  Weta Cave big part of movie tourism in WellingtonOur story so far: Peter Jackson made three Middle-earth movies and people loved them. Now he is making two more and people already love them too. MrCere, Senior Staff, Writer and Photographer at TheOneRing.net (around since 1999) went to NZ to see what he could see. Landed in Queenstown, found lots of LOTR stuff, drove north to see the people of the ring, visited Hobbiton visited Wellington, center of NZ’s cinematic empire, and will soon leave NZ. However, much more content will follow.
My time in Wellington would need to include a visit of some kind with the very busy people who are working on The Hobbit, but as I have often joked (even though it is at least partially true) Weta’s second best talent is making special effects for movies. What they are really best at is keeping secrets from TheOneRing.net. I had no illusions that anybody was going to tour me around the workshop (I asked anyway, just in case) during the height of The Hobbit production, but they were kind enough to invite me along to a group they were hosting from a cruise ship that included one of our own message board members. (Her identity is her own to reveal.) ‘Lord of the Rings’ tours sparkle in WellingtonOur story so far: Peter Jackson made three Middle-earth movies and people loved them. Now he is making two more and people already love them too. MrCere, Senior Staff, Writer and Photographer at TheOneRing.net (Forged by and for fans since 1999) went to NZ to see what he could see. Landed in Queenstown, found lots of LOTR stuff, drove north to see the people of the ring, visited Hobbiton set and now is in Wellington, center of NZ’s cinematic empire.
This trip I enjoyed walking around the city and thumbing through vinyl records (ask your parents if those foreign objects are unfamiliar to you) checking out a variety of automobile dealerships including an upholstery shop with some interesting old cars, a comic book shop and a burrito joint with great architecture and melted candles. The nightlife here is crazy, including the Saturday morning I woke up early and discovered the Friday night revelry with its thumbing bass and cocktails hadn’t ended as I sought out breakfast. It also, with its proximity to Peter Jackson’s filmmaking empire, was an important area in the making of The Lord of the Rings, but not just because of the production and effects studios across the harbor. I ended up heading out with Wellington is a whirlwind, smells like HobbitOur story so far: Peter Jackson made three Middle-earth movies and people loved them. Now he is making two more and people already love them too. MrCere, Senior Staff, writer and photographer at TheOneRing.net (around since 1999) went to NZ to see what he could see. Landed in Queenstown, found lots of LOTR stuff, drove north to see the people of the ring, visited Hobbiton set and now is in Wellington, center of NZ’s cinematic empire. WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND — I thought, and it makes me chuckle now, that when I landed in Wellington I would finally be based in one place long enough to really crank out some copy. Ha! Instead, Wellington has been a whirlwind but that is a great thing, not a bad thing. I often contemplate cancelling one of the events here so I can spend hours writing and posting photos but I haven’t cancelled anything yet and each time I go to do something, I find that I am very glad to have been along. Some of those events have tourism ties and then end up having direct ties to things here at TheOneRing, even when I think they will not. Other things, like spending the day with the kids at Weta, are directly tied in. None of them so far have been worth sacrificing and time is running out fast. But stories I have in some stage of ready: Weta profiles its “Queen of Chainmaille”I stumbled on this short story on Weta and about the chainmaille process. It’s not news, but it is nerdily interesting. We’ve been talking chainmaille with Emily. These days she’s the Make-Up and Hair Department co-ordinator, but we knew she was one of the pioneers in the chainmaille department and spent a long time putting an unfathomable amount of rings together for the costumes for The Lord of the Rings. Find out what it’s like to put together 5-10,000 rings. Per day. [READ MORE] Empire Magazine Celebrates LOTR at 10
Hobbits Reunion Jackson’s Unseen Concept Art Lord of the Rings: Oscar Memories LOTR Concert ImagesTroika sends along some images from the FOTR Concerts taking place out on the west coast. Take a look at some of the behind the scenes goodies on display! If you are attending one of these concerts send us your report and photos to spymaster@theonering.net Hobbits invade San DiegoMiddle Earth Has Never Sounded So Good. The Lord of the Rings in Concert will be hitting San Diego, California on October 13. In addition to the orchestra performance of the soundtrack live to the screening of the film, they will also have 22 original movie props and costumes on display. Since they will also have the San Diego Civic Youth Orchestra performing before the big concert, this is definitely going to be a Family Friendly event. See the link below for tickets and further details. http://valleyviewcasinocenter.com/Lord-of-the-Rings-In-Concert-October-13-7-30-pm But the invasion begins earlier, this Saturday, to be exact. There will be a flashmob of Hobbits and other Middle-earth denizens near the Old Globe Theater tomorrow, October 8 at 12:30pm. See the Valley View Casino Center’s facebook page linked below for more details and a Youtube video showing the flashmob dance steps. More.. Hobbiton clouded in secrecy Dozens of small-statured folk are ready to dance their way onto the Shire next month, but even Matamata accommodation providers are in the dark as to exactly when the big influx of little extras will hit the region. Publicist for 3 Foot 7 Ceris Price said 90 people were selected late last year from the 1200-odd who applied to be Matamata-based hobbit extras in The Hobbit, but because people turned up “from all over” for the auditions, she did not know how many were from Waikato. But like everyone else involved in the making of Peter Jackson’s latest film, if there was hobbits grooming their toe-hairs in the Waikato, they were doing it with their lips firmly sealed. Ian Brodie, media and communications manager for Hobbiton Movie Set and Farm Tours, said confidentiality contracts meant anyone involved in The Hobbit in any capacity was bound to silence. More.. Related: Take a look at our exclusive collection of Hobbiton set photos, going all the way back to 1999! [TORN Scrapbook] Silver jubilee for Tolkien ShopTORn’s good friend The Tolkien Shop in Holland is supporting us at DragonCon again this year – be sure to stop by our table for a free pen! The Tolkien Shop reaches a remarkable milestone this year – 25 years in the business! That’s pretty impressive – and they’re celebrating! If you’re in the area in October, stop by and celebrate with them. More details after the break. The Great Location Race with Ian BrodieThe Lord of the Rings Location Race took place 13th August 2011 at the WETA Cave in Wellington. Author Ian Brodie was there to judge the photos of the locations around Wellington and to sign collectibles. Weta opens shop in Auckland’s Sky TowerLocal news coverage of Richard Taylor, speaking about the new Weta shop in Auckland’s Sky Tower, setup in time for the rugby world cup. [TVOne] Collecting The Precious – Weta Orthanc Naming Contest
This Sunday, at 2pm PST, the new Orthanc Environment from the artists at Weta Workshop will go up for Pre-Order. As, I told you the other day, Weta wants your help to name this piece. Starting today and running through August 5th at 5pm PST, we will be helping them collect name suggestions through the link below. The winners will be chosen by none other than Orthanc model makers David Tremont and Daniel Falconer! The winner of the contest not only gets their name chosen for Orthanc but they will also receive a collectors edition of Bag End, and two runners up will receive a very cool Sauron T-Shirt. Good Luck!!! [Orthanc Naming Competition] This site is maintained and updated by fans of The Lord of the Rings, and is in no way affiliated with Tolkien Enterprises or the Tolkien Estate. We in no way claim the artwork displayed to be our own. Copyrights and trademarks for the books, films, articles, and other promotional materials are held by their respective owners and their use is allowed under the fair use clause of the Copyright Law. Design and original photography however are copyright © 1999-2011 TheOneRing.net. Binary hosting provided by Nexcess.net.
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