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A member from Leaky Lounge was lucky enough to be invited to the Half-Blood Prince set recently, and they gave an in-depth report on their experience. From meeting the cast, to touring the sets and departments, and even getting a brand new autographed promo picture featuring Tom Felton.
On meeting the cast:
We met Dan and Tom, they were both really sweet. Rupert and the twins were about but we didn't talk to them. Emma was away studying. I had a rugby ball thrown at me by the guys who plays Neville Longbottom and Cormac McLaggen! I said my bruise would be a souvenir.
The set descriptions help show which scenes will be included in the upcoming film:
We were shown the Hogwarts gates; they are in a small clump of trees with the tops lopped off and have blue screen on each side (blue instead of green because of the trees and grass). The spikes on the gate are made of rubber for health and safety reasons! There are huge carved griffins on top of the gate columns. They said the GCI will be added later with Hogwarts castle on one side and the trees will be repeated to make the Forbidden forest.
Hagrid's hut was a short bus ride away, it had been burned, even saw Hagrid's pumpkin patch though there were no pumpkins. They filmed it burning with a load of cameras (I forget how many they said) because they only got one chance to film it burn. A lot of the outdoor sets have camouflage nets around them. This is because the neighbours complained that the light was reflecting off them and that they were ugly.
I saw The Burrow both the inside and outside sets; the outside set had been burnt out in a Death Eater attack. 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.
We went into the Great Hall, it really was huge. There are still wires hanging from the ceiling for the candles from the first film and they use them as reference points. The tables are oak and seat hundreds in sets of tens. All the side walls have false doors in to allow speedy entrance and exit of the large cast. We took our pictures (sob) standing on the dais in front of the teachers table. The tables were laid out with cereal (Pixie Puffs and another was a play on Cheerios) and gold plates and goblets. The windows are made of sugar glass and apparently take a week to clean. There was talk of blowing them up in this film but they changed their minds. They don't use any real food anymore unless a cast member has to be seen to be eating; even the butter that sat on the table was fake.
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. The picture frames are filled with green screen and all the furniture is from auctions. Usually they hire furniture but as it was going to be used for so many years, this time they bought. All the chairs are well worn and a bit tatty! There was a little seating area to the left in a window alcove and the fire where Harry spoke to Sirius is on the right. Straight ahead are the stairs to the boy's bedrooms. They spiraled upwards to the left but to the right were a few steps that didn't go anywhere. At the top of the stairs there was a small hall from which you could look down into the common room over a banister. In the bedroom all the beds have been cut in half and extended as the films have gone on as the cast have grown too big for them! The curtains around the beds are velvet with star prints on them. The beds had roman numerals painted on the top in gold which corresponded with the numbers painted on the bedside tables, a nice touch. The tables had knickknacks on them and every bed had the correct trunk under it except Harry's which was at the Burrow. Dean's bed had West Ham covers on it.
The tour of Diagon alley:
e walked around Diagon Alley. Ollivanders had been destroyed, all the windows were smashed and it was trashed. The shops had complete interiors in case the camera caught a glimpse inside by accident. Quality Quidditch supplies had a Quidditch equipment display, uniforms on dummies and drawers full of clothing. Florean Fortescue's had fake ice cream sundaes lining the walls on shelves. 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!
But WWW stood out in bright orange with a curved front door. It was the most wonderful place. It was like every dream you had as a kid. There were skiving snack boxes, puking pastels, U-no-poo, sweets from floor to ceiling. It had a set of stairs winding up the middle and was three floors high. The detail was amazing; the shelves were crooked with brightly coloured goods on every surface. It was truly breath taking. At the end of our tour we watched them filming a scene there. 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 Burke 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.
On the Sectumsempra scene:
We couldn't get into moaning Myrtle's bathroom because it was locked. They filmed the Sectumsempra scene there last week. They told me Tom had to lie in the fake blood and water for hours. He had a prosthetic chest on which pumped out fake blood and for each new take he had to get cleaned up and dry his hair before starting again. There are some pictures floating about of the scene and they look like Tom is lying dead in a pool of blood, very freaky for his friends to see!
The rest of the extensive set report can be read here, this includes detail on the CGI, Costume, and Makeup departments.
Thanks to all who contacted us about this news! And we have contacted Warner Brothers about the authenticity of this report.
Are you a member of a Harry Potter/Wizard Rock band and want to promote your band in the Harry Potter fandom? The Portkey recently launched its music section where Harry Potter themed bands can sign up and promote their music. Share your interests with Harry Potter enthusiasts and share your bands information and publish your own tour dates!
We'll be adding new features to the Music section in the coming days, as it is still in its beginning stages, so why not join today?
Bad news for Moaning Myrtle fans as Snitch Seeker have informed us that they recently got in contact with Shirley Henderson's representative agency, Hamilton Hodell who have revealed that Shirley was not offered a part in the sixth Harry Potter film and has effectively been cut from the film.
Our friends over at Blog Hogwarts were able to have a brief interview with Lord Johnpaul Castrianni, who plays a death eater in the upcoming Half-Blood Prince movie.
Here is a translation:
BlogHogwarts: Have you read any of the Harry Potter books before you obtained the role? Lord Johnpaul Castrianni: I am a very big fan, if not the greatest fan of the Harry Potter books, so yes, I could say I have read the books before.
BH: Have you already shot scenes of Half-Blood Prince? In which scenes are you present? LJC: My scenes were filmed several months ago and I finished in February (2008). I was in the scenes regarding Alan Rickman, Dan, Michael (Dumbledore) Tom (Malfoy) and several other cast who I believe have not been officially published by Warner Brothers yet, so unfortunately I cannot comment on that yet.
BH: How do you feel about being in a Harry Potter film? LJC: For me, the fact I was chosen to be in Harry Potter was the greatest feeling in the world, almost as great as being offered a job at Walt Disney World in Florida where i currently am living for the year until 2009. Then who knows... what i may be required for in Deathly Hallows?
BH: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, the projects that you did before? LJC: Previous projects included Phantom of the Opera and various TV extra roles including Coronation Street (a very popular British TV soap).
Do not get your hopes down on some characters not being cast, because as Lord Johnpaul says, there are still characters that have been cast, but yet to be announced.
In honor of Mothers day, our friends at Blog Hogwarts made a list of the Top Ten Moms in Harry Potter. So I decided to make my own list of the top 5 mothers in Harry Potter, to honor mothers day. #1: Lilly Potter This is quite obvious, she gave her life in order to save Harry from a terrible fate. An exemplary mother. #2: Mrs. Weasley: One line: Not my daughter you B**ch!. This single act shows her love of her children, defending her children by defeating a much more skilled witch shows her passion for her family, and those dear. #3: Narcissa Malfoy: Even though she was a death eater, she showed that when it came down to it her passion was family, not power, she too exemplifies parenthood. #4: Nymphadora Tonks: Showed great caring for her child, when she had to choose between saving herself, and creating a better world in which her son could grow up in, she choose the latter, sacrificing herself to protect her son. #5: Petunia Dursley: Good thing this list isn't "Top 5 Aunts", because she definitely wouldn't make the list. However she did show great caring when it came to Dudley, in fact maybe too much caring.
Have your own opinion on the matter? Make your list and send them in to Jeremy, via the
contact form, and you may find your list on TPK!.
As Lilly Potter showed us, a Mother would do anything for those they love, so we honor all the amazing mothers out there, and from all of us here at The-Portkey.com, have a very joyous Mothers Day!
Scholastic Updates Harry Potter Site With New Games
Scholastic has updated its Harry Potter section with several new games, among them: Magnificent Mums, a quiz in honor of Mothers Day, Potter Swap, a book cover strategy game, similar to the popular game Bejewled, Polyjuice Pairs, a card memory game, and Magical Matches, a second card memory game.
Order of the Phoenix has one Best Animation/Family TV Spot at the 2008 Golden Trailer Awards, which were held yesterday in Los Angeles. The spot titled Great Wizards can be seen here, in Apple Quicktime format.
We previously reported that Clémence Posey (Fleur Delacour) had stated she will not return for the Half-Blood Prince or Deathly Hallows films.
Well French Harry Potter site UHP was able to contact Clémence Posey's agent, Elizabeth Simpson regarding this report, and she formally denied all rumors regarding Clémence not being in the Harry Potter films.
In a brief new interview with Julie Walters, who plays Mrs. Weasley in all the Potter films, Julie admits she isn't a fan of the books, but is a fan of her character.
The funny thing was that a rumour went around once that I was an avid reader of the Harry Potter books and that I was always first in the queue when they came out.
Not the case, I'm afraid. Someone caught me thumbing through one on a bookstand and all I was doing - I admit it - was checking whether or not JK Rowling, the author, had written my character out!
It was pure self-interest. I got to the magic words 'Mrs Weasley', realised I wasn't going to be the impending corpse and put the book back on the shelf."
Casting Call Pro UK has listed several new actors and actresses for bit parts in the upcoming Half-Blood Prince film, one of which gives a hint as too what the opening scene may be.
Among them is Teresa Mahoney, who also made an appearance in Order of the Phoenix as a Muggle Driver. She has been cast as Sofie (Boardroom -Opening Scene), which leads us to believe that the original opening scene may still be in the film, despite rumors that it had been cut.
We have contacted Warner Brothers about these casting announcement and will keep you updated as to their authenticity.
Additionally, French magazine whowhatweardaily is reporting that Clemence Posey has decided not to reprise her roles in either of the upcoming Potter films, which means the Fleur Delacour may be absent from the final two Potter films.
In honor of Mothers Day this Sunday,Chief Parenting has compiled a list of 10 Successful Women and Exemplary Mothers with the intention of inducting them into its Chief Mommy Officer Hall of Fame, among them of course was J.K. Rowling.
Candidates were chosen from
"...a variety of professions and represent a diverse group of accomplished mothers." They have, "...achieved greatness in their respective careers, while simultaneously maintaining their roles as exemplary mothers."
Because only those who are American citizens and are living can be chosen, J.K. Rowling has been cited as an honorary "global" inductee.
J.K. Rowling (Global Honoree) – Unemployed, suffering from depression and solely raising her infant daughter on state benefits, Rowling wrote a little book titled Harry Potter.
Jessie Cave (Lavender Brown) was recently interviewed by ASOS Magazine, in which she discussed her first kiss scene with Rupert Grint.
Jessie Cave is about to become the envy of teenage girls all over the globe. The 20-year-old actress beat 7,000 other auditionees to the role of Ron Weasley's girlfriend Lavender Brown in the forthcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. "It was a bit embarrassing. Our first screen kiss was on my third day of shooting." says Jessie. "It's been an amazing experience though. I've been completely immersed in the Harry Potter world since filming started last year."
The article goes on to mention is an art enthusiast and is currently working on publishing a book of her own works.
For a while there have been a few problems with the forums, and as a result of this there has been lack of activity over there. They are now fixed and you can get their by clicking this link , or via the homepage navigation bar. We really hope for the forums to become an intricate part of this website, so help us make it one by posting your thoughts on our forum.
Radcliffe, Leung Nominated for "Best Kiss" at 2008 MTV Movie Awards
Daniel Radcliffe & Katie Leung have been nominated for "Best Kiss" for the upcoming 2008 MTV Movie Awards for their famous kiss in Order of the Phoenix, click here to vote by May 23. The show airs live on July 1.
BBC has captured some nice aerial footage of sets currently being built at Leavesden Studios, they include: the Burrow, Privet Drive, Hogwart's courtyard, Hagrid's Hut, Hogsmeade train platform, Quidditch hoops, and what appears to be Tom Riddle's orphanage. Below you can see the footage.
Update: Books and Movies Sections to come soon! Accessible via this link.
Well as many of you know there has been a blank link in the encyclopedia section for quite some time entitled MovieCast.
We are pleased to announce this page is now up with casts up though Goblet of Fire. The rest are a work in progress, so click here to view them, and if you notice any mistakes let us know via the contact form, and remember: This is a work in progress so it is not fully complete.
