The Lord of the Rings
From Wings to Rings
04/07/09 03:53
This blog update is for those of you that have not caught up with my news.
A few weeks ago I handed in my notice as Director of the New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum.
On the 1st September 2009 I commence my new position as Media and Communications Manager for Hobbiton Movie Set & Farm Tours in Matamata.
The last seventeen years of my life in Wanaka have been amazing and I have thoroughly enjoyed my work and all the wonderful people I have worked with. I will miss you all.
I will continue to undertake my work for Warbirds Over Wanaka so will still be able to keep in touch with many of you.
However, I felt it was time for a change so now I move from one passion to another. The Alexander Family in Matamata have become good friends and I am really looking forward to working with them, Henry Horne and the rest of the staff.
Please excuse the brevity of this blog but I am currently half way through a journey of commentary around the English Airshow Circuit. I will be in touch with many of you upon my return late July.
For those of you who want to follow my experience of living with hobbits you will be able to check here, the Hobbiton page, Facebook and Twitter. Once I commence work I will be updating all of these regularly.
With my best regards,
Ian
A few weeks ago I handed in my notice as Director of the New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum.
On the 1st September 2009 I commence my new position as Media and Communications Manager for Hobbiton Movie Set & Farm Tours in Matamata.
The last seventeen years of my life in Wanaka have been amazing and I have thoroughly enjoyed my work and all the wonderful people I have worked with. I will miss you all.
I will continue to undertake my work for Warbirds Over Wanaka so will still be able to keep in touch with many of you.
However, I felt it was time for a change so now I move from one passion to another. The Alexander Family in Matamata have become good friends and I am really looking forward to working with them, Henry Horne and the rest of the staff.
Please excuse the brevity of this blog but I am currently half way through a journey of commentary around the English Airshow Circuit. I will be in touch with many of you upon my return late July.
For those of you who want to follow my experience of living with hobbits you will be able to check here, the Hobbiton page, Facebook and Twitter. Once I commence work I will be updating all of these regularly.
With my best regards,
Ian
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Link Catch-Up
22/12/08 11:57
As we approach Christmas I looked at the desktop of the Mac and found some links I had put aside to post on my bog. So, without further ado here they are!
I also would like to thank all visitors to my website for your support. Have a wonderful Christmas and all the best for 2009.
NZ On Screen
A fantastic resource to help you discover the best of New Zealand television and film.
UK Photo Guides
A great idea. Personal and intimate guides to locations through England and the best places to photograph them from.
The Hunt For Gollum
This film will be free to view on the internet next year. Has a nice look and feel to it.
THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM - FULL Trailer 1 from Chris Bouchard on Vimeo.
Born of Hope
This film is currently in production and is a 60 minute Lord of the Rings inspired film that will be released free to view on the internet.
Born of Hope - 2008 Teaser Trailer one from Born of Hope on Vimeo.
I also would like to thank all visitors to my website for your support. Have a wonderful Christmas and all the best for 2009.
NZ On Screen
A fantastic resource to help you discover the best of New Zealand television and film.
UK Photo Guides
A great idea. Personal and intimate guides to locations through England and the best places to photograph them from.
The Hunt For Gollum
This film will be free to view on the internet next year. Has a nice look and feel to it.
THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM - FULL Trailer 1 from Chris Bouchard on Vimeo.
Born of Hope
This film is currently in production and is a 60 minute Lord of the Rings inspired film that will be released free to view on the internet.
Born of Hope - 2008 Teaser Trailer one from Born of Hope on Vimeo.
In Search of Rivendell
10/10/08 09:51
Last week I was visited by an American writer, Ethan Gilsdorf. He is travelling New Zealand looking at Lord of the Rings Locations and the placement of New Zealand as Middle-earth.
He has a great sense of humour and is very easy to talk to.
Most of his travels around New Zealand seem to be with a video camera glued to his eye as he captures special moments. These have then been posted onto the blog of his hometown newspaper The Boston Globe.
I found this clip on his blog of yesterday as he searches for Rivendell at Kaitoke Regional Park near Wellington.
This location is featured extensively in The Lord of the Rings Location Guidebook. It is also great to see an interview with Wellington Rover Tours who undertake Lord of the Rings sightseeing tours of many Wellington film locations.
What doubled my pleasure in watching this video is the very thumbed copy of my Location Guide being used by the tour guide as a reference.
Excellent!
He has a great sense of humour and is very easy to talk to.
Most of his travels around New Zealand seem to be with a video camera glued to his eye as he captures special moments. These have then been posted onto the blog of his hometown newspaper The Boston Globe.
I found this clip on his blog of yesterday as he searches for Rivendell at Kaitoke Regional Park near Wellington.
This location is featured extensively in The Lord of the Rings Location Guidebook. It is also great to see an interview with Wellington Rover Tours who undertake Lord of the Rings sightseeing tours of many Wellington film locations.
What doubled my pleasure in watching this video is the very thumbed copy of my Location Guide being used by the tour guide as a reference.
Excellent!
In Memory
04/09/08 10:23
Thirty-five years ago this week we all lost our beloved JRR Tolkien to this world. On the 2nd September 1973 a light went out in Arda.
Guided by the Lonely Star,
beyond the utmost harbour-bar,
I'll find the heavens fair and free,
and beaches of the Starlit Sea.
Ship, my ship! I seek the West,
and fields and mountains ever blest.
Farewell to Middle-earth at last.
I see the Star above my mast!
In a totally inadequate form of memorial I completed this image last night. Taken in the Yorkshire Dales it is my impression of how Hobbiton might have looked after the Party Tree was destroyed by the evilness of Saruman.
The Lord of the Rings Locations Documentary
08/08/08 19:42
As part of updating my website I came across this piece that was played on TVNZ when my first Lord of the Rings Location Guidebook was released.
It is a bit of a blast from the past, having featured just before The Two Towers came out in 2002. Who would have though six years has passed by!
I had an absolute ball writing the guidebooks and it was also great fun sharing this part of the journey with Hamish Clark who did a wonderful job of the documentary piece. We travelled to just a few of the locations but came across tourists looking for that right spot at virtually every one we visited. It gave me confidence that somebody might want to buy my book. The couple at Isengard were just randomly there, it was totally unscripted!
Since the guidebooks were first released in 2002 I have sold over 350,000 copies, so that is total proof of the power of the subject we all love.
I hope you enjoy it,
It is a bit of a blast from the past, having featured just before The Two Towers came out in 2002. Who would have though six years has passed by!
I had an absolute ball writing the guidebooks and it was also great fun sharing this part of the journey with Hamish Clark who did a wonderful job of the documentary piece. We travelled to just a few of the locations but came across tourists looking for that right spot at virtually every one we visited. It gave me confidence that somebody might want to buy my book. The couple at Isengard were just randomly there, it was totally unscripted!
Since the guidebooks were first released in 2002 I have sold over 350,000 copies, so that is total proof of the power of the subject we all love.
I hope you enjoy it,