The Hobbit film crew – due in Marlborough next month – is flying under the radar during filming in the Tasman region. The crew has been filming on 80 hectares of privately-owned land at Canaan Downs, where the Luminate Festival is held, and on surrounding Department of Conservation land. David Hall, who lives on the Takaka Hill, said he had not seen or heard much other than helicopters and more vehicles on the road than usual. “It’s all sort of tucked away out of sight,” he said.
The crew has been filming, via helicopter, around the Pelorus River and Mt Owen. It was understood they were also filming near the coast in Golden Bay. Rex Bowden, a chef at The Wholemeal Cafe, said he recently served a table of four “hobbits”. He said they came in for lunch, but he did not know if they were cast or film crew members. “I didn’t recognise any of them, but one looked a bit `hobbity’,” he said. More..
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Kiwi filmmaking is at an all-time high thanks to the “Lord of the Rings” director, who, 12 years ago, boosted the country’s Hollywood stock. Peter Jackson is walking down the familiar twisting lanes of the picture-perfect village of Hobbiton. Discussing the next day’s shoot with the cast and crew of The Hobbit, he gazes up at the setting sun and appears overcome by a strange sense of deja vu. “I did this on this street 12 years ago, and it’s exactly the same,” says Jackson. “I don’t feel the same, though.”
Jackson pauses to survey the village in Waikato that’s familiar to millions of fans of the director’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Before Jackson and his crew transformed it into a little piece of Middle Earth, this was a simple New Zealand sheep farm. Now it’s become a J.R.R. Tolkien tourist mecca, and five days into location shooting for Jackson’s two Hobbit movies, it has been transformed again into a bustling film set. More..
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Thanks to a reminder from our Facbeook friend Marcye, and the great folks from Tolkien Sarcasm Page, this oldie but goodie is worth revisiting after almost 10 years! Yes, the story is rather condensed and a bit different, but that is what we’ve come to expect from Hollywood adaptations right? We particularly enjoy the ‘Moria’ sign…Enjoy! [Credits]
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The man behind some of the most popular The Lord of the Rings items from Sideshow Collectibles has graciously sat down with us 
to answer a few questions. Trevor Grove is the young artist who may just have sculpted some of your favorite pieces from Middle-Earth like the Gandalf The Grey Premium Format, Aragorn Statue, Legolas statue, or maybe something upcoming like the Arwen statue. Middle-Earth is not the only realm Mr. Grove has been know to let his talents flourish in as collectors have items ranging from Indiana Jones to Star Wars. So as a nice way to follow up the review this week of the Legolas statue we hope you enjoy this Q&A with Mr. Grove.
Continue reading “Collecting The Precious – Interview with Artist Trevor Grove of Sideshow Collectibles”
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From odt.co.nz: One of the stars of Sir Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit was spotted in Queenstown yesterday. The Otago Daily Times understands Orlando Bloom lunched at Amisfield, near Arrowtown, before being spotted at Reading Cinemas in Queenstown. Bloom is reprising his role as Legolas, an elf, in the two-part prequel to The Lord of the Rings. Filming will be done in several places in Otago, including the Wakatipu.
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Miss Awen writes: I arrived in Glenorchy today and could not find any accommodation, because it’s all fully booked for the crew of the Hobbit. I also found out, that they are filming now at the other side of the lake, half an hour from Glenorchy. The stars stay in Queenstown and they are flown on set by helicopter.
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