Warner Bros. Studio Tour London Reveals Latest Prop Addition

by · October 8, 2014

It was announced a few weeks ago that the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter would be holding its very first Dark Arts special feature over the October school break to celebrate the opening of a new permanent section. Tying in with that new theme, the studios have revealed their first new major addition: none other than Nagini the snake!

Prop makers Neil Ellis, John Weller and Pierre Bohanna, who worked on the Harry Potter film series, were up in the early hours of Tuesday morning delivering the first in a range of sinister, weird and wonderful props to a new Dark Arts feature at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter. The team carried the model of Voldemort’s snake, Nagini, down Diagon Alley to take its position in the Dark Arts area, which will be officially unveiled on Tuesday 14th October.

While the new feature does not open until next week, we can see pictures of the 20-foot-long snake being moved to its new home:

Creating Nagini took a lot of hard work, and with the addition of the prop to the studios, we can learn more about how the snake was created:

Meticulously handcrafted using the original mould that was first fashioned for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the 20-foot Nagini model will be the centrepiece of the original Malfoy Manor table in the new Dark Arts exhibit – the Studio Tour’s first permanent addition since opening. Nagini was first seen in the fourth film and had characteristics of both a python and an anaconda. A model of the snake was created to scale and then digitally scanned.

Nagini’s role was considerably larger in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Parts 1 and 2, so she was revamped to be an even more threatening presence. A live python was studied by the Visual Effects Department, who not only sketched and filmed the snake but [also] took high-resolution images of the individual scales. These images were used to create new textures and colours that added iridescence and a snakeskin’s reflective properties. Nagini was still primarily a python but with added cobra and viper-like movements.

You can read the full press release below. Find more details about the brand new Dark Arts section in our previous post, and be sure to visit the official studio tour website to book your tickets!

Are you going to the Dark Arts event? What do you think of Nagini? What else do you want to see in this new section?

Press Release
Prop makers, Neil Ellis, John Weller and Pierre Bohanna who worked on the Harry Potter film series were up in the early hours of Tuesday morning delivering the first in a range of sinister, weird and wonderful props to a new Dark Arts feature at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter. The team carried the model of Voldemort’s snake, Nagini, down Diagon Alley to take its position in the Dark Arts area which will be officially unveiled on Tuesday 14th October.

Meticulously handcrafted using the original mould that was first fashioned for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the 20-foot Nagini model will be the centrepiece of the original Malfoy Manor table in the new Dark Arts exhibit - the Studio Tour’s first permanent addition since opening. Nagini was first seen in the fourth film and had characteristics of both a python and an anaconda. A model of the snake was created to scale and then digitally scanned.

Nagini’s role was considerably larger in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Parts 1 and 2, so she was revamped to be an even more threatening presence. A live python was studied by the Visual Effects Department, who not only sketched and filmed the snake, but took high-resolution images of the individual scales. These images were used to create new textures and colours that added iridescence and a snakeskin’s reflective properties. Nagini was still primarily a python, but with added cobra and viper-like movements.

This time around, prop makers began the painstakingly detailed two-week modelling process by injecting rubber into the mould to create the snake’s outer shell. A special basecoat was then applied so that the paint would stick to the snake’s rubber skin. Each scale was then individually hand-painted using a latex-infused coating that is designed to flex with the bendable model. Finally, a metal skeleton was inserted to give the snake a life-like posture and the model was lacquered using the same outer coating that is used on most cars, giving it a reptilian sheen.

This life-like model of Voldemort’s loyal 20-foot snake Nagini will sit on the mahogany table which is part of the new Dark Arts section launching on Tuesday 14th October.

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