Go Team Harry Potter!

I didn't get sorted today (though we all know it would have been Gryffindor) but I did get to walk through the same doors that Harry had to when he entered the Great Hall for the first time.  The Making  of Harry Potter experience was not what I expected--I thought it was going to be more of an amusement park--but is is actually an amped-up behind the scenes look at the movie-making magic that went into the production of the blockbusters.

The Harry Potter fans were out in full force.  Many of my classmates were plain giddy as we walked in. There were grown woman in Hogwarts robes waiting in line.  It was a lot like Disney World, just without the rides.  But, unlike Disney, the complicated props, sets, and costumes weren't built to last and serve hoards of tourists every year--they were made temporary tools to make a motion picture.  It is a complicated process, and I really gained an appreciation for the insane amount of detail that went into the physical construction of the set.

 The simulated planning studio was one of my favorite displays, showing the complicated drawings produced as blueprints for the props after the ideas are formulated.  From artist's conception, to rendering in pen and ink, to scale mock-ups, and then to actual props, it was an inspiring look at what craftspeople and artists can accomplish when the are part of a team.  I walked through the Ollivander's Wand Shop, and, true to the detail of the entire studio sets, each and every box was hand-decorated.  On the over 4,000 boxes was the name of one on the people who were on the production of the movies.  It was quite the tribute to the team who worked so hard to make something that is now such a part of our world-wide culture.

Hagrid's hut (scaffolding in the back).

Squeal! Alan Rickman's wig.