The Gryffindor Gazette

Updates from the set of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

by Wendy on May 14th, 2008

SUPER long update for you today; here’s a summary:

• The inside of The Burrow was amazing, the attention to detail. I climbed up the stairs to Ron’s room, the bedrooms aren’t there but the corridors have doors coming off them with pictures and ornaments. One of the doors had a picture of mushroom on it. Downstairs there were two clocks, one with the whole family’s names on and scissors for hands, the other was smaller with a list of jobs to do. There were even postcards to Ron on the bookcase, howlers (or just letters like paper aeroplanes), a wizarding newspaper on a coffee table and children’s painting of magical creatures framed on the walls. The guy showing us around said that it was the hardest set to build because nothing was straight or regular sized.
• The Gryffindor common room was quite small. It is still the exact same set from previous films. As you walk in the door (no picture frame entrance here) there are a set of pegs on the right with Gryffindor cloaks, bags and someone’s tie hanging up.

• Florish and Blotts had hundreds of books inside the doorway piled up and on shelves. The large books in the windows are actually Watford phone directories covered!
• When you see the scene where Fred and George are talking to Ron on the stairs, he asks how much for an item, they say ‘5 galleons’, Ron says ‘but I’m your brother’ and they say ‘10 galleons’. Well I am standing behind the stairs (out of sight) by the door! It took eight takes just for that few seconds and I was told they only complete 2 minutes of film a day.
• We saw Knockturn Alley but the lights weren’t on so it was by torch light! Saw Borgin and Burkes that way. The vanishing cabinet was in the centre, it was dark wood with a slanted roof. There were lots of skulls and creepy looking objects – even creepier due to the lack of lighting. There were wanted posters on the alley walls for Bellatrix and the Carrows.
• We were also shown the special effect department. Buckbeak was there; apparently each feather was cut by hand and it is all weaved together then held on with velcro. They told us it took a team of fifteen crew months to make. There were mannequins of Katie Bell when she had been hexed, one life size and one smaller for when Hagrid is holding her. She was wearing a red scarf and red coat. The hair on its head was real and the girl I was with knew the actress and was quite shocked because it looked so life like lying there. Baby Voldemort was sitting on a shelf with Dobby. There were giant spiders galore and the whole place stunk of resin! There was so much to see, Hagrid’s feet and hands, all the goblins prosthetic faces and props that are used for the cast to act against when CGI will be put in later.
• We saw the two cats that play Crookshanks and other cats that are extras! There are three of each owl in case of illness. We saw Hedwig, it’s a boy and he’s very old now, losing feathers on one wing and they’re going to retire him after this film. I held Pig; he is tiny and very sweet. Sirius’ owl was dyed to make him so dark and they keep any of the owl’s fallen feathers because they can replace a broken feather with the spares.
• The costume department was very interesting; I ran my hands over the invisibility cloak. There were a few and one had the velvet outside that we see on the films and another had green screen sewn into it. Saw Katie Bell’s red costume, Belatrix’s, Snape’s and well, basically everyone’s. Luna’s wardrobe was suitably eclectic. There were lots of black cloaks and Quidditch uniforms and pictures of the cast in their outfits with lists of their measurements hanging on the rails. They all have at least 3 of every item of clothing in case one is damaged. The stunt people’s clothing is exactly the same as the cast’s but in bigger sizes so that the protective pads can fit underneath. Neville’s actor is actually quite slim and wears padding to bulk him out.

You can read the rest here; these are all the best parts though!

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