A number of fans are in a tizzy with the false impression that LotR will be turned into…
Continue ReadingA number of fans are in a tizzy with the false impression that LotR will be turned into a t.v. show because of this tongue-in-cheek ‘memo’ we reported a while back. Do not fear, it’s a joke!!
But I do love the image of hobbits on Animal Planet… “This here Watcher in the Water is one of the deadliest creatures known in Middle-earth…”
We FINALLY have our trailer in Quicktime!
From: Boof
I was checking out the apple website and I noticed they have the NEW trailer available to view in different sizes, plus they have some icards!!!! Check it out!!
Film Effects with a Human Face
Growing up in Rulsilp Manor, Andy Serkis always wanted to be in theatre, but saw his future behind the scenes. But after catching the acting bug at university and adding a string of key roles to his credit, he now plays arch fiend Gollum in next winter’s much-heralded film of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Alan Hayes talked to him.
Actor Andy Serkis has a peach of a role in the film they said could never be made.
As Gollum in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the rings, Mr Serkis, who grew up in Rulsilp Manor, has spent the last six months in New Zealand, ‘halfway up volcanoes, in glacial streams and marshes’, as well as in a special studio, creating the sort of effects that have finally made JRR Tolkien’s epic possible.
Shooting all three parts of the story simultaneously, Kiwi director Mr Jackson and his compatriot special-effects whizz-kids has wrestled the tale of sword, sorcery, fantastic creatures and little Hobbits to near completion, and part one is due on screen in December (a cartoon version of the early 1980’s fizzled after only one book had been animated).
Mr. Serkis will be back down under this summer for three months of post-production work, finishing the special effects which have made it all possible.
But the film doesn’t sublimate all acting talent in favor of technical wizardry.
“They were looking for someone who was capable of doing a creature voice but portray him as human as well,” says the 36 year old actor about Gollum, the boy who kills for, then becomes utterly corrupted by, one of the fabled, lost rings.
“I think the great thing about Gollum is he is the point of human contact or what the ring does to you,” said Mr Serkis, who having just returned from New Zealand and paid a flying visit to his parents. Lylie and Clement at their Westhone Gardens home, was in Manchester this week working on a new film.
On the theme of Gollum he continues: “He’s very much a case of” ‘There but for the grace of God.”
He ads that with the need to give cinema audiences the ability to relate the creature to something recognizable, he has played him as an addict, a ‘ring junkie’. complete with withdrawal symptoms.
“When you are playing such an extreme character, you have to root it in something the audience can identify with,” he said.
Mr Serkis confessed he had not read The Lord of the Rings before being offered the part, although Tolikien’s other Middle Earth tale, The Hobbit, was a childhood favorite.
To get into Gollim’s head, he said he read and re-read certain passages and found it ‘fantastic stuff’
During the course of the film, he must transform from Smeagol, the boy who killed his cousin for possession of the ring, into the reptilian Gollim, with his sobbing, hissing language as he talks to himself and the ring, his later ego which he calls ‘his precious’.
Much of the special effects use ‘motion capture’, a technique which required Mr Serkis to wear a special suit covered in reflective dots, tracked by a computer-driven camera.
The animation can then be overlaid, so the actor realistically drives the character’s movements, even if the final appearance is part computer graphics.
New Zealand is becoming a hot house of film special effects, not least due to costs being vastly lower than in Hollywood. Mr Serkis said the level of artisan skill and craftsmanship which produced the reams of costumes, armaments and equipment impressed him greatly and the scenery was perfect for portraying Middle Earth.
The film, he said, “was a real marriage between acting and animation, and they got the real cutting edge technology out there.
“As Peter Jackson said: ‘The film should be made because now we have the technology,” he recalls.
Six months in New Zealand wasn’t all work. His partner, the actor Larraine Ashbourne, and their two children, Sonny and Ruby, were able to come out, and the family managed a holiday on the south Island.
The Lord of the Rings has been sandwiched between other films – Shiner, with Sir Michael Caine, penciled in for release in 2001, and his latest project, 24-hour Party People, but as an actor trained in repertory, he yearns to get back on stage.
However, the long-anticipated ‘Rings’ is special, for film-goers and film-makers alike.
“I do think it’s going to be fantastic,” said Mr Serkis, “and I very, very rarely say that about anything I do.”
Thanks to Darrell for the tip!
Its been a long time since I brought you an episode of “How to be Unproductive at Work,” so here goes!
• Why not check out some Tolkien based MUSH’s? They are notorious for taking LOTS of time off your hands. [more]
• If you didn’t already know, TheOneRing.net hosts the LARGEST image collection of Tolkien related Art in the world! Rolozo Tolkien has been known to take up hours of my day, why not give it a try! [more]
• In a VERY rare occurence, Margaret Weis, Don Perrin, and Chris Pierson of DragonLance fame, dropped by our very own Barlimans for a fireside chat with fans. The log is only about 20 pages long, that will definitely kill some time. [more]
• Why not start your journey into true Tolkien fandom by learning an elvish language or two? Ostadan from Green Books will be more then happen to help you along on this quest. [more]
• If you didn’t realize already, Barlimans is a huge worldwide phemomenon of a chatroom. Catch up on your fellow fans and find out where they live in our Barlimans Regulars Map. [more]
• Bruce Spence will be playing the Mouth of Sauron in the upcoming films. But what race of creature is the Mouth of Sauron? How tall was he? When did he die? Find out these facts and just about anything you could want to know about the characters of Middle-earth in our characters section. [more]
• And last but not least, where does all the money for banner ads and t-shirt sales at TheOneRing.net go? The answer is quite simple. TheOneRing.net sends it’s profits to various charities worldwide. Why not take some time and support the charities we do! [more]
I hope that takes the necessary time out of your day to make this Friday, and every other work day, a lot less stressful!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Diane Kamahele
Domestic Sales / Public Relation
Sideshow Toy
In what is surely one of the most creative theatrical licensing deals ever, Sideshow Toy of Westlake Village, CA has partnered with Weta Workshop of New Zealand to develop multiple lines of polystone collectibles based on the upcoming film trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. What makes this deal so unique is that it may be the first time a U.S. based toy company has partnered with the special effects company that created the effects for the licensed film property. The Sideshow / Weta collaboration will be responsible for the development and marketing of five lines of polystone collectibles: statues, busts, miniature weapons, miniature armor, & wall plaques.
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy is a New Line Cinema production and is based on the J.R.R Tolkien classic fantasy series of books. The films are currently in production in New Zealand with the first film; “The Fellowship of the Ring” slated for December 2001 release. Peter Jackson, a native New Zealander, whose credits include “Heavenly Creatures” and “The Frighteners”, is directing the trilogy. The international cast features Sir Ian McKellen, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Liv Tyler, and Elijah Wood.
The Sideshow / Weta partnership bring together two respected and talented organizations. Sideshow is the creative force responsible for the highly praised line of figures based on the Universal Studios Classic Monsters. The Sideshow team has been recognized for its ability to consistently achieve character likenesses in both collectible toys and statues. Weta is New Zealand’s foremost Effects facility, which was established fourteen years ago to support New Zealand’s fledgling film and television industry. Among Weta’s credits are several of Peter Jackson’s earlier films, and also television’s popular Xena and Hercules’ series. Weta is comprised of a group of artists united in their love of art and film – from blacksmiths to leatherworkers, skilled prosthetic technicians, miniature makers, painters to wigmakers, casting and molding experts, engineers and swordsmiths.
The Weta Workshop has been immersed for four years in the conceptualizing, creation and the on set operation of the creatures, miniatures, armor, weapons and special make-up effects for the three epic films. Weta’s focus has been to create a unified look throughout the three films while capturing the very essence of the books that are held so dear by millions of readers around the world.
It is the same Weta designers and technicians that have created the different armies and creatures within Middle Earth that have chosen to create the high quality collectibles under the Sideshow / Weta brand. The integrated experience that these designers and technicians have had in the creation of the films and their unique relationship with the actors and director will result in the most authentic figure and miniature collectibles possible. A preview of the upcoming collectibles can be seen by appointment at the International Toy Fair in New York from February 11 – 16, 2001. The figures, busts and miniatures will be on display at the Sideshow Toy show room in the Toy Building at 200 5th Ave., suite 1061.
© 2001 New Line Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
“The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of The Ring and the characters and the places therein, TM The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Tolkien Enterprises under license to New Line Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.”
From: Aiglos
Just to let you know that there was a lotr feature on TV3 News here in Ireland at the end of the program. It was about 5mins long and comprised theatre-quality shots from the new teaser mixed with an interview with Peter Jackson where he talked about finally finishing filming. He mentioned that he’d never do anything like it again and he said he was delighted that it would soon be “hitting the cinema screens.”
