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Ataahua
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Jun 17 2009, 6:58pm
Post #2 of 22
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that G will be heading this way sometime soon*
I saw the news clip of the book signing on TV last night - coincidentally the same day I bought The Strain at a local bookstore. I read about 100 pages and I did *not* like my dreams last night!
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
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Elven
Valinor
Jun 17 2009, 7:42pm
Post #3 of 22
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I keep thinking of that Mountain pic ...
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Im sure it was you that posted that great photo a way back that looked like a great 'Lonely Mountain' ... with the marshes in the foreground - there was quite a dicussion on it 
and I tried to watch the TVNZ (I think it was) interview but it said for NZ viewers only ... drats! 
and you'll be amazed at the amount of things that start registering with you about 'Vampires' 
But back to the location stuff ... Things are starting to move!
Im sure theyve already scouted lots of locations though.
It all sounds exciting anyway!
Thanks Ataahua
Cheers
Elven x
Swishtail.
Tolkien was a Capricorn!!
Russell Crowe for Beorn!!
Avatar: Liberace - The other Lord of the Rings.
Quote of The Week: The thing is I always write in the morning, and I know that if I go to the Net I won’t write ... you can start in the most scholarly website and end up at Paris Hilton dot com .. GdT
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Idril Celebrindal
Tol Eressea
Jun 17 2009, 9:48pm
Post #4 of 22
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Glad to hear that the wheels are in motion!
I'm happy that GDT's following PJ's tactic of giving plants time to grow on the Hobbiton set to make it look more natural and realistic. Presumably he could re-use the LOTR Rivendell location, too. And I'm dying to see what locations GDT comes up with for the Misty Mountains, Beorn's pastures, Mirkwood, Laketown, and of course the Lonely Mountain.
With caffeine, all things are possible.
The pity of Bilbo will screw up the fate of many.
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Kyriel
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Jun 17 2009, 10:30pm
Post #5 of 22
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They should have known better than to dismantle that Hobbiton set!
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Really, even if The Hobbit never got made, it still would have made one heck of a popular tourist attraction!
Those left standing will make millions writing books on the way it should have been. --Incubus
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Annael
Immortal
Jun 17 2009, 11:09pm
Post #6 of 22
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but are they going to make the Party Tree smaller?
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it should be a mere sapling!
I have a thousand brilliant lies
For the question:
How are you? ...
I have a thousand brilliant lies
For the question:
What is God?
If you think that the Truth can be known
From words,
If you think that the Sun and the Ocean
Can pass through that tiny opening
Called the mouth,
O someone should start laughing!
Someone should start wildly
Laughing – Now!
- Hafiz
* * * * * * * * * *
NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
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Elizabeth
Half-elven
Jun 17 2009, 11:27pm
Post #7 of 22
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Many trees are slow-growing once they reach a certain size. That tree could easily be 100+ years old, and basically unchanged for the last 61 years.
The Rohirrim, by Peter Xavier Price
Elizabeth is the TORnsib formerly known as 'erather'
(This post was edited by Elizabeth on Jun 17 2009, 11:29pm)
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Elven
Valinor
Jun 18 2009, 8:03am
Post #9 of 22
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Good luck with everything I hope you had a great time - and yep, the books great!
Did you take any pictures by any chance?
How was the crowd - was everyone really excited?
How many CV's do you think he was handed?
Did he do a speech before the book signings?
Tell us all about it We're all ears!
Cheers
Elven x
Swishtail.
Tolkien was a Capricorn!!
Russell Crowe for Beorn!!
Avatar: Liberace - The other Lord of the Rings.
Quote of The Week: The thing is I always write in the morning, and I know that if I go to the Net I won’t write ... you can start in the most scholarly website and end up at Paris Hilton dot com .. GdT
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AranNZ
The Shire
Jun 18 2009, 8:46am
Post #10 of 22
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I turned up pretty early (around 5:15) and found there were already a dozen or so people in the Weta Cave and GDT was being interviewed by media. The interviews continued until about 6pm when the signing began.
I hadn't been to the Weta Cave before so I had a look around and then bought The Strain for GDT to sign. I stood in the Weta Cave for around 15 minutes listening to some of what GDT was saying to the media, then I realised that the line for the signing had formed without me and grown about 20m right out the door of the Weta Cave! At this point, even though I was already in the Weta Cave and had been there longer than most who were in the line I figured I'd better go outside and join the end of it, so it wouldn't seem like I was trying to push in! So I went outside and waited. This was about 30 mins before the signing actually started. By the time the line eventually started moving it had grown more than twice as long and extended quite far down the street. I don't know if GDT gave a speech, but if he did only the people in the very front section of the line that was in the Weta Cave would have heard it.
It took about 1hr and 15mins for the line to move enough for me to get inside, then about another 20-30mins to finally get to GDT. It was very cold outside and at one point Richard Taylor came out asked everyone if we wanted him to see if he could get some of Weta's big industrial heaters and set them up. He admitted that they would have to get fuel for them and so most people said not to worry about it, since it sounded like a lot of trouble for them. Secretly we were all hoping they would set them up though! 
When I finally got to GDT I told him I was a sculptor from Auckland and that I had heard he liked to make/paint model kits, so I had brought one down for him that I had made. It was all carefully packaged up, so instead of taking it out I showed him a picture from my portfolio of one of the kits that I had assembled and painted myself and he was very excited/impressed! He was very friendly and agreed to take a copy of my portfolio to look at and I expressed my very strong desire to work on The Hobbit to him. I also said I'd like to see pics of the model when he has finished it and he sounded like he would send me some, so it will be cool if he can take the time to do that when he finishes the kit! 
When I left there was still at least half of the line waiting to be seen and that was at 8ish when the signing was supposed to be finishing. I think he must have kept going until about 10 or 11pm to have gotten through everyone! But it was great that he was taking the time to talk to all and draw a little picture of himself to go with every autograph - definitely made the wait worthwhile! The crowd was pretty excited and everyone was in a good mood despite the long wait and the cold temperatures. People were talking to strangers in front and behind them in the line and generally having a good time.
I had my camera, but my hands were so full with books, the model kit, and my portfolio that I didn't get the chance to fish it out of my bag and I didn't want to monopolize anymore of his time given how long the line behind me was.
All in all I definitely feel it was worth the effort and cost to fly down and see him. Hopefully he will have a good look at my portfolio and consider bringing me on to help with The Hobbit at some point, which would be my dream job!
I didn't see or hear of anyone else giving him a portfolio other than that woman mentioned in the newspaper article, but there could have been one or two others.
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Elven
Valinor
Jun 18 2009, 9:32am
Post #11 of 22
(635 views)
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Thankyou so much for taking the time to write about it all!
... and I can imagine how cold it must have been waiting in line, but so well worth it - it was nice of Richard Taylor to offer the heaters! How many people would do that! True hospitality! I was also wondering if GdT put a little drawing of himself with the autographs too - how cool ... and that he was there for so long signing his book!
Great read - this need to be on the HOME page!
Good luck with all your endevours!
Cheers
Elven x
Swishtail.
Tolkien was a Capricorn!!
Russell Crowe for Beorn!!
Avatar: Liberace - The other Lord of the Rings.
Quote of The Week: The thing is I always write in the morning, and I know that if I go to the Net I won’t write ... you can start in the most scholarly website and end up at Paris Hilton dot com .. GdT
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Kyriel
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Jun 18 2009, 10:08am
Post #12 of 22
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I think the Party Tree is specifically described as having been a sapling in Bilbo's early years
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Of course, with WETA's CGI capabilities, that shouldn't be a problem at all.
Those left standing will make millions writing books on the way it should have been. --Incubus
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GaladrielTX
Tol Eressea
Jun 18 2009, 5:35pm
Post #13 of 22
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I hope they will leave it this time,
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just in case I ever get to go there. Besides, it would be nice to know it’s there.
~~~~~~~~
The TORNsib formerly known as Galadriel.
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sherlock
Gondor
Jun 18 2009, 5:38pm
Post #14 of 22
(595 views)
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and good luck on your job working on The Hobbit. Let us know if anything comes of it!
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Kangi Ska
Half-elven
Jun 19 2009, 12:49am
Post #15 of 22
(589 views)
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Lets hope they find a way to leave Hobbiton intact when they finish with it this time.
Kangi Ska
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Kangi Ska
Half-elven
Jun 19 2009, 12:55am
Post #16 of 22
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Sometimes being bold works. Best of luck
Kangi Ska
(This post was edited by Kangi Ska on Jun 19 2009, 12:56am)
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Elven
Valinor
Jun 19 2009, 6:04am
Post #17 of 22
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I wonder if the old Hobbit holes which are still there ..
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will be pulled down and new ones built (not different, just rebuilt). They are getting pretty old for structures I assume were never meant to stay there for so long.
and maybe they will build better structures this time around.
Note on the HOME page pre-production starts in August 09!
Yippee!
Cheers
Elven
Swishtail.
Tolkien was a Capricorn!!
Russell Crowe for Beorn!!
Avatar: Liberace - The other Lord of the Rings.
Quote of The Week: The thing is I always write in the morning, and I know that if I go to the Net I won’t write ... you can start in the most scholarly website and end up at Paris Hilton dot com .. GdT
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Cad Monkey
The Shire
Jun 20 2009, 10:05pm
Post #18 of 22
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Hi AranNZ
First time posting here but thought I would share that both myself and my wife also flew down to Wellington from Auckland on Wednesday for the book signing and must have arrived at the cave almost the same time as yourself (5.15). I can't really add much to your very comprehensive review of the evening but we were lucky enough to join the queue to see Guillermo early on which meant that we were just inside the front doors and therefore in the warm! We had about a 20 minutes wait to see Guillermo who was very friendly and seemed more than happy to talk about developments with the Hobbit - I asked him about how the animatronics approach to Smaug was going and he mentioned that very few studios around the world were going that route at the moment and so they were having to break some new ground. I got the impression that it was proving difficult to achieve everything they wanted to, but hey this is Weta we're talking about - if anyone can do it they can. All in all it was a great time and well worth the cost of the airfare.
Best of luck with the job application. If you are fortunate enough to be offered a role, you couldn't ask whether they need any 3D structural modellers for Weta could you!
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silneldor
Half-elven
Jun 21 2009, 1:53am
Post #19 of 22
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''What connects Nature to the spiritual, or requires the presence of the latter? In positive terms, as Alkis Kontos points out, when nature was still largely experienced as integral, alive and active, 'It was the spiritual dimension of the world, its enchanted, magical quality that rendered it infinite, not amenable to complete calculability; spirit could not be quanified; it permitted and invited mythologization.' And I would add, it still is and does.''
Patrick Curry-Defending Middle-Earth-Tolkien: Myth and Modernity - chapter: 'The Sea: Spirituality and Ethics.'
May the grace of Manwë let us soar with eagle's wings!
In the air, among the clouds in the sky
Here is where the birds of Manwe fly
Looking at the land, and the water that flows
The true beauty of earth shows
With the stars of Varda lighting my way
In all the realms this is where I stay
In the realm of Manwë Súlimo
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Glorfindel
Rivendell
Jun 21 2009, 11:13am
Post #20 of 22
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I am now very grumpy! The children had a music concert that I couldn't miss so no chance of flying down that day. And it sounded like a wonderful opportunity too. And I had air miles that are about to expire... Leaves to find tissue...
I did buy one of John Howe's signed books (by post tho) to ease the pain but that's in the cupboard for the children to give me at Christmas. Maybe I'll have a peek to make myself feel better.
Good for you though. I'm a firm believer in taking every opportunity - as long as it means you don't miss the childrens' concerts!
And the Weta crew are just fantastic. They always respond to email too - no matter how daft the question.
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Elven
Valinor
Jun 21 2009, 7:10pm
Post #21 of 22
(433 views)
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sounds like another happy customer ...
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glad you had a good time too Cad Monkey ...
and its great to hear they are trying to keep one step ahead of the rest of the world with what they are doing with Smaug! Thats very good news!
and yep, you should email WETA or whatever one ios supposed to do - there is always hope!
Good luck!
Cheers
Elven x
Swishtail.
Tolkien was a Capricorn!!
Russell Crowe for Beorn!!
Avatar: Liberace - The other Lord of the Rings.
Quote of The Week: The thing is I always write in the morning, and I know that if I go to the Net I won’t write ... you can start in the most scholarly website and end up at Paris Hilton dot com .. GdT
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Elven
Valinor
Jun 21 2009, 7:13pm
Post #22 of 22
(483 views)
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childrens concert are unforgetable - you got to go, and Im sure there'll be more chances to meet Guillermo
Enjoy your book!
Cheers
Elven x
Swishtail.
Tolkien was a Capricorn!!
Russell Crowe for Beorn!!
Avatar: Liberace - The other Lord of the Rings.
Quote of The Week: The thing is I always write in the morning, and I know that if I go to the Net I won’t write ... you can start in the most scholarly website and end up at Paris Hilton dot com .. GdT
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