Roheryn writes: During the American Film Institute’s salute to George Lucas this evening on the USA cable network, there was a segment in which prominent filmmakers paid tribute to Lucas, acknowledging how he had blazed a trail for them with cutting edge special effects. The slimmer Peter Jackson made a brief comment about how motion capture and digital effects have made nothing impossible in film now, thanks in no small part to Lucas’ work. As he spoke, they showed a clip of Gollum, as well as of Legolas bringing down the mumak. [AFI.com]
Day: June 25, 2005
Fragile Pictures and Solid Entertainment present a documentary film about the illustrator and artistic designer of the movie trilogy « The Lord of the Rings » : With John Howe, Peter Jackson, Alan Lee and HR Giger. Born in Canada and currently living in Switzerland, John Howe is one of today’s most famous fantasy artists. His name is from now on closely linked to that of renowned New Zealand film-maker Peter Jackson. From the moment of conception to the making of the films, John Howe has been one of the key players in this challenging adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s novel. [More]
NIFFF – NEUCHÂTEL INTERNATIONAL FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL PRESENTS: JOHN HOWE THERE AND BACK AGAIN
Directed by Anders Banke and François Boetschi
NEUCHÂTEL – SALLE APOLLO 3
FRIDAY JULY 1ST 2005 – 16.OO pm
Fragile Pictures and Solid Entertainment present
A documentary film about the illustrator and artistic designer of the movie trilogy « The Lord of the Rings » :
With John Howe, Peter Jackson, Alan Lee and HR Giger
Born in Canada and currently living in Switzerland, John Howe is one of today’s most famous fantasy artists. His name is from now on closely linked to that of renowned New Zealand film-maker Peter Jackson. From the moment of conception to the making of the films, John Howe has been one of the key players in this challenging adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s novel. This film tells the story of the artist’s life and work and invites the viewer on a fascinating trip into his world. A world built of stone quarried from myth, legend and history, but often constructed in landscapes and places where he has lived during his migratory life.
The viewer is taken on a journey in search of Howe’s inspirations, from the cathedral of Strasbourg to the Canton of Neuchâtel and the neighbouring French Jura, the real places that often provided settings for “The Lord of the Rings”.
The film explores the sometimes intangible border between fantasy and reality, how together they create a third universe, that of the artist. [NIFFF.CH]
According to a June 13, 2005 article on xinhuanet.com, Beijing’s Forbidden City Film Company and Peter Jackson’s Weta Digital have signed a framework agreement to produce film based on Chinese novelist, Jiang Rong’s, “The Wolf Totem. Peter Jackson read an outline of the book that mixes history and legend about the people of the Mongolian prairies and their feelings toward wolves. Zhang Qiang, managing director of Forbidden City Films, said they’d be using real wolves as well as CGIs created by Weta Digital. Forbidden City estimates the movie will cost 48 million US dollars and the pre-production will take three years to complete. [More]