If we needed any more evidence that the Lord of the Rings film trilogy built an enduring cutting-edge set of filmmaking faciities in Wellington, we’ve got it. On March 24 the Digital Entertainment Leadership Forum in Hong Kong will present a day-long program, “Innovate Locally, Collaborate Globally: The Success of Wellington, New Zealand.”

Two of the people I interviewed for The Frodo Franchise will be the keynote speakers: Matt Aitken, of Weta Digital, and Barrie Osborne, producer of LOTR. Matt’s topic is “How and Why Creativity is the True Critical Success Factor.” Barrie speaks on “Making Movies for Global Entertainment Markets.” A third interviewee, Mayor Kerrie Prendergast, will introduce the program.

The event focuses mainly on Hong Kong’s potential for imitating the success of Wellington and for collaborating with New Zealand in future filmmaking ventures.

Being on the “Weta News” mailing list, I just received an announcement of Weta Workshop’s new website. I haven’t had a chance to do more than take a quick look at the main features, but it looks like a rich and varied site. There are little biographical articles on a lot of the Workshop’s employees, five podcasts that include interviews with Richard Taylor and Matt Aitken (who is in charge of the model scanning at Weta Digital), a news section, images of public art created by the Workshop, and a lengthy list of all Weta’s past and current projects–one that contains films I hadn’t known about. Of course there’s a shop as well, but that is far from being the main feature of this site. There’s a page for showing off the Workshop’s various services. Click on the “Showreel” link for a fast-paced few minute montage of film footage and behind-the-scenes glimpses. You can also sign up in the “My Weta” section and participate in various ways. There’s a lot to explore!

By the way, the Hobbit page lists it as in “early pre-production,” i.e., the scripting stage.

David has just alerted me to a story posted on Film & Video on December 12. That’s the day when the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still came out. Weta Digital was a major contributor to the CGI (computer-generated imagery) for the film, and the story gives quite an interesting and entertaining account of how Weta contributed to the lengthy design process for the robot Gort and worked on other elements. Clearly Weta technicians have been coming up with new techniques in the wake of LOTR and Kong.

I haven’t seen the new film, having fond memories of seeing the original 1951 version during a re-release during the late 1950s and being scared out of my wits by that robot. I should have a look at the new version, though. The reviews haven’t made it sound too appealing, but I’m sure it has really neat special effects.

TheOneRing.net has linked to a story that appeared on the New Zealand news site, Stuff.co.nz, on June 2. “Tenths Trust looking for Jackson deal” reports that Peter Jackson may be considering using a stretch of land on the northwest coast of the Miramar Peninsula to expand his filmmaking facilities. The Stuff description, however, doesn’t explain some of the terms, and for someone who doesn’t know certain aspects of the country’s history, it’s close to impossible to understand the current negotiations over this land. Here is my attempt to clarify the situation. more »

If I’m emailing someone in New Zealand and want to know what time they might receive my message, I think “seven hours ago tomorrow.” That’s the time difference between Madison, Wisconsin, and anywhere in New Zealand. Right now there’s a lot of filmmaking going on in that distant place.

The May 2 issue of Screen International published a three-page spread on the lively production situation in New Zealand. It contains plenty of evidence that the positive impact that the LOTR trilogy had on the industry there continues. In the last chapter of The Frodo Franchise, I described how both productions from abroad and local films have benefited from the world-class production and post-production facilities created by Peter Jackson’s team. The gorgeous scenery that played Middle-earth continues to draw productions for location shooting. more »

In all the fuss around the announcement of the Hobbit project in mid-December, a significant event that was announced at that same time got largely overlooked. Joe Letteri, a senior visual effects supervisor on The Lord of the Rings and King Kong and Oscar winner for The Two Towers, The Return of the King, and Kong, has been made a full partner at Weta Digital. more »