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I have a tiny little champagne hangover today so this may be slightly incoherent. Main highlights:
Nevertheless, it certainly felt like a privilege to be in attendance at the premiere, and I was drawn into the film emotionally much more than I expected to be. Behind the cut are a lot of photos from my crappy phone camera and a few scans (e.g. of my ticket). I hope they convey a sense of what it was like to be there.
The entrance at the northeast corner of Trafalgar Square. Just getting to it was an epic adventure in crowd navigation.
After negotiating several layers of bouncers, we stepped onto the carpet.
Rupert Grint turned up quite early compared to the other stars.
The view down to the stage where the directors, the three main actors and JK Rowling gave their final tearful addresses.
My cousin on the red carpet.
Me on the red carpet. I really didn't want to be carrying all that stuff, but considering that I had to wear three different outfits that day (work => Royal Society => premiere), I'm pleased that I managed without a suitcase.
Trafalgar Square mob. Some of those people had been camped out since Tuesday. They were not allowed to use tents or sleeping bags, so they'd been sitting there in raincoats with umbrellas. Madness.
My cousin in front of Olivanders.
My cousin with one of the beautiful little owls.
My owl was a bit more aloof.
Ahhhh Death-Eaters!
This little kid was very dubious about posing with Death-Eaters.
Lots of Death-Eaters.
Some of the little kids who were dressed up in house gear were posing under the appropriate signs. Awww.
Look along the side of the red carpet at the lower edge of the barriers.
Look more closely. Some of these people had been there for hours in the rain, waiting to photograph famous feet.
Fans. Crazy, crazy fans.
This was just before the Empire cinema. People were piled along that side street all the way back to the one that runs parallel to the top of the square. They couldn't possibly have seen anything.
I stopped taking photos as soon as we got into the theatre for what I hope are obvious reasons. This narrative resumes on the coach to the afterparty in Billingsgate.
One of the giant bubbling cauldrons in Billingsgate, as seen from the upper level.
Champagne faces. The flash on my phone camera stopped working because my battery was almost dead.
Mmm, chocolate fountain. Strawberries and tiny doughnuts available for dunking.
Sweet counter. You were handed a paper bag and allowed to fill it.
View from the terrace outside. (The Shard!)
Hog roast.
OK, maybe I did a tiny bit of celebrity-spotting.
That's Tonks on stage with the accordion.
My cousin & I departed shortly after 1 AM. We took one look at the taxi queue and headed for the night buses, which turned out to be an excellent strategy.
My ticket, front and back.
My afterparty map, with Alan Rickman's autograph. (They took away our invites at the door, sadly.)
The magazine they gave us at the theatre. Lots of pretty, pretty images of cast members, including on-set photos like the one with Daniel Radcliffe and Helena Bonham-Carter below. If anyone would like me to scan the entire magazine in, I will do it, but only if it's explicitly requested in the comments.
- Walking down the red carpet at the very last Harry Potter movie premiere to the sound of deafening screaming.
- Diagon Alley set up along the red carpet path from Trafalgar Square to Leicester Square. Photos with owls and Death-Eaters.
- All the scenes in the film with Snape.
- Walking into the afterparty in Billingsgate, which is a massive venue and being greeted with a glass of champagne.
- Viewing from the upper level the big bubbling cauldron decorations, the chocolate fountain (mmm strawberries) and the sweet stand.
- Meeting the three Davids (the producers) and the director as well as a large chunk of the visual effects staff.
- Getting up the courage to ask Alan Rickman for an autograph.
- Being very glad that my future happiness was in no way predicated on being at that event, which, I sensed, was not the prevailing sentiment.
Nevertheless, it certainly felt like a privilege to be in attendance at the premiere, and I was drawn into the film emotionally much more than I expected to be. Behind the cut are a lot of photos from my crappy phone camera and a few scans (e.g. of my ticket). I hope they convey a sense of what it was like to be there.
The entrance at the northeast corner of Trafalgar Square. Just getting to it was an epic adventure in crowd navigation.
After negotiating several layers of bouncers, we stepped onto the carpet.
Rupert Grint turned up quite early compared to the other stars.
The view down to the stage where the directors, the three main actors and JK Rowling gave their final tearful addresses.
My cousin on the red carpet.
Me on the red carpet. I really didn't want to be carrying all that stuff, but considering that I had to wear three different outfits that day (work => Royal Society => premiere), I'm pleased that I managed without a suitcase.
Trafalgar Square mob. Some of those people had been camped out since Tuesday. They were not allowed to use tents or sleeping bags, so they'd been sitting there in raincoats with umbrellas. Madness.
My cousin in front of Olivanders.
My cousin with one of the beautiful little owls.
My owl was a bit more aloof.
Ahhhh Death-Eaters!
This little kid was very dubious about posing with Death-Eaters.
Lots of Death-Eaters.
Some of the little kids who were dressed up in house gear were posing under the appropriate signs. Awww.
Look along the side of the red carpet at the lower edge of the barriers.
Look more closely. Some of these people had been there for hours in the rain, waiting to photograph famous feet.
Fans. Crazy, crazy fans.
This was just before the Empire cinema. People were piled along that side street all the way back to the one that runs parallel to the top of the square. They couldn't possibly have seen anything.
I stopped taking photos as soon as we got into the theatre for what I hope are obvious reasons. This narrative resumes on the coach to the afterparty in Billingsgate.
One of the giant bubbling cauldrons in Billingsgate, as seen from the upper level.
Champagne faces. The flash on my phone camera stopped working because my battery was almost dead.
Mmm, chocolate fountain. Strawberries and tiny doughnuts available for dunking.
Sweet counter. You were handed a paper bag and allowed to fill it.
View from the terrace outside. (The Shard!)
Hog roast.
OK, maybe I did a tiny bit of celebrity-spotting.
That's Tonks on stage with the accordion.
My cousin & I departed shortly after 1 AM. We took one look at the taxi queue and headed for the night buses, which turned out to be an excellent strategy.
My ticket, front and back.
My afterparty map, with Alan Rickman's autograph. (They took away our invites at the door, sadly.)
The magazine they gave us at the theatre. Lots of pretty, pretty images of cast members, including on-set photos like the one with Daniel Radcliffe and Helena Bonham-Carter below. If anyone would like me to scan the entire magazine in, I will do it, but only if it's explicitly requested in the comments.
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