“It’s me, Bunnyfoot from Tokyo again. According to reports by two leading members of the LOTR subtitle reform activities on the Internet, the movie trilogy’s Japanese distributor, Nippon Herald Films, Inc., invited them to a private screening of TTT at the comapny last week and asked their views about the subtitles. With permission from the company, the two announced on Jan. 19 on their respective Web sites what they thought about the subtitling of TTT. To our great relief, they said it was remarkably better than that of FOTR, although they made some suggestions for further improvement. The company reportedly told them that it put forward their opinions to Akiko Tanaka, co-translater of the novel, for examination.
“The two also said that the people they met at the Nippon Herald were courteous and that the company, hitherto seen by the fans as unreliable and insolent, was perhaps being just slow and naive in responding to the audience’s demand.
“So, at the end of the day, there seems to be a happy solution for the problem that even involved Peter Jackson. (He made a comment about the matter on NZTV at TTT’s Paris premiere, as you know), although we must still wait and see until the movie finally opens here on Feb. 22. (Media previews are scheduled for this week, and there will be special previews for fans on Feb. 15.)
“By the way, Viggo Mortensen’s visit to Japan on Jan. 22 seems to be more to do with promotion of one of his books than TTT. It was the Japanese publisher of the book that invited him this time. A huge number of his female fans are expected to queue up for tickets to get his autograph.”
Bruce writes in to tell how the buzz for LOTR is building up this time in Japan. “There is only five weeks plus until the opening of TTT in Japan! The local Warner Brothers – MyCal cinema group will have some special showings in early February (probably around the 7th, 8th and 9th). Ticket sales begin on January 25. Can’t wait. On another development in Japan, a regional entertainment weekly magazine, Tokyo Walker, has a special section on The Two Towers. Included is a DVD with scenes from the movie (13 in all, including one of two new ones not seen here before), interviews with many of the lead actors, the most recent trailer, and a preview of the TTT game, about 30 minutes in all.”
There certainly seems to be a lot more awareness this time round, even if the Japanese are still having to put up with the delayed release policy.
I’ve just finished reading the “Lord of Racism” article on the TheOneRing.net site. Interesting stuff. I was lucky enough to work as an extra (attached to Unit 2A) for Three Foot Six. I started off an as Uruk Hai, but most of the work I did was as an Easterling. Were most of the Easterling extras “non-Europeans?” Yes – almost without exception, except for guys who had to “loiter” in the back of shot was taking place. Were we ever told that we, as Easterlings, were the “evil” bad guys? No.
Here’s a bit of background guff on my experience as an Easterling:
I went to the last open casting call for extras held at the NZ School of Dance in Wellington after an injury brought my Rugby season to a premature end (my Mum spotted the ad in “The Evening Post”, a local newspaper and basically told me to go). I queued up, signed the forms, had my measurements and photos taken, and was then taken an office to meet the extras casting director who then asked me if I could work the next day. I was surprised, because I had no experience and didn’t expect to be offered anything at all, after seeing a whole lot of other potential extras with all kinds of previous experience being turned away.
Anyway, I got to know a few of the Assistant Directors (ADs) well enough to ask them a few questions about what would be happening, as far as film extra work went, with the film, so I could organise time off work, etc. During one of these conversations, I learnt a bit about what kind of things the ADs would be looking for in an Easterling.
Easterling extras needed to be tall (180cm+) with an athletic-to-large (not overweight) build. They absolutely needed to have brown eyes of a certain shape – somewhere in between round and slanted (when I first saw the costume, I realised why). Easterling extras also needed a darkish skin complexion, similar to a deep tan – but not dark brown or black. Based on these requirements, I immediately thought “most of these guys are going to be either Maori or Polynesian”. Months later, my initial thought on the ethnic background of the Easterling extras was to be proved correct, although there were also Asians (mostly Thai/Cambodians or lighter skinned Indian/Pakistani/Sri Lankans) and the odd darker skinned European (a good friend of mine, originally from Southern Italy, played an Easterling). Towards the end, there were a few fair skinned Easterlings, but they tended to be hidden at the back of the shot.
On set, the ADs tried to help us (extras) get into character by explaining what the Easterlings were and why we (as Easterlings) were involved. Regardless of which AD was giving “the speech”, they all seemed to focus on the same themes, which were:
– “…the Easterlings are proud, noble warriors.”
– “…when you move, move smoothly, move as if you own the ground you stand on.”
– “…feel the pride of the Easterling people, you are their finest soldiers.”
Basically, they wanted us to look smooth, controlled and intimidating, but they didn’t want us to look like a bunch of thugs stomping down Courtenay Place, looking for a couple of pints and a whole lot of trouble :^) One AD commented that she liked working with the Easterlings because there were so many beautiful men (ha ha, *grin*). Most of the guys really got into the role, even though we were only extras. We were never given explicit instructions to be “evil” – mostly we were told that we were proud warriors.
The Easterling costume was one of the more comfortable costumes I wore, apart from the “Mk. 1” breastplates which had a sharp point at the end which could be hazardous if you sat down too quickly. “Mk. 2” breastplates changed this so that the sharp point was “hinged” on a piece of leather. The costume was loose and layered, so it kept you cool when it was hot and warm when it was cold. The helmet provided good visibility, and was much better than the Uruk Hai mask/helmet setup, which was terrible – you could only see directly in front of you as an Uruk Hai. The armour moved freely and provided good protection (getting hit with prop weapons hurts :^P). It was also very easy to eat in (or go to the toilet in). This was very important – as far as extras were concerned :^D (The food was always excellent and the toilets were always cramped.)
In the scene where the Easterlings march through the Black Gate (which was shot at Dry Creek Quarry) you may have noticed that some of the Easterlings appear to be “goose stepping” towards the end of the scene. There were a lot of large rocks lying on the ground in that scene and we had to step over them to avoid tripping over :^D I appear earlier in that scene in a close-up shot of the front ranks. I am second from the front, closest to the camera. I’ve seen the movie twice and in that scene my eyes flick down to the ground briefly. I laughed when I saw this, because I was looking out for rocks to step over during filming.
Working as an extra on LotR was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done and if it wasn’t for an untimely Rugby injury, it would never have happened.
Council of Elrond regular Fran recently did a bit of screencapping from a Two Towers bootleg. She discovered something interesting.
It appears that WETA missed a few shots of Arwen at Helm’s Deep, and that if you look closely enough – and freezeframe an awful lot – you can probably spot her in the final charge.
OK, this is an endless can of worms, and feelings are running high. MANY Japanese fans have written to say that the explanation offered by Nipon Herald. Inc regarding their process in translating/subtitling the LOTR films is not as positive as it implies. They say nothing has changed; the cross-checking that Nippon Herald claim will improve TTT apparently existed before, and the results were still bad. I’m posting this letter as a representative sample of what we’ve received on this topic.
“I am Bunnyfoot in Japan and am writing to you for the first time. I subscribe TheOneRingNet maling list, which I always enjoy reading.
“Perhaps you are a bit weary of hearing each updated situation about the subtitles of LOTR films in Japan. Please let me have your patience for a while.
“The first letter is a fairly accurate translation of what we LOTR fans in Japan saw on Christmas Day on the Web page of Nippon Herald Inc.
“The Japanese fans were at first relieved to hear that Akiko Tanaka, the co-translator of the epic novel, was to be deeply involved in preparing the subtitles for TTT. Then the Nippon Herald announcement went on to say that the TTT trailer that we have already seen and were appalled by also had gone under Tanaka’s check. The trailer subtitle is actually full of inexplicable expressions that a fan described as “a Zen dialogue,” and we are very worried if TTT may suffer from a similar setback. I already saw TTT in Hawaii last week and found that there were a lot of changes from the original novel. So I doubt whether having Tanaka translate the script and check Toda’s subtitles would be enough to make good subtitles.
“Yes, they may come up with a lot better subtitles for TTT than for FOTR, but now the argument has come down to the point that, unless we have someone else other than Toda to do the job, it’s going to be like that we pay money to check subtitles, not to appreciate the film.
“The second letter on the same page, the one from Shiots, is a bit more controversial because he is right to a certain extent. As he says, Natsuko Toda is definitely the best-known subtitler in Japan, who boasts she can prepare the subtitle of a film in just one week (which she said she did with FOTR as well). [eeeek! -Tehanu] Yet she is also known for having made many unprofessional mistakes in the past (* See below) although it did not cause furor among the audiences until FOTR was released here. This is perhaps because LOTR fans are, er, a bit more sensitive about the story and the film they are in love with than ordinary moviegoers.
“But I think all this is a good step for the improvement of the antiquated movie industry in Japan. Toda was perhaps the best for a long time, but her days are now probably limited or over. After all she has been never good translating fantasy or sci-fi films.
“Shiots writes, “unless a huge Japanese Tolkien fan steps up and offers to translate the movie for her, she is the most capable person for the job.” He probably does not know that a number of fans, including some professional translaters, already made timed subtitles for FOTR on their Web sites, and some even offered their hands to Nippon Herald, Inc.
“I hate to act like a telltaler, but really the fans would have been a lot happier if Nippon Herald acted more quickly to explain the situation even if they would stick to using Toda.
“Best wishes for New Year, and sorry for my bad English writing.”
– Bunnyfoot
“*Toda’s mistakes are many but here I write a few of the most recent ones. In “Gosford Park,” she translated Welsh rarebit as “rabbit”, which a vegitarian person orders instead of poultry in a restaurant. In “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secret,” she mixed up Muggle and Mugblood at a crucial scene, which has reportedly onfused many in the audience. When the FOTR cast came to Japan for promoting the movie earlier this year, Toda acted as their translator. Orlando Bloom was asked what other character he would like to play in LOTR, and he replied, “Saruman,” which Toda tranalated as “Solomon.” No wonder the fans who understood English were left aghast. It was after she prepared the FOTR subtitles.”
I’ve been away for a week, but I’m not one to let an interesting subject drop. So here’s more on the fiddle that plays that haunting ‘Rohan’ theme that we hear as the camera pans over the roofs of Edoras. Meanwhile, this came in from Jeremy:
“Howdy there Ringers–
“I’m not sure where “Kereah” and other’s who wrote in and told you about the “Hardinger” fiddle were getting their information from, [they were getting it from the TTT Soundtrack sleeve notes, but I’ve been informed by others that the name of the fiddle is mis-spelled there – Tehanu] but as a long time fan of Scandinavian folk, I can assure you that its a “Hardanger” fiddle, at least in English. In Norwegian, it is referred to as the “hardingfele,” but is universally translated (as far as I’ve ever heard) as “Hardanger”. [It’s the name of a place in Norway, I was further told – T]
“Check out this awesome Hardanger compellation from Northside Records, the primary publishers of traditional Scandinavian music in the U.S.: Noside.com Also, I suggest anything by Annbjørg Lien, an amazing Norwegian fiddler that mostly plays the Hardanger, and plays in both very traditional and fusion styles. She is a true Goddess.
“The Hardanger fiddle, considered the national instrument of Norway (although occasionally played in Sweden and elsewhere), is different from the modern violin in several ways, most notably in its flatter, “Renaissance” style fingerboard (and right-angle neck), and in the row of strings that run underneath the fingerboard, that vibrate sympathetically when the melody strings are played, giving the Hardanger its distinctively stirring, drone-y sound. For more information on the Hardanger, check out this page on the Hardanger Fiddle Association of America’s website I’d love to see the remarkable Rohan theme make Hardanger fans of many LOTR fans.”
