Pottermore are going behind the scenes of Harry Potter in the Cursed Child in the coming weeks, to learn more about how the unique set design of the play was constructed.
Tony Award-winning set designer Christine Jones (Close to You, Spring Awakening and Let the Right One In) introduces the Pottermore series by talking about bringing the set together in an exclusive video.
Pottermore reports:
‘I was overwhelmed,’ Christine told us. ‘I didn’t expect to get as emotional as I did. But I think we all have been working on this for over a year and just have so much invested in it.’
‘There’s just this feeling that we’re working with people we love, on something we love, for people we love. And there’s a lot of emotions that have become buried within the fabric on the making of this.’
This video of the props and sets involved in the Cursed Child production is slow moving and close-up, showing the intricate craftsmanship behind the immaculate set.
Be sure to take a look at the short preview (below), as it makes one appreciate just how many people are needed to make such a beautiful play come to life!
Read more over at Pottermore here, and read more from Christine Jones on set design here!
This week, Pottermore gave us a look inside what David Yates actually does as Director of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Apparently it’s not all yelling ‘Cut!’ and ‘Action!’ – at least not for David Yates.
A team of Assistant Directors ensures filming runs as smoothly as possible, and according to Pottermore, most of their jobs involve adjusting leads, moving extras and actors around, preparing props and muttering instructions into mics. This team is led by first Assistant Director (AD) Josh Robertson, who usually does all the yelling, cutting and hushing:
“Josh and the other ‘ADs’ do a lot of yelling and a lot of shushing. Volume control is one of their principle duties. And when you consider that a mistimed cough could ruin a scene and cost thousands to reshoot, it’s very important.”
…
“There are four ADs on set (or, in movie speak, ‘on the floor’) and they all have earpiece microphones that make everything they say sound urgent. On Fantastic Beasts, Josh is joined by Tom Brewster, Danni Lizaitis and Katherine Hingst as second, third and fourth AD. Their names will appear right near the top of the end credits of the film when it’s out – you’ll spot them.”
“To support [David’s] process, the ADs fan out, assume positions at various spots on set and keep that area clean, clear, quiet and calm during and between scenes. They are the purveyors of smooth operation, the enablers of great direction.”
David Yates adjusts cameras to get the perfect shot, gives quiet directions to actors and monitors each shot and how the action plays out on screen. His gentle manner is something Katherine Waterston (who will portray Tina Goldstein in Fantastic Beasts) previously shared insight into David’s inspired style of directing:
‘He has a shorthand and a comfort with the world. He’s not precious with it, he understands what it needs and what it doesn’t need and there’s something really comforting in that.’
‘When we’re incorporating things that aren’t actually there, to look at David and know he can see the world is… everything,’
The Pottermore Correspondent adds:
“He is both obsessively detailed-oriented and able to see the whole project as if from above. After directing the final four Harry Potter films, this is his fifth venture into J.K. Rowling’s imagination and he knows the territory well. He just needs a dependable crew to clear his path for him”
Read the full piece here, and Pottermore’s interview with David Yates here!
Warner Brothers vans showed up at the former RAF station used to build airships in Bedfordshire, UK last month to shoot Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The spaces are huge, and have been renovated, named ‘Cardington Studios’ and used to film the new Star Wars film (The Force Awakens) and Christopher Nolan’s Inception and The Dark Knight series.
Cardington is ever changing and shed 2 has been leased out to a film company and is enjoying a second life as a “sound stage”.
This former Airship Hangar is one of the largest indoor spaces in Europe, with no obstructing beams, ideal for large scale set builds and event rehearsals. The main areas are supported by vast production offices and workshop spaces providing an exceptional and flexible infrastructure for your next production.
Photos from the location show not only the Warner Bros. vans, but also portray the huge scale of the sheds:
Leaky is certainly excited to see what they’ve been filming in there! The first instalment of Fantastic Beasts is set for release on November 18th 2016 – we can hardly wait!
Pottermore have just shared Entertainment Weekly’s release of their newest issue, featuring our first look at Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander in ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’!
The issue is available to buy online, or at newsstands this Friday. It features information from the set of the film, including interviews with cast and producers, as well as photos from set.
Read more here!
The first installment of at least three Fantastic Beast films is set to be released November 18, 2016.
MTV News recently visited the set of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and spoke to actress Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) about her first post-Potter film.
On signing on for the film and playing the character of Sam, Ms. Watson says:
"Honestly, I had never read the book before, but a lot of my friends at
Brown were hugely into it, and when I told them I had this script, they
were crazy excited," Watson told MTV News.
"I feel incredible about it. I feel like I've been waiting for
'Perks,' " Watson said. "I was waiting for this story, for this script,
for this moment, for these people to do it with me. I'm so glad I didn't
do anything that I didn't care about."
A video from behind-the-scenes shows Ms. Watson filming a high energy dance number and glimpses at a graduation scene. The video, including an interview, can be seen at this page.
Popular Mechanics has a new article online today that gives some new insight regarding the special effects used for two scenes in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince done by Double Negative. As seen in the many trailers and clips from the film, HBP features an attack on the Millennium Bridge in London, England to showcase the rampant actions of the Death Eaters<>, as well as the Inferi in the ...
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In addition to the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Set Report preview posted by TLC and other Potter fan sites, a few more have now appeared online that give some additional quotes and insights of the sixth Harry Potter film. Of interest is more on a scene that was widely reported on several months ago, regarding Harry Potter flirting with a waitress. Rotten Tomatoes reports on this, not...
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