As you know, we’re currently conducting our pledge drive to raise funds and keep our servers running. We…
Continue ReadingAs you know, we’re currently conducting our pledge drive to raise funds and keep our servers running. We also have some very exciting auctions going on over at Ebay.
There are some fabulous, exclusive pieces up for grabs – including some things which, usually, money can’t buy! Time is running out on some of our auctions too, so best check them out now. Here are just three that might tickle your fancy:
As you’ll know, if you’ve been following the Road Trip to DragonCon, that fabulous and fun convention is taking place in Atlanta, Georgia this weekend! And TheOneRing.net will be there in force!
We’ll have a table in the ‘fan tables area’ – please come by and see us! Staffers deej and greendragon will be running the table, with expert help from staffer Thorongil. We’ll have awesome t-shirts and posters for sale, as well as trivia to play and prizes to win! Plus we love meeting fellow fans – so please swing by and say hello! We’ll be in the Hyatt, Exhibition Level, across from the entrance to the Art Show.
TORn will also be presenting two panels at DragonCon: on Saturday, 5.30pm in the Hyatt International South will be The Hobbit: One book, three movies; and on Sunday, 1pm in the Hyatt Centennial 1 we’ll be Previewing The Desolation of Smaug! Staffer MrCere will be joining deej and greendragon – and maybe a few others! – on those panels. Otherwise, catch MrCere very busily running the Tolkien Track at the con this weekend!
Justin and the Road Trip gang will of course be covering events and streaming from the Con! Other exciting happenings include the Evening at Bree party on Friday night, 8.30pm in Hyatt Centennial 1, where The Tolkien Track have their annual shindig with costume contest and with our faves, Emerald Rose, rocking the house! On Saturday night The Tolkien Track have a new event – a late night ‘Middle-earth goes retro’ dance party! 80s music all night long – come on down and party like it’s the Third Age! 80s attire optional but encouraged – what did elves wear in the 80s, anyway? Come party with fellow fans and denizens of Middle-earth, as TORn’s own professional dj (hey, that’s why we call her deej!) spins the discs – 10.30pm Saturday, in the Hilton Grand Ballroom East.
And let’s not forget, of course, that there are some fabulous celebrities at DragonCon this weekend! Already scheduled on panels are William Kircher (Bifur), Graham McTavish (Dwalin) and Sylvester McCoy (Radagast). Manu Bennet (Azog) is also at the con, so we hope to see him on a panel or two, as well! And our good friends from Badali Jewelry will have a booth in the dealers’ hall, in the AmericasMart Building 1, so say hi to them and maybe treat yourself to a gorgeous piece of jewelry!
It’s all happening; it’s going to be a whirlwind of a weekend! We always look forward to meeting fellow Tolkien lovers at all the conventions and events which TheOneRing.net attends – so we hope to see YOU this weekend at DragonCon!
Sylvester McCoy, Middle-earth wizard Radagast The Brown, celebrated his birthday August 20, turning 70 years old. He was born in Dunoon, Scotland to an Irish mother and English father, killed in action in World War II a month before his son was born, in 1943. McCoy was on stage and in children’s television and then was, most famously, chosen as the seventh incarnation of the title character in the television series “Doctor Who.”
He is known for his comedy roles and most recently as the slightly wacky wizard — whom Gandalf considers a very great one in his own way — in Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” He is believed to play an important role in the next two films as well, helping Gandalf in the film trailer for the second flick, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.”
McCoy is scheduled to appear as part of the Tolkien Track at Dragon Con in Atlanta, Georgia, August 30 – September 2. He will appear twice as part of the Tolkien’s Middle-earth Track (click here for the full schedule) that includes Manu Bennett, William Kircher and Graham McTavish. TheOneRing.net will be on hand during all of Dragon Con along with a table to meet with fellow fans, sell t-shirts and deliver three panels about the films along with a good contingent of Tolkien fans. The programming features 28 Tolkien-themed panels, believed to be the largest in one place in North America in 2013.
Below is McCoy’s chat with Clifford Broadway, our own Quickbeam on TORn Tuesday. TheOneRing also hopes to publish an interview with McCoy from our embed on the set of The Hobbit in the near future.
Peter Jackson has always been pretty open with fans about his process of making films. He answered 20 questions for anybody interested way back in 1998 on Aintitcoolnews back when film fans had just climbed out of the internet’s primordial ooze. He followed this up with a series of interactions with communities definitely including TheOneRing.net (highlighted by attending our Oscar parties and allowing founder Tehanu set access) and our sister site, KongIsKing.net where he posted twice-weekly production diaries while shooting that film. The behind-the-scenes effort was as demanding as shooting a many films — done while his team was shooting a film. Think what you want of “King Kong,” but the innovative work to share it with fans may never be equaled. You can see the old diaries running down the right side of the KiKn page. We (the all-volunteer TORn staff) would have loved to host again but by the time the three movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit,” were shooting, social media provided Facebook for many millions around the globe and gave Jackson a direct link to fans.
He continued to release production diaries, and he was able to simply showcase them directly on his own Facebook account. With nearly a million likes, he found a way to self publish, directly to his audience, with or without the studio’s help — but likely with its blessing.
Today marks the final day of shooting the films in New Zealand. The day caps off a ten-week period planned from the beginning to shoot pickups for both remaining films and also capture the great Battle of Five Armies on film. For weeks now Twitter and some announcements have been signaling final shooting days for specific actors from the films. Jackson has now used Facebook again to publish many updates about how his day has progressed and what the two units are shooting as the final shots get ticked off the list in an almost Twitter-like fashion. (Except that his post are much more wordy!)
The first post is an early-morning announcement that he can’t sleep, is watching fight rehearsals and what he hopes to accomplish with the feed. view from his own house with another shot of his cat saying its goodbyes as he heads to the lot to shoot. He says,
“Ever since starting these blogs, there’s been something I thought I’d like to try one day (as well as answering the other 19 questions I owe you!) – blogging throughout a shoot day in real time. Try to give you all a feeling for what we deal with on an average day.
Today is not exactly “average”, given it’s our last day of shooting, but if I don’t do it today, I never will!”
We go on to see a view from his home, a view from his cat into the lens and then on to work, arriving at the security gate at the studio. He continues with updates much of the day, appropriately sharing those final hours on set. There is a lot of work to be done but there is something that resonates even with fans about the moment when the cameras turn off. Film crews can work only work certain numbers of hours with a lunch and then overtime kicks in. This means everybody must be fed as the hours reach over 12 worked for the day. This seems likely on the final day and at last posting, only two set ups (getting the lights and sets and everything else ready to shoot) were left for Jackson’s unit while something close to the same number remained for the action unit. As Jackson said,
9.21pm. Getting very near the end …
Jackson also gives great insight into his own personal film process and has a great shot from his director’s tent. I have spent time in that tent and not only is the shot great, but the explanation of his tent crew are as well. They will never be recognized as widely as they deserve but they are excellent, each in their own way.
When the final shot ends, after several takes where he says something like, “That was great, lets do one more,” Jackson will call “cut” and despite being digital, he will tell the camera people to “check the gate,” a term for film cameras to make sure everything was captured. “Clear” will come the traditional response, “gate is clean.” After that, expect hugs and tears and cheering and probably bubbly beverages. If I don’t miss my guess, a lot of party-time too.
A lot of work will remain of course, but that will end the work of many, many hundreds of people who helped made the illusions that we see as Middle-earth on film. Sets will no longer be built, costumes and makeup and prosthetics and hair and set dressers and lighting and camera departments will all be done working on a live set.
And, for the present and perhaps long into the future, the rights for further Middle-earth stories aren’t available. That ends the process of shooting the adaptation of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Fans world wide, many of whom feel part of these efforts or at least connected to them, will also celebrate and feel sad.
Those of us attending Dragon Con in Atlanta over Labor Day will be pleased to welcome Hobbit actors William Kirtcher, Graham McTavish and the Doctor / Wizard Sylvester McCoy. TheOneRing will have a fan table there and the Tolkien Track will have daily panels with parts or all three of the trio for four days of the convention.
Jackson will continue to update as the cast and crew shoot long into the New Zealand night, perhaps for the final time in Middle-earth.
UPDATE: The shooting did finish. Jackson went home to daughter Katie throwing a party at home. Jackson ended things like this:
.14am.
Back with Mr Smudge.
A long day. A great day. Thank you all for being part of it! Now for some sleep!
For those attending Comic-Con, Peter Jackson announced that he will not be sending actors or a sizzle reel to the giant popular culture show this year. However, TheOneRing.net does have a panel to talk about “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” on Thursday, July 18 at 5:30 to 6:30 in room 6A with a seating capacity of around 1,000. We will present our unofficial look at the film and we hope to spring a surprise guest or two at the affair as well. Be warned, there is always a line and never enough seats for TORn’s annual panel so plan ahead with many getting turned away every year. (We will also be selling shirts to keep our website alive financially at the Badali Jewelry booth and the Weta Workshop booth, come see us at both!)
For the rest of the world that doesn’t get to attend the San Diego even anyway, the team behind the scenes on the production presents a brand new production diary complete with what will surely be a new fitness fashion Dwarvercise! It also has some really good looks at the seldom seen storage facilities with the Art Department’s Ra Vincent, a glimpse of Evangeline Lily and Orlando Bloom riding a green creature and plenty of the crew getting the production back into the swing of pick up shooting, currently happening as you read.
The ten-minute diary is below. Enjoy!
Several good Tolkienites have written in to tell us about a podcast involving Sylvester McCoy (Radagast – of course) and Aaron Eckhart (Harvey Dent). McCoy discusses his involvement in further “Hobbit” installments. Hedgehogs also come up. Give it a listen right about here.