Deep in the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, a creaky network of girders and cantilevers has supported theatrical spectacle ever since the building reopened in 1812. But this Grade I-listed temple of illusion has never witnessed anything quite as ambitious the show that began previewing there last month. The Lord of the Rings, the three-hour, £12.5 million musical that opens on June 19, relies for at least some of its visual coups on the most complex engineering ever assembled under any stage. It doesn’t look like much from the gantry alongside: a huge drum. But inside is a carousel of moving parts that allows 17 separate sections of the revolving stage to rise and fall in seemingly infinite permutations, to make the bridges, mountains, valleys and ramparts of Middle-earth. This groundbreaking piece of kit has dominated rehearsals, says the director, Matthew Warchus. Everything – music, choreography, lighting, sound design and (last but hopefully not least) actors – must be synchronised to the motions of the floor. [More]
Category: Events
If they gave out Olivier Awards for bravery, the producer Kevin Wallace would win hands-down. It’s not just because of the insane task he set himself: taking a 1,200-page epic with mighty battles, ungodly creatures and a core cast of a dozen characters that on the big screen took ten hours and three films to tell, and compressing it into just three hours on a single stage. With songs. It’s because when his multimillion-dollar The Lord of the Rings extravaganza opened in Toronto last year to, let us diplomatically say, less than universal rapture, he remained cool under fire. [More]
The all-Tolkien-all-the-time portion of DragonCon 2007 wants your fan-films. The massive annual event held in Atlanta each year wants to showcase the many talented fan films out in the world made as an ode to the LOTR books or films. If you know of anyone making Tolkien-related fan films (or happen to be a Tolkien fan film maker yourself) please nudge them (or yourself) in the general direction of the Tolkien Track for Dragon con found here. Thanks!
Who is the mysterious Dr Grordbort, and what has he got to do with New Zealand’s legendary multi Academy Award® winning Weta Workshop? Well, it seems that Grordbort has reached out from his parallel universe and appointed Weta Limited to manufacture his awesome range of Rayguns.
With names such as the MANMELTER 3600ZX Sub-Atomic Disintegrator Pistol; the F.M.O.M. INDUSTRIES Wave Disrupter Gun, or even the GOLIATHON 83 Infinity Beam Projector, you know that these have been created by a truly warped mind! [More]
Iain writes: Spotted an article in my local paper (Evening Advertiser) that caught my eye immediately:
“A top scientist is to reveal the secrets behind the magic of Harry Potter. At the Cheltenham Science Festival;, in June, fans of both Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings will have the opportunity to find out how computer technology created the films’ special efforts.
At the festival presentation, sponsored by the Swindon-based British Computer Society, Andrew Fitzgibbon, the winner of the 2006 BCS Needham Award, will present Screen Magic, about the use of computer vision in creating 3D special effects for the film industry. He will illustrate how he uses technology to bend the audiences’ perception of what they are watching.
He is a senior researcher at the Microsoft Research, Cambridge, UK and researches the intersection of computer vision and computer graphics, with excursions into neuroscience, which have allowed him to work on the special effects for Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings among other films.
He will be joined by Andrew Daffy, who will explain the secrets behind the magic of his work which includes the James Bond opening titles and BBC2 tags.”
Link to specific event: cheltenhamfestivals.com
Casting is now complete for the upcoming London revival of David Storey’s 1969 drama In Celebration, which will star screen actor Orlando Bloom. Joining the previously announced Bloom (as Steven), Lynda Baron (Mrs. Burnett), Gareth Farr (Colin), Paul Hilton (Andrew) and Ciaran McIntyre (Reardon) will be Tim Healy (as Mr. Shaw) and Dearbhla Molloy (as Mrs. Shaw). Anna Mackmin will direct the production, which begins previews July 5 at the Duke of York’s Theatre with an official opening July 12. Produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, the play is currently booking until Sept. 15. [More]