Yesterday was the last day of principal photography for The Hobbit films. Peter Jackson live blogged the event,…
Continue ReadingYesterday was the last day of principal photography for The Hobbit films. Peter Jackson live blogged the event, and earlier today we asked fans to send us videos of their thanks to PJ and the entire Crew. The response was overwhelming! (in fact, we will have a Part II video posted later) Enjoy!
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!
UPDATE: Thanks for all the quick submissions! We’ve sent the video over to the production crew but you can still upload your own video to youtube and title it THANKS PJ
We’re making a “thank you” video for PJ and the cast and crew and we’d like you to take part!
Simply email Justin an iPhone video or something from your laptop tonight and he will string them all together and upload to YouTube in the morning.
During Comic-Con 2013 the folks at LEGO unvelied a brand new set for fans of Middle-earth and it comes from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. The new set is called Lake Town Chase and comes with several mini-figures like: Bard, Thorin, Bilbo, a guard, and The Master of Lake Town. This set launches in December of this year with a retail price of $49.99 and has 334 pieces. Also, during the unveiling which was really cool with a glass case with misty glass was some great videos from The Lord of the Rings. LEGO has already given fans some really great sets from both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and this set is going to be another winner.
Our friends from The Bridge Direct had another great showing at Comic-Con this year with more of their great figures for The Hobbit Trilogy. This year at their booth The Bridge Direct had almost every new figure we’re going to see in the fall when wave 2 of their line ships. We got new 6″ figures of Yazneg, Radagast the Brown, Bolg, and Azog. This Azog figure is different than the Comic-Con 2013 Exclusive Figure. The 3.75″ line of figures had the rest of the Dwarves which we did not get in wave one and Thranduil to complete what they had at the booth. The 3.75″ line is also getting a couple of new multi-packs one will have all of the Dwarves and the one at Comic-Con is a Mirkwood pack coming with Thranduil Tauriel, Legolas, Fili, and Kili. There is a Beorn figure coming but as of right now he will have to remain a mystery for just a little while longer. We also get to see a Legolas figure in the new packaging that we will see for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Overall, as I said The Bridge Direct had another great Comic-Con and I can’t wait to see wave 2 hit the shelves.
Today, we bring you part two of our coverage of Weta Workshop’s booth at Comic-Con 2013. In this part we have for you a little video of what was at the booth. Between the pictures and this video we hope it gives you an idea of just how cool the stuff Weta had this year. Weta has also given fans who couldn’t go to get one a chance to download their awesome Third Quarter Catalog, which has several of the products you could see at their Comic-Con booth.
Weta also had a major announcement at the Weta/Shadow and Flame party during Comic-Con this year. You will hear me mention it towards the end of the video. The announcement is that Weta Workshop will once again be doing 1:6th statues from The Lord of the Rings. So not only will we be getting great statues from The Hobbit Trilogy fans can now also get great statues with the Middle-earth map base we know and love from The Lord of the Rings.
Tim Launder who is the General Manager of Weta Limited has this for fans about this announcement:
It’s been several years since Weta last released a figure from our extensive range of 1/6th scale LOTR statues. For the last year and a half, we have been busy creating a new range for The Hobbit. But we think it is now time to also return to The Lord of The Rings and fill a few gaps. What do you think ?
Cheers
Tim