Middle-earth
Blast from the Past
10/03/10 20:09 Filed in: New Zealand | Lord of the Rings
I am sitting here in The Shire with an incredible warmth which is the combination of an Indian Summer and a joy of my work. All of the future is personified by my image below and the beautiful aroma of Frangipani being overpowered by my Gardenia that are now flowering in abundance. My past is the bouquet of a Central Otago Pinot (Mt Difficulty).
The past also returned today with a post via my friends at TheOneRing.
The present is more exciting - with the opportunity to go to “work” every day and be amongst the future.
I guess all I can say is “Life is Good!”
Thanks to Linuxelf.....
The past also returned today with a post via my friends at TheOneRing.
The present is more exciting - with the opportunity to go to “work” every day and be amongst the future.
I guess all I can say is “Life is Good!”
Thanks to Linuxelf.....
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First Day of Summer
The first day of summer has arrived and I look with dismay that my last update was almost two months ago. Not good for any sort of blog and for this I must apologise. Work is increasing here at Hobbiton Movie Set and that is my only excuse.
I must admit I am also trying to finish my Blurb book covering our trip to England last June and July and that is also running behind schedule.
My last two months have been gathering an image library of The Shire - some of which I have listed below. Media groups continue to visit on a weekly basis from around the world and it is just so wonderful to share the experiece of the set with them. By way of repetition a link to some text which I wrote a few weeks ago for the folks at Weta for their newsletter. Apologies if you have read it already.
In the meantime some images of the area and my first attempt at a poster for us.
And one from England.
I must admit I am also trying to finish my Blurb book covering our trip to England last June and July and that is also running behind schedule.
My last two months have been gathering an image library of The Shire - some of which I have listed below. Media groups continue to visit on a weekly basis from around the world and it is just so wonderful to share the experiece of the set with them. By way of repetition a link to some text which I wrote a few weeks ago for the folks at Weta for their newsletter. Apologies if you have read it already.
In the meantime some images of the area and my first attempt at a poster for us.
And one from England.
Living in The Shire
27/09/09 20:22 Filed in: New Zealand
This is a very brief blog. The last 4 weeks have been rather hectic with shifting house, shifting jobs, shifting Islands. But, phew, we have made it! It has been so busy getting into my work mode and learning so much about Hobbiton that it has been seven days a week but this Sunday after a lovely coffee at The Shires Rest I have finally been able to get my website up to date.
All I can say is I am having a ball. Matamata is truly the epitome of The Shire and every day I can visit Hobbiton if I want to. Absolutely fantastic.
It is not just the place or the job though. All the staff I work with are absolutely fantastic. They have made me feel so much at home. I now have a large extended family!
So, in haste, here is one image I have taken in the last few weeks as I gather images for our Hobbiton website and brochures.
Next Friday 02 October I am in Wellington at a book-signing at The Weta Cave. I will be there from 4-30pm to 5-30pm. I would love to see you there.
I am working on our new Facebook page and I do hope you can join us.
Friends of Hobbiton Movie Set
All the best,
All I can say is I am having a ball. Matamata is truly the epitome of The Shire and every day I can visit Hobbiton if I want to. Absolutely fantastic.
It is not just the place or the job though. All the staff I work with are absolutely fantastic. They have made me feel so much at home. I now have a large extended family!
So, in haste, here is one image I have taken in the last few weeks as I gather images for our Hobbiton website and brochures.
Next Friday 02 October I am in Wellington at a book-signing at The Weta Cave. I will be there from 4-30pm to 5-30pm. I would love to see you there.
I am working on our new Facebook page and I do hope you can join us.
Friends of Hobbiton Movie Set
All the best,
From Wings to Rings
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
In Memory
04/09/08 10:23 Filed in: The Hobbit | The Lord of the Rings
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 Filed in: The Lord of the Rings | New Zealand
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,
Middle-earth Returns to NZ
25/04/08 12:52 Filed in: The Hobbit
Finally today the news we have all been waiting for. Guillermo del Toro will direct The Hobbit and it will be made in New Zealand. More can be found on this announcement from my friends at TheOneRing.net.
Now I start thinking about the possible locations that could be used in the two films (The Hobbit and the prequel to The Lord of the Rings).
It was obvious to me that New Zealand again had to be a major star. This country and its remarkable scenery has become the embodiment of Middle-earth to millions of people. The media hype from the three films may have lessened but the fans have not. Sales of my location guide continue and the books have become one of the five biggest sellers in this country. I mention this because it proves the popularity of Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings - fans will visit Middle-earth Aotearoa for many years to come. The Hobbit will reinforce that.
Where will they film? The crossover between the books does create some locations that have to be the same.
Hobbiton and Rivendell are two that immediately spring to mind. The vision of these places was created by Tolkien and then turned into three dimensions by Peter Jackson and his team. The journey Bilbo undertakes between these two points is the same almost that Frodo and Sam take some seventy seven years later. I can't imagine that they could look any different in the new films.
We do have a number of new locations in The Hobbit to ponder though but luckily Tolkein did describe some of these locations vividly;
We have a journey through the Misty Mountains via a different route.
Goblin Town
The Clearing
Eagles Eyrie
The Carrock
Beorn's Farmstead
Mirkwood
Thranduil's Realm
Lake-town
Ruins of Dale
The Lonely Mountain
Then we must look at the prequel and here we need a Palantir for some whilst other locations we have already seen.
Dol Goldur
The establishment of Barad-dur
Balin re-colonising Moria
Saruman and Isengard
The journeys of Aragorn
Gollum and his search for The Ring
I have no doubt that many of these locations will be found in the unlikeliest of places. Who would have imagined The Great East Road traversing the pine trees near Tarras for example.
There is one thing we can be assured of though, we have the right team to find the locations and the right team to translate them into Middle-earth.
Now all we have to do is wait.
Beorn's Meadows
Now I start thinking about the possible locations that could be used in the two films (The Hobbit and the prequel to The Lord of the Rings).
It was obvious to me that New Zealand again had to be a major star. This country and its remarkable scenery has become the embodiment of Middle-earth to millions of people. The media hype from the three films may have lessened but the fans have not. Sales of my location guide continue and the books have become one of the five biggest sellers in this country. I mention this because it proves the popularity of Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings - fans will visit Middle-earth Aotearoa for many years to come. The Hobbit will reinforce that.
Where will they film? The crossover between the books does create some locations that have to be the same.
Hobbiton and Rivendell are two that immediately spring to mind. The vision of these places was created by Tolkien and then turned into three dimensions by Peter Jackson and his team. The journey Bilbo undertakes between these two points is the same almost that Frodo and Sam take some seventy seven years later. I can't imagine that they could look any different in the new films.
We do have a number of new locations in The Hobbit to ponder though but luckily Tolkein did describe some of these locations vividly;
We have a journey through the Misty Mountains via a different route.
Goblin Town
The Clearing
Eagles Eyrie
The Carrock
Beorn's Farmstead
Mirkwood
Thranduil's Realm
Lake-town
Ruins of Dale
The Lonely Mountain
Then we must look at the prequel and here we need a Palantir for some whilst other locations we have already seen.
Dol Goldur
The establishment of Barad-dur
Balin re-colonising Moria
Saruman and Isengard
The journeys of Aragorn
Gollum and his search for The Ring
I have no doubt that many of these locations will be found in the unlikeliest of places. Who would have imagined The Great East Road traversing the pine trees near Tarras for example.
There is one thing we can be assured of though, we have the right team to find the locations and the right team to translate them into Middle-earth.
Now all we have to do is wait.
Beorn's Meadows