Just a reminder that a new preview of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will be shown during the NBC broadcast of “Merlin.” The show will air tonight starting at 8pm Eastern. I will post a video as soon as one becomes available! We do not know if there will be new footage of the movie in the preview.
Guardian.co.uk has a new article about Harry Potter that includes a new photo from the Half-Blood Prince filming. The article shows us a behind the scenes view of Harry Potter filming. The article has interviews with Dan Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton, Bonnie Wright, Jim Broadbent, David Yates, David Heyman, and David Barron. See the photo here in the gallery.
It is indeed fascinating to watch the young cast grow up on screen – have a look at early interviews on YouTube and you’ll notice their feet dangling above the ground – and Yates has also got around the potential problem of being lumbered with an existing cast by giving cameos to older actors with whom he’s previously worked. One of the best things about the Potter films has always been the appearance of national acting treasures such as Timothy Spall, Imelda Staunton, David Thewlis and, in The Half-Blood Prince, Jim Broadbent.
I ask Broadbent about his experience of playing Horace Slughorn, Potions Master and head of Slytherin House at Hogwarts, and it seems that he, too, has been bitten by the Harry bug. “It was an extraordinary thing to be part of. The main sets feel so permanent, having been there since the start, which means it’s very easy to get drawn into the world of Hogwarts. It was rather daunting turning up on set with all these young actors; it could so easily have been a nightmare, given that the five films have had such huge success. But the kids turned out to be terrific. There was no brattish behaviour or starry, Fame Academy behaviour; they just get on with it.”
And perhaps this is the key to the success of the films: producers David Heyman and David Barron have created what the latter describes as “our reality”. The young cast have never been allowed to develop attitude. Each new director has had to stay within the perimeters of the world so carefully set up at Leavesden; accordingly, there’s no room for an individual director to take off on a flight of fancy. And the continuity of cast and crew is impressive, too; although Radcliffe initially signed on for the first two films and seriously debated doing three and four, he did finally sign up till the end.
Canal 5 is having a contest for a fan to win a trip to the Deathly Hallows set in England. Starting June 21st, Canal 5 will begin airing the first four Harry Potter films; during commercials they will ask three questions about the Harry Potter series. If 12 questions are answered correctly, there is a final test to be passed. Of those winners, one will be chosen as a guest on the Deathly Hallows lot later this year.
A large Half-Blood Prince IMAX poster, spanning about 13 metres by 10 metres, is being given away in a competition set up by the National Media Museum. The contest will run until August 3, 2009. The winning poster must be picked up at the museum, in London, and the winner must pay for their own travel. To participate, email the answer to the following question:
Which of these Harry Potter characters is the largest?
Film critics should stick to critiquing an actor’s performance: some of them are far too obsessed with the superficial – with people’s appearance – and there’s nothing worse than a critic being [cranky]. Some can be really unkind, and it’s just not fun to read, especially if it’s you they’re writing about. Even if you have 10 really good reviews, it’s the one bad one that sticks in your mind.
A critic really has to know their stuff. If you’re writing about film, see as many movies as you can. Making comparisons with other films helps the reader build a mental picture of what this new film is like. Have an open, varied taste, and be receptive to new creative ideas.
There is a new article online where Jessie Cave, who plays Lavender Brown in Half-Blood Prince, discusses a myriad of things.
With two such coveted gigs on her CV, one might assume Cave to be another stage-school kid, but the Londoner actually landed the Potter part at an open audition, and, until Arcadia, her stage experience was limited to school plays. “It’s taken me a while to find my purpose,” muses Cave. Indeed, besides an art-foundation degree and an aborted stint studying English at university, she nearly became a pro tennis player: “I’d have had to give up my life just to be in the top 500 and I didn’t have that love for it.”
