Dr. Baggins sends in word on a Seminar at the Victoria University of Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. “The Bigger Picture: Film Tourism in Aotearoa New Zealand” will be held on Thursday March 6 2008 at 12:30PM to 1:30PM (RH MZ 05, Mezzanine Floor, Rutherford House, 23 Lambton Quay, Pipitea Campus). To be presented by Dr. Anne Buchmann, Victoria Management School.

The existence of film tourism in Aotearoa New Zealand has been reported and recorded for many years and yet little of the phenomenon is understood. Nowadays film tourism includes such diverse activities as visits to former film sets, actual settlements/ urban landscapes, and film-related facilities like studios, postproduction buildings, cinemas, and shops. And then there are the landscapes where the filming was set, though the geographical reality of locations usually differs from the fictional setting portrayed on the screen. This is partially due to the very nature of film making, including the characteristic distortion of time and space and, the scope and power of modern digital enhancements. And despite this truth, guided Lord of the Rings tourists are often highly content with their touring experience. This study seeks to provide a better understanding and conceptual framework for the experience of these film tourists and discusses their motivation in relation to such universal concepts as myths, spirituality and pilgrimage. The talk will close with a discussion of the challenges of present and future film tourism.