{"id":21714,"date":"1999-11-23T09:20:49","date_gmt":"1999-11-23T15:20:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/1999\/11\/23\/special-effects-director-speaks\/"},"modified":"1999-11-23T09:20:49","modified_gmt":"1999-11-23T15:20:49","slug":"special-effects-director-speaks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/1999\/11\/23\/21714-special-effects-director-speaks\/","title":{"rendered":"Special Effects Director Speaks!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fortress rises on Haywards Hill – Lord of the Rings Secret Tricks revealed
\n
Special Effects Director Speaks! <\/p>\n

From: The Evening Post, Tuesday 23 November <\/p>\n

Fortress rises on Haywards Hill
\n
Lord of the Rings Secret Tricks revealed <\/p>\n

by Simon Beattie <\/p>\n

Special effects whizzes on The Lord of the Rings movies have built models up to 8m high in Warehouses in Miramar. <\/p>\n

The trilogy’s special effects director, Alex Funke, at the weekend unveiled some tricks and techniques being used by Peter Jackson’s Weta<\/a> special effects team. <\/p>\n

Mr Funke, speaking to the Screen Producers and Director’s Association conference in Wellington, said the Lord of the Rings was the Holy Grail of film-making and required more than 1000 special effects shots. <\/p>\n

Mr Funke was the effects cinematographer on blockbusters The Abyss, Waterworld, Starship Troopers and Total Recall – for which he won an Oscar. He said Weta<\/a> – the visual effects company based at director Jackson’s Camperdown Studios – was building and filming miniature models. The footage would be superimposed onto live action shots. <\/p>\n

It is believed that the partial set built in the stone quarry on Haywards Hill is for the scenes involving the battle at Helm’s Deep fortress.. A complete miniature set has also been constructed. <\/p>\n

Mr Funke, from the United States, said some of the models were 8m tall, “We have warehouses full of them. We have huge space – about 3000sqm – for our use.” <\/p>\n

Mr Funke said an almost constant cloud of smoke would be used in special effect shots to give the viewers the illusion of depth. <\/p>\n

Almost every effect shot had been previewed on computers. In many cases they would be shot using cameras with technology that was 50 years old. <\/p>\n

Data takers made sure the work of different camera crews and the special effects team corresponded. <\/p>\n

Despite revealing some tricks of the trade, Mr Funke wouldn’t show any film clips of the scenes filmed so far. <\/p>\n

“I would love to show you some rushes [film clips] of The Lord of The Rings, but security being what it is, I can’t.” <\/p>\n

Star Wars creator George Lucas was reported to have said in a overseas newspaper recently that only his company, Industrial Light and Magic, would be able to create many of the shots needed. <\/p>\n

Mr Funke disagreed. “I don’t think he’s speaking form an informed point of view. I think it’s going to be difficult, but we can do it.” <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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