There is a new article online about the special effects in Harry Potter.
Movie studios spend billions to morph strings of code into giant robots, flying superheroes, and apocalyptic mushroom clouds. Still, the toughest f/x challenge turns out to be the most elemental: re-creating Mother Nature. “There are not enough CPU cycles in the day to capture the complexity found in the environment,” says Industrial Light & Magic visual effects supervisor Tim Alexander. That hasn’t stopped him and his Oscar-winning team from trying. They crafted near-perfect CG waves for the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. But their assignment for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince set the bar higher than ever: Mix fire with water. The clash of elements transpires when Harry Potter is rescued from sea-dwelling beasts by Dumbledore, who sets the ocean ablaze with a bolt of fire. Harry bobs to the surface only to find himself surrounded by a fiery tornado.
Tom Felton has hosted another video game demo for Half-Blood Prince. The feature has interviews with Dan Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Bonnie Wright, Ralph Palmer (Animation Director), Emily Newton Dunn (Designer) and Freddie Stroma. You can watch it here or below.
The LA Times has posted yet another interview, this time with Jessie Cave!
How is Lavender introduced? She’s in the Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes shop and she’s kind of ogling Ron. She’s been going to school with them for years, but it’s not that she’s making her interests known.
Were you already a ‘Harry Potter’ fan when you auditioned for the part? Oh, yes! I’m one of five in my family and we’ve all gone through the books at different paces. I read ‘Half-Blood Prince’ before I knew anything about the auditions. So to have already read the character was so great. Also, my little brothers and sisters are so excited, and proud. It’s impacted their lives in a really nice way. So I’m really grateful for it.
Did any of them get to go with you to the set? I brought them all on set but my little sister, she’s 11, she was the one who was in awe of everything. Jim Broadbent was there, and Daniel Radcliffe. I brought her into the Potions classroom and I signaled Daniel to wave at her without her seeing. And then Daniel waved and she thought he had done that for no reason and she was in seventh heaven. She was absolutely star struck. She almost fainted when she saw Emma [Watson] in the corridor. It is so bizarre to actually meet them because, you know, they’re on posters everywhere. It’s so weird. My sister’s got sticker books of them and then to actually meet them? There’s actually a new sticker book with me in it, so she’s got stickers of me now. It’s so sweet. I can’t believe I’m actually a sticker.
Fans will be able to watch the London premiere of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince LIVE in Leicester Square, London, England on July 7th starting at 1pm (6pm GMT). The premiere will be shown at this link. Hopefully there will be something similar for the NYC premiere.
