Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter to host Wand Week

by · January 24, 2013

This February, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter will invite visitors to delve into the world of wand making, spell casting, and wizarding duels. Special effects and choreography experts from the Harry Potter film series will be involved in creating the activities for Wand Week.

Visitors will discover first-hand how fight scenes were developed and the incredible amount of planning that went into each wand movement. Original moulds, concept art, and wand designs will be showcased in the attraction, and for the first time, Mr Ollivander’s costume will be on display at the entrance of his famous wand shop. The Studio Tour’s knowledgeable staff members will be on hand to share behind-the-scenes secrets and to teach the wand moves seen in the films.

Wand secrets:

  • In the first and second films, the wands looked quite plain. This was drastically changed in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban when the wands were given distinctive shapes and carvings, reflecting the owner’s personality.
  • Once the look of each wand was decided, a master copy was made – which often involved a search for special materials such as precious woods with burrs or interesting shapes. A mould would then be made so that it could be replicated in resin. Duplicates were made in case a wand broke, and rubber versions were made for stunt work.
  • 17,000 hand-decorated and hand-labelled wand boxes filled the Ollivanders set during filming.
  • Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter, wore out over 60 wands during the making of the film series.

Wand Week will take place from Saturday, February 16 to Sunday, February 24.