Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone didn't just mark the inaugural installment in a major film franchise. It was also the first movie a lot of the younger Potter cast members ever worked on. So many of the young performers playing Hogwarts students were quite green when working with director Chris Columbus all those years ago. As Columbus put it, though, he really knew he was in for “a very long shoot” when he started filming the flying lesson scene.
At first glance, someone may be tempted to assume the flying lesson scene wouldn’t be too hard to film for Sorcerer’s Stone, as the young wizards only had to catch their flying broomsticks after shouting, “Up!” They didn't do much flying except for maybe Matthew Lewis' Neville and his rogue broomstick. However, in a throwback interview for Harry Potter’s 25th anniversary (shared on Instagram), Columbus explained why filming that moment made him uneasy about the months of filming that were to come:
For the flying lesson, I remember saying, ‘Action,’ and half of the kids started performing, the other half of the kids are staring into space. We had to stop, and I said, ‘You know, “action” means we start shooting.’ And I thought to myself, ‘Oh my…. This is the beginning of a very long shoot.’
Honestly, I can understand the stress. That kind of situation would almost be like being a teacher and getting your students to pay attention in class. On that note, the notion of a directing continuously saying "action" with absolutely no action happening sounds exhausting. Columbus also added the following thought:
I don’t think any of the kids will disagree with me when I say that they were extremely trustful in terms of being on a film set and doing film acting.
Shooting The Sorcerer’s Stone actually came with plenty of other challenges as well. Per BTS facts on the first Harry Potter movie, the famed Canterbury Cathedral was denied as a filming location due to religious reasons. Also, the Great Hall set had an unpleasant smell after rotted food was left there for days. On top of that, Columbus was frustrated over having to exclude Peeves because of the film’s already long runtime. (No one said creating a magical world would be easy.)
As for the child actors, just like the young wizards and witches in the film had to adjust to their first year at Hogwarts, the performers had to overcome a learning curve. While the idea of them not understanding simple on-set etiquette may sound tiring, their naivety is understandable.
On-camera acting is definitely a whole new experience compared to acting classes or doing a stage production. It’s a matter of filming multiple takes for long hours until the shot comes out right. With the flying lesson specifically, I’ve got to say, I loved hearing Rupert Grint being directed to go to his “other left.” You can watch the BTS video below:
While it may not have been easy for Chris Columbus to get his young cast's attention during filming the flying scene, I'd say everything worked out in the end. The finished scene -- like the movie as a whole -- is so fun and amazing that you’d never know there were behind-the-scenes hiccups. Hopefully, the new young actors of the upcoming Harry Potter TV series have a better handle on what the word “action” means on a set.
You can watch all of the films of the Harry Potter franchise, which can streamed with either an HBO Max subscription or a Peacock subscription. Also, don’t forget that the forthcoming TV adaptation arrives on the streaming schedule on Christmas Day.
