Harry Potter / 哈利波特

我不是哈利波特迷，頂多只看過第一集電影的片段，雖然當下被故事情節吸引，也耳聞目睹哈波潮，就是沒有好好閱讀一整個系列的興致。不過托娜娜的福，在離開英國之前去到了位於倫敦近郊的哈利波特影城來個快速入門課程。

I am not a Harry Potter fan. To be honest, I saw only fragments of the first episode when it was aired on TV. I was entranced by the story at that moment. I was not unaware how the series took the world by storm. However, I never pulled myself together to read the novels. Well, thanks to Nana, I had the chance to visit the studio in Watford before leaving the UK to gain a quick understanding of the stories and the films.

我在最後幾個星期的旅行沒有太大的野心，只希望能夠對英國文化有多一點的了解，剛好哈利波特又是相當具有代表性的英國作品，看到一個作者的想像力如何被轉換成影像，其實我是很感動的。

During my last trips, I wasn't too ambitious. I wanted nothing but to learn more about British culture, in which Harry Potter plays a rather important part. Seeing how an author's sheer imagination transformed into images, I was quite touched.

這是影城裡的食堂，兩週之後我們又去了牛津大學真正的取景地，還真是完整的旅行啊！

This is the Great Hall in the studio. In fact, two weeks later, we went to the dining hall in Christ Church College in Oxford University where the film crew took shots. What a comprehensive trip! 

這是冬季舞會的冰宮場景，取材於布萊頓宮，剛好我冬天也去過了。

This is the set for the Yule Ball, the inspiration of which derived from Brighton Pavilion. I happen to have been there in winter. 

道具設計師原本將火燄之杯設計為金屬材質，鑲上珠寶，但最後改用木頭，走自然路線，最後的成品是手工雕刻，高五尺之多。

The production designer Stuart Craig originally imagined Goblet of Fire as a small metal cup decorated with jewels. But in the end, he went for wood, and the goblet took on an organic look. The final work was hand-carved out of a trunk of English elm, measuring more than five feet tall. 

在拍攝長達十年的過程中，劇組人員培養出深厚的感情。霍格華滋學院的牆上掛著三百五十幅巫士的肖像，其實都取材於工作人員，也是為了對他們致上最高敬意。

During the ten years when all the films were made, the crew developed deep affection. On the walls of the Hogwarts hang 350 portraits of wizards and witches. They are actually hand-drawn portraits of the crew. This is also a tribute to them and their hard work. 

雖然在原作中沒有此發明，但導演阿方索古亞龍設計了經典的霍格華茲橋，讓哈利和妙麗的時空旅程更加真實，不過這只是部份橋身，最主要的是用電腦修改的後製過程。

Though there is no such invention in the original novel or script, the director Alfonso Cuaron designed the Hogwarts Bridge to make Harry's and Hermione's Time-Turner experience more exciting. Only part of the bridge was built, and Visual Effects team used computer-generated effects to create the remaining sections.  

哈波電影系列中也有很多奇幻的角色，這時化妝部的工作人員益顯重要。我尤其喜歡最上排的植物精靈，去了影城之後我把它畫在速寫本上，在湖區的車站問路時，車掌先生看得目不轉睛。

In the Harry Potter movie series, there are numerous amazing characters. To visually present them, the makeup artists and their techniques were especially crucial. I was particularly interested in the plant genies on the uppermost row. Later I drew the image in my sketchbook. When I asked for directions in the Lake District, the conductor couldn't take his eyes off the picture. 

儘管我對大賣座的電影或書本會本能性地卻步，我仍然相信它們背後一定有成功的原因，哈利波特就是個很好的例子！

Despite my instinctive rebellion against mega-blockbusters, I do believe that they don't succeed for nothing. And Harry Potter is definitely one of the best examples!