FOTR EE Appendices Discussion - Weta Workshop - part 2-2 - Miniatures

simplyaven

simplyaven

Grey Havens
Hello TORNsibs, this is the second discussion for today and I decided to post the Miniatures now as they are in fact connected to the making of the Creatures. Thank you for stopping by! Welcome to the wonderful world of WETA! [:)]

I'm starting with a number of miniatures which were made to give a 3-dimensional idea of the different cultures and creatures. Every single culture/creature had its miniature made.

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View attachment These are the Ents. [;)]

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Now, on the second cap you can see they didn't make one Uruk Hai, for example. They made a whole army of Uruk Hai. Same with Elves. Do you think this was really necessary? I admit I can't see the prupose except if they sold the figurines later. [crazy] They even made bigger models later based on these miniatures. So, they made small ones, then bigger ones, then the real characters. Why?

On the last cap you can see based on what models they made the digital characters (the cave troll) but even with the digital characters, they still made small and bigger three-dimensional models. In the movie it is simply said it helped visualize but this doesn't explain the 20 Uruk hai or the smaller/bigger models and I'm really curious what is your explanation! [:)]

Next were made the miniatures of the places/towns which I'm dying to have at home! They are so beautiful!

View attachment Edoras and what impressed me most was that they actually recreatde the whole environment - with the hill, the court, etc. Not only the palace!

View attachment Lorien - the "houses" on the trees and below I succeeded in taking a cap of the real size model of the trees with the "houses" already on them - this is in the studio:

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Then we have Rivendell, of course. Again, every single house was made into a miniature and then into a model. You can also see the balcony we have discussed a number of times in different threads and the details on the parapet.

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I don't really have any different questions except from why you think they made all these, why so many hours spent in doing smaller and bigger versions of one same thing? And of course, I would love to hear what you like or dislike, what your ideas were or are, as well as any comments or thoughts you want to share! Thank you for being here, in WETA workshop! [:)]

simplyaven
 
The miniature figurines are called "maquettes". They are like three-dimensional sketches, that allow a creature designer to answer all the questions at once. Sketches on paper just aren't as good at that, since they can only show one view at a time. Once the design is approved, the creature will either be produced as a full-size costume and make-up suite for a stunt actor, or the creature will be scanned and modeled in a 3-D computer modeling program, for subsequent animation.

The miniature buildings are one of two things. Either they are also maquettes, or "design models" - quickly assembled to solve the appearance of a set before the drafting begins for full-size set construction, when mistakes become very expensive; or they are "miniatures" for photography - perfectly detailed and painted miniature sets that will be shot on film and inserted as backgrounds to the full-size sets, or used for opening or establishing shots.

So you see, the monster models are never intended to be shot and used in the films, as such. They are just design tools. But the building miniatures are often the "final product" for the film. There is no "full-size" Minas Tirith or Rivendell set anywhere! (Although there are full-size "partial sets", where the actors stand, which are based on and coordinated with the miniatures so the special-effects photography and live-action photography will blend well.)

The craftsmen are shown building a lot of Uruk-hai, probably because either the creature design is undecided and each model will show off a proposed variation on the look; or because they want to model each set of armor and costume individually before building or CG-modeling them. The larger models done later are more finished and fully-detailed. Again, despite the many hours put into miniature work, it's always cheaper to model it first than dive in, make a full-sized creature and armor kit, or full-size set, and decide you don't like it!
 
Good questions! Did they, indeed, need to go to such lengths? And why?

I guess I think that all of the effort put into making things tangible -- rather than just CGI -- fits with the mantra of Jackson and Taylor to make Middle Earth real.

I don't make films, but I work with a lot of groups on new projects -- things that start out as an idea -- I find that people don't really get anywhere on them until they start seeing things on paper, something concrete, that they can focus on, that makes the idea "real". And often things that are major problems that no one wants to address finally get dealt with when a brochure has to go to the printer...attaching a problem to a tangible item really helps to "concretize" it for people.

I can only infer that the storyboards, the drawings, the pre-viz, the models, the sets, the miniatures, the props, etc. all help to ground the film making process, to provide the way into the telling the story on screen. I note that while Tolkien felt LOTR to be unfilmable, he himself was intrigued by the potential of a film once he saw photos and drawings of how it might be visualized...

For another example, Miranda Otto and Sir Ian M. talk about how the elaborate set work helped their acting, because it made them believe they were in a "real" place.

On the other hand, there's a quote by Bernard Hill, from the Warg battle filming, I think, where he says something like "I'm on an imaginary horse, using an imaginary sword, to kill an imaginary beast -- what the *&@$ do they need me for?"

So obviously, they couldn't do it real all the time! And I certainly don't think Sir Ian M. was any less convincing acting to a tennis ball on a stick that became a a Balrog than he was in a real Bag End set. But perhaps being able to be in a "real" place sometimes made it easier on the actors for the times they weren't able to be in one...

Thanks for all the images and for making me think about this!
 
Thanks for this, squire. Yes, I realize the three-dimensional model gives better idea of design and features, I was just amazed at the number and sizes they designed - first a small one, then a big one (true size), then in some cases (the cave troll) they designed another true size but of different material and sometimes even in different poses! It seemed to me like a huge amount of work and considering the timing, it sounded crazy... a bit. [blush]
 
Oh, I liked this: "On the other hand, there's a quote by Bernard Hill, from the Warg battle filming, I think, where he says something like "I'm on an imaginary horse, using an imaginary sword, to kill an imaginary beast -- what the *&@$ do they need me for?"

It is funny but also very true. I sometimes realize how difficult the actor's profession should be. I'm often blind for the work and I also see the glamour and the huge checks but then something like this is published and I think how challenging it must be... Otherwise, you're right, of course. The real ME no doubt helped them all get into their roles. I was just wondering at the number of miniatures they designed, as I wrote to squire! Very enthusiastic indeed! [:)] Thanks for sharing this, weaver, it's really amusing!
 
I long for them to have a home. Maybe someday. I love to build models and I can’t express how much I admire all of the miniatures.
 
when it comes to carving, sculpting, or architecture; but just seeing those blokes sitting around the table and creating those fabulous figures has me hankering to grab a bunch of clay and start working on making something! Just looking at the models and miniatures really makes you realize just how hard they all working at making this world real. I know I'd have trouble walking away from something that I'd made that really spoke to me. How many of those miniatures are in storage (I hope) that would have made perfect train sets... like Richard Taylor talked about doing with them ;)

I really don't have much to add except that I'm still in awe whenever I see pictures of this work. Fantastic!!!

Thanks simplyraven :)
 
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