Sci-fi, futuristic, and written in the first-person present tense, Suzanne Collins weaves together an engaging story through The Hunger Games. We’ve been fans since reading the books in spring 2011 (fyi, starting these books during exam week is not a good idea!). And, warning: if you haven’t seen the movie, the following post may not be for you. So, go watch the movie and then come back. 🙂
There were always rumors of the books making it the silver screen, but it finally happened in March of 2012 while we were in Utah. On Black Friday of this year, Brian and I were able to see Catching Fire in Raleigh. It didn’t disappoint and we may have both teared up a little bit at times.
I discovered that not only was part of Catching Fire was filmed here in Atlanta, but that you could tour the “Capitol.” Since it was my turn to plan a date night, and decided to surprise Brian with the tour. (and note that at this stage in life, actually surprising one another is tricky!)
The Atlanta History Center’s Swan House was approached by Lionsgate Films to use their grounds and a few inside rooms for scenes from the Victor’s Ball. Since the movie came to theaters, the Swan House set-up a tour showcasing props and rooms used during the three week shoot. Here’s a quick clip from the movie showing Catniss and Peta’s ascent to the Capitol…
We were fascinated seeing the historical elements from the Swan House juxtaposed with the futuristic set. The original owner, Edward Inman, is known for his business in the cotton industry, and fictitious owner, President Snow, for shutting down District 13 and their mining and nuclear science/technology industry.
Below you can see the front steps to the Swan House. The photo to the left shows the production crew at work.
One of the photo opps was in President Snow’s office. Our tour guide explained that the History Center tried to acquire the desk that was used in the movie, but immediately following the shoot it was purchased by the president of Mexico. (field trip to Mexico, amigo?)
The photo below is taken from the steps where President Snow gave his speech and then winked at Catniss during the fireworks.
Besides feeding our sci-fi addiction, The Hunger Games tour gave us a chance to see a historic Atlanta landmark. Our ticket gave us admission to all the exhibits and the Margaret Mitchell House in midtown (next date night, perhaps?). It’s exciting to see Atlanta hosting so many movies lately. And who knows, maybe they’ll take us as extras in Mockingjay?!
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