Richelle Mead blogs about her Vampire Academy Movie experience PART 2

Make sure you didn't miss Part 1 over HERE.
And also all tweets from Richelle & co from part 2 set visit HERE

Vampire Academy movie set, Part 2!

Well, that's a wrap for me. This was just a short and sweet visit to the London set, and tomorrow I return home to Seattle and my family. I've had an amazing time, and today was especially amazing since I actually had a good night's sleep behind me. It makes a huge difference!

Today started with a wardrobe crisis. Fortunately, my agent brought his significant other along, who just happens to be a costume designer and has a great eye for style. He went out and bought me some things to try on, and amazingly, they all fit perfectly. I can't even pick stuff off the rack in my own size, let alone convert with UK sizes. Now I never want to do my own shopping again. I kept it all and looked super snazzy for set tonight, which was a good thing because I had to do a bunch of interviews when I got there. I talked to some really lovely people, and you guys are going to hear lots of good info from me and the cast once these stories get out.

After that, we got to watch some interior shots being filmed within the school. Much like last night, I was so enchanted that watching take after take never got old. When that wrapped up, we were given a super amazing experience: they made us a rough 14-minute montage of some of the scenes they've shot so far to give us an idea of the breadth of actors and sets.

You guys, it was amazing.

Read more after the break:

Now, you're probably thinking, "Richelle, you would never tell us if the movie was bad." That's true. However, I also wouldn't keep saying it was good. I would emphasize other things, like how beautiful the actors are (because they are), and never talk about the movie itself. But I'm here telling you, the footage I saw was INCREDIBLE. I got chills. Jim, Erin, and I even conferred to make sure we aren't just biased. But seriously...I can't believe how wonderful what I saw was. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine they could portray the power of the book so well. The chemistry between the actors is off the charts--and I don't just mean romances (though you could feel that too! Zoey/Danila and Lucy/Dominic knocked it out of the park as their respective couples). But the friendships there are so strong too. Zoey and Lucy are as different as Lissa and Rose are...and yet complement each other so perfectly. When you see them acting together, showing Lissa and Rose looking out for each other, it just pulls at your heart.

Which brings me to an important topic: Mason. I didn't see any clips of Cameron Monaghan tonight. I didn't have to because they were filming one with him six feet in front of me. So I got to see him up close and personal, interacting with Rose. Stop reading if you haven't read Frostbite because I've got to tell you something. For years, I've been asked if I felt bad about what happened to Mason. And I've always said no, no, it was the way story had to go, tragic though it was. But man, I tell you, guys, I can't say that anymore. After meeting Cameron (who's incredibly funny and nice) and seeing him put his heart into the role, I now have a flesh and blood face to put on Mason. And I felt SO BAD for him as I was sitting there. I felt like I needed to offer apologies to Cameron over and over. So, all of you who've thought I was so cold-hearted for what I did can now rejoice that I finally feel some guilt. :) That doesn't change the books, of course, so don't get your hopes up!

We wrapped up our night watching some action-packed stunt scenes outside, which was pretty fun. Director Mark Waters let me sit by him and his monitors as they filmed and checked footage. Cool process. Around midnight, my group and I finally decided to head back to our hotel, so we made our goodbyes. Danila and Zoey were in the middle of action takes on the set, but they let me run onto it and hug them goodbye. They were so sweet. They and all the rest of the cast were super nice to me. They really are just a great group of friendly, hardworking people who love what they do, and I couldn't be more thrilled at the interpretation they're doing for my books.

Now, I know you guys are anxious for pictures, and all I can advise is patience. I still don't have authorization to post any, but hopefully I've painted you a good picture with words! There really hasn't been any big, official pics released yet, and they want to make sure that when they come out, they're done right and chosen well. Hang in there--you should be seeing something this week.

Thank you so much for all of your enthusiasm and support! I've loved reading your reactions here, on Twitter, and on Facebook. I've felt like you traveled with me. It means so much to me and the people working on the movie to know you believe in them. And I want to offer my own thanks to all of them as well. The actors are putting their hearts and souls into bringing the characters to life for us, and that unseen crew of hundreds is working so hard on stunts, costumes, and a million other essential things. I am so honored by the job they're doing.

Richelle's blog