On more about the Battle of Whinging Scenes, according to the tech director, this location was shot in 7 different locations (although which 7 locations in particular are not known) and using a filming technique called previs. As far as I know about this technique, this technique is about visualizing the scene, largely through animation, filming the actual shots and putting it together. Once the shots are filmed, they are streamed together based on that created animation.
This technique has a several advantages, including:
- allows directors to experiment with different staging and art direction options- this includes decisions like where to place the camera or how much lighting is needed.
- can include music, sound effects, and dialogue to “pre-produce” a particular montage.
- can be used for complex or difficult scenes that involve stunts and special effects.
- can be used singly or in combination with digital video, photography, hand drawn art, clip art, and 3D animation.
A similar technique was used for creating the life-like and adorable house elves. It may be easy to think that the actors were really just talking to nothing, but there were people actually playing the house elves. Those these actors are not they height of normal adults, they’re not that minute either (Warwick Davis, who portrays Professor Flitwick in all the HP films to date, is 3.5 feet). Simon McBurney and Toby Jones, who play Kreacher and Dobby respectively, are around 5.5 feet tall. During the filming, they are acting either squatting or on their knees. In the meanwhile, the previs technique created an animation of Dobby and Kreacher beforehand. According to the tech director, he calles these animated characters “CG characters” (CG refers to nonexistent but life-like; believe it or not, this same technique was used when the Death Eaters destroy the bridge that stands over the Thames River in the Half Blood Prince movie.). Once the shot is loaded on the computer, the actors are then erased, but you still get the voice. Then the CG Dobby and Kreacher are added in, and you get what you saw most likely last November.
While the scenes of Harry, Ron, and Hermione infiltrating the Ministry of Magic may seem largely green-screen, it’s only partially green screen. As mentioned in an earlier post, the set was painstakingly rebuilt after it was “destroyed” in the Order of the Phoenix film. The green-screen was only used in making the dementors and Umbridge’s cat patronus. Although the film cuts the part of the trio transforming into three Ministry employees, the actors playing the impersonated Harry, Ron, and Hermione had to study Radcliffe’s, Grint’s, and Watson’s movements carefully, just like Radcliffe having to study everyone else’s behavior for the Seven Potters scene.
Something interesting to note about the use of Polyjuice potion: in the books, the person taking it not only assumes his her “victim”‘s appearance but also the victim’s voice. In the movies, the person taking the potion only assumes the victim’s appearance, not the voice.
In the film, Harry changes back from Runcorn’s appearance to himself, although there are no hints of this happening in the book. To work this out, both David O’ Hara (who played both the real and impersonated Runcorn) and Radcliffe acted out Runcorn’s role in the Ministry trail scene. At some point, the computer allowed both scenes to be combined so it looked like that the effects of the polyjuice potion Harry had taken was wearing off. Radcliffe spoke of this by saying “I really like the fact that I’m being played by this tough Scottish guy… he sounds like he’s saying “Superfly!” but no, he’s saying “Stupefy!”.” You can see more info about the Ministry scenes here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ-tID_Q2kU
Zephyr's Scoop 