5 Movies Filmed on College Campuses

Cinematography is a tricky thing. A movie about an Australian sportsman could be filmed in Great Britain, and the wine in the Bohemian glass is just an apple juice. Amazing locations are often used as movie sets, and we do not even have an idea about that. Who knows, perhaps, a backyard of your alma mater where you have worked on term papers for sale, have also been featured in a renowned Hollywood film? We prepared a list of movies that feature college campuses.

Avengers

The battle royal between Thor and the dark elf Malekith takes place at the Old Royal Naval College, located on the southern bank of the Thames in Greenwich. Thor even asks a confused subway driver how to get to Greenwich after being thrown far from the battlefield. The college, by the way, is very popular with filmmakers. Here they have also shot Cinderella (2015), Skyfall (2012), The King’s Speech (2010), and The Crown series.

Harry Potter

Shooting Harry Potter films became part of the history of Durham University in northeastern England. A few years ago, students were even offered a Harry Potter course in a social, cultural, and educational context.

Film fans will recognize the scenery as soon as they get off the train: the panorama of Durham Cathedral on a hill has become the basis for the images of Hogwarts overlooking the lake in the first film. Several scenes were shot in the courtyard of Durham Cathedral, which is located next to the castle. For example, this is where Harry lets his owl fly in the Philosopher’s Stone. And in the Chamber of Secrets, Ron tries to spell Malfoy with a broken wand, and a ricocheted spell causes him to start spewing slugs. A door in the courtyard gallery leads to another location, the office of Transfiguration Professor Minerva McGonagall. In reality, this place is no less important: the house of the head of the cathedral is located here.

In Oxford, they shot many scenes from Harry Potter. For example, at New College, there is a huge tree growing next to which Professor Moody turns Malfoy into a ferret in everyone’s favorite scene from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It is in a courtyard with covered galleries. This is where Harry gives Cedric a hint that there will be dragons in the first round of the competition. The old Oxford Library, which bears the name of Sir Thomas Bodley, collector of ancient manuscripts, can be seen in several films. In the XIV century, it kept books chained to shelves — just like in the Forbidden Section! Now it’s one of the largest book collections in Britain. Scenes in the library were filmed in the hall built to store the manuscripts of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester.

The Great Hall of Hogwarts itself was modeled on the dining hall of Christ Church College. In reality, it is much smaller, with no ghosts flying out of the walls, and most importantly, it has a beautiful ceiling over its head and not the sky. And yet, they have a lot in common.

Legally Blonde

Legally Blonde suddenly became a cult hit of the 2000s, and in one way or another, the picture has affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Still, few people know that most of the film was not filmed at Harvard, but at California Tech and the University of California at Los Angeles. During the opening credits, there is a real community initiation scene. One of the viewers complained that she could see her son, drenched in oil and dressed in a woman’s swimsuit, dragging another guy while the credits are running. But the speech of Elle Woods at the graduation was filmed in London, in Dulwich College (school for boys), because of the tight schedule of the actress.

The Theory of Everything

Famous astrophysicist Stephen Hawking did not always use a wheelchair. The film tells the story of the great scientist’s life. Filming began in September 2013 in Cambridge with an episode of the May Ball, where Stephen and Jane dance, first kiss, and fall in love. Two hundred fifty people in costumes from that period, a merry-go-round, lots of bulbs and fireworks (the producers only took three takes in the budget) – the atmosphere of shooting the first scene was already intense when Stephen Hawking himself decided to look at the set.

The Social Network

The Social Network movie depicts the origin of Facebook, one of the most famous and popular social networks on the Internet. The phenomenal success of this social network among Internet users around the world changes the life of Harvard University student Mark Zuckerberg, who created Facebook in 2004 and, within a few years, became the youngest multi millionaire in the United States. Although Mark went to Harvard, unfortunately, the university refused to give permission to shoot. Thus, the main scenes imitating the famous Ivy League University were filmed at Phillips Academy, Wheelock College, Milton Academy, and the Homewood campus of Johns Hopkins University as the doublers.