On a chilly night in the middle of rural England (Hertfordshire, to be exact, home of Harry Potter’s Leavesden Studio), my group of outsiders were welcomed to an extravagant set built behind the 500,000 sq. foot interior warehouse. Constructed on the studios 80 acre backyard is Hogwarts' lavish courtyard, seen from a variety of angles in previous Potter films. But this courtyard was noticeably different, starting to fall apart – on purpose. Hogwarts, as we found out, was under attack.
Teased in the trailers with flashes of burning buildings, jets of colorful magic and hundreds of Hogwarts students screaming in fear, the siege of the wizarding school is Deathly Hallows – Part 2’s grand finale, the location of Harry and Voldemort’s final battle. While the sweeping action scene will likely bounce from location to location in the final film, what we saw on set was just a glimpse of forthcoming destruction.
Professor McGonagall (Maggie Smith), Mrs. Weasley (Julie Waters) and Professor Filius Flitwick (Warwick Davis) rounded up Hogwarts students preparing for the Death Eaters' arrival. Neville Longbottom (Matt Lewis) and Seamus Finnigan (Devon Murray) readied their wands and followed orders: to take out the bridge to the castle. McGonagall had her own business to take care of, summoning a troop of stone knights to come alive and fight against the baddies.
A short but sweet sequence, we watched from afar as Smith, Waters and Davis went through the motions of the scene several times, Smith once flubbing her lines and letting out the perfect, grandmotherly exclamation of frustration. Even when she’s swearing like a sailor, she’s a lovely woman.
The soldiers leaping into action were performed by a team of grey spandex-suited extras, who will be motion captured in the final product. For the epic scale of the film, the shoot was relatively low key and simplistic. A crane on a wheeled dolly moving back and forth, up and down, while most people stood and watched, waiting to move in on resetting the stage. Easy peasy, lemon squeazy. What made it feel like a Potter film wasn’t just the production design, but rather the three leads. You realize standing on that set, the real magic comes from the actors gravitas. That’s why these movies will always hold up.
