Red Carpet’s Premiere Tour group dressed up for their Hobbiton visit

Red Carpet is steadily adding new locations into its tours in the light of the new Hobbit movie, says director Vic James.

“We’re pretty excited because since the Unexpected Journey came out, we’ve been able to add new sites and new people,” James says. “We visit landowners and check out new locations on a regular basis, as information and invitations come to hand.

“The Premiere Tour last November was the first to visit some of the new places and when the time is right for further landowners to allow visits, we will add them in.”

The north island leg of the tour includes, as before, Hobbiton and the central volcanic plateau that served as Mt Doom. A new feature are some rapids where the dwarves’ more hair-raising barrel-riding scenes were filmed.

The ‘top’ of the South Island is a beautiful addition to the tour, James says.  Nelson, with its sunny bay ringed by mountains,  is reached by a ferry cruise through the beautiful fjords of Marlborough Sounds. There’s a stop along the way at Pelorus Bridge, scene of Bilbo and the dwarves’ barrel-riding adventures.

Red Carpet’s LOTR tours always include visits to extras, artisans, actors and crew members for the films. Halfdan Hansen, son of the real-life Ringmaker for LOTR, has  his studio in Nelson and has created a new version of the Ring, invisibly weighted with some denser metal so that it lies strangely heavy on the palm of the hand.

In Nelson there is also the option to take a two-and-a-half hour helicopter flight to Dimrill Dale and South of Rivendell.  The flights have been a huge success with tour guests.

Olympus Rocks – a place to hide from the spies of Saruman

To accommodate the extra locations, tours are now 14 days duration. People can also choose to join the North Island 6 day or the South Island 10 day options. “It’s a long way to come to not see it all,” James says.

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The (Biblical) Beacons of Gondor

By Tedoras — special to TheOneRing.net

This past April 28th happened to be the Jewish holiday of Lag B’Omer (the 33rd day of the Counting of the Sheaves, to be more precise). Now, you are probably wondering how this little-known holiday relates to The Lord of the Rings (and, if you’re like me, you’d like to know what a “sheaf” is, too). It turns out a sheaf is a bundle for cereal plants—fortunately for us all, though, my story has nothing to do with Biblical agriculture. Rather, it begins with The Return of the King.

If you are like me, you love those amazing fly-by shots from The Lord of the Rings films. One of the most epic sequences of such shots is the lighting of the beacons in ROTK (refresh your memory here). Whether your first encounter with these mountaintop fires was in literature or film, you probably thought it was an ingenious mode of communication. Certainly, they are by far the best means for sending urgent messages across long distances (and I hope the Gondorian who urged their construction was handsomely rewarded). In order to see the connection between these beacons and the aforementioned holiday, it is important to know the story of Lag B’Omer.

In short, Lag B’Omer commemorates a revolt in the year 131 CE. The Israelites, under the leadership of Bar Kochba, rose up against the Romans, who ruled the land at that time. Years before the Romans came, the Israelites had built a series of m’durot, or bonfires, upon the surrounding mountains. So, when the revolt began, (you guessed it) Bar Kochba ordered a beacon lit. A soldier took a torch to the top of a mountain, lit one the beacons, and thus sent word around the land that war had begun.

Certainly, the use of the beacons of Gondor to call for Rohan’s aid is reminiscent of this episode. Yet, was Tolkien inspired by this Biblical tale in his creation of the beacons? On the one hand, we know Tolkien was well-versed in the Bible; his contemporaneous English education saw to that. Furthermore, Tolkien was a lifelong scholar—thus, if not in school, it is likely he would have encountered this story on his own. Assuming Tolkien was acquainted with this tale, the unanswerable question here, of course, is whether or not he consciously recognized the Bible as their source.

However, on the other hand, a case can certainly be made that Tolkien knew not of the story of Bar Kochba’s revolt. For a realm the size of Gondor, it would make sense to have a system for mass-communication in the event of any important occurrence. And, while these beacons also housed fresh horses on stand-by for couriers, it is clear that signal fires would be a much faster means. The independent invention of the beacons is not only possible in terms of the technology available to Gondor at the time, but it is also becoming of the prudence and wisdom of the Gondorian kings of Old.

This is one of many familiar situations to us Tolkien fans: is there a “right” answer here? Personally, I do not think it really matters; I intended only to present a surprising and uncanny resemblance upon which I happened to stumble. But, of course, such a topic is up for interpretation—so I will let you decide for yourself.

This week on Main, noWizardme was asking about the Middle-earth Music Festival, which acts have been confirmed and which acts we’d like to hear as confirmed.  Share your opinion here.

On The Hobbit Movie board, Roheryn once again delights us with her random thoughts of AUJ.  Read what she has to say here.

In Off Topic, deej is once again leading us as we discuss the movies we’ve seen over the weekend.  Did you see an interesting movie last weekend, share your views on it with us here.

We’ll share more topics next week and we hope you will come and join in the conversations!  Don’t forget, TheOneRing.net’s message boards have over 9,600 registered Tolkien fans, just like you.  Let your voice be heard!

What a fun movie! Dominic Monaghan (Meriadoc Brandybuck) came on board to be our wonderful narrator! Actually this film is a time capsule of many decades of pop culture history — giving us the full story on how the world has embraced Tolkien’s masterpiece THE LORD OF THE RINGS over 50 years and more!

Winner of the Outstanding Achievement Award at the Newport Beach Film Festival, RINGERS was produced in association with TheOneRing.net — this remarkable little film was forged BY fans and FOR fans, just like our website, with the production/writing talent of Clifford “Quickbeam” Broadway (who hosts TORn TUESDAY every week), Jeff Marchelletta, and supercool director Carlene Cordova. It was executive produced by X-Men/Transformers guru Tom DeSanto.

With a wonderful rock-driven score and detailing all the outpouring of love bestowed on Tolkien over many generations, this film is a must-have for your digital collection! Get it on iTunes now for only $9.99!

From the original Sony Press Release:

“RINGERS is comprehensive, entertaining and informative pop culture history.”
– The Toronto Star

“…Will always be a salient part of ‘LORD OF THE RINGS’ history…
See it, absorb it, love it.” – FilmThreat

Winner of “Outstanding Achievement” Award at the
Newport Beach Film Festival

RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS

FASCINATING DOCUMENTARY CAPTURES THE HISTORY, INFLUENCE AND PHENOMENON THAT IS LORD OF THE RINGS

CULVER CITY, Calif. (September 12, 2005) – Sony invites you to return to the Shire with the release of the feature-length documentary RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS, direct to DVD.  In association with the popular fan-site TheOneRing.net, Carlene Cordova produced, directed and wrote this award-winning film with executive producer Tom DeSanto(X-Men, X2: X-Men United and Transformers), which charts the incredible influence and ripple-effect that Lord of the Rings has had on worldwide pop culture over the past five decades.  Whether you are a fan or first timer, critics agree, RINGERS, stands as the most comprehensive film documenting the ongoing impact of J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary achievement.

Dominic Monaghan (star of ABC’s Lost and the Academy Award^® winning Lord of the Rings trilogy) narrates the documentary as it looks behind the curtain between Lord of the Rings and how it inspired so many artists of different mediums.  The film moves beyond “cult classic” and through different generations unearthing the way legendary rock musicians, filmmakers, professors, actors and authors all unite under the banner of ‘Ringer.’  Interviewees included in the film are Lord of the Rings trilogy filmmaker Peter Jackson as well as Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Sean Astin and David Carradine.  Infused with a dynamic rock-driven score, irreverent cut-out animation (á la Terry Gilliam), and a centerpiece audience sing-a-long, RINGERS is a genre-busting documentary that shows how a single literary work continues to spark the minds and hearts of millions.

RINGERS continues the momentum of the motion picture trilogy Lord of the Rings, a winner of 17 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director for Peter Jackson, who made history as the first person to direct three major feature films simultaneously. 

From the official synopsis:

Ringers: Lord of the Fans is a feature-length documentary that reveals the ongoing cultural phenomenon created by The Lord of the Rings.  Very funny and often moving, Ringers shows the hidden power behind Tolkien’s books — and how after 50 years a single literary work continues to spark the minds and hearts of millions, across cultures and across time.

Shot with groundbreaking new digital technology in 24P, Ringers explores the real foundations of Middle-earth; a community of true fans who share a common bond.  Moving beyond “cult classic” and over several different generations, the film unearths academics, musicians, authors, filmmakers, and a plethora of pop junkies — the people gathered under the banner of ‘Ringer.’  From the hippie counter-culture to the electronic age; from the Bakshi animated film to Jackson’s epic trilogy; this documentary brings together extensive footage from across the globe.  With units in Los Angeles, San Diego, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Bonn, Germany, Wellington, New Zealand, and Oxford, England, our cameras capture the most fascinating “Ringers” and Lord of the Rings events.

What began as the private amusement of a tweedy Oxford professor has now become a new mythology for the 21^st century. Ringers: Lord of the Fans shows how an adventure story published in 1954 has had dynamic ripple-effects through Western pop-culture.  Ringers carefully pulls away the veil between Tolkien’s book and the creations of art, music, and community that have been inspired by it.

Check out the official trailer here:

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!

Every week on the Main Discussion Board, poster Roheryn shares a game she creates from Tolkien’s works.  We’ve been having fun playing SAST (Short Attention Span Theatre) from The Hobbit.  Come join the fun here.

In the Reading Room, posters are still discussing The Silmarillion.  They’re well into Chapter 12, “Of Men”. If you’ve ever wanted to delve into The Sil, but you weren’t sure you wanted to tackle the enormity of this deep Middle-earth history, the Reading Room is the perfect way to start.  Join them with Chapter 12 Part 1 and Part 2.

In Lord of the Rings Movie Discussion Board, we never get tired of sharing our favourite quotes from J.R.R. Tolkien’s works.  Stop by and let us know what yours are.

   There was a thunderous round of applause on the Feedback Discussion Board when Admin and long-time poster dernwyn pointed out that there are now banner circle pictures from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey mixed with the LotR pics!  For those who haven’t visited the Boards, you really must go take a peek.  When you read posts or visit the main pages of each Discussion Board, take a look in the upper left-hand corner of your screen.  Up until now, there have been pics from The Lord of the Rings.  Check out The Hobbit pics here.  For those of us who live on the Discussion Boards, this is Awesome!!

   Want Hobbit Movie News? Each week, TORN poster DanielLB ventures into the very rich and fast-moving Hobbit Discussion Board to collect the Hobbit Headlines of the Week.  Check out this week’s action here.

   We’ll share more topics next week and hope you can join in on the conversation!  Don’t forget, TheOneRing.net’s Message Boards have over 9,600 registered Tolkien fans, just like you.  Let your voice be heard!

This week on Main, noWizardMe is asking if we’ve ever met or known someone with a Tolkien inspired name, see what they had to say here.

In the Reading Room, erynion was asking for help filling in the blanks about the First Age, Elros, Elrond, Gil-galad, etc.  Check out the replies here.

On The Hobbit board the gang are once again discussing what they believe will be wrong with the next two movies, do you agree or disagree with them?  Tell us here.

Over at Off Topic, we’re once again having fun with our message board version of “Getting to know you”.  See what everyone was happy to share with us here.

We’ll share more topics next week and we hope you will come and join in the conversations!  Don’t forget, TheOneRing.net’s message boards have over 9,600 registered Tolkien fans, just like you.  Let your voice be heard!

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By Tedoras — special to TheOneRing.net

In recent years, and especially following the release of the first installment of The Hobbit films, Latin America and China have both become major sources of Tolkien fandom.  While we often associate the works of Tolkien with the English-speaking world, the international nature of modern Ringerdom cannot be ignored.  The Spanish and Chinese-speaking markets have undeniably helped in making An Unexpected Journey the fourteenth highest grossing film of all time.  An historical challenge with Tolkien’s works, however, is how best to translate them. Whether in film or literature, translators have struggled and debate for years on how translate the names of people and places without losing the original sound and meaning that the Professor clearly intended. The process of de-anglicizing these nouns is further complicated because not only must English-language etymology be considered, but also that of Middle-earth’s many distinct tongues.

In Middle-earth, we find a strong correlation between sound and meaning that is particularly evident in the context of “soft” or “hard/harsh” names.  For example, the word “Shire” conjures up visions of a distinctly British pastoral community — in essence, one notes a favorable and pleasant sense simply from reading the word. In contrast, “Dol Guldur” is composed of hard consonants and more guttural vowels which denote a rather negative air.  Another popular theme is the use of alliteration; it is no mere coincidence that Bilbo Baggins lives in Bag End. As you will see, the biggest problem in translating proper nouns is deciding whether to maintain the original sound or meaning intended by the author, when often both cannot be kept.

It just so happens that Chinese and Spanish are two languages I study, so, in homage to the large Latin American and Chinese Tolkien-fan base around the world, I have decided to present some translations of proper nouns from The Hobbit. While these translations certainly highlight the many different ways Tolkien’s works can be translated, they also provide some important insight into Middle-earth (and some unintended laughs along the way).

I first present some Spanish translations of proper names.

These translations reflect an effort to keep the original meaning of a word, rather than its sound.  However, because of its close relationship with English, Spanish allows for the pronunciation of many words in their original form.

Bilbo Bolsón

This is of course our favorite hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. Interesting here is the translation of the surname.  In Spanish, “bolsón” is the augmentative form of “bolsa,” which literally means “bag.”  A “bolsón” is simply a large bag or backpack, yet in translation it is used to convey the “bag” in Baggins.

Bardo el Arquero

Bard the Bowman is, in Spanish, literally Bard the Archer. In this case, we note a loss of alliteration in translation. It may seem trivial, but alliteration very much shapes how we view a character. The strong “b” sound in Bard’s English title provides him with a bold, confident aura. In a way, the Spanish version tries to make up for this loss by means of assonance and the repetition of the “o” in Bardo and “Arquero.”

Guille Estrujónez

Bill Huggins is one of our favorite trolls. His surname is of particular interest; in the translation, we find the Spanish word “estrujón,” literally “squeeze/press” or “bear hug.” There are two aspects to this translation: first, if we take the “bear hug” approach, then you will notice how “hug” is also present in his English surname (Huggins); and secondly, from the Spanish name one is immediately aware that this character must be strong and large.

Piedra del Arca

The Arkenstone can be interpreted many ways in Spanish. “Arca” can refer to a chest (as in of treasure) or to an ark (as in Noah’s). Either translation lends an antiquarian, more mystical nature to the stone.

La Comarca

In Spanish, the Shire is known rather literally as a “region” or “province”. This name was translated out of necessity, for in Spanish the “sh” sound does not typically exist. Personally, I find this name lacking of the novelty of “Shire.”

Bolsón Cerrado

The Spanish name for “Bag End” is rather odd. We find Bilbo’s surname used to represent the “Bag” in his aforementioned smial, but where one expects to find “end” there is the Spanish “cerrado” (literally “closed”). I am at a loss as to how to properly account for his translation; I will note, however, that the name flows much better as translated than if any variant of “end” had been used instead.

Montañas Nubladas

I find the Spanish name for the Misty Mountains very descriptive. Of note here is “nubladas” (literally, “cloudy/overcast”, from “nube” cloud). While “misty” and “cloudy” both denote mystery, the Spanish name is particularly foreboding; the verb “nublar” means “to darken/to cloud” and has a negative and ominous connotation in Spanish. This is of course an apt warning of the Misty Mountains.

Lago Largo

The Spanish version of the “Long Lake” is very evocative of its English translation. Both exhibit an alliterative nature and are composed of two one-syllable words. This is, perhaps, exemplary of an ideal translation, if ever there were such a thing, as neither an ounce of meaning nor sound is lost.

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Next I present some Chinese translations of proper names.

Before continuing, however, I must note a few important characteristics of the Chinese language for those who have no experience with it. Unlike Spanish, Chinese is much more concerned with the preservation of sound. The Chinese have a long tradition of translating words such that they are phonetically similar to their native language-form. Here are two examples: first, the Chinese name for Germany is deguo (de, because of the German Deutschland, and guo meaning “country/nation”). While the character de has literal meaning (“virtues” or “ethics”), in this context it is used simply because it sounds like the “de” in Deutschland. Another example is the translation of the English name Michael; the Chinese form, maike, literally means something along the lines of “overcome wheat”. Yet, again, the Chinese in this instance forgo meaning in favor of sound. Thus, as you will see, the majority of translations involve preserving sound in Chinese. Yet looking at what potential literal translations of the names yield is a rather funny and interesting task.

#1 (huo bi te ren)

This is the Chinese form of “hobbit.” It can literally be translated as “quickly compare special people.” This name, oddly enough, recognizes one truth: the unique and special nature of hobbits. Whether conveyance of this meaning was intended or not by the translator, I am not sure, though.

#2 (gu lu mu)

As you might have guessed, this is Gollum in Chinese. The literal meaning of this name is very odd: it can be translated as “nanny guru.” It does imply Gollum is old (which is true) and beholding of some secret knowledge, as a guru is (also, perhaps, true).

#3 (zhong tu shi jie)

The Chinese name for Middle-earth is an example where meaning is carried over sound. It literally means “middle earth/soil world”. However, another translation of “zhong1 tu3” is “Sino-Turkish,” though, of course, that is not the intended meaning.

#4 (bierbo bajinsi)

This is Bilbo Baggins—and a very difficult name to translate, too. The first name cannot really be translated at all. However, the surname is quite interesting; one translation could be “long for gold” which, although perhaps not applicable to Bilbo himself, is a rather pertinent note on the story as a whole.

#5 (gan dao fu)

As it sounds, this is Gandalf. The translation I like most for his name is “willing path man,” for, as we know, Gandalf is an instinctive wanderer; they do call him The Grey Pilgrim, after all.

#6 (si mao ge)

Smaug’s name is also very apt for his character. I translate this name as “careless spear,” which reflects his wantonly destructive nature.

#7 (you an mi lin)

The Chinese form of Mirkwood is another rare instance where meaning is favored over sound. This name literally means “gloomy jungle.” The dark and ominous connotation of the Chinese form is, in my opinion, much more powerfully negative than even the original English.

#8 (tuo er jin)

Lastly, I decided to include Tolkien’s Chinese name because it is oddly appropriate for the Professor. The name can be translated as “entrusting you with gold,” which I interpret in two ways: first, this can be seen as a reference to The One Ring, and, second, it can refer to Tolkien’s gift of his writings to us (his literary “gold,” if you will). Again, any intent on the part of the translator is impossible to know.

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…. stay tuned for more from Tedoras ….

Join us every Tuesday for more engaging conversation with live chatters around the world who join our innovative broadcast TORn TUESDAY, featuring interviews with Tolkien/Fantasy luminaries, authors, and artists — many of whom are Ringer fans just like us! Every Tuesday at 5:00PM Pacific Time

This month we’re asking questions of director/producer/actress of Born of Hope, Kate Madison.

Kelvarhin: Thanks so much Kate for agreeing to take part this month. I thought we’d start with grammas old favourite…

What was your favourite cartoon to watch when you were growing up?

Kate: I think I probably had a number of favourites.  I’m not a morning person nowadays but I remember getting up very early at the weekend to watch cartoons.  I really enjoyed shows like The Mysterious Cities of Gold, Dogtanian, Pigeon Street, and Thundercats.

Kelvarhin: What is it about Arathorn’s (and Gilraen’s) story that interests you most, and was this the reason for you making the story?

Kate: I came across this story when reading through the appendices.  Tolkien gives us just a few intriguing tit bits and it made me want to know more. Aragorn is a hugely important character who goes on quite a journey from unknown Ranger to King yet we know nothing about him.  Somehow this strange guy sitting in the corner of a pub in Bree ends up King.  I wanted to know where he came from, what his life was like before he met the Hobbits and what his parents were like.  What made him the man he was?  I wanted to find a way to show qualities in his parents that would make him the man he became.

Kelvarhin: If you could, how would you incorporate Arathorn and Gilraen into The Hobbit and or the LOTR films (via flashback, perhaps in Rivendell etc.)?

Kate: Well I guess in LOTRs they would be flashbacks or ghostly memories.  However in the Hobbit you could always show Gilraen and Aragorn at Rivendell.  In a way I kind of hope that PJ doesn’t do that because it’s nice to have my actors unique to those roles.  It’s one of the things people like about BoH and why you can watch my film alongside PJ’s. Of course PJ could always cast us!

Kelvarhin: What is your favourite book, and would you consider making a movie out of that one?

Kate: If you’re referring to other books by Tolkien then I have to admit, shamefully, that I’ve not actually read many of Tolkien’s other books, although I do own a number. For someone who spent many years making a Tolkien fan film I’m not actually very well versed in all of Tolkien’s wonderful stories which I’m always ashamed to say in front of Tolkien fans.

Now if you are being more general than I would love to make a movie about Anne McCaffrey’s Dragon Riders of Pern. Also, one of my recent projects was to make a promo about Anne Bonny and Mary Read the two famous female pirates of the Golden Age and I think James L Nelson’s The Only Life That Mattered that explores their story would make a great movie.

Kelvarhin: You have been granted an infinite amount of money and time. Which Middle-earth story would you film/produce next, and why?

Kate: Well as I’ve just admitted I’m not well versed so I couldn’t really say.  Tolkien wrote so many great stories but I think I’d be interested in exploring things that he has only hinted at – kind of like I did with Born of Hope.  For example, Halbarad is a character featured in Return of the King and I briefly show him in BoH too.  It might be nice to learn more about him.  Maybe show his quest to gather the Grey Company and ride to Aragorn’s aid.

Kelvarhin: Wouldn’t mind seeing that too, I was always disappointed that Halbarad and the Grey Company were left out of the LOTR films.

Kelvarhin: If you could travel to anytime and anyplace in Middle-earth’s history, where would you go, and would you take Arathorn or Gilraen with you?

Kate: Gosh well there are so many great places and probably a huge amount I don’t know about.  The Shire would be a great place to kick back with a beer and good friends, whereas the Gray Havens are probably beautiful.  I’d love to visit Aragorn and Arwen and family in the fourth age.  If I could bring Arathorn and Gilraen to visit them too that would be amazing.  If I had the chance to make my own piece of Middle-earth then I have dreamed of building my own Edoras ever since I saw PJ’s version.

Kelvarhin: You’ve said that your next project will not be Tolkien related, and I am wondering what it will be….can you tell or give a hint? You did such a great job on BoH that I am wondering if the next film will be fantasy based or not?

Kate: I do really love fantasy. My next major project is a fantasy web series called Ren. It tells the story of Ren who is possessed and her face branded by a powerful ancient spirit, which leaves her feared by all who see her. Far from home and hunted by the powerful ruling order of the Kah’Nath she refuses to accept her fate and journeys across the land to discover what she is and if there are any others like her. Joined on her perilous quest by a small band of outcasts, led by the charismatic Hunter, she discovers that the truths she has been taught may all have been a lie.

Ren will tell a serious story with amazing fights, epic scenery, a strong female lead, a splash of humour and fantastic characters we will all fall in love with. I’m really excited about this new project and I hope that you guys will be too. I’m running a Kickstarter for the project, which will go live in a week or so and there’s also a FB page you can like https://www.facebook.com/rentheseries.

Kelvarhin: And, are you considering a future Tolkien influenced film?

Kate: I think any fantasy project I do will be influenced by Tolkien but as getting the rights to make films of Tolkien’s work is so difficult and expensive I doubt I will do an actual Tolkien film.

Kelvarhin: Could you give us some background about your company, what inspired you to start it, where do you find actors, etc.?

Kate: I started Actors at Work Productions back in 2003 when I wanted to start producing work. I came up with the name after an acting class. The teacher mentioned that he loves it when an actor suddenly does more than just what’s on the page and he’d say “Oh, actor at work!” I thought this would work well for me, as an actor wanting to do more. It’s actually not officially a limited company, more a name under which I work, and there’s no team, it’s just me. I have just set up an official company called Mythica Entertainment Limited for producing Ren.

Regarding finding actors. I have never yet worked with a casting director so there are a number of places in the UK that I use. Websites like shootingpeople.org, Casting Call Pro, and Mandy are places that I have advertised in the past. I do also use my mailing list and various FB pages to advertise castings.

Kelvarhin: Do you know if Christopher Tolkien watched BoH?  Or if  Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens have watched BoH and did you get any feedback from them?

Kate: Regarding both of these questions I’m afraid I have never heard from any of these people.  I would love to know and I’d be surprised if Peter Jackson has not at least heard about Born of Hope even if he’s not actually watched it.  I have a friend currently working on the Hobbit pickups and am very tempted to send her the film to hand it to PJ.

Kelvarhin: You wore many hats for Born of Hope, and according to your IMDb page you have worked behind and in front of the camera, in the thick of production, and in locations. (I’m sure you can guess where I’m going here.) What aspect of film making interests you most, and do you think you will ever settle into a specific role in the production process?

Kate: Lots of people, including close friends, have asked me this question and to be honest I still don’t know.  I really enjoy acting but it’s such a hard field to compete in plus it’s sometimes hard to turn my filmmaker head off when acting.   Producing and directing is hard work but it’s great to bring a project to life.  I must have a bit of a control freak nature as I can find it hard working on a production in a smaller role with no power to change things if I think it’s not going right   One area that I’ve not worked in much but I do feel I would enjoy is the art department.  I love sets and props and costumes.  I never studied art but I do enjoy it and I find that the visuals of a project I’m working on is a very high priority for me.

Kelvarhin: BoH was a noble effort. It is true that most professional film makers don’t often have the luxury of following their passion. Even GDT said recently that “your [film] career is what happens while you’re making other plans.” I’m wondering, has Born of Hope made breaking into a film career more difficult, or has it opened some doors for you that were not open before?

Kate: It’s hard to tell really.  It’s not like Hollywood has been calling since BoH has been online.  I think there are a number of people in the industry who know about BoH even if they’ve not seen it just because of all the publicity we had.  Even if people don’t know of the project, being able to say that I’ve made a film that has been seen over 20 million times is pretty amazing and should get some attention when used to promote me and my work.

Kelvarhin: A related question, how were the politics of doing what you guys did (ie an all volunteer feature length production)?

Kate: For BoH it wasn’t really a huge problem.  Obviously everyone deserves to be paid for their work but we had such a limited budget and as the film was not commercial and would never be making any money, everyone understood why it had to be non paid. Luckily making a fantasy film and a LOTRs one at that, attracts attention and most people just loved the idea of working on such an unusual and ambitious project.

Kelvarhin: It seems Born of Hope was inspired as much by Jackson’s films as it was by Tolkien’s writing. As far as production design goes, did you envision a film that fit seamlessly with Jackson’s films?

Kate: Absolutely that was exactly the point.  The genesis of Born of Hope was right around the time of the Return of the King and Jackson was the person to really introduce me to Middle-earth.  The story was chosen to be able to fit with the Trilogy and not overlap characters.

Kelvarhin: If you haven’t already, why not can check out Kate’s film at www.bornofhope.com and follow her on Twitter @ActorsatWork

As always thanks to all our message board regulars, DanielLB, SirDennisC, Glaurung63, Hun200kmh, grammaboodawg and Rosie-with-the-ribbons, for this months’ 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

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!

The Main and Off Topic Discussion Boards have been hosting TORn’s very own holiday.  Read all about it and join in the games here at the 2013 Founders Day and TORn’s 14th Anniversary Party Links.

On The Hobbit Discussion Board, posters are already anticipating the next 2 films as they anticipate the Epic Scenes that could be shown.  Check out the dreaming here.

Over in the Reading Room, poster Arannir shared a fascinating thought of the Things Tolkien never stated but that you always assumed.  Join in with your assumptions here   OR share your Favourite Tolkien quotations here.

We’ll share more topics next week and hope you can join in on the conversation!  Don’t forget, TheOneRing.net’s Message Boards have over 9,600 registered Tolkien fans, just like you.  Let your voice be heard!

Founders Day is TheOneRing.net’s official holiday, filled with the best that a virtual party can offer.  If you’re new(er) to the site, it’s a chance to find out about the roots of the site, about the four founders, and to say thanks to the people who keep this place going.

If you’ve been around for a bit, it’s a great day to reminisce, tell war stories, and reflect on all the adventures and friendships that have been forged over the years.

Look for a few special party threads on our message boards (mostly on Main and Off Topic)— so don’t be shy! Hunt around, find a party game you like, or a conversation you enjoy, and dive in!

Here’s to our Founders (from left to right below: Corvar, Xoanon, Tehanu, Calisuri). Happy 14th TORNiversary, TheOneRing.net!

As part of our celebrations every year we reprise posting the TORn ‘Valequenta’ below. The TORn ‘Valequenta’ was written by member Alassëa Eruvende and set most beautifully to paper by our dear friend Daniel Reeve, calligrapher and artist for Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies. Enjoy!