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]

Collectibles

Meet the lads! From Bridge Direct Toys to our very own Elessar and Weta’s Senior Model Maker David Tremont, learn a bit more about collecting and miniature-making… and have plenty of laughs along the way. These guys are a kick! Read David Tremont’s story of creating Barad-Dur here: http://www.wetanz.com/the-making-of-barad-dur-article-series-by-david-tremont/  [Happy Hobbit Goes to SDCC: Collectibles]

Badali Jewelry

Check out Badali’s latest Lord of the Rings/Hobbit jewelery and find out more about the stories behind each piece! [Happy Hobbit Goes to SDCC: Badali Jewelry]

The Hobbit Extended Edition

Hear a little bit about the upcoming DVD/Blu ray of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and glimpse what Comic-Con is like long after the crowds have departed! [Happy Hobbit Goes to SDCC: Extended Edition Teaser and Farewell]

Meeting Evangeline Lilly

And of course, the completion of “Hobbitception!” [Hobbitception: Meeting Evangeline Lilly]

You can join in the fun at the Happy Hobbit Facebook page!

Join Kili, Fili, and several surprise guests to learn how to camp like a Dwarf! [Happy Hobbit: Dwarven Camping Tips - Episode 21]

This month we’re asking questions of self-described Online guy at Weta Workshop and all round top bloke, Magnus Hjert.

Kelvarhin: Thanks for joining us this month Magnus, as always we’ll start with grammas favourite question…

What was your favourite cartoon when you were growing up?

Magnus: I grew up in Sweden on a rich and varied comics diet consisting of Tintin, Asterix, The Phantom, Spirou et Fantasio, its spin-off Marsupilami, Iznogoud… but my all-time favourite (that I still read) is Tintin.

Kelvarhin: What was your favourite toy as a kid?

Magnus: My Märklin train set… it initially provided much entertainment for my father and uncle, as I believe I was about three when I got it for Christmas. But it was awesome when I was older and could build model buildings etc.

Kelvarhin: Some of the  TORNfolk (Tehanu, Garfeimao, deej and entmaiden) were in attendance to help Weta and the Neonatal Trust break the Guinness Record for most sandcastles built in an hour. They know that they built enough, but Guinness requires a lot of documentation and time to certify the results, and they’re wondering if you’ve gotten the official results from the world record Sandcastle Build last November?

Magnus: I don’t actually know the answer, but I promise I will find out from Martin Baynton, who is the main link between Adventure Wellington and Weta Workshop. I was on that beach myself, covering it on behalf of Weta. The event was organised by Adventure Wellington and Weta Workshop helped out with buckets and quite a few crew, including Richard, Tania and many others.

Kelvarhin: What is your favourite location in NZ?

Magnus: I’ve lived here now for 10 years and I have many favourites. But that’s a bit of a cop-out, so I will try to pick one.  To narrow it down little by little, the region called the Wairarapa is about 90 minutes’ drive away from Wellington and is predominantly a rural area, but with a twist – it’s one of New Zealand’s premier wine regions. Small towns that 50 years ago were as rural as rural can be have blossomed with the increased interest the wine has brought to the region. On the way to my favourite place, you pass through several of these, Featherston, Greytown, Carterton. When you get to Masterton, you take a right and head for the coast. And after driving through orchards and sheep stations, you get to Castlepoint. A Pacific beach community with a spectacular lighthouse and rock formations, a fantastic beach and a camping ground. And very little else. The weather is often unforgiving, but lying in a tent, listening to the ocean… it doesn’t get much better. Oh – I just realised you probably meant shooting location? Well, other than Hobbiton which is truly AWESOME, a favourite is the Dimholt Road/Paths of the Dead at Putangirua Pinnacles in… you guessed it: The Wairarapa.

Kelvarhin: What are your most favourite places, of all the places you’ve been to in the world?

Magnus: Monterey, California. Montpellier, France. London, England (lived there for 7 years). Copenhagen, Denmark (being from Malmo in Sweden, Copenhagen is a natural place to hang out – back then it was a 45 minute boat trip away. Now there’s a bridge…). And Wellington – on a good day…

Kelvarhin: What movies or television shows are you into right now, apart from The Hobbit?

Magnus: Star Trek: Into Darkness was awesome – I went with a band of colleagues and everyone was pretty much in agreement it was a great film. With two kids of 6 and 10 years, I watch a LOT of ‘children’s’ flicks – like Wall-e, How to train your Dragon (and Riders of Berk) and love it, but Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, House MD, Doctor Who, Sherlock and even the occasional UK detective show/murder mystery re-run like Midsomer Murders, Morse, Miss Marple, Hercules Poirot… I’m easy to entertain…

Kelvarhin: I’m a child of migrants, and I know you’re originally from Sweden, so I was wondering what inspired your move to New Zealand?

Magnus: I was dragged here kicking and screaming by my Kiwi wife… nah, it was actually the other way around. I get itchy feet staying in one place for too long and when we were living in London (where we met and wed) and expected our first child, we decided there were healthier places to bring up children than south London, so we chose New Zealand. Thinking we’d only be here for 4-5 years and then perhaps go to Sweden (where all my family is). But then I got my job at Weta – as close to my dream job as I’m ever likely to get – and we’ve now decided not to up-root the kids, but stay here for at least as long as they want to stay. Then we’ll see.

Kelvarhin: What was the most difficult thing about organising Wetas surprise for TORn’s 10th Anniversary?

Magnus: Getting everyone to the same courtyard at the same time. Gino from Weta Digital down the road, Richard Taylor from somewhere in the building, Guillermo del Toro from 3 Foot 7 and then getting the crew to pick up some props and waving them around. We had many false starts on different occasions, but in the end we got it together. Woohoo! Man, that seems like a long time ago now… I was very nervous directing Guillermo del Toro, but he was very good about it.

TORn 10th Anniversary Weta Video

Kelvarhin: How long have you been working for Weta Workshop and how did you come to be involved with them?

Magnus: I’ve been here since 2008 and I owe it to my sister-in-law who found the ad in the paper…

Kelvarhin:  Working for Weta sounds great, but being a marketing manager sounds like hard work… is the line between being on the job and dreaming sharp or fuzzy? Is there even a line?

Magnus: That’s a great question… I’m gonna have to think about that one… Right – I’m back after having answered a few other questions in the meantime. The answer is – there is no line… my job is a constant intertwinement of fantasy, fans, fiction, collectors, artists, logistics, writing and just saying ‘awesome’ a lot. Weta is not a normal workplace – we who work there tend to forget.

Kelvarhin: Within your position at Weta, you must have been involved with some very surreal situations (perhaps meeting certain people, taken part in certain events and so on). What is your most memorable moment?

Magnus: There are many… in my first week, one of the Workshop technicians, Jordan, drove up and down the road outside on his rocket powered bicycle. A few months later I was recording a sound bite with Bill Farmer (Goofy since 1986) on a podcast and suddenly Michael Winslow (officer Larvell Jones in Police Academy) chips in with a Mickey Mouse impersonation… And meeting Sir Ian McKellen – again for a podcast interview… it’s all a bit surreal in hindsight, but while you’re doing it… it’s fantastic.

Kelvarhin: What item do you like the most of all the items made by Weta? And why?

Magnus: Ooooooh – that’s a tough one. The Minas Tirith shooting miniature – I have never seen it in real life, but the impact it had on me in LOTR when I first saw it on screen… man! Barad-dûr and Orthanc likewise – I’ve seen both of them outside David Tremont’s workshop while he was working away on the collectible models. Of the things you can take home… Peter Lyon’s swords… probably Andúril… words cannot describe how epic they are and how powerful you feel with one in your hand.

Kelvarhin:  I have heard workers from Weta get a chance to buy the things they make (the collectibles). Have you ever not bought an item and later regretted that you didn’t get it? If yes, what was it, and why do you regret not getting it?

Magnus: Yes – I admit to being a complete sucker for Greg Broadmore’s rayguns… and my favourite is the Goliathon 83, which is now sold out. While it was still in stock, I couldn’t afford it. But if I ever get a chance to buy one…

Kelvarhin: What is it like seeing all these cool Collectibles before the fans get to see them? Also, how hard is it to hold that from the world?

Magnus: A) Orgasmic. B) Extremely.

Kelvarhin: If you were making a car commercial, what Weta Workshop items would you include?

Magnus: Rayguns – ‘Vorsprung Durch Technik’. It’s a mantra in Ingolstadt as well as at Grordbort Industries. Although it would be in English undoubtedly. ‘Advantage through Technology’.

Kelvarhin: And lastly, if you were a dwarf in Thorin’s Company, which one would you be?

Magnus: Easy – Bombur. A little known fact is that I have “arse-modelled” for our Bombur collectible, showing the sculptors what it looks like when a fat guy runs… up and down the Weta Workshop car park. And Leaflock from The Shadow and Flame’s Weta collectors’ forum actually turned me into Bombur in the S&F Christmas card for Weta. So I feel a strong affinity with the guy. I have included the image Leaflock made.

As always thanks to all our message board regulars, DanielLB, SirDennisC, Ataahua, Elessar, Brethil, elaen32, entmaiden, dernwyn, Kaede, grammaboodawg and Rosie-with-the-ribbons, for this month’s questions.

If you would like to ask any questions yourself, just head over to our Message Boards, the sign up process is pretty painless. A lead post for questions is made at the beginning of each month on the Main board. Or you can just check Main for each months interviewee and email me your questions at kelvarhin@theonering.net.

Till next time from TORn’s resident Tiger.

Kelvarhin

Lee and Howe have been working on concept art for Peter Jackson’s three-part ‘Hobbit’ movie, headed for a mid-December release but found time to produce some new work for this calendar.

The calendar features 14 paintings, including some created exclusively for this calendar by Alan Lee and John Howe, the two artists whose work has defined the look of Middle-earth over the last 25 years.

This is their first-ever collaboration since the official Tolkien Calendar began publishing 40 years ago.

Each month depicts one of the most famous scenes from The Hobbit, including Bilbo outside Bag End, Smaug the Dragon, the Great Goblin and Bilbo’s Front Hall. As well as classic illustrations from bo
th artists’ celebrated portfolios, the 2013 calendar includes brand new paintings, created by John Howe and Alan Lee exclusively for this calendar.

When: Sunday 9 September, 1-3 pm
Where: The Weta Cave, Miramar, Wellington

A range of Alan’s other titles including The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook will also be available in store. For more details including a map, click here.

Hi Nicole and a very big thank you for taking part and for being so patient with me.

This first question is from Rosie-with-the-ribbons who’s latest costume for RingCon has been inspired by your Balrog Showgirl costume.

R-w-t-r: Do you make your costumes yourself?

Nicole: Rosie – that is awesome!  Yes, for the most part the costumes I’ve been running around in for the past several years have all been of my own making.  I only started sewing back in 2004, after I moved to Los Angeles and started hanging out with even more LOTR people.  The first costume I made was to wear to Comic Con that year – I was the Mumak Mahud (the guy with the black and white painted face who steers the oliphaunt in ROTK), so you could definitely say I’ve always leaned towards costumes that were a little off the beaten path!  I’ve done some costumes that were direct recreations (“Barf” from “Spaceballs”is the most well-known one), but as I’ve gotten more into the sewing, I really like doing things that are more of an original design, like the Balrog Showgirl.  As someone who is not of supermodel proportions (and seriously, those chicks look like scary walking lollipops anyway), I like to have the opportunity to design something that I think is more flattering to me, and I always like to learn how to do something new, like dyeing feathers for the showgirl headdress.

Me: How was Comic Con?  What were your highlights and lowlights?

Nicole: Comic Con was amazing as ever!  This was my ninth year attending, and it’s changed a lot in that time, but it’s still an incredible opportunity.  The only real low point this year was that I had to leave about 15 minutes into the Hobbit panel on the Saturday to go to a rehearsal for the Masquerade, but I still got to see some amazing footage, cheer for PJ, and we went on to win Best in Show in the Masquerade competition that night, so not too bad!  Other high points were picking a fight with TORn’s Ostadan at their panel on the Thursday morning over a point of Tolkien and folklore canon – I’m still hoping Quickbeam will get him to agree to come on the TORn Tuesday webcast with me to finish the discussion!  Also, I always love visiting the Weta booth, and this year it was spectacular to stand in the shadow of the giant trolls!  Always consider it a privilege to get a chance to chat with Richard Taylor, David Tremont, Daniel Falconer and Greg Broadmore.  This year I picked up a copy of “Triumph!” the new Dr Grordbort book, and Greg signed it and drew a Grordbort sketch in it for me.

Me: You won a tour to NZ with your costume of the Balrog, how was it?

Nicole: This was an incredible privilege!  Even more than just winning the trip was the fact that I was competing against some absolutely gorgeous costumes, and Richard Taylor and Daniel Falconer picked my crazy Balrog Showgirl because they appreciated the creativity and originality.  These are the guys that absolutely inspire me, so to have them choose my costume as their favourite was the highest honour I could hope for.  The trip was amazing!  I was lucky enough to get to bring my sister with me as my “Plus One,” and we had a fantastic time.  They really rolled out the red carpet for us, and everyone was so nice.  Really want to thank Tim Launder at Weta for being the one to make all the arrangements.  Seeing the Hobbiton set all decked out from filming was so gorgeous and incredible, and I had a blast visiting filming locations in Wellington and Queenstown.

One of the coolest things was that on the day I visited Weta, artist Craig Campbell was doing a live sculpting demonstration in the Weta Cave, and he actually let me help out.  I got to work on a thigh, lol, as he sculpted a robot fighting a centaur.  Another amazing opportunity was when they hosted us for dinner at the Roxy Theatre in Miramar.  A number of the Weta execs have contributed to the rehabilitation of this classic theatre into a gorgeous Art Deco movie palace featuring both antique fixtures and new pieces created by the Weta artists, like bronzes and paintings by Craig Campbell and an unbelievable ceiling mural by Greg Broadmore.  We got to dine surrounded by Greg’s oil paintings of Dr Grordbort characters.  Oh, and of course I brought at least parts of the winning costume with me, so the picture of Daniel Falconer wearing the rhinestone-bedecked Balrog headdress is one of my very favourite souvenirs!

My favourite non-LOTR thing in New Zealand was seeing the Colossal Squid at Te Papa in Wellington.  I have a thing about squid – I just started a Facebook page called “Cephalopocalypse”.

Also, because of the contest wine, I was contacted to be the costume manager/coordinator/wrangler/miracle worker for a parody video production called “Todd of the Rings” written by and starring Anime voice actor Vic Mignogna, I contacted LOTR costumers all over the country and convinced them to loan us their creations, made a few things, faked a few things, and pinned a lot of stuff together with safety pins!  TORn staffer Quickbeam plays Gandalf, and I even got to do a little “cameo” doing the whispered elvish during the prologue, Todd of the Rings

 Me: What other costumes do you have?  And where do you wear them?

Nicole:  The costumes just seem to keep multiplying!  The Balrog Showgirl was part of a Comic Con Masquerade group entry called “Viva Las Villains”, and we won Best in Show that year. I’ve done the Masquerade for seven of the nine years I’ve gone to Comic Con, so those tend to be my most elaborate costumes.  I’ve been fortunate to have been a part of groups that have  won Best in Show three times, Best Presentation twice, Judges Choice once and Most Humorous once.  I’ve been Friar Carl from Van Helsing, Barf from Spaceballs, the Perfume Girl from the Wizard of Oz, Ursula from The Little Mermaid, the Balrog, Harley Quinn from Batman, and this year I was a fashion-forward version of R2D2 from Star Wars.  Our group did a presentation called “Project Runway: All Star Wars”.

I also have an array of various Pirate, Renaissance and Middle Eastern outfits hanging around in my closet, I’ve dabbled in a bit of Star Trek, and I was part of a Steampunk Roller Derby team called the Steamrollers with a character called “Malice in Wonderland”.  One of the great things about living in LA is that there are always *some* kind of crazy theme event going on that give you an opportunity to dress up!  I had a friend say to me once, “I refuse to believe that there’s a costume party *every* weekend!” To which I replied, “You don’t know me at ALL, do you?!?” There are parties and club nights and big events like the Labyrinth of Jareth, the Edwardian Ball, and the Renaissance Faire going on *all* the time!

Me: How did you come up with the idea of the Balrog Showgirl?  Did she make a reappearance at this years Comic Con?

Nicole: As I mentioned above, the Balrog was part of “Viva Las Villains” at the 2010 Comic Con Masquerade.  My friend Cordelia Willis (formerly of The One Ring Circus) had the idea to do Vegas Showgirl costumes using all different “evil” characters.  We had characters from a wide array of sources from comics to video games, and of course I wanted to see LOTR represented!  I loved the idea of creating flames with dyed ostrich plumes.  It was a lot of fun.  We ultimately had 11 showgirls, 2 Chippendale dancers and the Joker as Elvis.  It was quite the spectacular presentation! And yes, I wore the Balrog on the Thursday at Comic Con to TheOneRing’s panel.  This is the first time I actually had a couple of people recognise that it was a Balrog without me having to explain the whole concept, which was fun!

Me:  How did you get “introduced” to Tolkien – movies or books, and if books, which ones and in which order?  What was your very first impression of the Balrog?  And who is your favourite character?

Nicole: Book!  LOTR and the Hobbit were my mom’s favourite books when I was growing up, so I was raised with Bilbo and Frodo on the brain.  I was also a big fan of Peter Jackson’s previous films, so when I heard he was working on the ultimate LOTR film project, I was really excited.  I got involved in the online fan community as early as maybe 2000 on both the “Official Fan Club” message boards and TheOneRing.net.  The Balrog mostly captured my imagination in the film version – it was just so incredible!  The way the theatre shook with his every step, and you could practically feel the heat from the flames! So I became Rasputin the Evil Balrog pretty early on in my online incarnations.  We used to joke that a Balrog would need a flame-proof horse, so we’d yell, “Noro lim, Asbestos! Noro lim!” As for characters, I’ve always been rather partial to Merry in the books, but in the film, I really love Theoden – I think he has the most well-developed, 3-dimensional character arc, especially with some of the extra bits in the extended editions.  This is a bit different to Tolkien’s characters who were much more archetypal and less “human”, as he was trying to create a more traditional mythology – something I’ll be happy to take up in my discussion with Ostadan!

Me:  You’ve been given a Middle-earth time machine.  Which one event would you go back in time and see, and why?

Nicole:  Crickhollow bathing scene!  Nekkid hobbits, FTW!  Lol, actually, I’d probably love to go back to the night in The Hobbit when all the Elves of Mirkwood are having their big drunken party that allows the dwarves to escape.  I think too many people try to make out that the Elves are all stately and sober and boring and mystical all the time.  They forget that even in Rivendell they’re hanging out in trees and singing what almost equates to dirty limericks!  Just because you’re immortal and beautiful doesn’t mean you have to be a No-Fun Jones!  I paraphrase, but I believe Tolkien said something to the effect that the world would be a better place if more people valued the kind of simple pleasures that the Hobbits are most known for.

I just wanted to finish with, that before I moved to California, I founded Rings on the Range, the Fellowship of Texas Ringers, and my peeps in Austin still have a regular LOTR meetup every month!  They were a major part of the “Fandalf” project.

Thank you Nicole for sharing your photos and experiences with us all, it’s been a real delight talking to you.

Once again a big thank you to our Message Board regulars, Rosie-with-the-ribbons, zarabia, DanielLB and dernwyn for the questions we used this month.

If you’d like to ask any questions yourself, just head over to our Message Boards, the sign up process is mostly painless  A lead post requesting questions is made at the beginning of each month.

Till next time, from TORn’s resident tiger

Kelvarhin

As well, Weta conceptual designer Greg Broadmore will be signing copies of his over-the-top steampunk extravaganza Dr Grordbort presents: TRIUMPH — unnecessarily violent tales of science fiction adventure for the simple and unfortunate on next Wednesday. Apparently there will be “a splendid high tea” as well. Entry is free.

In true retro-steampunk style, Broadmore’s alter-ego Dr Grordbort has declared: “attendance compulsory on penalty of flogging!”. Be there, or be on the run I guess!

Weta Cave artist signing details:

Daniel Reeve: Sunday July 22, 1pm to 3pm.
Greg Broadmore: Wednesday July 25, 6pm to 7pm.

Read the full newsletter here: Weta Announces The Hobbit Collectibles license

The folks at Weta dropped big news on Ringers today with the announcement of their next The Lord of the Rings environment. In their own words they’ve decided to climb the Mount Everest of environments…that’s right fans… we’re going to get a chance to own Barad-Dur, made by those that conceptualized and created it for the trilogy. Over the next few months Weta will be giving us updates on the creation of this massive undertaking, and of course we will pass those updates onto you as they become available. Stay Tuned! Until then check out the latest Weta Newsletter!

Tune into our show at 5:00pm PDT (that’s L.A. time folks — click here to see when it is in your city!), and just click to our Live Event page.

   – Saruman to Sauron during The Two Towers

At Comic-Con 2011 the folks at Weta announced and displayed the newest environment to land in our collections. Then on July 31^st 2011 this amazing collectible went up for pre-order to those wishing to purchase this collectible. If you were one of the first 400 people to order Orthanc, you would end up with a numbered addition, and a special gold-plated Eye of Sauron pin commemorating the day of sale. Originally, this collectible was named Orthanc Pre-Ruin but Weta and TheOneRing.net teamed up to give it an even cooler name. The winning name chosen by Weta was Orthanc – Black Tower of Isengard. This version of Orthanc shows this place as we see it when Gandalf the Grey arrives to talk with Saruman upon realizing that The One Ring has been found. This memorable moment has been amazingly captured by Weta. Follow after the break for my complete review.

PACKAGING

The graphics on the Orthanc box once again have a simple but classy look with a picture of Gandalf the Grey riding up to Orthanc and The Lord of the Rings logo in the upper left hand corner. Also on the front of the box you have a great picture of the environment, full name of the collectible, and of course the Weta logo. On one side of the box you get a an additional shot of Orthanc and the other has more shots of many of the products you can get from Weta. No surprise that the back of the box contains another a beauty shot of Orthanc along with a brief history of Isengard.

SCULPTING

A group of Weta’s most talented artist worked on this project and they did a superb job bringing this version of Orthanc to life. As was the case with the Argonath, there is the obvious challenge to take polystone and make it look like real stone. Well, mission accomplished! Orthanc, with all of its intricate detail, is captured nicely as well as giving that carved stone look. Another very cool detail is the film-accurate pattern seen when we get glimpses of the top of Orthanc. Finally, to complete the scene, and put the finishing touches on an amazing collectible, the trees are expertly sculpted and reminiscent of real trees. All of this comes together to make what is a must have collectible!

PAINT

The paintwork on Orthanc is as exceptional as the sculpt work. Yes, Orthanc is all black on the tower, but none of the detail is lost on the sculpture. Also the other amazing thing about the paint job on the tower is the job to make the tower appear as it does on screen in the movie. The green work on the trees, grass, and the work done on the gravel are truly the cherry on top of another great paint job by Weta.

Overall

Orthanc costs $250 retail – a total steal at that price. I do not have the original Orthanc but having a chance to add this environment was a total no brainer. When you factor in the price, detail, paint, and importance of Orthanc within the story of The Lord of the Rings you must find a way to budget this item into your collection..

SPECIFICATIONS

Orthanc has an edition size of 400 pieces worldwide for the first four hundred, but an open edition after that. Orthanc’s specs are as followed: 16.9″ x 118.” x 7.1″ (H x W x D)
43 cm x 30 cm x 18 cm

PHOTOS

From our friends at the Weta Cave: The Weta Cave, an emporium of all things weird and wonderful, is proud to host Weta Artist Steven Saunders for a talk on the process behind Weta sculpture. Weta Workshop is the extraordinary visual design company best known for their work on the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, King Kong, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Avatar. The Weta Cave is Weta’s mini-museum, theaterette, and shop on a corner of the Workshop itself. Artist Steven Saunders will give a special Obscura Day talk taking you through the sculpting process behind Wetas new Gandalf sculpture. Not to be missed, this talk will provide unique insights into creative processes and into fantasy art from the sculptures perspective. Read More …