One of our new men out in NZ, John sends these photos from Stone Street Studios in Wellington. This is a studio located about 2 minutes away from the coolest place in the world, also known as WETA Workshop & WETA Digital, and in between that is Park Road Post, where some LOTR work, and most of the work on King Kong was done..basically this neighborhood is the trifecta of movie-geek heaven.
When I was down in Wellington last April I caught up with LOTR producer Barrie Osbourne, we was hard at work on his next film ‘The Water Horse’. I also had a chance to meet the director Jay Russell. At the time they were just about ready to begin shooting, this looks like they may be in re-shoot phase, the shoot in Scotland may or may not have happened yet, who knows. As you can see in the photos they seem to be planning something quite BIG to be on the blue screen…anyone who has read ‘The Water Horse’ already knows the answer to what that ‘something’ may be.
Take a look at the photos and what John has to say!
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There are a few photos of WWII type patrol boats sitting at the entrance to Stone Street. Secondly, we walked around to the other end of the street where you can see the back end of blue screen (cargo container side). There are a few places along this street where it seems Weta has parked some things that are either not in use any more of about to be used. I included a few pictures of what looks like a giant fist and the back of a head. They’re sitting in an alley along with a couple catapults…obviously from LOTR. Also, in another space there are very new looking airplane parts which look unfinished and freshly made. There’s one photo of those in the bunch.
On the night of the 16th and 17th one of the major streets in town is going to be shut down for “filming”.
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Tobias Hock writes: I am a German student. For my graduation in 2007 I am about to make a school work with the topic “J.R.R. Tolkien´s THE LORD OF THE RINGS: A cultural phenomenon’ I want to find out to what extent fantasy literature deals with topical issues and, above all, what makes Tolkien´s work, half a century after its publication, still so attractive for millions of people. [More]
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PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Actor Viggo Mortensen is on a three-day fundraising tour for Robert Johnson, the Democrat challenging U.S. Rep. John McHugh (news, bio, voting record) for the 23rd Congressional District seat. “I’m pretty skeptical of all politicians, and I think it’s only in the movies that you find no-strings-attached, sincere people,” Mortensen said Thursday at a $75 buffet dinner that drew 140 people. “Dr. Bob is that rare thing: He’s a man that’s not bought and paid for. I wish there were candidates like him all over the country,” he said. [More]
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WESTWOOD, MA – SEPTEMBER 8, 2006 – Turbine and Midway announced today that The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™ (LOTRO) has officially entered Beta in North America. Codemasters Online Gaming is pleased to announce the simultaneous launch of Pre-Beta in Europe. [More]
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Celebriel writes: This year Kiran Shah, noted actor and stuntman who played the scale double for Frodo and other hobbits in “The Lord of the Rings,” was the Tolkien Track’s celebrity guest. He hosted a Q&A panel on Saturday, and appeared with “The Dork of the Rings” cast and crew on Monday. In between, he could be found mostly at The Walk of Fame over in the Hilton, greeting fans, signing autographs, and posing for pictures. [More]
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Celebriel writes: This year Kiran Shah, noted actor and stuntman who played the scale double for Frodo and other hobbits in “The Lord of the Rings,” was the Tolkien Track’s celebrity guest. He hosted a Q&A panel on Saturday, and appeared with “The Dork of the Rings” cast and crew on Monday. In between, he could be found mostly at The Walk of Fame over in the Hilton, greeting fans, signing autographs, and posing for pictures.
Kiran is knowledgeable, engaging, and a born storyteller in addition to being an actor and Guinness World Record stuntman with 29 years experience, as well as a director and published poet. Kiran was born in Kenya and spent some of his youth in India before moving to London with his family. From an early age he imitated the voices and mannerisms of his uncles. In India he decided he would be a Bollywood star. In London, he started his career as a mime for a few years for the Red Buddha company, responding to a magazine ad.
Kiran’s first film was “Candleshoe” (1977) with David Niven, Jody Foster, Helen Hayes, and Leo McKern. Master fight director Bob Anderson, who worked on the film, encouraged him to become a stuntman. He had been selected to play R2D2 in the first Star Wars movie, but Kenny Baker then decided to return to the film and he was bumped.
He worked with Jim Henson on “The Dark Crystal,” where, he explained he could only wear the large puppet head for about twenty minutes before resting his neck. The puppet head had to be redesigned to make it safe enough for Kiran to wear on a ten foot drop, landing on his back. He’s even played females, working as the stunt double for Miss Piggy in “The Great Muppet Caper.”
Kiran explained that his first meeting with Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh did not go that well. Having seen “Brain Dead,” he had trouble seeing Peter as the one to bring LOTR to the screen, and Peter and Fran were concerned that, given all his stellar fantasy and sci-fi credits, Kiran would not want to work with them. He didn’t learn the background to his first meeting until the London premiere of “Fellowship of the Ring,” when Fran told him their side of the story.
His funniest LOTR story came from the filming in Bree. Playing Frodo, Kiran was picked up by Viggo Mortensen, carried upstairs, and tossed into the bedroom. He explained that at first Viggo was extremely gentle, until he said, “Viggo, I’m a stuntman, you can throw me!” Some of the other scenes Kiran played, in addition to being Frodo’s scale double, include the rescue of Faramir from the funeral pyre and riding with Eowyn to battle. Because Kiran was doubling for all the hobbits, he was very much in demand at all the locations. He was shuttling around so much Barrie Osborne got him a helicopter, which he frequently changed in, as he only a few minutes on arrival to see the day’s footage and get ready to work.
He explained that, in the scene where he climbs into the cart with Gandalf in the opening of “Fellowship,” he proposed to Peter that he do the scene as a stunt, since in the book Frodo jumps into the back of the cart. Peter turned him down, saying he couldn’t afford to have any of his actors injured, and that if Kiran was injured, he didn’t know where he’d find someone else. Kiran didn’t give up, proposing a scene in the burning of Hobbiton where he would play a hobbit on fire coming out of his house. That wasn’t filmed either. Finally he got a bit of stunt work, playing Pippin falling to the ground from Treebeard.
Kiran enjoyed returning to New Zealand to work in the first of the Narnia films, especially since he was working as an actor not a stuntman. He described his conversations with Tilda Swinton on developing their respective characters. He wanted to make his character Ginarrbrik the dwarf more evil, motivated by his desire to one day stab the White Witch in the back and seize her power. As a result, he and Tilda basically ignore each other on screen except when they must interact. Off screen, they had a great relationship, as Tilda generously hosted cast and crew parties each Saturday while they filmed in remote areas on New Zealand.
Even with his years of experience, Kiran said he never stops looking at people, their mannerisms and walks, to pick up new moves and gestures. Continuing to branch out, Kiran and his nephew Kit directed the comedy “Young Lovers,” which is scheduled to open later this year. The film, his first effort as a director, also features Craig Parker.
Kiran has enough stories from LOTR, Narnia, Harry Potter, Titanic, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Superman, Greystoke, The Dark Crystal (and many more) to fill a trilogy of behind the scenes books! Maybe if he ever slows down he’ll consider it! Questions? Feedback? Email dianeroone@aol.com.
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