[Part 1 in a series from The Frodo Franchise Author Kristin Thompson]
Me and My Book
I’m a film historian by trade. I got my Ph.D. in film studies in 1977 and have written several textbooks and academic books on various topics in the field. In 2007, my book The Frodo Franchise: The Lord of the Rings and Modern Hollywood, by Kristin Thompson, came out from the University of California press. As we all wait for the release of the first part of The Hobbit, I thought some of you might be interested in some of my experiences while researching the book. I had a lot of access to the filmmakers for interviews and was given facilities tours during the last part of the post-production on The Return of the King.
I first conceived the book in 2002, when it became obvious to me that Peter Jackson’s film (I call the three parts one film, as he does) was going to be very, very important historically for a wide variety of reasons. The technology (the techniques developed to animate Gollum, the selective digital color grading) would be revolutionary. The internet campaign was pioneering, as was the filmmaking team’s approach to cooperating with the video-game designers. It was a big franchise film—and a fantasy at that—and yet it won the respect of critics and Academy-Award voters as no such film ever had. (The Fellowship of the Ring had won “only” four Oscars, but I knew even then that The Return of the King would be awarded lots.) Somebody should write a book about it, I thought. But probably nobody would, not the way it should be done, with interviews with the people involved. Not while the film was still in production. I concluded that it was up to me. Was it possible, though, to get the kind of access I would need? I set out to find out.
In January of 2003, through a mutual friend, I was put in touch with producer Barrie Osborne. Fortunately, he was interested in having such a book written. Without him, my project would have been dead in the water. Continue reading “Researching THE FRODO FRANCHISE: Part 1, Off to Wellington without a Handkerchief”
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Tom Cardy from stuff.co.nz writes:
Today at age of 50,Peter Jackson has just wrapped up principal shooting on the two-part The Hobbit in Wellington, he has done what was considered the impossible.
How things have changed for Wellington, after the release of The Lord Of The Rings, the subsequent release of King Kong and The Lovely Bones has not only made him the best known New Zealander in the world – it had a direct impact on the city he lives in.
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There is just one week until Comic Con 2012 starts with Preview Night on Wednesday, July 11. But aside from the TORn panel and WB’s panel for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, you may be wondering what else there is for a Hobbit fan to do. The Official SDCC website has put up schedules for panels, autograph sessions, films and portfolio reviews (aspiring artists, please take note). So here is your handy, dandy TORn guide to all things Hobbit and Lord of the Rings related at comic con this year (after the break)
Continue reading “SDCC is coming, what’s a Hobbit to do at comic con 2012?”
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Red Carpet Tours is making a final call for fans planning to make the pilgrimage to New Zealand for ‘The Hobbit’ Premiere. This is the deluxe 14-day tour covering both islands of New Zealand, with visits to all the major LOTR and Hobbit film locations as well as automatic inclusion at the Hobbit Premiere Party in Wellington on November 26th. If you are travelling half way round the world for the event, you need to ‘Make the most of the time given to you’. Red Carpet Tours has been running these tours now for 10 years, and this year was awarded a Certificate of Excellence from Trip Advisor, as well as stellar ratings from Rankers. There is only limited space available, so book soon!
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Tourism New Zealand seems super-keen to maximise the tourism opportunities that The Hobbit is offering. Chief executive Kevin Bowler says that new 100% Pure commercials, designed to sell New Zealand to the world, will be “hugely influenced by The Hobbit”.
A theme of the new marketing strategy will be “New Zealand: where fantasy meets reality”.
New advertisements will feature people enjoying what the country had to offer. Bowler says that previous images of rolling hills, lush bush and green pastures had given the impression New Zealand was beautiful, yet deserted, and visitors would struggle to find activities to occupy themselves.
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The biggest question received about the TORn Hobbit Premiere tour has been whether or not people living down in New Zealand, or already traveling through the region, can attend the Red Carpet/TORn premiere party. The answer is yes, but the tickets are not on sale just yet. Everyone thought it best to wait until after the madness and mayhem of comic con was over before returning our minds to Middle-earth er, New Zealand. Once Red Carpet Tours has their Party ticket registration form live and online, we will post that link. For everyone else who isn’t a local resident or already traveling through the region, feel free to conside Red Carpet Tour’s full tour, or our little Middle-earth week long getaway. Follow the link for Tour Details.
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