Earlier this morning I was allowed access to the coolest place on earth, WETA Workshop. Located in a non-descript area of Wellington near the airport, this small groupings of offices and warehouses has produced some of the best practical and special effects seen in this century (and the last one too). Not only that, but it is also a digial studio, miniatures unit, production facility and more. If you’ve seen, held, or heard anything from Lord of the Rings, King Kong, Narnia and a few other films in the last few years, chances are it was made here.
My tour began with a meet and greet with Richard Taylor. Richard gave us a detailed background of WETA. From its humble beginnings to the huge powerhouse operation it is today, Richard outlined it all for us. The conference room at WETA HQ is most likely the most ‘polished’ place on the complex. It is filled wall to wall with photos, plaques and awards on one side, and the other side is full of WETA Collectible statues, busts and figures. One shelf in particular holds 5 golden Oscars that Richard proudly displays for all guests. He promptly took them out for us and passed them around. Richard was kind to take time out of his busy schedule (two cell phones that kept ringing) and was not short on words detailing their work on King Kong as well as LOTR and Narnia, easiest the three biggest projects they have taken on so far.
The details that went into the Skull Island people was so complexe that I felt I was listening to an anthropolgy course about real natives than a film production house. Richard and his team really work on these characters from the ground up to make sure they seem believeable to the movie going public.
We were next shown the WETA showreel. This, I assume, is shown to producers or toymakers or any sort of suit who need a quick demo of what WETA can do. All the ‘money’ shots from the LOTR Trilogy, King Kong and Narnia was seen on this video. We were given a great DVD copy to take home and enjoy as well.
Next we were introduced to an old friend of any TORN regular, Daniel Falconer. Daniel took us on the rest of the WETA tours. After saying goodbye to Richard we headed down into the main complex of the building that housed the metalworkers, leather area, paint, sculpt, models and more. The folks at WETA seem to pride themselves that they are still very down to earth, which in itself is kiwi philosophy. You can tell by walking around the complex that they don’t like to pamper themselves with things that will only get in the way of their work. However you can also see how proud they are of some of the major work they’ve accomplished. All along the buildings there are props, art and photos from earlier work. Swords and other weapons, maquettes, paintings, models, clothing, along every hallway and around every corner. I got the feeling they use it to inspire themselves to achieve even better and higher quality of work.
These days the team seems to be in between major projects. The buildings were not that busy today. Daniel assured us that during LOTR production people were working 24/7 on models, props and other things. Today we saw some great Narnia bookends they plan to have out by Christmas. We also saw one of the Venture ‘bigatures’ alongside a corsair ship being repaired for the grand opening at the Te Papa museum (It seemed very surreal to see those two together). There were also a few smaller jobs being worked on like a plane wing model and some sculpt work for a children’s feature.
WETA‘s latest pride and joy is a new computer animated feature called ‘Jane and the Dragon’. Canadian fans can currently see season one on YTV. We were given a tour of the digital studio they use to create the show, as well as the ‘mo-cap’ stage where they shoot the main characters. (Think of an entire show being made the same way they made Gollum and King Kong with Andy Serkis). We were then privy to a special few minutes of an as-yet unfinished episode of the show. I have seen the show on YTV before back home and think it’s a great show for kids. You can tell the folks at WETA are very proud of it.
That led us back to the main offices where we started. It really went WAY too fast and I know the folks with me and my wife wanted to hang out a bit more just to smell that air of creativity around the place.
I know a TON of fans have made the trek to Camerdown Street to see the studio and only managed to get a shot of the front door, so I feel extreemly lucky to be able to get down here and see a place I have only read about for years. Thanks to Richard Taylor and Daniel Falconer for the tour and special thanks to UBISOFT for the trip!
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Haldirriel writes: My friends and I just returned from touring the north island of New Zealand. Whilst there, we were informed that Jane Abbott has some of the horses from the movie and offers tours. We were able to pet and take pictures of Asfaloth, Brego, Hasufel, Gandalph’s cart pony and 2 Ringwraith horses. Jane showed us pictures from filming and told stories. She welcomes tours and for more info you can go to the website moviehorsesnz.com. Our thanks to Jane & Karen for a wonderful and informative afternoon!!
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Ben writes: Our mapping site – zoomin.co.nz has just released aerial photography of New Zealand. I thought you might be interested because you can use the maps to create a group of lord of the rings group and locate all the places that the film was shot. For example – here is wellington – where a lot of the filming for fellowship was done – Weta studios are also located here. Press the ‘aerial’ button to get aerial photography of Wellington. [More]
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I will be heading to New Zealand next month for a 10-day vacation in and around Wellington. Ubisoft, makers of “Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie” headed a contest a while back where the winners receive an all-expense paid trip to Wellington to visit the WETA studios, and I’ll be escorting them!
My journey begins on April 6th and I arrive on the 8th (the 7th will magically disappear from my calendar thanks to the wonder of crossing a ton of time zones), I have a few things already planned, my wife and I want to take some city and LOTR location tours, and we plan on seeing some friends I have made over the years while working on Lord of the Rings, King Kong and Narnia websites. Of course I also want to do some lounging about in the pre-fall goodness that is Wellywood. I will be shooting some video to be featured on the site, so keep an eye out for those!
I plan on having a ton of photos and goodies to show you from my trip, and if you know of any cool places to visit in the area, drop me a line!
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The Genre Traveler and Beyond Boundaries Travel Team Up for Special Weekend Package to See the Lord of the Rings Musical in Toronto
For Immediate Release: On Memorial Day Weekend, some fortunate Lord of the Rings fans not only will get to see the World Premiere musical in Toronto – already receiving rave reviews from theatre goers – but will also get the chance to meet the producer and cast in a private Q&A session.
This one-of-a-kind tour, offered only by Beyond Boundaries Travel in cooperation with The Genre Traveler, features three nights accommodations at the Delta Chelsea Hotel, a luxury hotel in the heart of downtown Toronto; a private Q&A session with producer Kevin Wallace and the cast, exclusively arranged for travelers on this tour; an intensive, behind-the-scenes workshop with actors and crew; a Gala Lord of the Rings Costume Party; and, of course, tickets to see the musical.
“We strive to make our tours as fun and interactive as possible,” says Jeannie Barresi, co-founder of Beyond Boundaries Travel. “That’s why we worked so hard to arrange the Q&A session with the producer and cast, as well as the intensive, hands-on workshop.”
“What’s so special about these kinds of tours,” says Carma Spence-Pothitt, editor of The Genre Traveler, “is the opportunity to meet interesting, intelligent people who share an interest with you, in this case, an appreciation for J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic work.”
All this – 4 days and 3 nights, May 26-29, 2006 – is only $799 double occupancy. This price also includes three breakfast meals, all taxes, meal gratuities and baggage handling. A deposit of $250 is due upon reservation, with the balance due by March 28. Reservations need to be made by April 1 to ensure space.
Previews of Lord of the Rings, directed by Matthew Warchus, opened on February 4 at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto and will run until March 22. Fans who have seen the preview said it was worth the wait. One even said, “It was unlike reading or watching Middle Earth, it was like being there!” The official Gala opening is scheduled for March 23. Toronto will be the only place to see this production for at least nine months, when it is scheduled to open in London.
For more information about, or to make reservations for, this once-in-a-lifetime tour, contact Beyond Boundaries travel at (800) 487-1136 or (719) 471-0222, or visit lotrfantrips.com. Information can also be found at The Genre Traveler’s website, www.thegenretraveler.com, and blog, thegenretraveler.braveblog.com.
About The Genre Traveler:
The Genre Traveler, which debuted in October 2005, is a quarterly online travel magazine for science fiction, fantasy and horror enthusiasts. Topics covered include genre-themed attractions, events and vacation packages, as well as ideas for creating your own genre-themed getaways. Also included are websites, gadgets and other items that support genre-themed travel and seeing the world through genre-colored glasses.
About Beyond Boundaries Travel:
Beyond Boundaries Travel, established in 1991, designs themed tours for fans sharing common interests such as Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean and others. Tour designers always include a good dose of historical and educational information, film locations and lots of fun. Beyond Boundaries’ Fan Trips have been featured in Frommer’s and Fodor’s, as well as several newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times and The Chicago Tribune. A recent book about Harry Potter devoted more than 18 pages to Beyond Boundaries’ trips, which were described as the “tour of choice” for fans.
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Ataahua sends this along. More than two years after the release of Return of the King, tourists are still flocking to New Zealand because of the LOTR films. [More]
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