The One Ring Forums: Tolkien Topics: Movie Discussion: The Hobbit:
Are you short or tall enough for 'The Hobbit'?

News from Bree spymaster@theonering.net Nov 18 2010, 5:14am Views: 4300 Are you short or tall enough for 'The Hobbit'? Fans in the Auckland area will be delighted to find that the shortest and tallest among them are wanted for work on "The Hobbit," films according to the link sent in by spy Moahunter. Of course the candidates must be New Zealanders or have a work permit and fit all the requirements but if you are very tall or quite short, you should check out this job listing.

PotbellyHairyfoot Registered User Nov 18 2010, 2:34pm Views: 3692 Casting Call? Why would they post a casting call in the rough NZ equivalent of Kijiji or Craigslist? Looks like nonsense to me

PotbellyHairyfoot Registered User Nov 18 2010, 2:52pm Views: 3707 Casting Call- It's not even April !st yet I was right- like the other ads, this one was just withdrawn by the administrator. All you have to do to run an ad on that board is register, and then you can make up any ad you want.

PotbellyHairyfoot Registered User Nov 18 2010, 3:07pm Views: 3702 Nonsense casting call Good luck finding building 202 at Unitec http://www.unitec.ac.nz/?7A987896-EA22-419A-B4EF-13763BDE7066 http://www.unitec.ac.nz/maps/map.cfm

macfalk Valinor Nov 18 2010, 4:18pm Views: 3658 Elaborate please //   The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.

Ataahua Forum Admin / Moderator Nov 18 2010, 5:54pm Views: 3646 TradeMe is one of the busiest websites in New Zealand, and as you can see it has a dedicated 'jobs' section. I don't know if this item is legitimate or not but it's par for the course for jobs to be listed on TradeMe. Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..." Dwarves: "Pretty rings..." Men: "Pretty rings..." Sauron: "Mine's better." "Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded b*****d with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak. Ataahua's stories

dave_lf Gondor Nov 18 2010, 5:58pm Views: 3641 They're not looking for tall women so I suppose that means Itaril doesn't go to Hobbiton.

shadowdog Rohan Nov 18 2010, 6:57pm Views: 3637 OK I'm confused Why would anybody post a fake want ad???? What do they get out of it????

TheGoblinKing Rohan Nov 18 2010, 6:58pm Views: 3628 No Not A Hobbit But maybe a a fatish Bombour type Dwarf. At 5/8 would be the biggest Dwarf ever

7777777 Rivendell Nov 18 2010, 8:18pm Views: 3602 Time to bust out my 6" platform shoes.//   "I Told you I was Freaky" "I can see through Metal boys, and that's no lie." K (I was going to carve an E, but it was too many letters.)

Moahunter Rohan Nov 18 2010, 8:29pm Views: 3618 The other 3 calls for the Matamata filming in Feb. 2011 were also on trademe earlier this week. And the Auckland "Short & Tall" ad. is still there. (This post was edited by Ataahua on Nov 18 2010, 8:30pm)

PotbellyHairyfoot Registered User Nov 18 2010, 9:16pm Views: 3618 I think the ad was just someone pulling a prank. 1)The Ad was posted by 'The Hobbit" rather than a studio or film company. 2) The Building listed in the ad, Building 202, doesn't exist according to the Unitec Map. Do studios hold casting calls at colleges? 3 )I question the ad running on Trade-me' rather than in a newspaper or through an employment center If it wasn't so far away I'd call Unitec and ask them at the college BTW I was wrong about the ad being withdrawn. I mistakenly clicked the link to one of the earlier ads

Idril Celebrindal Tol Eressea Nov 18 2010, 10:09pm Views: 3568 Rats! I'm tall as it is. I had my skyscraper-high platform heels all picked out and was lining up a hairdresser for a nice, big, Texas-style bouffant hairdo. The combo would have easily gotten me another foot of height, enough to make the casting call if I were a man. But nooooooo.....! What's a girl gotta do to get into this movie? With caffeine, all things are possible. The pity of Bilbo will screw up the fate of many.

Patty Immortal Nov 18 2010, 10:33pm Views: 3583 Yours is one of the best nicks around, PotbellyHairyfoot! /   Permanent address: Into the West Must. Have. The Precious! Give us the LotR EE Blu-ray Ultimate Box Set!

Moahunter Rohan Nov 19 2010, 2:21am Views: 3570 Why are you so sceptical? The first call for "Short & Tall" was held at a Drama College here in Wellington. I can't explain the mystery of Building 202, could be a typo.

AranNZ The Shire Nov 19 2010, 4:28am Views: 3584 Building 202 does exist Go to this website: http://www.unitec.ac.nz/...9A-B4EF-13763BDE7066 Enter "1" in the building number search box and a map will appear with building 1 indicated with a red arrow. Building 202 is next to building 1 (and also next to buildings 203, 204, 205 etc.). As Ataahua mentioned TradeMe is a very legitimate place for job ads now. It is the local equivalent of Ebay (as opposed to Craigslist) and has separate job and realestate websites that are very popular. With all that said I have no idea if the ad is legitimate or not, but it seems like a pretty bizarre prank to pull if it is not legit.

PotbellyHairyfoot Registered User Nov 19 2010, 12:26pm Views: 3549 Okay the building does exist  "At present, there is no information for building 202." doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. I was wrong about that We'll find out tomorrow if the ad was legit. BTW I came up with the nickname back in the days of the old Decipher LOTR Fan Club, and use it on a couple of forums.

RobNZ Bree Nov 19 2010, 2:37pm Views: 3532 Legit In my opinion I believe all 4 casting calls were legitimate. The initial 3 were listed for about 2 days. That was enough time for any interested parties to glean the details. Once the information was printed in the newspapers and featured internationally they probably saw no reason to retain them on trademe. Trademe is like NZ's equivalent of Ebay, its NZ'ers most visited website, not just for auctions, but jobs, in addition to being an online community. They can acheive far more exposure on Trademe than if they had an advert printed in any singular city newspaper. I believe they acheived the desired exposure and asked trademe to remove those three out of four listings. They probably only wanted to alert Matamata/Hamilton and Waikato locals. In all likelihood they are probably still lacking in their short and tall files which is why the fourth listing for Auckland still remains. Either way I will be proved right or wrong on the 23rd and 24th when the Matamata/Hamilton and Waikato auditions are scheduled to take place. (This post was edited by RobNZ on Nov 19 2010, 2:40pm)

Earl Forum Admin / Moderator Nov 19 2010, 2:46pm Views: 3488 By the way... ... I see that you're in NZ. Are you going to attend one of these?

RobNZ Bree Nov 19 2010, 3:02pm Views: 3494 Sure Definitely one of them, thats for sure. I am a media major at University here in Wellington, so it would be great practical experience in the industry I have been studying and working towards for two years. I have even put my University studies on hold throughout 2011 just on the off chance of being involved, so that I will be available at any time. I am 5ft 11 so not suitable for the four currently, but count me in for any Wellington ones! Im not holding my breath, but you have got to give it a shot, havent you. (This post was edited by RobNZ on Nov 19 2010, 3:04pm)

Earl Forum Admin / Moderator Nov 19 2010, 3:05pm Views: 3526 5'11'' Wasn't there a requirement for men of that height as well? I'm pretty sure I saw that in the "Tall and Short" casting call. I'll have to check to make sure though (what with disappearing casting calls and all ). ETA: No. I was wrong. The "tall" height requirement is 6'11". Yikes! (This post was edited by Earl on Nov 19 2010, 3:08pm)

RobNZ Bree Nov 19 2010, 3:22pm Views: 3510 I think I think it was (6ft 11 and taller) and (5ft 6 and smaller) for men from memory. I believe they are only for Auckland, Bay of Plenty and Waikato locals so far. Ive got no pretentions that I will get anywhere. If anything I am happy to just to watch the films; but as its a good chance to get involved and gain experience in the industry I am working towards as well as a good opportunity for employment as an full time student without a paycheck (who has put studies on hold), It would be a great opportunity. Consciously I would be 100% focused on the task given to me, but subconsciously I would be testing my theoretical knowledge, wondering what techniques they would use etc... It would be a great personal learning experience, thats for sure. Its only a matter of time before I get involved in that industry at the end of my studies anyway. (This post was edited by RobNZ on Nov 19 2010, 3:30pm)

RobNZ Bree Nov 19 2010, 3:40pm Views: 3500 Really tall 6 foot 11 is really tall. They must be a rarity in NZ for starters, and secondly they would have to be available and not occupied with something else throughout 2011. This casting call in Auckland is really just an extension of their Wellington short and tall casting session. I can imagine its far more common to have shorter people turn up to these calls than taller people. (This post was edited by RobNZ on Nov 19 2010, 3:41pm)

Altaira Superuser Nov 19 2010, 5:13pm Views: 3816 From the Home Page: Scan of Official Hobbit Casting Call - Tauranga Above is a scan of the official Hobbit extras casting call ad as it appeared in the Bay of Plenty Times. Thanks to the Tauranga Library! Koru: Maori symbol representing a fern frond as it opens. The koru reaches towards the light, striving for perfection, encouraging new, positive beginnings. "Life can't be all work and no TORn" -- jflower "I take a moment to fervently hope that the camaradarie and just plain old fun I found at TORn will never end" -- LOTR_nutcase TORn Calendar

Voronwë_the_Faithful Valinor Nov 19 2010, 5:20pm Views: 3452 Good luck, Rob I hope you get to do something. It sounds like it would be a really valuable experience for you! 'But very bright were the stars upon the margin of the world, when at times the clouds about the West were drawn aside.' www.arda-reconstructed.com

PotbellyHairyfoot Registered User Nov 19 2010, 9:38pm Views: 929 This is legit- but I still doubt the others from Trade-me You'll notice that the newspaper ad doesn't contain the same requirementss as the Trade-me ads. It asks only for extras under a certain height, uses different age limits, and doesn't ask for any NBA players (How many 6'11" men live in NZ - and I don't recall anyone over 6'11" being used in LOTR ) You have to PAY to run a newspaper ad, but isn't Trade-me a free service that any practical joker can use?

Moahunter Rohan Nov 20 2010, 2:52am Views: 888 trademe "You have to PAY to run a newspaper ad, but isn't Trade-me a free service that any practical joker can use?" No, it isn't. And I'm pretty sure that trademe would be very, very careful about checking an ad. for The Hobbit. Incidentally, if you have been reading the ads. carefully you might have noticed that the first 3 on trademe were obviously for Hobbit extras whereas the Auckland call seems to be for body-doubles.

StarElf Rohan Nov 20 2010, 7:08am Views: 857 Sadly, No... I never thought that I'd wish I were two inches shorter. It's so annoying! What kills me is that I have a friend who's 5'1 and looks like a hobbit, but she's not interested.

StarElf Rohan Nov 20 2010, 10:31am Views: 880 I'm pretty sure that the 'short' requirement was 5'7" or shorter for men....  but I could be wrong. Almost nobody is 6'11, so I'm thinking the tall-end requirement was probably closer to 5'11. I would assume that this would be their idea of a short Elvish and/or reasonably tall human male. Extras often get cast in more than one role for battlefield scenes.

Earl Forum Admin / Moderator Nov 20 2010, 3:52pm Views: 828 Good to hear Rob... ... here's hoping you can get a foothold in the industry beginning with The Hobbit. I'm sure it'll be a great experience, whatever it is, and the memories of being part of the production will stay with you forever. Don't forget to let us know how things go... all the best!

goodpun Registered User Nov 21 2010, 9:17am Views: 798 Expedition to find the truth! I live in Auckland, I'm 5'6" (with a round, hobbit-y face to match), and I'm way too curious to find out if the Tauranga casting call from the BOP TImes is real! Obviously I can't go for the Auckland casting call even though its 10 mins from my house because they're looking for uber tall and short people... even then I think the only possibly legit casting call could be the Tauranga one- its the only one we've heard of being in a newspaper when most of the others mysteriously disappeared from trademe with a comical "whoops!" message from the admin- surely not a carefully considered withdrawal from the production company of the Hobbit because they believed their ad had enough exposure to the right people, rather trademe realizing they had let fake casting calls slip through and that they had to withdraw them. So what I want is other opinions: is it worth taking a road trip to Tauranga on Wednesday to potentially take part in a real casting call for this movie I'd love to be part of... OR is it just a hoax, am I wasting time and money on gas?

shadowdog Rohan Nov 21 2010, 3:56pm Views: 812 Well about the only way to find out is to go there on Wednesday. Or, is there a phone number in the ad or call the newspaper?

goodpun Registered User Nov 21 2010, 9:42pm Views: 779 good point There is no phone number on the newspaper ad (guess this makes sense- they'd be inundated with calls if they put a number on). But I could find a phone number for the newspaper and do some research that way.

goodpun Registered User Nov 23 2010, 10:41am Views: 739 Here goes! Well, I may not have called the newspaper for research into the truthfulness of this casting call ad but I am taking the road trip with a friend anyway! I will report back on all that happens.

RobNZ Bree Nov 24 2010, 5:37am Views: 758 Genuine The casting calls were genuine and have begun to take place, I never had any doubt Rob

goodpun Registered User Nov 24 2010, 10:10am Views: 774 Yes I see that now Thanks Rob. I went to the Tauranga casting call today and lined up with many hopefuls. I had been delayed in Auckland so arrived 45 mins late to the start of the process. After waiting in line for half an hour the back section of the line was sent home (including myself) but still with a chance to apply that we were told would not disadvantage us from those they were able to see that day. Despite the long travel, I still enjoyed attending what turned out to be a real casting call (I'm much more cynical than you Rob).

Altaira Superuser Nov 24 2010, 11:07am Views: 753 Good for you and Rob, goodpun I think it's fabulous that you decided to go ahead with the road trip. Wild horses wouldn't have kept me away. Now you have an interesting experience under your belt, plus still a chance to be considered. Best of luck to both of you! Koru: Maori symbol representing a fern frond as it opens. The koru reaches towards the light, striving for perfection, encouraging new, positive beginnings. "Life can't be all work and no TORn" -- jflower "I take a moment to fervently hope that the camaradarie and just plain old fun I found at TORn will never end" -- LOTR_nutcase TORn Calendar

Moahunter Rohan Nov 25 2010, 7:56am Views: 774 Mystery!!!! Was it a hoax? This message appeared on the trademe link a few days ago "Oops, there was a slip up! This listing was withdrawn by the administrator" One poster on the trademe Community>Message Board>General Discussion claims she attended but who knows if thats genuine.I've Googled but found no other reference... of course there has been one big event dominating the media here for the last week.