Thunder in the distance, clouds on the horizon. It was shaping up to be a day spent huddling inside when the company split ways for the day, but they did not despair.
Justin took the crystal slab, streaming the knowledge of Middle-Earth to those who wanted it most, while Doug and Ryan fled into the dark, cold, gaming cave. Where they played Cryptozoic’s table-play The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey with all manner of persons. Jovial were the games when people learned the power of working as a team, as one unit, and the company never faltered once. Continue reading “Cryptozoic’s Lost DragonCon Tales: The Tale of September 1st”
As you know, we’re currently conducting our pledge drive to raise funds and keep our servers running. We also have some very exciting auctions going on over at Ebay.
There are some fabulous, exclusive pieces up for grabs – including some things which, usually, money can’t buy! Time is running out on some of our auctions too, so best check them out now. Here are just three that might tickle your fancy:
As you know, we’re currently conducting our pledge drive to raise funds and keep our servers running. We also have some very exciting auctions going on over at Ebay.
There are some fabulous, exclusive pieces up for grabs – including some things which, usually, money can’t buy! Time is running out on some of our auctions too, so best check them out now. Here are just three that might tickle your fancy:
I wanted to hightlight a few more of the awesome items that have recently gone up for order via our Light The Beacons Auction.
We recently added a couple of amazing items from our friend artist Jerry Vanderstelt covering his The Lord of the Rings Trilogy prints as well as his newest print of Dwalin the Dwarf from The Hobbit Trilogy. We’ve also added a couple of autograph items from Graham McTavish and William Kircher who play Dwalin and Bifur in The Hobbit Trilogy.
This auction offers a beautiful three-piece set of The Lord of the Rings Collector Edition Lithographs by prominent artist, Jerry VanderStelt. Best known not only for his works inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien, he also captures the worlds of Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and much more in the Fantasy/SciFi genre. Each Lithograph of the three-piece set has a unique Remarque or sketch drawn on the bottom left corner, signed separately from the normal signature and a certification of authenticity.
This is a new copy of TheOneRing.net’s premier magazine tribute to The Hobbit! A collaborative effort between Topix Media Lab and your friends here at TheOneRing.net, it covers everything you need to know about The Hobbit movies from a fan perspective. Side-bars and feature articles, contributed by our own volunteer staff, include interviews, a feature on book versus the movie, articles on games and collectibles, a Middle-earth timeline, and much more! The high-quality, glossy paper used for this magazine is also packed with colorful pictures of cast and crew members, locations, collectibles, gorgeous fan art and a few exclusives! One thing that makes this truly a collector’s edition is that there are only two ads in the entire 82-page magazine.
Jerry Vanderstelt is also offering the winner of this Auction the choice of the frame-ready canvas or to have the canvas Gallery Wrapped. The two images displayed with this Auction show the raw, canvas form and also how the Gallery Wrap option gives it a mounted, more dimensional look. The canvas measures 18 x 24 inches, NOT counting the border that is designed to be Gallery Wrapped. Once it is Gallery Wrapped, the canvas will measure 18 x 24 inches. Please allow 2-3 weeks for completion. The work uses the finest materials available of archival inks as well as Breathing Color’s exclusive “Lyve” canvas and “Timeless” protective finish.
This is a NEW paperback copy of The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien with a movie tie-in picture from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey film released in December, 2012. This copy has travelled to DragonCon 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia and has found itself autographed by two Dwarves (William Kircher and Graham McTavish) for TORn’s Fundraiser Auction.
As you’ll know, if you’ve been following the Road Trip to DragonCon, that fabulous and fun convention is taking place in Atlanta, Georgia this weekend! And TheOneRing.net will be there in force!
We’ll have a table in the ‘fan tables area’ – please come by and see us! Staffers deej and greendragon will be running the table, with expert help from staffer Thorongil. We’ll have awesome t-shirts and posters for sale, as well as trivia to play and prizes to win! Plus we love meeting fellow fans – so please swing by and say hello! We’ll be in the Hyatt, Exhibition Level, across from the entrance to the Art Show.
TORn will also be presenting two panels at DragonCon: on Saturday, 5.30pm in the Hyatt International South will be The Hobbit: One book, three movies; and on Sunday, 1pm in the Hyatt Centennial 1 we’ll be Previewing The Desolation of Smaug! Staffer MrCere will be joining deej and greendragon – and maybe a few others! – on those panels. Otherwise, catch MrCere very busily running the Tolkien Track at the con this weekend!
Billy Boyd at TORn’s booth, DragonCon 2012
Justin and the Road Trip gang will of course be covering events and streaming from the Con! Other exciting happenings include the Evening at Bree party on Friday night, 8.30pm in Hyatt Centennial 1, where The Tolkien Track have their annual shindig with costume contest and with our faves, Emerald Rose, rocking the house! On Saturday night The Tolkien Track have a new event – a late night ‘Middle-earth goes retro’ dance party! 80s music all night long – come on down and party like it’s the Third Age! 80s attire optional but encouraged – what did elves wear in the 80s, anyway? Come party with fellow fans and denizens of Middle-earth, as TORn’s own professional dj (hey, that’s why we call her deej!) spins the discs – 10.30pm Saturday, in the Hilton Grand Ballroom East.
And let’s not forget, of course, that there are some fabulous celebrities at DragonCon this weekend! Already scheduled on panels are William Kircher (Bifur), Graham McTavish (Dwalin) and Sylvester McCoy (Radagast). Manu Bennet (Azog) is also at the con, so we hope to see him on a panel or two, as well! And our good friends from Badali Jewelry will have a booth in the dealers’ hall, in the AmericasMart Building 1, so say hi to them and maybe treat yourself to a gorgeous piece of jewelry!
It’s all happening; it’s going to be a whirlwind of a weekend! We always look forward to meeting fellow Tolkien lovers at all the conventions and events which TheOneRing.net attends – so we hope to see YOU this weekend at DragonCon!
Peter Jackson with Dean O’Gorman and Aiden Turner on the final day of shooting The Hobbit.
Peter Jackson has always been pretty open with fans about his process of making films. He answered 20 questions for anybody interested way back in 1998 on Aintitcoolnews back when film fans had just climbed out of the internet’s primordial ooze. He followed this up with a series of interactions with communities definitely including TheOneRing.net (highlighted by attending our Oscar parties and allowing founder Tehanu set access) and our sister site, KongIsKing.net where he posted twice-weekly production diaries while shooting that film. The behind-the-scenes effort was as demanding as shooting a many films — done while his team was shooting a film. Think what you want of “King Kong,” but the innovative work to share it with fans may never be equaled. You can see the old diaries running down the right side of the KiKn page. We (the all-volunteer TORn staff) would have loved to host again but by the time the three movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit,” were shooting, social media provided Facebook for many millions around the globe and gave Jackson a direct link to fans.
He continued to release production diaries, and he was able to simply showcase them directly on his own Facebook account. With nearly a million likes, he found a way to self publish, directly to his audience, with or without the studio’s help — but likely with its blessing.
Peter Jackson and Graham McTavish on the final day of shooting The Hobbit.
Today marks the final day of shooting the films in New Zealand. The day caps off a ten-week period planned from the beginning to shoot pickups for both remaining films and also capture the great Battle of Five Armies on film. For weeks now Twitter and some announcements have been signaling final shooting days for specific actors from the films. Jackson has now used Facebook again to publish many updates about how his day has progressed and what the two units are shooting as the final shots get ticked off the list in an almost Twitter-like fashion. (Except that his post are much more wordy!)
The first post is an early-morning announcement that he can’t sleep, is watching fight rehearsals and what he hopes to accomplish with the feed. view from his own house with another shot of his cat saying its goodbyes as he heads to the lot to shoot. He says,
“Ever since starting these blogs, there’s been something I thought I’d like to try one day (as well as answering the other 19 questions I owe you!) – blogging throughout a shoot day in real time. Try to give you all a feeling for what we deal with on an average day.
Today is not exactly “average”, given it’s our last day of shooting, but if I don’t do it today, I never will!”
We go on to see a view from his home, a view from his cat into the lens and then on to work, arriving at the security gate at the studio. He continues with updates much of the day, appropriately sharing those final hours on set. There is a lot of work to be done but there is something that resonates even with fans about the moment when the cameras turn off. Film crews can work only work certain numbers of hours with a lunch and then overtime kicks in. This means everybody must be fed as the hours reach over 12 worked for the day. This seems likely on the final day and at last posting, only two set ups (getting the lights and sets and everything else ready to shoot) were left for Jackson’s unit while something close to the same number remained for the action unit. As Jackson said,
9.21pm. Getting very near the end …
Jackson also gives great insight into his own personal film process and has a great shot from his director’s tent. I have spent time in that tent and not only is the shot great, but the explanation of his tent crew are as well. They will never be recognized as widely as they deserve but they are excellent, each in their own way.
Peter Jackson’s “Tent Crew,” who help him make movies.
When the final shot ends, after several takes where he says something like, “That was great, lets do one more,” Jackson will call “cut” and despite being digital, he will tell the camera people to “check the gate,” a term for film cameras to make sure everything was captured. “Clear” will come the traditional response, “gate is clean.” After that, expect hugs and tears and cheering and probably bubbly beverages. If I don’t miss my guess, a lot of party-time too.
A lot of work will remain of course, but that will end the work of many, many hundreds of people who helped made the illusions that we see as Middle-earth on film. Sets will no longer be built, costumes and makeup and prosthetics and hair and set dressers and lighting and camera departments will all be done working on a live set.
And, for the present and perhaps long into the future, the rights for further Middle-earth stories aren’t available. That ends the process of shooting the adaptation of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Fans world wide, many of whom feel part of these efforts or at least connected to them, will also celebrate and feel sad.
Those of us attending Dragon Con in Atlanta over Labor Day will be pleased to welcome Hobbit actors William Kirtcher, Graham McTavish and the Doctor / Wizard Sylvester McCoy. TheOneRing will have a fan table there and the Tolkien Track will have daily panels with parts or all three of the trio for four days of the convention.
Jackson will continue to update as the cast and crew shoot long into the New Zealand night, perhaps for the final time in Middle-earth.
UPDATE: The shooting did finish. Jackson went home to daughter Katie throwing a party at home. Jackson ended things like this:
.14am.
Back with Mr Smudge.
A long day. A great day. Thank you all for being part of it! Now for some sleep!
Thunder in the distance, clouds on the horizon. It was shaping up to be a day spent huddling inside when the company split ways for the day, but they did not despair.
I wanted to hightlight a few more of the awesome items that have recently gone up for order via our Light The Beacons Auction. 
