Two weeks ago, before midterm presentations and projects were a thing, we went on a tour of the Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio! The excitement from the group was contagious and the self guided tour blew me away. We saw a glimpse of every step in the movie making process, from sketches and concept art to the advanced technology used for some of the flying scenes. I never realized how much work and planning actually went into movie production until this tour. A personal favorite of mine was learning about the set designs and construction. Every building/set in the movie had to be precisely hand drawn and then turned into small paper models to test out camera angles. After that, the crew got to work constructing the set piece to incredibly precise detail. And when filming was done, it often had to be deconstructed. We got to see the original sketches, paper models, and constructed set pieces that they decided to keep. Plus, all the props, costumes, and creatures made the tour feel very magical (ha!). It's amazing because when we watch the films, we don't always think about all the small details that really contribute to the storytelling and set up of the movie. This tour really does a lot to credit the some of the behind the scenes work of Harry Potter and I would recommend it for both HP fans and people interested in movie making. And because butterbeer and butterbeer ice cream is delicious. Although the ice cream might be better unless you have a strong sweet tooth. The drink can be a little overwhelming halfway through.
Kevin V Au
<p>I was born and raised in San Francisco, CA. I am currently a Junior at the University of Rochester majoring in Psychology and planning to become a Physical Therapist. I love food, obstacle course racing, martial arts, drawing, and getting into philosophical discussions with my friends. I will be studying Health Practice and Policy in London and I'm excited to share my experience abroad!</p>
