The HP tour thing - do you have to have watched Harry Potter?

[LewisFan]

DS has a trip for his film studies GCSE to Leavesden studios but has never watched or read HP.

Does he need to watch one of the films to understand the tour? Or will he get the film making bits without a direct reference?

I think it would be fine
We chatted to some people there who had never seen the films and they loved it.

I went with someone who hadnt seen the films and they enjoyed it. I would say for a gcse in film studies he would get more out of it if he has seen some of the films.

I read the first book before going and did find it helped, in that I knew who all the main characters were, also places.

He would get far more out of it if he at least watched the films. He could watch one per evening.

No, it is much more about the making than the films - his circumstances are about the only ones I would recommend it for!

You'd probably enjoy it to an extent but the whole point of the studio tour is to see how they made the films that you know and love, so probably wouldn't find it as fascinating.

If he is doing film studies, surely he loves films. Why doesn’t he just watch them?

I’d say pointless but then I’m a fan. There’s a little bit on green screen and some on the animated creatures etc but mainly it is a visit for people interested in the props and sets, not technical filmmaking.

He will get something out of going. He will get more if he has seen the films. Without the films he may not really get how all the elements come together to create the final illusion.

Ive not yet been myself, but friends took their children recently and stressed the fact that it’s very much a ‘how we made the films’ tour, rather than some kind of general HP book fan experience.

I think he needs to watch at least one. At the studios he will see a lot of the parts of the sets - the great hall, Griffindor common room, Diagon Alley etc along with hundreds of costumes and props from the movies. Seeing them cold without being able to visualise how these lifeless sets and random items actually appeared as 'real' places within the movie wouldn't be all that interesting, even less so if he doesn't know the stories in the books.

He should watch them all from a film making point of view ie. The first film was 2001, the last 2011. The different directors, change of main cast member

Or he could watch fantastic beasts for more recent special effects

Even if he isnt interested in the story, theres a lot to help hime with his studies

My nephew is one of the interactors (tour guides) and he loves talking to visitors showing them things they would not notice like Imelda Staunton's buttons and loads of other things that I can't remember atm

He says sometimes families come round and the parents aren't interested in the books or films but are interested in the way the models are made or costumes or perspective stage sets

Think he should watch at least the 1st film he would enjoy the tour much better

I’ve been with people who were huge HP fans and people who really weren’t but were interested in the he mechanics of film-making and they both had a great time. So I’m sure he’ll find it useful from an educational perspective but I’m equally sure that he’d get more out of it if he sat down and watched one all the way though - maybe he could borrow a DVD from a friend or the library? It honestly doesn’t matter if the only one he can lay his hands on is number 5 of 8: Wikipedia will fill him in on any missing plot points - the important thing is being able to connect the finished product with the crafts on show.