As a director, Guillermo Del Toro is accomplished at utilizing high-tech special effects in his films. As a communicator, he’s comfortable in chat rooms and message boards. When adapting a book to a screenplay, however, he prefers good old-fashioned “low tech” methods that include highlighter pens and 3×5 index cards:

“In the age of computers, the CARDING system for structural purposes may seem like an archaism. I have actually used it most every time I adapt a BOOK. It is a GREAT second exercise in excerpting AFTER the Highlighter pass…

…I promise to scan and make accessible the entire card set and EVERY available piece of adaptation paperwork we generate and can clear with the DVD department when The Hobbit is finally released in the home video format.”

As Guillermo has found bits of free time, he’s been kind enough to share this and other exciting revelations with us on our Hobbit Movie Discussion Board. Go here to read the rest of his entry on adapting books, and go here to register on the Message Boards and join in the discussions with Guillermo!

Today’s nearly 3 hour long chat with Alan Lee was filled with questions about Alan’s involvement with the Lord of the Rings movies, his future endeavors, and his art in general. We had an open, unmoderated chat, so I’ve edited the log for continuity and reading ease. Questions for Alan have been italicized and his answers are in bold type. We’d like to sincerely thank Alan and Houghton Mifflin for giving us this opportunity to bring another live guest chat to you, the fans of JRR Tolkien. Enjoy! Continue reading “Alan Lee Chat Log Transcript”

Or Putting A Few Things in Perspective

The things we accept visually, rapidly and at face value, are legion. All those things we recognize, that “jump the synapses directly as a code” (as the folks in advertising just love to say), make up probably the majority of what we encounter in our daily lives. (One of the main attractions of travel is to satisfy the yearning to see rather than recognize; conversely, no familiarity at all would probably end up being very tiring or far worse.) I got to wondering about all those things of a varying nature, which we manage to identify effortllessly (likely the product of an umpteenth belated attempt to understand « Kant and the Platypus» by the ineffable and avuncular Eco, effort hardly effortless on my part, at least until I gave up trying yet again…) More…

From www.blu-ray.com: Universal Studios Universal Studios Home Entertainment has announced that they will host a live BD-Live chat with director Guillermo Del Toro on November 23rd at 6PM PST. Owners of the ‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army’ Blu-ray only have to place their disc in a BD-Live capable player and connect to Universal’s BD-Live server. Fans also have the opportunity now to submit up to three questions for the famed director to answer during his chat. To submit questions, click on the “My Account” tab once you are logged in and then select the “Director’s Chat” tab. Make sure to mark down November 23rd on your calendar and tune in to see if your questions get answered.

ComingSoon.net talked to director Guillermo del Toro about The Hobbit and its sequel last night at an event for the new Hellboy II: The Golden Army DVD. He says they won’t start the casting process until they’ve finished writing: “Literally, like every week, what you discover writing the two movies, writing the two stories, it changes. So, every week there’s a discovery, and anything we say this week would be contradicted next week. Certainly that would be true in casting. Why create hopes or why create expectations if down the line you’re going to go, ‘You know what? That was not a good idea.'” Guillermo del Toro Gives Hobbit Update

TheOneRing.net and the folks from Houghton Mifflin are sponsoring a live chat with illustrator Alan Lee at 12:00 noon Eastern Standard Time (EST) on Satuday, November 15. Alan will be discussing the recent releases of the paperback edition of ‘The Children of Hurin’ as well as the reprinted edition of ‘Tales from a Perilous Realm’, both of which feature artwork by Alan.

The chat will be held in our own Barliman’s Chatroom (link also in the menu on the left of the Home Page). More information will follow with detailed instructions on how to participate. In the mean time, if you would like to submit questions for Alan please email them to livechat@theonering.net. Read on for a synopsis of these remarkable new Tolkien-related publications provided by Houghton Mifflin. Continue reading “Live Chat with Alan Lee!”