Monday 27 June 2016

Warner Bro's Harry Potter Studio tour // Entrance

If you haven't been to the Warner Bros Studio Tour and you're hoping to in the future, then I would skip this post, and any future posts titled 'Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour', as it contains spoilers.

The Making of Harry Potter - Studio Tour Entrance
Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio tour
Within the Entrance Hall - Character Pictures and Weasley's Flying Car
Weasley's flying car
more Character pictures
Character pictures and train trolleys
Astronomy Tower Artefact

From the moment, you walk into the Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour you're immediately met with photo ops. Pictures of the characters' on the wall to props and pieces from the movies, It all starts from when you walk through the entrance. 

When you book you are giving a time slot for the tour you are on, and your recommended to be there half an hour before your tour starts. We had a bit of time to spare so we grabbed a hot drink in the Starbuck's while we waited. Before it was time to go in we also grabbed a free activity passport from the lobby to collect stamps throughout. I think these are for children but that didn't stop me -I was actually pretty shameless about the whole thing...

Posing with my Studio Tour Passport

When you first go in you enter the cinema where you watch a few short clips about how Harry Potter came to be, some behind the scenes footage and accounts from the actors and crew involved. I won't tell you how the film ends and how you end up at the great hall but let's just say I was pretty impressed by how the whole thing was executed. 

Have you ever been to the Studio Tour? What did you think of the cinema experience? 
Cheerio for now! 
SHARE:

Friday 24 June 2016

Accessibility: the Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour

Outside the entrance to the Warner Bros.Harry Potter Studio Tour

Being reliant on a wheelchair when I leave the house means there is always factors to consider whenever I go anywhere. Will there be ramps? Will the flooring be smooth? Will doorways be wide enough to maneuver? and a dozen other things to ask. Visiting the Studio Tour was no different. After the excitement and adrenaline had subsided, I was faced with the anxiety of its' accessibility. The website was really helpful and even had a video of a wheelchair user explaining all the facilities they had to offer for disabled or physically impaired visitors. 

The majority of the site is wheelchair accessible with ramps and wide doorways throughout. Some of the ramps are a little more difficult to manoeuvre, particularly the ramp leading to the castle and the one along Diagon alley. Diagon Alley is cobblestoned so it is a little uncomfortable but it is the characteristics of the set. As mentioned there's a bit of a slope to it so my advice for self-propellers, scooters or careers is to try not to stop as you could get stuck in one of the gaps of the cobbles: as well as the fact that where it's sloped it can be a little more tricky to get out of. 

There are a few things that aren't accessible such as the Hogwarts Express and the Castle Bridge. I didn't go on the Castle Bridge but I did go on the Hogwarts Express. It was a very narrow carriageway but had handrails the whole way through which was so helpful -I also had a handy little helper to let me lean on (Thanks, Anna!). When on the train you start at one end and come out the other, so it was inevitable that once out I would have to trek to the other end to get back into my wheelchair. Lucky for me there was a really helpful worker manning the train entrance and when I came out the other end, there she was waiting for me to hop back in. I know it doesn't sound much but little things like that made the whole day more enjoyable. 

In terms of sound and light sensitivities, at times I found it a little overwhelming but again it's the characteristics of the studio tour and the Harry Potter films. The Hogwarts Express hoots loudly every now and then and the soundtrack of the movies is played throughout. The whole attraction itself is fully booked for the majority of the time so naturally, it's constantly busy. It's not extremely bright inside though having said this the artefacts, sets and costumes throughout are all lit by spotlight so every so often you may be hit in the eye but in general it weren't so bad. 

If you are light sensitive,  I would recommend that if stopping in the cafe/picnic area sit with your back facing the glass wall as it lets in a lot of natural light and after being in such dimly lit rooms it can be quite intense (almost like coming out of a dark cinema!). 

Another thing I was really impressed with was the photo opportunities. Going into the tour I knew I didn't want to have a go at any of the green screen photo ops, though when by the Hogwarts Express we decided to have a group photo. I thought I had to get out my chair but when we got into the carriage I saw there was a huge gap for wheelchair users: and not by the side where the camera could see but by the window. I personally was really impressed by this as it meant that wheelchair users who can't physically use their legs could be a part of the magic also. 

When you first go in your taken into a cinema where you're shown a few short clips. I personally found these to be very loud and bright so if you are sensitive to light or sound in any way I recommend keeping some earplugs on you and your sunnies too. 

I think that is all, but I may have missed some things. If you have ever been and can think of anything I may have missed please put it in a comments below! 

Have you ever been to the Studio Tour? What did you think of the Accessibility? 
Cheerio for now! 
SHARE:

Wednesday 22 June 2016

Book Review: The Crossroads of Should and Must

Find and follow your passion 

The Crossroads of Should and Must by Elle Luna had been on my Amazon wishlist for quite some time before I received it last Christmas. After months of hearing and reading such amazing reviews of the book I couldn't wait to get my hands on it and so, as you could imagine, I was over the moon when I unwrapped it. I devoured it in the next three days, whilst staying at my grandparents for the holiday. I just couldn't put it down, it was even better than I'd imagined.

Wrote in the first person by Elle Luna herself, she takes us through her own experience of wanting to pursue art and finding her own dream space to make it happen. She tells of the differences between 'Should' and 'Must', why these are different to one another and how to figure out which you are living to in your own life. 'Should' revolve's around, well around things people feel they should be doing; ie. going to university or college to get qualifications. On the other hand, the things you feel compelled and drawn to are the 'Musts' in your life. 'Must' is the thing that is so rooted in your being that if you didn't fulfil it, you would feel a little lost or out of sync with yourself. For me, this space is a big part of my 'Must'. I feel the need to write. Whether it's an account of a day out, thoughts on an issue or even just passing on the love of a book -I feel the constant need to write and produce something (even if that means no one is watching or listening on the other end).
extract:
If you believe that you have something special inside of you, and you feel it's about time you gave it a shot, honour that calling in some way - today. If you feel a knot in your stomach because you can see the enormous distance between your dreams and your daily reality, do one thing to tighten your grip on what you want - today. If you've been peering down the road to must but can't quite make the choice, dig a little deeper and find out what's stopping you - today. Because there is a recurring choice in life and it occurs at the intersection of two roads. We arrive at this place again and again. 
Elle uses not only her own experiences within the book but also others stories of their own crossroads and how they made those steps towards their own 'Musts'. She uses quote, tips, illustrations, pictures and even activities throughout to help the reader come to the conclusion of their own 'should & must' and where to go from there. One of my favourite activities was the obituary one -sounds a little ominous, but bear with me- where she says to write what you want your obituary to say, how do you want to be remembered and what you did with your life. She then gets you to write your obituary following how your life is now, what are you doing and what it will inevitably say if you were to follow your 'should'. The difference is often startling and a real eye-opener when you compare and contrast.

From my own experience and the profound effect the book has had on me, I feel confident in my recommendation of this book to everyone -I quite literally want to talk about the book to everyone I see, much to their disappointment of my choice of conversation. The book as a whole has reiterated my passions and what I want to be doing with my life, regardless of what I 'should' be doing and what is expected from me, from general society. It's encouraged me to follow my heart and give it my all.

Favourite quote:
Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who come alive -Howard Thurman, philosopher 


Have you read this book -what did you think? (let me know below) 
Cheerio for now!
Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Pinterest | Goodreads 
SHARE:

Monday 20 June 2016

Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio Tour


A few weeks ago, I got to go to the Warner Bro's Harry Potter Studio Tour for the day. We had planned to meet our friends there, spend the day there and then travel up to Boro' to stay the week with them. As I neared the end of Uni year, I wasn't looking forward to summer of freedom like my fellow students, I was looking forward to my day at the studio tour. 

Needless to say, it was an amazing day and something to tick off my bucket list. There was so much to see and take in that at times it was a little overwhelming -but in the best way possible. I took ALOT of photos to share here, but I think it's going to take a few posts/weeks to get them all out; apologies in advance for the Studio Tour posts coming your way. 


Have you ever been to the Warner Bro's Studio Tour? What did you think? 
Cheerio for now! 
Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Pinterest | Goodreads 
SHARE:
© whatsinadeck | All rights reserved.
Blogger Template Created by pipdig