though the plain tickets won't be too expensive I'd still need to have a place to stay in London (EXPENSIVE!!!) and pay the train/bus ticket there and then I would want to stay longer than just one day and all this just adds up...

[Lisl_Loveheart]

I'd like to share my booking experience with you guys. I did as a post on page one suggested, clicked the individual tickets icon and chose the date of my tour. From that point on, never again did Warner Bros. show me the date that I had picked! Even in the confirmation page, where normally you get all the data to check again before you actually buy something online, they only listed the kind of ticket and amount, no date. This indeed make me nervous because I felt I was buying something in the dark.

The order confirmation page didn't tell me for which date I had bought tickets either! When the e-mail arrived, minutes later, guess what? Wrong date!! I immediately wrote them back saying I had looked for this information during booking process and had I noticed it was incorrect, I could have set it right. But since that option wasn't given, I felt I wasn't to blame for buying tickets for the wrong date and that they should change that.

Only minutes later I recieved the correct confirmation and then an e-mail apologizing for the trouble with the system. They were great in setting things right and now I can be happy because I'm going!!

I hope they can fix the system, but until then, my advice is to be very careful when you click that calender, check the infor asap and complain immediately if there is something wrong!

[Zeelee]

I'm so excited about going to this next year! I'm travelling to England, Scotland and Ireland next year in June/July and I will definitely be going to the studio tours. I've just finished booking all my flights and accommodation and now I'm starting on the attractions I want to go and see.

*jumps up and down with excitement*

[gelowo93]

I've persuaded my parents to take me to go to this, I'm so happy I wanted to go during the Easter holidays though, but it looks like I'll have to wait until the summer, I can't believe the entire holidays have sold out. Well, I sort of can I'm so glad they're doing this seeing as the theme park is in America, and it isn't terribly expensive so that's a bonus.

[JohannaAfSwe]

I've wanted to go to the wwop so long, so when the news about leavesden drooped I couldn't have been happier. I mean this is the real thing, where the films were actully shot, and as I live in Sweden it's fairly cheap to fly to England. And the best part is, the absolutely crasy part, is that I have tickets to the first tour on the opening day! I follow the Stuido Tour's facebook page, so I was able to book the tickets when they released the first ones.

Can't wait to hear what's up for opening day, they haven't released any information about that yet. I know it is going to be intense and crazy, but I don't think I'll regret booking that day.

[gibbonarms]

I'm definitely going to go to this, although honestly I don't know who with.. I don't know anyone who loves Harry Potter as much as me so I think I would be quite annoying! I love a few hours drive from London but I will go in the future

Also, does anyone know if there will be a gift shop (or shops) like in WWoHP in Orlando?

[yorkiedoodle]

I have little doubt that there will be a gift shop...... the problem will be stopping my daughter buying all of it!

[ArryGrotter]

Between this (a couple of thousand dollars flight away the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (also a couple of thousand dollars flight away), and the travelling exhibition (currently in Sydney, a few hundred dollars flight away), I would like the save my money and go to London, although the Wizarding World too if I ever get the chance. I think that this Studio Tour will be a thousand times better than the travelling exhibition, and I think that it's quite likely that the items from the exhibition will find their way back to Leavesdon once touring has finished - at least I hope

[JohannaAfSwe]

There will be a gift shop, but they haven't said what they're gonna sell.

[PotterFan417]

Do we know if this tour is going to be something permanent, or if it's something that will at least be open for a few years? Because my family is very interested in taking a trip to London and Paris sometime in the next 2 years or so, and I desperately want to do this. But I'm so afraid that it's a limited time thing and will be closed before we get a chance to go. What does everyone think?

[ArryGrotter]

I'm pretty sure it's going to be there for at least 5 years.

[Wab]

As long as it turns a reasonable profit it'll be there.

[yorkiedoodle]

With my daughter desperate to visit and the prospect of a gift shop I think there is no doubt that it will create a profit...

[Wab]

Originally Posted by Wab

As long as it turns a reasonable profit it'll be there.

I forgot the possibility that WB's next big thing will prove to be more profitable.

[Gemora]

If you are you are soooooo lucky! I really wish i could go would be last chance for me to see the actors at the opening What dates is everyone going?

[staff edit]

[Kessa]

Hi peeps,

As most of you know, the new Harry Potter Studio Tour experience opens this weekend! (Saturday 31st March 2012)

Myself and Jo were fortunate enough to get a sneak peak last weekend and so I thought I'd share some teaser info for those of you who are going / thinking of going, but haven't decided yet.

Note: I'm going to try to keep this a spoiler free post, BUT if you're planning on going and don't know anything about it from all of the recent PR / don't want to know anything in advance, etc, then you may want to look away now!





OK, I have a slight confession to make up front. Jo & I were fortunate enough to visit the sets when the last 2 films were being filmed and I was absolutely blown away by the experience.

This was before the Studio tour had been announced (If I recall correctly, rumours were just starting at the time about WB aquiring the site), and I remember thinking just how fortunate we were, but also feeling a slight frustration/guilt that not everyone could experience it.

Then, later, the rumours continued to grow until eventually, the Studio Tour was officially announced. It was great news, and yet (this is where my confession comes in), I was a bit concerned. I couldn't help thinking back to our visit.....

There was so much going on; the sets were huge and the attention to detail was amazing; There were so many sets, each seamingly with an endless amount of props, artwork, special effects, etc.... and that was just on 1 sound stage.... and there were something like 8 soundstages!

..... and our experience was just of 1 day..... 1 day in 10 years of work!

So hopefully you can see my concern. Even with all of WB's skill & knowledge, how on earth could they fit all of this into 1 event?! After all - we are taking 10 years of work & Everyone has different things they love from the films.

How on earth could they put something together that didn't leave die-hard fans disappointed. How on earth could you get up close to the objects to see the wonderful attention to detail, and yet not have everything hidden away in cabinets so that it wouldn't get damaged.


Well.... I needn't have worried. The team behind this have absolutely nailed it!



They've got the balance perfect, and whilst it's obviously an experience aimed at Harry Potter fans, it would actually be something of interest to anyone interested in films in general, as they've got literally thousands of items throughout the experience ranging from props, costumes, sets, art, models, greenscreen, creature effects, etc.

Everywhere you look there are new things to discover. It's one of those experiences where each time you go you're likely to discover something you didn't spot before.

The other thing which I particularly loved is that it's very much about the people behind the Harry Potter films.

In fact, I got a definate sense that the creators had almost tried to avoid talking about the film itself (i.e. as a finished piece) directly.

As a result, I think it's a beautifully created tribute to all of the 4,000+ crew members who worked on the films (and all of the thousands of unnamed crew too!)

There are also some great surprises and experiences along the way (but I won't spoil them for you so you'll have to wait and discover those for yourselves!)


OK, one small surprise - you can even try a Butterbeer!




Here are a couple of teaser pics. I took over 500+ (and I'm going to have to take some more when we go back next weekend as my 2 x batteries died! lol), so here are just a couple of teasers which hopefully don't give away anything that hasn't already been shown via their PR

teaser pics:    

---

View the sets: Props & artwork: Creature Effects: Costumes (about time I had a photo of me with the real Voldemort robes! ): Set Decoration & Visual Effects: And last, but by no means least - their Huge Hogwarts scale model: - That pic doesn't do it justice by a long shot. It really is quite stunning and it takes you a while to comprehend just how big and detailed it is!

So if you're going.... you are going to love it!!!
... and if you're "thinking" of going, I can honestly say I wouldn't hesitate to go again (in fact, we are going again in a few days as we're taking our girls!) as it's worth every penny.... and that's not something I say often!

[vonbach13]

Does anyone know how they filmed the scene in Sorceror's Stone where all the Hogwart letters arrive at the Dursley's house? Did they have multiple letters made or was it CGI. Sorry if this has been discussed before and thanks for the help.

[ajna]

It would certainly be nice to have a moving angle of the castle model.

[merrymarge]

how is this studio tour different than the Exposition that is still going around? they pretty much have the same stuff. And the World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Fl. Isn't this getting to be a bit much HP?

[snapes_witch]

Originally Posted by merrymarge

how is this studio tour different than the Exposition that is still going around? they pretty much have the same stuff. And the World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Fl. Isn't this getting to be a bit much HP?

Leavesden is special because it's where the films were made and one tours the sets; Orlando is a theme park similar to Disneyland with rides, etc. If I had my choice, I'd pick the studio tour.