Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Snowblind Studios are pleased to invite fans to join The Council of the North, an exclusive community for The Lord of the Rings: War in the North accessed by registering at the game’s official website: www.WarintheNorth.com. Once registered, members are part of The Council of the North, gaining access to exclusive content and joining the ultimate destination for, and celebration of, The Lord of the Rings gaming fans.

Council members enjoy unparalleled special access to video game information and insight from the development team. Exclusive elements include developer Q&A’s, unique screenshots and concept art, exclusive or extended cuts of videos, special events, contests and more. Key community members will be highlighted in the Council’s Hall of Ringbearers. Anywhere The Council of the North logo appears, you can be sure elite content lies within. Continue reading “WB Games Presents: The Council of the North”

9 February, 2011, Wellington – Sir Peter Jackson’s Wingnut Films Productions Limited and Rings Scenic Tours Limited are pleased to announce that they have entered into a joint venture arrangement to allow movie fans to visit the newly reconstructed film set which is located near Matamata. The new venture will be known as Shire Tours. The companies have been working towards this agreement for some time, and the joint venture came into effect on January 24th, 2011.

The set, originally designed by the Art Department of THE LORD OF THE RINGS films, has recently been rebuilt at the original location on the Alexander Farm on Buckland Road, Matamata. It will be used again for the filming of the two films based on THE HOBBIT late in 2011, during which time the location will be closed to the public. Continue reading “HOBBITON MOVIE LOCATION TO BECOME JOINT VENTURE WITH SHIRE TOURS”

Ataahua sends this in: Dr Sagar, who has worked on Spiderman 2, King Kong and Avatar, began professional life as an engineering PhD, creating an eye surgery simulator that took him to Massachusetts Institute of Technology. While there he worked in a lab that drew in businessmen looking to use digital technology for movies…Dr Sagar pioneered the use of the facial action coding system in motion capture for digital characters, a system originally devised by psychologist Paul Ekman to identify and classify facial expressions. This system has been credited with capturing the subtlety of emotion in the faces of digital characters in Weta blockbusters King Kong and Avatar, which have been widely acclaimed in the movie world. More..

BAFTA has announced that Christopher Lee (Saruman) will receive the Academy Fellowship – the most cherished prize of the Orange British Academy Film Awards – at prize ceremonies on Sunday.

Awarded annually by the Academy, the Fellowship is the highest accolade bestowed upon an individual in recognition of an outstanding and exceptional contribution to film. Previously honoured Fellows include Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Sean Connery, Elizabeth Taylor, Julie Christie, John Barry, Stanley Kubrick, Anthony Hopkins, Terry Gilliam and Judi Dench. Last year’s recipient was Vanessa Redgrave.

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Among the many ads run during the Superbowl yesterday was this little gem from Coca-Cola. Take a look and enjoy!

Monday 7 February, Wellington – Production company, 3Foot7 Ltd, is pleased to announce that the first day of principal photography for THE HOBBIT will be Monday 21 March, 2011.

This date has been chosen following practical considerations of the filming schedule requirements, actor availability and the NZ seasons. Shooting will take place at Stone Street Studios in Miramar and on location around New Zealand.

Confirmed cast include: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott, Graham McTavish, William Kircher, James Nesbitt, Stephen Hunter, Rob Kazinsky, Aidan Turner, Peter Hambleton, John Callen, Jed Brophy, Mark Hadlow, Adam Brown, Cate Blanchett, Andy Serkis, Mikael Persbrant, Sylvester McCoy and Elijah Wood. Director, Sir Peter Jackson, comments: “Despite some delays we are fully back on track and very excited to get started.”