Way way back in time, August 2009 to be precise, I visited a studio where a major movie was being filmed along with Mrs A, Lolli and my nephew Big Al. I said at the time that we’d all signed confidentiality agreements, so could divulge very little. But since then the very kind person who arranged the visit said that it was okay to blog it provided that as-yet unseen details were not revealed, and one part of the movie series being filmed has since been released. We are of course talking about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, filmed at Leavesden Studios. As you’d expect, no cameras or phones were allowed in, so here’s an overview (and you’ll just have to let your imagination do the rest). The order in which we saw things will now be slightly jumbled (so much to see and remember in one day). Mrs A asked “why now, after all this time?”… quite simply I was waiting for part 1 to be released, and I’ve had this in draft for a couple of months.

After parking the car we were taken to the security office to sign the confidentiality agreements and to be checked for phones and cameras. We then jumped into a mini-bus which took us past the set for Privet Drive – this is incredibly detailed when you look at the front of the houses, but they’re mainly fascias with nothing behind. Next we drove past some sets which were being constructed in preparation for Deathly Hallows part 2, and thus shall not be discussed. We got out when we arrived at the Hogwarts gates (which appeared, I think, in The Order of the Phoenix), and again when we got to the Lovegoods’ house (which appears in the Deathly Hallows part 1). After that we visited an enormous set being constructed for the Deathly Hallows part 2 – an incredible sight, but I can’t say what.

Next up was a visit to where they were actually shooting that day inside the studio complex. We were incredibly lucky – that day they were due to be shooting at Privet Drive but the schedule was a couple of days behind, so we saw the scene where they arrive back at the Weasleys’ house after the flight from Privet Drive. So we saw Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Julie Walters, Mark Williams, Bonny Wright, David Thewlis, Natalia Tena, Clémence Poésy and the Phelps twins. The set of the Weasley house interior was within a studio, and we saw director David Yates setting up the shot – it seemed to be a laborious process, and here’s a scoop… the movie employed ‘lighting doubles’. For every character there was a double (dressed identically) – they were sitting in an area near the set and were called in to be in place while the lighting was adjusted (presumably so the main cast members don’t have to endure the process).

We were instructed not to talk to the actors, but as I walked into the crowded studio area Daniel Radcliffe was coming in my direction  – I said “hi Dan” and he grinned and replied “alright mate”. I was very tempted to say hello to Mark Williams as he stood near me eating an orange, but I thought it best not to (and I stood next to him again in the lunch queue later). Our host took us round the back of the set and we peered in through one of the house’s windows, getting a very close look at everything going on – most of the cast were elsewhere but Emma Watson was perched on the sofa.

When they were ready to shoot, a bell rang and announcement stated “all quiet on set” (or something like that) and you could have heard a fly fart 30 yards away.

After this we saw a number of other sets… Hogsmead Village (yes, inside the interior studio lot), the Great Hall (empty, but still very imposing), and then the set for the wedding reception scene in the Deathly Hallows part 1. In the finished movie it looks like it’s set in a tent in a field, but it was actually a tent in a studio surrounded by a very detailed painting. Inside the tent the detail of the set and props was extraordinary.

Here’s another insider scoop… everyone working on the movie (stars and director included) has their own bicycle to get around the studio.

I can’t remember the exact order of things. I think we may have gone to lunch next. Most of the stars were in the canteen, and it was Rupert Grint’s 21st birthday. Lolli and I walked around the restaurant where there were display cabinets containing props from each of the movies in turn.

After lunch we saw the art department, full of drawings and models, and then went to see the props department. There was an incredible amount to see here. Models of creatures and characters, animatronics, Hagrid’s motorbikes, brooms, shelves full of Death Eater masks, a box of wands (all labelled with the character names), and some items being worked on for the Deathly Hallows parts 1 and 2. I commented on the incredible detail of one item, and the guy working on it pointed out that on-screen it could measure 7 feet across, so it has to be detailed. All of the people who showed us around their departments and what they were doing were absolutely charming – you’d have thought they’d be fed up with gawping visitors, but nothing was further from the truth. There was an awful lot to see, room after room of stored props or people working on new ones.

We then went to the Grimmauld Place set (yep, there’s a semi-complete London street) and then back into the interior studio. Our host had radioed a request to open up Dumbledore’s office, and in we went. It’s just like in the movies, minus many of the props, but we walked up the steps behind his desk (and I took the opportunity to sit in the great man’s seat). After this we continued through the studio, seeing vast areas surrounded by huge green screens, and finally the Room of Requirement which was again incredibly detailed and had the most amazing array of props and things on shelves.

It was then time to make our way back to the car – as we walked back to the mini-bus some of the cast came past us on a golf-buggy-like vehicle and a couple were on bikes, including Rupert Grint.

Phew… that’s it as far as I can remember it. Quite a day, and once again thank you to the friend who arranged it.

Warning: this contains spoilers, so don’t read it if you haven’t seen the movie in question.

I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather this week, so Mrs A gave me a day off from working down her usual long list of Saturday must-dos. After getting my hair cut and cleaning out the hamster house I decided to take time out to watch ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ which I recorded some time ago – a movie which I promised myself I’d watch on the big screen at home, not on the mini-screen of the Archos while at an airport or on a flight to somewhere.

The first concern was whether the aged Harrison Ford could still hack it as the adventurous archaeologist… yes, but only just, and to be fair they made reference to his advancing years a few times. At least they didn’t pass him off as some spring chicken. But then there’s the bad news. Cate Blanchett’s delivery came straight out of Russian Accent 101 classes and made me cringe every time she spoke. If we’re supposed to hate the villain, then that worked. I was sorry that she wasn’t polished off within the first ten minutes… instead she nearly made it through to the end credits.

On the whole the story was an Indiana Jones check-list. Underground tombs… check. Ancient mechanical devices…check. Ancient legends setting up the story… check. Chases, guns and jumping from one vehicle to another… check. And so on.

Now, let’s think about the subjects of the earlier Indiana Jones movies… finding the Ark of the Covenant in Egypt, a brutish Indian cult, and a hunt for the Holy Grail. Great movies, even if that old knight at the end of ‘The Last Crusade’ was a bit daft. So here’s the next problem with ‘Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ – it’s about the skull of an alien. Yes, an alien. Aliens in an Indiana Jones movie. Okay, it’s an ancient artefact… but it’s the skull of an alien. And there’s thirteen alien skeletons sitting in a space ship. No no no no no no no no. What were they thinking?

In summary, it was okay. It entertained me for two hours. But the next time I watch ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (which is still one of the best movies ever made) I’m going to try to forget that this final instalment ever happened.

This is going to be a rubbish blog post, because on the way into the studio I had to sign a confidentiality agreement. I’d already left the camera at home having been told it would be confiscated, but I had planned a little report about a visit to the set of a major movie which is currently being filmed. However, part of the agreement was not to divulge any details via Twitter, Facebook or blogging. I wouldn’t want to incur the wrath of a film company but I also wouldn’t want to betray the trust of a close friend who arranged it.

So, what can I tell you? Not much, but it was an awesome day out. We saw movie sets, and walked in some of them. We saw existing props, some new ones in production and even held some famous items. We saw artwork and models. But best of all we saw some of the stars including ‘the big three’ and some other major names… the shooting schedule meant we struck lucky as it coincided with a scene including so many of the major characters. It’s incredible what goes on behind the scenes and on set, and the level of detail was unbelievable. It was pointed out that a small item may appear 10 foot high on a large cinema screen, so they can’t scrimp on the detail.

All I can say in summary is that we had a ‘wizard’ day, and I’m very grateful to our hosts and the many people who have us a tour of their departments.

For someone who rarely visits the cinema, I am madly interested in movies and movie news. Instead of going to the cinema, I buy DVDs which I never get a chance to watch… although actually I do copy them onto the Archos and watch them on the Camberley Express into London.

I quite liked the recent ‘Hulk’ movie directed by Ang Lee and starring Eric Bana – some of it was a bit slow-going but there’s a glorious segment about two-thirds of the way through where the US armed forces chase the big green fella across the desert, and fun ensues as he throws tanks and helicopters around.

An even newer Hulk adaptation starring Edward Norton is one the cinematic highlights I probably won’t get to see this year, along with ‘Iron Man’, ‘The Dark Knight’ (the latest Batman flick) and ‘Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Zimmer Frame’. Nevertheless, I was excited (possibly the wrong word… interested, maybe) to see the news of the Hulk trailer on Comingsoon.Net. So I clicked on the link and made ready with the headphones… but in the embedded movie player I saw the message pictured here.

I can understand being asked to leave a room while someone explains US encryption export policy to some US citizens (yes, it did happen), but this is a bit stupid. What’s the point? Spoilsports.

It’s okay, no spoilers here. Today I finished reading ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’. No, it’s not just for kids, why should it be? I was slightly concerned that after all the build-up, the intricate detail of the preceding books, it would be a disappointment – that some detail that seemed so important and left us all hanging would be glossed over, be poorly explained, or just turn out to be plain rubbish. Nope, not in the least. Everything was pieced together, everything worked, and the conclusion was very satisfying. Quite a few surprises, although my guess about Snape was right (that’s not a spoiler, I was just right about Snape, that’s all).

Now the big problem for Warner Brothers… turn it into a decent movie. The Harry Potter movies to date have been pretty good and entertaining, and you couldn’t expect them to go into the minute details that the books do. So they have skipped some large portions of action and sub-plots, and there’s a general feeling of the approach being “well, we have to make this into a movie so let’s get it done” and hey presto, another Harry Potter movie rolls off the conveyor belt.

In ‘The Deathly Hallows’ there’s a lot of skipping to different locations (unlike the mainly Hogwarts-based ‘Order of the Phoenix’) and there’s a lot of flashbacks, a lot of action, and a lot of detailed explanatory dialogue. Miss out that stuff and the movie will be a confusing turkey. But it’ll still be better than ‘The Matrix’.