Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Set Report Teaser 1

Set Visit Date: January 28th, 2008
Teaser 2: Click here

This is my second time visiting the Harry Potter set at Leavesden Studios. My first visit was with Order of the Phoenix in September 2006. What blew me away originally was the size of the studio and its dedication to the Harry Potter films for the past 9 years. A year and a half later, what continues to amaze me is the size of the studio, its crew, and the day-to-day tasks. Spread out over 8 acres of land, anyone looking at the building from the outside would not believe that the largest grossing film franchise of all time films within. Since September 2006, the only very noticeable changes were a new coffee cafe and several large window displays within the cafeteria that held several props from each film.

What makes this studio most special are the people inside. Most of the main cast and crew have been there since the beginning. They've grown up there and call it their second home. You get the feeling of a large and happy family who truly enjoy coming in to work each day. I can't imagine the feeling of leaving Leavesden after all this time once Deathly Hallows has finished filming.

It was January 28th and we entered Leavesden early in the morning. We went down a small hallway, through a set of double doors, and directly into the press tent. Once in the tent, I couldn't help but feel a huge rush of excitement as a ton of Half-Blood Prince pictures, costumes, props, models, and sketches caught my eye at once. As it is January and the 79th day of filming, we've only seen one picture officially released publically of Harry.

I don't know where to start looking first. After gazing at everything for a minute or two, I went straight to the photos and started working my way around. We were told a dedicated photographer (who is on set everyday) takes 20,000 photos for each film. Various crew and staff choose the ones that are released.

My immediate impressions were this: Jim Broadbent fits so perfectly with Radcliffe and Gambon in their scenes, and his reaction shots look hilarious just as stills alone. The chair version of Slughorn was also in the pressroom - I quickly had a seat in it. I plopped myself down a little too quickly and unexpectedly sank into it. His pajamas (which were right next to the chair) match the cloth on the couch and the transformation should be something hysterical.

Young Tom Riddle, played by Hero Fiennes-Tiffen, was a fantastic choice for the role. His eyes show a disturbed, young boy. A new scene where Bellatrix and Greyback attack the Burrow looks action-packed and should start the film off on a great foot.

A more detailed video report, complete with video interviews, will be here on MuggleNet in July. Stay tuned!