Steve writes: This may or may not be of interest to you. Currently there is a resource consent application for two massive dwellings up at the Poolburn Dam – Central Otago, site of some scenes from Rohan. Locals are very unhappy about this because the developments are completely out of character with the surrounds and the developer is intending to fence off and restrict access to this part of the Dam which to this point has been open to all public. There have been articles about this in the Otago Daily Times and details of the consent application can be found here (reference RCO80072). Given that the developers are from Auckland you could say that Rohan is now under attack from the Aucks.
Category: LotR Production
From Lord of the Rings to lords of the ringing tills, the Weta team that conquered Hollywood is now branching out into a souvenir shop for film buffs. The new store, Weta Cave, opens next month and will provide fans and tourists with a chance to get up close to the film-makers. The shop will have goods ranging from $1000 ray guns to King Kong figurines, and will be based next to Peter Jackson’s Miramar empire. Weta Ltd general manager Tim Launder said the store, which will stock limited-edition collectibles, DVDs, books and clothing, had been built to help satisfy Wellington’s thriving movie tourism sector. Step into our cave, says Weta
From Digital Spy: “The opening episode of Doctor Who’s new season used groundbreaking special effects technology that was created for the Lord of the Rings trilogy.” ‘Who’ uses ‘Lord of the Rings’ technology (spoiler free for tonight’s premiere)
This story comes to us thanks to the wonders of the wireless world and the internets. Early this afternoon I received a call from a rabid Ringer Diamond T letting me know about a CNBC reporter (possibly at the SXSW Film Fest) who dropped a bomb during an interview about the future of 3D movies. He claims to have heard ‘Rumblings’ about New Line (Warner Bros.) releasing LOTR in 3D! Take a look (or rather listen) at her phone video (sent to my phone, downloaded, then uploaded to YouTube…gotta love the web).
Lynnette writes: Walking Tree Publishers’ new LotR-themed book, How We Became Middle-earth: A Collection of Essays on The Lord of the Rings, features 24 essays by Tolkien scholars from around the world. Edited by Adam Lam and Nataliya Oryschchuk (University of Canterbury, Christchurch, NZ), the book covers a wide range of topics about New Zealand’s connections with LotR.
TURNING A PHENOMENOM INTO BUSINESS SUCCESS: HOBBITON MOVIE SET AND FARM TOURS FIVE YEARS ON
This week marks the fifth anniversary of the opening of the farm gates to visitors at the Hobbiton Movie Set site.
The location, near Matamata, was Peter Jackson’s choice for the creation of the fictitious village ‘Hobbiton’ used in the filming of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
Today Hobbiton Movie Set and Farm Tours, run by the family who own the land, is a thriving business and has proven the skeptics wrong. During the five years over 130 000 visitors have taken the tour, with a trebling of numbers between years one and two. International visitors make up 80% of the customers, with the strongest marketing coming from the UK. Continue reading “5 Years Gone By… Matamata ‘Hobbiton’ Set Still Popular”