samdir discovered this little gem while on hobbitontours.com:

“Hobbiton Movie Set will be closed for all tours from Wednesday 05 October 2011 to Tuesday 08 November 2011 inclusive. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

Could this be a sign that the production is heading to the Hobbiton set for a month worth of filming? Stay tuned!

Welcome to our Kili and Filicollection of TORn’s hottest topics for the past week. If you’ve fallen behind on what’s happening on the Message Boards, here’s a great way to catch the highlights. Or if you’re new to TORn and want to enjoy some great conversations, just follow the links to some of our most popular discussions. Watch this space as every weekend we will spotlight the most popular buzz on TORn’s Message Boards. Everyone is welcome, so come on in and join in the fun!

Continue reading “TORn Message Boards Weekly Roundup – August 14, 2011”

On this episode of Hobbit in 5, we take a look at Andy Serkis the man the myth the legend, Weta Workshop sponsors the Great Race, James Nesbit takes us out on a date, and Benedict Cumberbatch reveals excitement regarding upcoming mo-cap work.

Visit our websiteRebekah has her own Facebook page now! Go check it out and “like” her!Go like theOneRing.net on Facebook as well!

Weta Workshop’s mastery is to come to horrifying life in a TV drama depicting the 1953 Tangiwai train disaster.

The frightening scene, when the train, with 285 people on board, plunges into a swollen river just minutes after a volcanic lahar knocks out the rail bridge, was recreated in one-sixth scale at Makara, west of Wellington.

Keen train buff and Weta founder Sir Richard Taylor oversaw the creation of a finely detailed scale replica of the original Ka Class steam locomotive and 11 carriages, complete with lights, blinds and dolls. The scene, shot over two nights last December, posed a series of challenges – the biggest of which was the low $3 million budget, director Charlie Haskell said. More..

The artisans at Weta as most folks know are some of the kings when it comes to the special effects world. We know their work from films such as; District 9, King Kong, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, The Lovely Bones, The Adventures of Tintin, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and of course both of The Hobbit films. In other words some of your favorite films and mine have been worked on or touched by some truly skillful folks.

However, these fine artists are also some of the masters behind many of you Ringers favorite collectibles. That’s why I’m writing about this particular item because it shows the amazing work that the creators working at Weta have made over the last ten years. The item I will be writing a bit about is the brand new released at Comic-Con 2011 Weta: The Collectors Guide. This amazing book captures the work Weta has done over the last ten years into one of the best reference books and coffee table books I’ve had the pleasure to own. Just a couple of the reasons I love this book are the amount of pictures taken of the items ranging from The Lord of the Rings to Halo. They’re all beautifully done and show off just how great the work coming from Weta has been over the last ten years. The other being the amount of information in the book not just on the collectibles, but the people behind the scenes the artists themselves will give collectors a real insight into who made these pieces. Finally, a nice addition is quotes and pictures from collectors who own many of these pieces. It’s nice to see people who I call friends pictures or quote from people who say what I’ve felt when looking at these items. Continue reading “Collecting The Precious – Weta: The Collector’s Guide”

The man in charge of communication between Hobbiton and the outside world wears many hats, but he promises none of them belong to a hobbit. Hobbiton Movie Set & Farm Tours media and communications manager Ian Brodie has read The Lord of the Rings 40 times, but he said his fan level had not crossed into the fanatical – he never dresses up in character. Mr Brodie, who moved to Matamata from Wanaka two years ago, was tight-lipped about when Waikato could expect to have movie stars in our midst again for the filming of The Hobbit.

“You know I can’t tell you that,” he said. “That information will come out of Wellington.”

Mr Brodie was just 14 years old when he first read The Lord of the Rings and, on a roadtrip with his family at the time, he decided New Zealand would make a perfect Middle Earth. More..