"One's" set report
Fort Alamo
An hour of driving time away from London, in the middle of the British countryside, is the best secured cinema studio in the world. It's name: Leavesden. It's in this mythical studio that many of legendary movies have been made, like "Star Wars" episodes 1 & 2, the "Matrix" trilogy, and the last "James Bond". It is also here that the biggest part of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher/Sorcerer's Stone" and "The Chamber of Secrets" have been made, and, since February 2003, one of the most
awaited film of the year is being made, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban".
The first thing we can say is that the gate to the studio is very protected. At the entry, we have to show a badge given to us by the production, and we have to
give our cameras and cellphones to the security agents. No one except the official photographers of the movie have the right to take pictures of the set or the actors.
However, a lot of people tried. Indeed, there's not a day at Leavesden without a paparazzi trying to enter in the studios to take exclusive pics of "The Prisoner of
Azkaban". Some of them, as some people say, tryed to infiltrate the studio by landing with an helicopter on the roof! That's why, on the set, many guards are
watching every doings and actions of the visitors.
Visiting Hogsmeade
The first set we are going to visit is Diagon Alley, the huge street where Harry buy all his School stuff in "The
Philosopher/Sorcerer's Stone". But the set has been totaly remade, and now, the film crew has built Hogsmeade, a street where the wizards are shopping. The set is
covered with fake snow (in fact, it's polystyrene flakes and big salt grains!) and it is really realistic. Amazed, we're walking in front of different shops with strange names
like "Dervish and Bangs", "The Three Broomsticks", and "Honeydukes". This last shop is very famous to Harry Potter fans. Indeed, it's a shop where you can
find all the candies imaginable, blood-flavoured lollipops, Bertie Botts every flavour beans or Pepper Imps. What a program! We are curious to see if all these
candies are in the shop, so we open the door of Honeydukes, and in front of us is the spectacle that every child is dreaming of: the shop is full of candies of every colour and size! They are everywhere. A real paradise for every greedy person! After having tested a delicious chocolate frog, we
inspect every detail of the room and we notice it looks really familiar: in fact, one of the technical team member working on the set told us this set was Mr. Ollivander's shop in "The Philosopher/Sorcerer's Stone". This room has been totaly remade for "The Prisoner of Azkaban"...
Quidditch!
After having visiting Diagon Alley, we arrive at a totally different set. It's a big empty room, and at the end, a big green font has been rised. This is
where the Quidditch scenes are about to be filmed! About ten minutes later, two young actors in Quidditch robes take sit on their brooms in the air, hanging with
cables, and Alfonso Cuaron (the director) sits down in front of his control monitor. In this scene, one of the Quidditch players (who is not one of the main chraracters)
has his broom struck by lightning, and he crashes down on the floor. In more than an hour, many shots of this scene are filmed, then all the team go to another set
where they will still film, and we hope we could finally see Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson...
Hogwarts Great Hall
We are going to another set, the one with the Hogwarts moving staircases, and and the walls are filled with portraits of old Headmasters. In fact, these portraits are of the technical crew, who wanted to enter in the legend of the magical school! Not so far away is the set of Dumbledore's office, and it's now the Astronomy class. One of the staff members tells us that in this class Professor Lupin teaches Harry the Patronus Charm (which gives him the power to push back the
horrible Dementors)...
After a long walk, we now arrive to the biggest set of the film: Hogwarts Great Hall. Inspired by the Oxford University Hall, it's really spectacular. Its floor
is covered with marble and his height is dizzy. For a few moments, we really feel like we're at Hogwarts, ready to meet the venerable Dumbledore. Talking about
Dumbledore, we're going near his throne and as we sit down on it... we find that it is very confortable! But there's no more time to play the tourists. A scene is ready to be filmed here.
While the operator chief and his assistants are lighting the set, three silhouettes appear. There, a few feet from us, two boys and a girl are having a conversation with another person. The three of them are wearing the Hogwarts uniform. No doubt, it's the three movie stars,
Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson. When their conversation is finished, the three young people turned and go to the middle of the set. They are now in front of us. But when we look closely, there's a problem. Something is not going well. Suddenly, all light. It's not Daniel, Rupert and Emma, but their stand-ins! They look a lot like them; it's amazing. In fact, this young people have to take the place of the real actors before the filming of each scene. Their part is to
helm the operator chief to make the lightings. Indeed, they never call the real actors to do this tedious task. A few minutes later, the real actors arrive. Daniel enter in
first, followed by Emma and Rupert. This is their first scene of the day and they look impatient to start. This is the scene where Harry receives his new broom, sent by Sirius
Black, the famous Prisoner of Azkaban. Alfonso Cuaron talks to the actors in private and give them some explanations, while a lot of extras are taking place. Even if
he's not talking loudly, we can hear the director saying to Daniel not to exaggerate his reaction of surprise when he will discover his new broom. Daniel takes perfectly
in consideration this remark and the scene is quickly filmed. After four shots, the director is satisfied and goes to Daniel to shake his hand, laughing. Daniel later said: "Alfonso is a very hearty guy. I've never met such an energic director like him. The scens we have already filmed are
full of emotion and more intense than in the two previous films."
Changes
One thing is sure: "The Prisoner of Azkaban" will be very different from the two previous films. Alfonso Cuaron obviously wanted to take some liberty from J.K. Rowling's book. For example, in many scenes, the Hogwarts students are not wearing their uniform, but modern clothes, like jeans or pull with hood. The other change is in the visual aspect of the film. Indeed, Alfonso Cuaron frequently uses general shots rather than close-up shots.
They were not very used very much in the previous films. "His style is very surprising", said Daniel. "Alfonso doesn't like when the camera is too close to the actors, so
he gives us more liberty to move."
We have a break, so we visit the accessories department, a huge place where we find a lot of items and creatures, used for the three movies. There's the giant
spider and the mandrakes from "The Chamber of Secrest", a large suit of armor, some magic books, and a wax statue of Tom Felton, which has the eyes closed. This statue was used in a scene from the new film, in which Hagrid carries Malfoy, who has been attacked by a hippogriff. But it's
impossible to know more...
We return to the Great Hall for the rest of the day, with some dinner scenes. It's now 7:00 PM, when everybody goes home. Indeed, most of the actors are
children, and the British law doesn't allow them to work late at night.
The next day, all the team go to another studio where a frozen lake set has been built. It's there that one of the most important scene of the movie will be filmed...
The Dementors
"Expecto Patronum!". Near the lake, artificially recreated in the Shepperton Studios, Daniel Radcliffe is casting a spell with his wand to an invisible creature, which
will be added later by computer. Twenty shots of this scene have already been filmed, but Alfonso Cuaron is still not satisfied with Daniel's performance. For him,
Daniel lacks conviction and determination. We have to say that this scene is very important. Harry is with Hermione, after having to go back in time, and
he sees a Dementor (an evil creature who "suck" its victims' souls) on the lake and casts a spell, the Patronus, to destroy it. There again, the filming of this scene is
very hard. At every shot, a little detail messes everything up, like a vague camera movement or a projector to put back in its place. Finally, after 40 shots (a record),
the director is satisfied: "Cut, it's the good one!", he shouts to all the team. Everybody applauses and Daniel Radcliffe can now breathe a sigh of relief.
When we ask him if he's not too tired after this 40 takes, Daniel is really surprised: "No. Not on the moment. When you are concentrated, you don't feel tired.
This is only at the end of the day that you feel really tired." But you really need a lot of energy to support the stress of a blockbuster like this one. "We are at the end of the filming, so we are all a little tired, obviously" Rupert says. "But sincerely, I enjoy doing this more than going to school!".
Sirius Black
Not so far away from us is someone that we are not familiar with. He's having a conversation and smiling with members of the team. It's Gary Oldman ("The Fifth Element"
and "Dracula"). The famous actor will be Sirius Balck on big screen, in the Prisoner of Azkaban. His aim is apparently to kill Harry Potter. In the film, there's a lot of
tatoos everywhere on his body, to gives him a scary look. "It's Alfonso's idea", Gary Oldman tells us. Then, apparently in a good mood, he accepts to tell us a
little more on his character performance: "Sirius Black represents a danger for Harry. I tried to make this character as threatening as I could, I wanted the
spectators to be absolutly terrified when they see him." After seeing Gary Oldman's performance, we have no doubt the spectators will be really scared when
they meet this character. To be sure of this, go to your cinema on June 2nd [This is the date the movie is released in France and Switzerland]
Also included in the PoA set report was an article on Daniel Radcliffe supporting the Demelza
House:
Generosity
Daniel Radcliffe recieves thousands of presents every year from his fans all around the world. But for Christmas last year, he asked his fans to change their habits. "I'm
lucky to have such fans, who send me fantastic presents." Daniel said on his Internet official site. "But this year, I wish that they make a donation to Demelza House, the hospital near London, who cares for children with incurable ills. This hospital is doing a fantastic job, and I'm proud to give them my support." It's a wonderful example of generosity, worthy of Harry Potter!
Transcript of set report courtesy of MuggleNet
-February 4, 2004
Back to Prisoner of Azkaban set reports
|
