10 years have passed since the release of the first of the films in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and fans will surely recall Frodo’s “chicken dance” at Bilbo’s Birthday party, Merry and Pippin singing in the Green Dragon Inn, Frodo and Sam watching the Wood-elves leaving Middle-earth, and Éowyn singing a dirge at the burial of her cousin Théodred.
The songs and the music for all these scenes, termed “diegetic” or “cultural” music, were composed and performed by Plan 9 (consisting of David Donaldson, Stephen Roche, and Janet Roddick) together with David Long, who also collaborated with them on certain aspects of the sound design for the Dead Marshes, the Ents, and the One Ring.
In celebration of the The Fellowship of the Ring’s 10th Anniversary, TheOneRing.net brings you an exclusive interview with Plan 9.
"The Elvish Impersonators" (from L to R: David Long, Steve Roche, Janet Roddick, David Donaldson) working on The Lord of the Rings in December 2002
Join us as we talk to them about how they came on board Peter Jackson’s crew working on the three films, and how they approached composing, performing, and selecting instruments that would lend credibility to the fictional cultures that inhabited Tolkien’s Middle-earth. All this, and also some talk of their as-yet-unreleased music for the films.
“Strangers from distant lands. Friends of old. You’ve been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle-Earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom. Bring forth the Ring, Frodo.“
-Elrond at the start of the Council of Elrond October 25th, 3018 TA
Rivendell was one of the most demanded places in Middle-Earth to be made into polystone and now the long wait for this to happen as finally come to an end. Now, that it has ended and collectors are starting to receive this item, we are finally seeing why this might be one of the most difficult items ever made representing The Lord of the Rings. The folks at Weta, specifically Daniel Falconer and David Tremont, did an amazing job of capturing all that is special about Rivendell allowing collectors to own a piece of that.
TheOneRing.net is kicking off the 10th Anniversary celebration of the release of FOTR with stories here on the Front Page and on the Message boards all weekend long, so please make sure to visit and participate. Here in Los Angeles, we are having an actual party, and we still have room for a few more people at the table. All ages are welcome, but you will be asked to pay $25 at the door. There is a set menu, with choice of Fish & Chips, Bangers & Mash, Shepherds Pie (vegetarian option too), Burger (also a veggie option) or Chicken Curry. One Non-alcoholic beverage is included, as are taxes and gratuities. You may, of course, order more to eat or drink at your own expense.
If you’d like to come down to Santa Monica tomorrow from 1-5pm, just email me at Garfeimao@TheOneRing.net to RSVP.
116 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90401 (310)451-1402
What: Not a FOTR viewing party, and sadly no Golfimbul, but there will be some fun and games, such as Trivia, and maybe a little reading of “Is this a Kissing Book”. Costumes are welcomed, as always, and participation in the fun is encouraged.
LEGO fans rejoice! LEGO has secured the rights to develop build-and-play construction sets based on The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit! Check out the release below. They’ve even set up an official site for the line at TheLordoftheRings.LEGO.com! (Thanks to Ringer Dayhiker for the heads up!)
BURBANK, Calif., Dec. 16, 2011 — Warner Bros. Consumer Products and The LEGO Group announced today a partnership that awards the world’s leading construction toy brand exclusive rights to develop build-and-play construction sets based on THE LORD OF THE RINGS™ trilogy and the two films based on THE HOBBIT™. The multi-year licensing agreement grants access to the library of characters, settings, and stories for THE LORD OF THE RINGS property, as well as films The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again. LEGO® THE LORD OF THE RINGS construction sets are slated for a rolling global launch beginning in June 2012 in the United States, with LEGO THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY scheduled for later in the year.
An official WB press release came out today that includes some Plot detail. One new Cast member is in the list, a John Bell, who appears to be about 10 years old or so. No official listing on IMDB yet for this casting, so no idea if he is Bain or Estel, or some other youngster. I’m including a link to an interview with the young actor under the press release.
ANNA PEARSON from stuff.co.nz: The Hobbit film crew are pulling out of the Nelson region due to lousy weather, but it is highly likely they will return next year. Production company 3 Foot 7 publicist Ceris Price said it was too wet for filming, so they were leaving. “We were relying on beautiful weather. It’s just a real shame, because everybody loves Nelson. We have been having a lovely time here, but the weather in the last couple of days has made it very difficult. It’s time for a Christmas break,” she said.
Ms Price said it was “extremely probable” they would return to film at Canaan Downs next year. The film crew packed up and left the Pelorus Bridge campground in a hurry last night. Campground manager Stephanie Neal said a team of workers were removing a scaffolding structure – a walking platform – from near the Pelorus River this morning. More..
