Ringer Spy Sam sends along these very cool pics. I’m not too sure if these are miniatures, or something used in the films. But some of the technology used is ‘Final Render’. Very Cool.
Category: Old Spy Reports
Well…not really..sorry. But Ringer Spy Stefan sends along his report on a LOTR presentation in Cologne, Germany. Take a look!
Today is my birthday and to my pity its also the day that Frodo gets wounded at Weathertop in our favorite story. As a gift from my wife I received two tickets for a Lord of the Rings presentation at Mayersche Bookstore in Cologne, Germany.
I just wanted to inform the community that on November 3rd there is some kind of Lord of the Rings event going on at Mayersche Bookstore in Cologne, Germany.
It reads: Gandalf presents…. The Lord of the Rings Book – Games – Film free choice of seat 10 Deutschmarks Saturday Nov.3 2001 at 18.30 h Mayersche Bookstore Neumarkt-Galerie 50667 Cologne Germany
Well what exactly it is, I dont know. If its just an event to sell stuff or if somebody reads parts of the book or even footage or goodies of the NEW film are shown, I do not know.
Who this GANDALF impersonator is I dont know either but he will have to give a good reason to claim this name or Ill go there dressed as a Balrog and block the entrance screaming: YOU CANNOT PASS !!
From: serviam
I’m writing to report that 29, 30 & October 1st, New Line is holding a series of screenings of the 26 minutes of LOTR footage previously viewed at the Cannes Film Festival and other locations. I’m assuming that the invitations were sent out to media outlets and press (I can ONLY assume, as I was out sick from work on Friday when the publication I work for [the A&F Quarterly] received its invitation, so I haven’t actually SEEN the thing; I only heard about it because a thoughtful co-worker (bless ‘im) called me at home while I was convalescing).
My co-worker gave me the number of an automated screening-reservation line provided by the P.R. firm that’s handling the firm. A quick call to a human-being-operated line listed on the recording enabled me to find out the location of the screening and all the available times (21 in all). I made my reservation for sunday’s 6:30pm showing. At five o’clock, I caught a Long Island Rail Road train from my (so sick she couldn’t come with me, much to our mutual chagrin) girlfriend’s apartment into The City. I tried to use the time wisely–instead of staring into the windy, rainy night through the windows, I finished off Clive Barker’s wonderful work of dark fantasy, Weaveworld. Thank goodness Barker’s so good, or I might have been completely incapacitated by the mix of anticipation and trepidation I felt about the footage. Of course, I’d seen all the reviews, for which the word “rave” seemed woefully inadequate, but my hopes for this movie are higher than those for any other film I can remember. (This coming from a man who has a tattoo of the Rebel Alliance insignia on his right arm–in other words, there have been other movies in recent years that i’ve looked forward to for some time.) I met up with my good friend and fantasy afficinado Ken in Penn Station, and away we went, by subway and foot, to our destination.
As we entered the lobby we could hear the sounds from the 6pm screening bleeding through the doors. Not wanting anything spoiled, I threw on my headphones and blasted the latest Tool record, successfully drowning out even the Balrog (Tool can do that). The doors opened promptly at 6:30, spilling out about 20 thoroughly impressed industry types. (Even New Line studio flacks seemed legitimately pleased by what they’d seen.) Ken and I took our place in the screening room’s lush seats, and almost within seconds, the lights went down, and the film began.
At this point, words fail me.
Others have summarized the contents of the Cannes footage, and I won’t rehash their work. I will simpy add my voice to the growing chorus of people who have boldly proclaimed that nothing–and I mean NOTHING–can prepare you for how absolutely INCREDIBLE this film is. The teasers, the trailers, the interviews, the spy reports–impressive as they are–are incapable of conveying the truth of the matter: What P.J. and company have done here is not just good, not just great, but PERFECT.
DEAD.
SOLID.
PERFECT.
I literally had not a single complaint. I was transfixed from beginning to end. I was totally convinced by everything–the sets, the scenery, the costumes, the effects, the creatures, (most crucially) the performances. There is quite simply not a single off note. I came away with certain impressions that stand out in retrospect–how perfectly Ian Holm has captured Bilbo’s charm…how utterly convincing the Cave Troll is (of course it doesn’t look “real”–nothing that ISN’T real “looks real”–but it’s only that semantic distinction that keeps you from believing it’ll leap out of the screen and come after YOU next)…how Hugo Weaving, in his portrayal of Elrond, somehow managed to convey centuries of hardship and sorrow in a mere look upon seeing the One Ring for the first time since his comrade Isildur defied his advice an Age ago…how a second-long glimpse of Miranda Otto as Eowyn left me wondering whether Aaragorn’s heart could stand the strain of being near her…how John Noble as Denethor’s one-line appearance made me ache for the loss of Boromir as though he were my own son…how Moria is every bit as awesome as the greatest city the dwarves ever constructed should be (as my friend Ken put it, “The problem with fantasy films up until this point is that no one was willing to spend the money it takes to convey the scope of how these things appear in your mind…but that WAS the scope of how those things appeared in my mind!”)…how Sam–I mean Sean Astin–NO, I mean SAM–is indeed the best friend a hobbit could have…I could, and probably will, go on for hours. It truly is that good, my friends, even for a person who’s invested so much mental and emotional energy in Tolkien’s world over the years that anything short of perfection would be treason. It bears repeating: it’s perfect. Absolutely perfect.
A final thought: As I waited for the subway to take me back to Penn Station, I looked at a sign that read “Subway Service As Of September 19.” The seemingly banal announcement that changes had occurred in subway service that bore posting brought crashing home the horrible images of the catastrophe that necessitated those changes. A catastrophe, I suddenly realized, that had been completely banished from my mind for 26 glorious minutes. But the footage I saw was no balm of forgetfulness; it offered more than mere oblivion. It offered the knowledge that good can, and must, triumph over evil. It offered the hope that even the littlest of us can make that happen. It made me realize that this film–this story–is exactly what we need. Coming full circle, Barker once told me (no, I’m not above name-dropping) that his fondest hope was to share his dream-life with as many people as possible. Peter Jackson has taken it upon himself to do exactly that with the dreams of J.R.R. Tolkien. Now more than ever, let us be grateful that he’s succeeded. And believe me, he has, he has, he has.
This comes to me from an insider in London, seems that Enya was there recently (or at least she recorded some music recently that was there) along with Howard Shore working on some LOTR music, read on!
I have a few friends who were (snipped due to secrecy) with Enya last week in London.
I think they had to sign a confidentiality agreement, so I’m not sure they can talk anyway, but I can confirm that her song is covering the closing credits, it’s in English, and the backing is a full orchestra with various interesting percussion (tam-tams etc) and a large choir humming.
I couldn’t discover the name of the song. The studios were in North London, I think.
They did say that Howard Shore was one of the most laid-back conductors they ever worked for! Not in a bad way: just very, very relaxed!
He conducted all the sessions. I’m not sure if Enya was there herself, I think she might have recorded her part already.
I only know the percussion section was large and varied, with different types of drums.
Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn)
28 Days (2000)
Walk on the Moon, A (1999)
Thin Red Line, The (1998) UK 
Psycho (1998) UK
Albino Alligator (1996)
Passion of Darkly Noon, The (1995)
Crew, The (1994)
American Yakuza (1994)
Ruby Cairo (1993)
Two Small Bodies (1993)
Fresh Horses (1988) UK
Witness (1985)
Liv Tyler (Arwen)
Onegin (1999) UK
Plunkett & Macleane (1999)
U Turn (1997) UK
Stealing Beauty (1996)
Heavy (1995)
Ian Holm (Bilbo)
Bless the Child (2000)
Joe Gould’s Secret (2000)
eXistenZ (1999)
Alice Through the Looking Glass (1999) (TV)
King Lear (1997) (TV) UK
Fifth Element, The (1997) UK
Frankenstein (1994)
Madness of King George, The (1994)
Hamlet (1990) UK
Alien (1979) UK
Young Winston (1972)
Oh! What a Lovely War (1969) UK
Fixer, The (1968) UK
Sean Bean (Boromir)
When Saturday Comes (1996) UK
Stormy Monday (1988)
Martyn Sanderson (Bree Gatekeeper)
Angel at My Table, An (1990)
Ned Kelly (1970)
Marton Csokas (Celeborn)
Halifax f.p: Swimming with Sharks (1999) (TV)
John Noble (Denethor)
Airtight (1999) (TV) UK
Peter Mackenzie (Elendil)
Chill Factor (1999)
Major League: Back to the Minors (1998) UK
Nick of Time (1995)
Off Limits (1988)
Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) UK
Karl Urban (Eomer)
Heaven (1998)
Hugo Weaving (Elrond)
Matrix, The (1999) UK
Strange Planet (1999)
Bedrooms and Hallways (1998)
Babe (1995) UK
Reckless Kelly (1993) UK
Miranda Otto (Eowyn)
What Lies Beneath (2000)
Jack Bull, The (1999) (TV)
Thin Red Line, The (1998) UK
David Wenham (Faramir)
Cosi (1996)
Elijah Wood (Frodo)
Bumblebee Flies Anyway, The (2000)
Faculty, The (1998) UK
Ice Storm, The (1997) UK
Flipper (1996)
War, The (1994) UK
Good Son, The (1993)
Forever Young (1992)
Paradise (1991)
Internal Affairs (1990)
Child in the Night (1990) (TV)
Cate Blanchett (Galadriel)
Gift, The (2000)
Talented Mr. Ripley, The (1999) UK
Pushing Tin (1999) UK
Paradise Road (1997)
Ian McKellen (Gandalf)
X-Men (2000)
Restoration (1995)
Scandal (1989)
Keep, The (1983) UK
Alfred the Great (1969) UK
John Rhys-Davies (Gimli)
Great White Hype, The (1996)
Cyborg Cop (1994)
Unnamable II: The Statement of Randolph Carter, The (1993)
Journey of Honor (1992) UK
Tusks (1990)
Firewalker (1986) UK
King Solomon’s Mines (1985)
Nairobi Affair (1984) (TV) UK
Naked Civil Servant, The (1975) (TV)
Andy Serkis (Gollum)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) UK
Tale of Sweety Barrett, The (1998) UK
Stella Does Tricks (1997)
John Leigh (Hama)
Frighteners, The (1996)
Harry Sinclair (Isildur)
Heavenly Creatures (1994)
Braindead (1992) UK
Orlando Bloom (Legolas)
Wilde (1997)
Bruce Spence (Mouth of Sauron)
Cars That Ate Paris, The (1974) UK
Sean Astin (Sam)
Sky Is Falling, The (2000)
Icebreaker (1999)
Kimberly (1999)
Bulworth (1998) UK
Teresa’s Tattoo (1994)
Where the Day Takes You (1992) UK
Encino Man (1992) UK
Memphis Belle (1990) UK
War of the Roses, The (1989) UK
Staying Together (1989) UK
Like Father, Like Son (1987)
Goonies, The (1985) UK
Christopher Lee (Saruman)
Sleepy Hollow (1999) UK
Journey of Honor (1992) UK
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Safari 3000 (1982)
Last Unicorn, The (1982)
Serial (1980)
1941 (1979) UK
Arabian Adventure (1979)
Nothing But the Night (1972)
Death Line (1972) UK
Five Golden Dragons (1967)
Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors (1965)
Gorgon, The (1964) UK
Longest Day, The (1962) UK
City of the Dead, The (1960)
Battle of the River Plate, The (1956) UK
Dark Avenger, The (1955)
Cockleshell Heroes, The (1955)
Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951)
My Brother’s Keeper (1948) UK
Scott of the Antarctic (1948) UK
Brian Sergent (Ted Sandyman)
Braindead (1992) UK
Bernard Hill (Theoden)
Midsummer Night’s Dream, A (1999) UK
True Crime (1999) UK
Gandhi (1982) UK
Nathaniel Lees (Ugluk)
Hercules and the Lost Kingdom (1994) (TV) UK
Brad Dourif (Wormtongue)
Storytellers, The (1999) UK
Urban Legend (1998) UK
Death Machine (1995)
Amos & Andrew (1993)
Cerro Torre: Schrei aus Stein (1991)
Body Parts (1991) UK
Exorcist III, The (1990)
Mississippi Burning (1988)
Dune (1984) UK
Jim Rygiel (SFX)
Anna and the King (1999)
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
Alien³ (1992)
Last of the Mohicans, The (1992)
Solar Crisis (1990)
Ghost (1990)
Last Starfighter, The (1984)
Howard Shore (Composer)
High Fidelity (2000)
Dogma (1999)
eXistenZ (1999)
Analyze This (1999)
Cop Land (1997)
Game, The (1997)
Striptease (1996)
Moonlight and Valentino (1995)
Se7en (1995)
Client, The (1994)
Guilty as Sin (1993)
M. Butterfly (1993)
Single White Female (1992)
Prelude to a Kiss (1992)
She-Devil (1989)
Big (1988)
Moving (1988)
Fire with Fire (1986)
Fly, The (1986)
After Hours (1985)
Places in the Heart (1984)
Videodrome (1983)
Peter Jackson (Director)
Frighteners, The (1996)
Hercules and the Lost Kingdom (1994) (TV)
Heavenly Creatures (1994)
Braindead (1992)
To get more information, use the sites I use like:
Ringer Spy anonymous sends along this interesting bit of info regarding the use of arrows in LOTR:
anonymous quotes Calisuri from our frame-by-frame look at the latest TV tralier:
“Legolas turns to face the attackers as the remaining Fellowship escapes from Moria.
We believe there are some special effects used here to make Legolas’s actions swifter, as is his nature. Notice how fast he draws the arrow and fires.”
Click here to see these images larger
anonymous: The arrow is CG. Use the arrow keys to slow down the footage and you’ll note he doesn’t even pull the arrow from his quiver, but rather from behind his other shoulder. Arrows are often CG on LOTR, because obviously no-one can string a bow that fast and speeding up a shot often looks stupid.