Ringer Giurunian writes to tell us of this amazing diorama of the Argonath created by Russian sculptor Alexander Krasnov last year.
Krasnov calls the work “The Guardians” and created it from completely scratch using little more than plastics, foam sponge, PVA glue, gypsum, cardboard and a dremel. Oh, and some paint!
The scale is, apparently, 1:100, and the diorama measures 40 centimetres by 28 centimetres. The Argonath figures of Isildur and Anarion are 65 millimetres high and are based on the movie (and subsequent Weta collector sculpts), rather than the bookends released with the Collector’s DVD Gift Set of The Fellowship of the Ring. (more…)
Kate Madison as Elgarain in Born of Hope. Photo by Richard Unger
When Kate Madison’s fan prequel to the Lord of the Rings, Born of Hope, was released in December 2009 it instantly raised the bar for fan film productions and was hailed as an accomplished and in every respect a worthy addition to Peter Jackson’s trilogy.
Three years and 23 million online views later Kate has revealed that she is now planning to raise the bar for fantasy web series. ”Web series have become a popular and important way for independent filmmakers to showcase their work and compared to a film, the potential for shaping an on going story line for, and with, the fans is really appealing”.
Ren encounters the leader of the Kah’Nath. Concept art by Max von Vier
Ren is the story of a young woman, who lives a quiet life in a small village until her face is branded by a powerful ancient spirit and she becomes feared by all who see her. Dramatic events, involving the ruling warrior order of the Kah’Nath, force her to leave her safe existence and journey across the land to find the truth behind the web of lies she’s believed in all her life.
“The first season will consist of 6 ten minute episodes and is scheduled to go into production in the next few months. It’s so exciting to be creating a brand new fantasy world and I’m already working with concept and story artists to brainstorm what the next season could bring” says Kate.
Ren and Hunter’s dramatic escape. Concept art by Max von Vier
The inspiration for the show is rooted in great fantasy stories like The Lord of the Rings, but epic books and TV series like Game of Thrones and the more lighthearted Legend of the Seeker have also influenced the creation of REN. One of the most important features of Born of Hope was the fan base that helped finance, design and even act in the film and we are keen to involve the fans even more in this project. The series is in the very early stages, with only the first season written, so we will look to the online fan community to influence what happens… and yes, even be in it!
Kate needs your help to get the show off the ground and has launched a Kickstarter campaign which runs until the 19th August. There are some great rewards to getting involved and she is releasing exciting updates throughout the campaign.
Welcome to our collection of TORn’s hottest topic of the past week. If you’ve fallen behind on what’s happening on the Message Boards, here’s a great way to catch the highlights. Of if you’re new to TORn and want to enjoy some great conversations, just follow the links to some of our most popular discussions. Watch this space as every weekend we will spotlight the most popular buzz on TORn’s Message Boards. Everyone is welcome, so come on in and join the fun!
Get a feel for what a day at San Diego Comic-Con is like, and meet the friendly staff of Weta and TORn while you take a look around at their merchandise! [Happy Hobbit Goes to SDCC: A Taste of the Con]
Our friends at Tolkien Brasil tell us that, somewhat in the vein of the fan film Born of Hope, Dutchman Johan Zanderbergen is currently working on an fan-made animated version of The Hobbit.
Tolkien Brasil reports that “apparently the script is very faithful to the books and presents the childish tone that Tolkien’s work expresses, without losing the air of Middle-earth and seriousness of the mission of the dwarves.” (more…)
Yesterday was the last day of principal photography for The Hobbit films. Peter Jackson live blogged the event, and earlier today we asked fans to send us videos of their thanks to PJ and the entire Crew. The response was overwhelming! (in fact, we will have a Part II video posted later) Enjoy!
UPDATE: Thanks for all the quick submissions! We’ve sent the video over to the production crew but you can still upload your own video to youtube and title it THANKS PJ
We’re making a ”thank you” video for PJ and the cast and crew and we’d like you to take part!
Simply email Justin an iPhone video or something from your laptop tonight and he will string them all together and upload to YouTube in the morning.
Director Kate Madison, who produced the hugely successful Lord of the Rings prequel, gathers some of the main actors for an online screening of the film with live commentary “It’s going to be a fun evening with many of the still untold stories from behind the scenes, live music, questions from fans via Facebook and Twitter and the start of my next project to crown the event” says Kate and adds “It’s totally unscripted, so anything can happen!”
Is Lobelia Sackville-Baggins really on her way over to tea, expecting a snack? Join Fili as she hastily prepares some scones for her “guest”! Recipe below: (more…)
Welcome to our collection of TORn’s hottest topics for the past week. If you’ve fallen behind on what’s happening on the Message Boards, here’s a great way to catch the highlights. Or if you’re new to TORn and want to enjoy some great conversations, just follow the links to some of our most popular discussions. Watch this space as every weekend we will spotlight the most popular buzz on TORn’s Message Boards. Everyone is welcome, so come on in and join in the fun!
Ringer Giurunian writes to tell us of this amazing diorama of the Argonath created by Russian sculptor Alexander Krasnov last year. 
Kate needs your help to get the show off the ground and has launched a Kickstarter campaign which runs until the 19th August. There are some great rewards to getting involved and she is releasing exciting updates throughout the campaign.
Our friends at Tolkien Brasil tell us that, somewhat in the vein of the fan film Born of Hope, Dutchman Johan Zanderbergen is currently working on an fan-made animated version of The Hobbit.
Director Kate Madison, who produced the hugely successful Lord of the Rings prequel, gathers some of the main actors for an online screening of the film with live commentary “It’s going to be a fun evening with many of the still untold stories from behind the scenes, live music, questions from fans via Facebook and Twitter and the start of my next project to crown the event” says Kate and adds “It’s totally unscripted, so anything can happen!”
Welcome to this months “Getting to know you” Q&A, this month we’re talking to the lovely ladies from The Happy Hobbit, Kili and Fili.
Welcome to our collection of TORn’s hottest topics for the past week. If you’ve fallen behind on what’s happening on the Message Boards, here’s a great way to catch the highlights. Or if you’re new to TORn and want to enjoy some great conversations, just follow the links to some of our most popular discussions. Watch this space as every weekend we will spotlight the most popular buzz on TORn’s Message Boards. Everyone is welcome, so come on in and join in the fun!