Wish I was there. We asked for clarification on the layout of the new Wingate set in relation to the ruinous city that was there last, and we got this report thanks to the Wellington Reporter:
Tehanu – the bit I described is to the left of the castle that the EP (Evening Post) took a photo of. That castle is still there, and the new set is seperate from it. They did night shoots at Wingate last week. There was a huge illuminated white sphere suspended over the set by a crane. The sphere was about 15 feet in diameter, and the glow could be seen for miles about. It looked like a moon hanging over the castle. Several extras in plate armour were spotted, along with some orcs. Much yelling and sounds of battle were heard inside the set. The huge sphere cast an eerie light through the set, and there was a lot of smoke being pumped through the set to add to the effect. Brilliant.
The new set has a large wall. In the center of the wall is a large archway. To the left and right of the archway there are decorative designs carved into the wall. Directly in front of this wall is the large circle with the hole in the center.I suspect this new set is a courtyard or grand entranceway of some sort.
The large creature that the EP photographed is definitely an Oliphaunt. There were catapaults and siege weapons seen at Queen Elizabeth Park too. Filming has finished there, and the set was being dismantled today, which gave me an opportunity to get a good look, without any trucks blocking the view of the Oliphaunt 🙂
Some people seem confused about Taita and Wingate. They are adjacent suburbs of Lower Hutt. The ‘Wingate set’ I talk about is in Peterkin Street. This street is on the boundary of Wingate and Taita, so the Evening Post may state Taita, while I say the set is in Wingate. So Taita and Wingate are the same set. I hope this clears things up :)”
Wow, thanks for that!
