Real Goddamn Magic: The Mary Sue Visits the Set of The Magicians
Last week, Syfy offered us the chance to come up to Vancouver to check out the set of their upcoming show, The Magicians, based on the Lev Grossman novels. Just in case you can’t wait for the show’s January 25th premiere, Grossman tweeted that you can check out the first episode of The Magicians (commercial-free!) on December 16th after Childhood’s End.
We’ll have plenty of cast interviews and content to share with you in the coming weeks. But until then, we’ve got a special treat: photos from the show’s set!
We got to walk around what they called The Lab, which serves are a general classroom for Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy, which is a magical university where most of the series’ protagonists study. They also brought us to the Physical Kids’ Cottage, which–if we’re going by the Harry Potter references the book is filled with–serves as one of the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin houses.
We were also lucky enough to walk through a few sets that are, ah… still in flux, let’s say. We can’t exactly mention which sets those were, which begs the question of why we brought them up at all, but…
Anyway. Onward with the photos!
It might sound corny as all hell, but really: there’s something very tangible that happens once you step through the threshold onto a prepared set. That magic comes at the very capable hands of production designer Rachel O’Toole, art director Kendelle Elliott, and props master Pat O’Brien.
The Lab was set up for a panel interview with the cast. Sitting at those desks brought back some very… real Catholic school memories.
A bit more detail on the fireplace that caps The Lab, plus the workbench that sits before it. Note the Brakebills school logo above.
Apparently this Periodic Table was the thing Lev Grossman was most likely to steal. Of course. Note the magical elements listed alongside the mundane elements.
Those desks are exactly as comfortable as you would imagine.
Attached to The Lab was a room where students could test their more, uh… explosive spells. Think of it like a safety blast chamber.
Edison bulbs. Edison bulbs everywhere.
Next, they took us over to the Physical Kids’ Cottage, where the “cool kids” of Brakebills spend most of their time. We mentioned earlier that there was a staggering amount of detail on set. Consider that double for the Cottage. The level of detail that went into the design of the Cottage set absolutely floored us all. The love and care put into making sure they get this show right really uh… shows itself in how lovingly crafted these sets proved to be.
These magic schools and their fireplaces. Always with the fireplaces.
No joke: took some decorating tips from this room. It was gorgeous.
According to series showrunner Sera Gamble, this chest is a real magician’s chest from the early 1900s or so.
Note the (admittedly blurry) classic magician poster in the background. The place was full of them.
Ah, yes. I’m only responsible for half of these cigarettes. I swear. (Joking.)
Getting your roommate to do the dishes means something completely different when you go to a grad school for magicians.
You know, you can tell a lot about a person by looking at their bookshelves.
You can find more photos in the album below.
Put simply: the sets were absolutely stunning. It’s fairly common for television shows to glaze over small details in the hopes that viewers won’t notice, but it became clear from the get-go that for the cast and crew of The Magicians, that wouldn’t do.
In a lot of ways, walking onto the set of The Magicians felt like stepping into a book. As much as each member of the cast brings their own character to the show, so too do each of the sets. They’re characters all on their own. They’re living, breathing, constantly changing characters–and it’ll be pretty gosh darn exciting to see them come to life on screen.
Full disclosure: Syfy paid for the travel and accommodations that made this set visit possible.
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