Jed Brophy and Weta Workshop propbuilder Samantha Swords star in the new short film ‘The Offering’, written and directed by Elizabeth Crummett. ‘The Offering’ is a unique take on the classic damsel in distress story, and features some lively swordplay between Jed and Samantha. Watch it here; you can also follow the production on ‘The Offering’ Facebook page.
UPDATE: Photo of Manu Bennett at the TORn “Hobbit” preview panel.
Gandalf & Saruman at SLCC 2013
SALT LAKE CITY — Once scheduled for a smaller venue in the suburbs, the first ever Salt Lake Comic Con filled Utah’s capital city’s largest convention venue and had it bursting at the seams Saturday. For a time the hundreds waiting outside were not allowed to enter except at a 1-out-1-in rate. Word on the dealer’s floor said it was because the fire marshal closed the space but that rumor was never confirmed.
Reports in the media called the event “record setting” for a first-year convention, and that is possibly true, but such stats aren’t readily available. In any case, it was a massive event with celebrities that included William Kircher (Bifur) and Manu Bennett (Azog) and other pop-culture icons like William Shatner and Adam West.
Azog at Weta booth, Salt Lake Comic Con 2013
TheOneRing.net was part of the fun as well, with staffer (and this writer) Larry D. Curtis (MrCere) attending with the show in his (my) hometown. the SLComic Con invited TORn to present a panel about Smaug and serve on other panels as well, with topics including Fantasy Films, all things Tolkien, Geek Culture and film school.
Bennett and Kircher were kind enough to drop by TheOneRing panel that also included author and TORn friend Paul Genesse. He helped moderate the panel and showed incredible enthusiasm for the material.
TheOneRing also managed a booth on the at time very crowded floor supported by incredible friends at Badali Jewelry and Weta Workshop making its first U.S. appearance outside of the San Diego Comic Con. TORn helped back in a small way to staff the Weta booth and send those with questions about where to purchase The One Ring to Badali’s very nearby booth. Artist David Powell was also kind enough to sign posters of his art for fans.
The Salt Palace Convention Center can be expanded and the SLCC will return next year. TheOneRing.net hopes to be part of the show. Thanks to Dan McBride and Blonde Ninja for their support of the TORn booth. Thanks also to the many financial supports at the event and to Salt Lake Comic Con for letting us be a part of the show. If you attended and would like TORn to return, you can use the contact info here to let them know.
If anybody has images of Bennett and Kircher attending the TORn panel, please send them in! We were busy having a panel and didn’t get any photos.
Comic-Con 2013 brought us a look at the amazing mini-environments that capture various Hobbit Holes in the Shire. We already have #1 Bagshot Row and now via the most recent newsletter fans get to pre-order the next Hobbit Hole #40 Bagshot Row. This beautiful collectible captures some of the unique looks and personalities you will find as you roam around the shire. This Hobbit Hole comes in at $40 and will be shipping from New Zealand in early October.
Two of Peter Jackson’s companies will be among the honorees at the International 3D & Advanced Imaging Society’s 5th annual 3D Technology Awards. The awards will be presented Sept. 18 during a ceremony at Paramount Studios.
The Society’s Lumiere statuettes for technology will be awarded to Weta Digital for the visual effects pipeline it created for Avatar; and to Park Road Post for the 3D high frame rate pipeline it developed for The Hobbit.
Related, a Lumiere will also be awarded to manufacturer SGO for its Mistika postproduction system, which was a key tool used at Park Road Post for its 3D high frame rate pipeline.
Posted in Hobbit Movie, Peter Jackson, Production, The Hobbit, WETA Digital, WETA WorkshopTolkien’s love of Anglo-Saxon history is well-known, as are his influences from such Nordic works as Beowulf and the Finnish Kalevala. His passion for these cultures is evident in every race he created for Middle-earth, including the dwarves. Yet as has been highlighted in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, some of the inspiration for the dwarven race may have come from an understated influence: the Celts. (more…)
Posted in Aidan Turner, Alan Lee, Billy Connolly, Characters, Dean O'Gorman, Graham McTavish, Green Books, Hobbit Movie, Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Lectures & Education, Miscellaneous, soundtrack, The Hobbit, Uncategorized, WETA Workshop
Johnny Fraser-Allen. Photo: FAIRFAX NZ.
Johnny has a standing invite to appear on TORn Tuesdays to further chat with fans, when he’s able to break free from his many obligations!
Here, mainstream magazine Stuff now profiles Frazer-Allen’s rising career.
There is a fairytale-like feeling to the story of 28-year-old Johnny Fraser-Allen. A chance encounter with Weta Workshop’s Sir Richard Taylor at the airport, and the pivotal decision to miss a flight home so he could talk to him, landed Fraser-Allen his dream job at Weta at the age of 19. Nearly a decade on, he has put working for the creative company on hold to focus on his latest adventure – writing and illustrating children’s books, and gearing up for his second exhibition.
Landing his dream job at Weta took a touch of fate for Fraser-Allen. He had flown from Christchurch to Wellington, hoping to show Taylor his final high school design portfolio at a photography exhibition by Lord of The Rings star Viggo Mortensen, but Taylor was a no-show.
Despondently waiting for his flight home, he spotted Taylor at the airport. “I had the choice of missing my flight or talking to him, so I missed my flight.”
The meeting was a turning point.
“Richard took a lot of time with me, gave me a lot of advice, then he gave me his card and told me to bring my portfolio up in person.”
When Fraser-Allen got home, he scrapped his portfolio and started again, based on the Oscar winner’s advice.
When Taylor eventually looked at his portfolio, he said Fraser-Allen’s skills weren’t good enough for the design room, but he employed him based on his enthusiasm.
Posted in Crew News, Evangeline Lilly, Hobbit Movie, Production, Richard Taylor, The Hobbit, WETA Workshop
Dating back to Comic-Con 2012 when Weta Workshop had the three giant Trolls guarding their booth these three trolls have been a huge hit with fans around the world. Tonight, via their most recent newsletter, fans are getting a chance to add another one of these mini-versions to their collections. Bert the Troll is joining Tom the Troll who was released as an in-stock item during Comic-Con 2013. You can Pre-Order Bert the Troll right now for $75 with him shipping in November/December of this year. The third member of this trio William will be coming up for Pre-Order before October to complete your trio of Trolls.
As many of you may know when we did our magazine for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey we took submissions from collectors around the world. A few of these ended up appearing in the magazine allowing people all over the world to see some of what you’ve taken time show off your love for Middle-earth. Recently, I was able to finally able to set up my collection and be able to really appreciate many of the pieces I’ve managed to add. Thankfully the room my stuff in now is large enough to show off everything I’ve got with room to spare for new items from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Even if I’m still getting items out of storage to show off. This collection through ups and downs (selling items) started back in 2003 and continues on for a while. It’s my way of allowing people see what Middle-earth means to me and explain why they’re missing out on such a great universe. I hope you enjoy taking a peek into my collection and what it looks like after its been reviewed.
As you are aware, many Hobbit cast members have their own twitter accounts. After Evangeline Lilly participated in a live Twitter Q&A the other day, we thought it would be a great time to remind you of the official accounts. As far as we know each actor manages their twitter personally, offering a great way to keep up with them. (more…)
Comic-Con 2013 brought us multiple new items that are going to be released for sale over the course of the next year. One of the new items that you could purchase while at the show or order for in-stock purchase via the Weta Workshop website is the Bofur the Dwarf statue. Bofur is one of three new Dwarven statues that was displayed at Comic-Con, along with Kili (Kili Review) and Gloin ,who is due to go up for order later this year.
PACKAGING
The overall graphic layout for Bofur’s box stays the same as we’ve seen with previous entries in the line. Per the format we’ve come to know, the front of the box gives you a great shot of Bofur, graphic work for the title of the movie, and of course the Weta logo. The sides of the box for Bofur also present a familiar format with different looks at the statue. While the other side of the box presents some of the various products you can get in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey line of collectibles. The back of the box contains a great story on Bofur as well as information regarding details of the character and statue. The Styrofoam on the inside is typical with what we’ve become used to getting with these statues.
SCULPTING
Lindsey Crummett is back at it again with Bofur. This will be the third Dwarve she’s sculpted in this series following Baling and Kili. As we mentioned in our Kili review she is also responsible for the amazing Azog the Defiler on Warg we saw during Comic-Con 2013. As been the case so far with every item she’s worked on Bofur is another exceptional addition to our collections.
The likeness of Bofur is pretty darn good. You get the solid likeness that James Nesbitt has while wearing the entire getup to play Bofur and you also have that ornery smile that he has in multiple parts of the movie. The work on the hair is also nicely done once again giving the real life appearance as well as the work done on his very unique looking beard. Bofur’s outfit is a little closer to Bombur but you also get some nice blend of leather with the cloth. So you get some great design work on the edging of his outfit in the sleeve area and on his vest. His boots have a great fur design on them, which comes through from the actual costume. I also love the little details of this piece with the little leather pouch having great stitch work, his awesome scarf, and that cool hat which blends the wool/leather look.
Bofur also comes ready for battle as he’s about to swing that giant mace. I’m really impressed with the detail in this wepon. The wooden detail in the staff of this weapon has a great worn wood look to it and near the top it appears to be wrapped some leather. Of course the end has been recreated to match the prop from the movie in spectacular fashion. It has all the beat up metal markings sculpted into it that make it appear to have actually been used.
PAINT
Bofur continues the streak of very well painted statues from Weta Workshop. The skin tones use the proper paint mixture to not only make the statue look like a shrunken Dwarf. I also love the work done on the eyes of Bofur in that they help sell the ornery look that he has. Once, again I think after making sure that you create a mini-Dwarf is making the outfit look real. The paint department did this in spades. The outfit has a real dirty look to it that helps show off the wear and tear this outfit has scene, but you do not lose the little details in the outfit. You also get the proper color of the outfit as we saw it on screen. Bofur’s weapon also has a fantastic paint job with it helping to create a old used weapon. The wood has the proper worn look as does the metal piece at the top both working with the sculpting job.
Overall
Bofur retails for $249, which is in line with most of the statues so far in the line. I’ve loved Bofur from the start with his unique look and personality in the film. He looks great and helps create a really great looking Hobbit display. I want to add that with every release in this line Weta is just continuing to show how great they with these statues.
SPECIFICATIONS
Bofur is limited to just 1000 pieces worldwide and in-stock ready to purchase. Get your order in now before he sells out.
Dimensions:
10.6″ x 9.1″ x 5.9″ (H x W x D)
27 cm x 23 cm x 15 cm
Weight:
2.2 lbs (1.0 kg)
PHOTOS
TheOneRing.net with Galatia Films offer this exclusive interview with the always phenomenal Richard Taylor, Daniel Falconer and Peter Lyon of Weta Workshop. If you watch the video you will learn about Weta’s first meeting with Peter Lyon and how “The Lord or the Rings,” behind-the-scenes videos were created, developed and even changed people’s lives. The original interview was done for Galatia’s Live Reclaiming the Blade Day. Check out its Kickstarter page for more details and the full interview. Tomorrow we will release another interview from the live broadcast, this with one of the stars from “The Lord of the Rings” film. Tune in tomorrow to find out which one! You can also support the Kickstarter campaign for a new film that will feature “The Hobbit” swords and Narnia actors Ben Barnes (Prince Caspian) and William Moseley (Chronicles of Narnia).
Weta Workshop has produced well over fifteen thousand museum quality weapons for projects within the creative industries of film, gaming and replica collectibles, including Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “King Kong,” Peter Weir’s “Master and Commander,” Edward Zwick’s “The Last Samurai,” Andrew Adamson’s “Chronicles of Narnia,” Guillermo del Toro’s “Hellboy,” Stephen Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” the Microsoft Halo 3 short films and, more recently, James Cameron’s “Avatar” and Neill Blomkamp’s “District 9.”
Posted in Daniel Falconer, Hobbit Movie, Lord of the Rings, Production, Richard Taylor, WETA WorkshopWe are happy to share with you our complete coverage of the happenings at Comic-Con 2013! Check out the video series below!
Meet The Hobbit Artists
Meet several of the artists who worked on The Hobbit and learn more about what they’re up to, along with several other talented folks at Weta, including Greg Broadmore and the comedic antics of Daniel Falconer! [Happy Hobbit Goes to SDCC: Meet the Hobbit Artists]
