New Zealand Tourism is getting into full swing with this promotional video: “100% Middle-earth 100% Pure New Zealand.” by PureNewZealand ahead of the release of first Hobbit film “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey“. [NewZealand.com] UPDATE: We have confirmed that Ian Holm is the wonderful voice behind the beautiful images.
Month: August 2012
The following is an editorial by long-time staffer and original Green Books contributor Ostadan and does not necessarily represent the opinion of our entire staff:
Most people agree that Jackson’s film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings was both an artistic and commercial success. For many fans of the book, it was as good an adaptation as they had any reasonable right to expect (although with some questionable choices); for those who did not know the books or did not remember them well, it served as an introduction to Tolkien’s work. For my part, although there were numerous scenes and bits of dialogue that were distracting — whether because they strayed unnecessarily far from Tolkien’s text (Denethor), or because it simply didn’t ring true to the story at hand (the very over-the-top Hollywood treatment of the Army of the Dead) — there was much more that did feel like reading The Lord of the Rings for the first time. This is very important to me in watching a cinematic book adaptation, even if it is not fully “faithful”, whether the work in question is The Lord of the Rings or Watership Down. In some undefinable way, the film should remind me of the experience of reading the book so that I feel that I am reading a translation of a sort, rather than a new work “inspired” by the original.
Thank you to all the supporters of TheOneRing.net’s 27/7 LIVE stream Road to DragonCon! We have nearly reached our goal, but need your support to push us over the edge. When we leave Monday, we hope that we’ll have reached our goal and have enough funds to stop along the way, visiting Tolkien fans nationwide! If you are not familiar with the event, a company of staffers will embark on a road trip from Hollywood to Atlanta, GA and back. Fans at home can join the fun day and night with live streaming video, Barliman’s chat room, and TheOneRing.net mobile phone to share stories, recommend local Tolkien landmarks, and win prizes from our sponsors. We have set up a series of sponsorship levels at our GoFundMe.com page where you can get some great swag just for supporting this trip. And certain levels get your name in the short form documentary we will be producing about the trip upon our return. Even if you only have $1 dollar to send, please consider helping us on the adventure. (You can click the ‘custom donation‘ level link on the GoFundMe.com page to enter any amount). And did you know, the highest level of sponsorship will secure you a ticket to our 2013 Oscar Party in Hollywood?! We hope you will consider supporting us! Follow the link for complete details on the sponsorship levels. [Donate Today!]
Although “The Hobbit” features several Lord of The Rings returning cast members, Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, Elijah Wood and others reprise their roles, Associated Press writes that the much of the film’s potential hinges on newcomer Martian Freeman.
The filmmakers were so set on having Martin Freeman to play Bilbo they halted production for three months while Freeman returned to British TV to reprise his role as Dr Watson “Sherlock“. Peter Jackson says “It was sort of unheard of for a big-budget movie, but because we wanted him so badly, the studio supported us, and we made that provision in our schedule,”, “He carries the movie. You get that casting wrong and you’re in huge trouble.” [Read More]
From Emma Horsley at the Manawatu Standard: Weta Digital approached New Zealands Massey University’s Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences equine scientist Dr Chris Rogers and the vets there for advice on how a horse worked from the inside out, so they could construct more believable and realistic computer generated horses for the big screen.
Weta has previously built models by looking at the horses from the outside. The institute has an equine treadmill which was used to collect motion capture images by several camera’s and Massey’s scientists were able to give them an understanding of the structure of the animal. [Read More]
As the first of three movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” inches closer, more and more marketing material will make its way to the interwebs. For example, the just discovered image of Radagast the Brown. Set for December 14, only months remain until “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” (we think that is the title at least) finally comes to long-waiting fans. A calendar featuring the characters from the film has shipped to the public and on it is the previously glimpsed Radagast the Brown (played by Sylvester McCoy) from a fuzzy image taken from Peter Jackson’s December production diary. (The good Doctor will be in person at DragonCon in just over a week to talk Dr. Who and Middle-earth with fans. In fact, here is the complete schedule for the Tolkien Track.)
The image is a little bit of a spoiler but it seems a likely candidate to appear in the next trailer, due around September. ThorinOakenshield.net has a calendar in hand and posted the image first after placing an order. This will be in the hands of other consumers shortly or is already. Radagast is visible after just after the break so once you click, you are spoiled. There will be no missing him. Continue reading “Radagast the Brown revealed in ‘Hobbit’ calendar *spoiler*”