Doug Adams had asked Fran Walsh to write a short foreword for his new book, “The Music of the LOTR Films”.
Anything that she thought was appropriate: musings on Tolkien and music, memories of working with Howard on the films… anything, really. I trusted her implicitly.
This morning, that foreword arrived with this message,
Hi Doug, Pete and I think your book reads really well and found it to be completely engaging! Congratulations!
The March 20th edition of the WETA Newsletter mentions TORN and our ‘Cruise to Middle-earth’ vacation we posted about earlier in the year. Ringers on the cruise stopped by the WETA Cave for a very special treat. From the newsletter: “Our friends from T.O.R.N visit the Weta Cave – On a Cruise To Middle-Earth, a large group of Tolkien fans from TheOneRing.Net came to visit us. It was a real pleasure to have you here and to show you around. It takes a special kind of fan to travel all the way to little New Zealand. In the photo you also see Richard Taylor, Tania Rodger and Daniel Falconer who hosted the group on their visit.” >wetanz.com
When director Peter Jackson asked Howard Shore to compose the score for “The Lord of the Rings” film trilogy, Shore studied J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy world before beginning four years of writing music. At a Master’s Tea Tuesday afternoon, Shore shared insights about composing, orchestrating, conducting and producing more than ten hours of music to accompany “The Lord of the Rings” films in front of more than 100 students in the Branford College common room. The Academy Award-winning composer, who also wrote the scores for “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “Doubt,” among others, also told stories about working on other genres of music before his venture into cinema. Shore began the talk by describing his first encounters with music. From the beginning, his clarinet teacher felt it was important that he learn music composition techniques such as harmony and counterpoint, he said. By the time Shore was 11 years old, he was already writing small pieces. Shore shares insights on ‘Rings’ trilogy
Or a Tale of Two Towers: Art and Archetypes in Middle-Earth
Tolkien’s Middle-Earth is conspicious in that it contains no places of worship. Few fantasy authors resist the urge to have temples and gods (usually malevolent ones with slimy and unappetizing minions, against which the hero uses guile, good sense or solid biceps in contests of thinly-disguised allegory). Tolkien limits himself to places of portent or places of wonder – places where the gods or great personages of the past have touched the earth, but have never consecrated. Continue reading “John Howe’s Journal: FROM BABEL TO BARAD-DÛR”
(is) a stunning work — a vortex of detail that exposes layers of details and nuance with each viewing. Here Howe has depicted…the face of Melkor and the fury of his contact with a dawning world.
Doug also added that another guest contributor would be announced in the next few weeks. “The Music of the LOTR Films” will be released in conjunction with “The Rarities Archive”, a collection of music that was composed for the LOTR films, but not used.
Kerrie from KOMPOLT sends this along: Lord of the Rings Cast & Crew Autograph Original Movie Poster for American Cinematheque – Movies have the power to not only tell a story – they fill our lives with emotions, make us see things differently, help us discover new ideas, or simply create an escape from the daily bustle of life. To mark the release of the all new step-by-step movie making guide “Filmmaking for Dummies” and to celebrate the movies we know and love, Wiley Publishing will be auctioning off autographed movie posters ranging from hilarious comedies, classic dramas, and every movie in between. Among the featured listings is an original Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings Movie Poster signed by Peter Jackson, Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett, Viggo Mortensen, Mark Ordesky, Fran Walsh, Phillipa Boyens, Ngila Dickson, Howard Shore and Robert Shaye. Decorating your walls has never felt so good because 100% of proceeds benefit the American Cinematheque, the cultural organization dedicated exclusively to honoring and preserving America’s favorite pastime: the movies! Head over to www.ebay.com/wiley to find out more! Ebay…