Weta Workshop takes soccer fans on a journey to 'Middle Earth'

Record ID: 1736497

  • Title: Weta Workshop takes soccer fans on a journey to 'Middle Earth'
  • Date: 3rd August 2023
  • Summary: WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND (AUGUST 1, 2023) (REUTERS) ENTRANCE TO WETA WORKSHOP SIGN, READING (English): “WETA” VISITOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPH OF TROLL IN FOOTBALL JERSEY VARIOUS OF JAPAN TEAM SUPPORTERS TAKING PHOTOGRAPH WITH TROLL TROLL SCULPTURE WEARING SOCCER JERSEY AND PLAYING SOCCER VISITOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPH OF TROLL (SOUNDBITE) (English) 37-YEAR-OLD U.S. SUPPORTER, SEAN MULLEN, SAYING: “The trolls are pretty cool, especially the football jersey. I did not expect to see that coming in. We (were) kind of in prepping for this trip. We saw as much as we could online, saw as many YouTube video as we could. So to come here and get this cool surprise, it’s been awesome.” VARIOUS OF TROLL IN SOCCER JERSEY SIGN ON JERSEY, READING (English): “WETA WORKSHOP” (SOUNDBITE) (English) 35-YEAR-OLD U.S. TEAM SUPPORTER, BREANA MULLEN, SAYING: “I’ve been wanting to come here since I was about 14, and the Lord of the Rings movies came out, and I learned everything there was to know about the Lord of the Rings. I was completely obsessed. So, this is a dream come true for me to be able to share this with our kids and to show them all the cool things and how movies are made and how, you know, prosthetics are made for people and all of the sword making. It's just incredible.” STAFF TALKING TO VISITOR ABOUT DISPLAY IN SHOP VARIOUS OF STAFF SHOWCASING REPLICA OF SAURON’S MACE (SOUNDBITE) (English) 37-YEAR-OLD STAFF AT WETA WORKSHOP, KARL GEBBIE, SAYING: “So here we have a full collection of our props and swords. These are some of the main weapons used within the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies. They're absolutely fantastic pieces, and you can see them through the whole scale of the different movies used by some of the main characters there as well.” ORC SCULPTURE AND STAFF HOLDING SWORDS AND POSING FOR CAMERA AT RECEPTION VISITORS WAITING AT RECEPTION STAFF TALKING TO CHILDREN BOY HOLDING SWORD AND POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPH ORIGINAL RANGER COSTUME USED IN THE LORD OF THE RINGS MOVIES DETAILS OF COSTUME VISITORS LOOKING AT REPLICA OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS PROPS (SOUNDBITE) (English) 29-YEAR-OLD ITALY TEAM SUPPORTER, FRANCESCO MIRRI, SAYING: “She's from Argentina and I’m from Italy. We've been to the Eden Park to see the game. It was an amazing experience. And still here New Zealand has (something) amazing like nature and also this place that is something magical. I think it's like, I don’t know… Really happy to pass our day off here. And I suggest to everybody (to come here), Yeah, because (it’s) something really, really special. It feels like something that you want to do in New Zealand, and you have to do.” VISITORS LOOKING AT MINIATURES IN WETA WORKSHOP MINIATURES OF BOROMIR (WITH HORN), LEGOLAS AND HOBBITS MINIATURES IN DISPLAY AND SCREEN SHOWING VIDEO OF PROPS MAKING PROCESS MINIATURES OF FRODO AND GANDALF FROM THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING VARIOUS OF GONDORIAN ARMOUR AND COSTUMES USED IN MOVIE MINIATURE OF GWAIHIR BEARING GANDALF (SOUNDBITE) (English) 33-YEAR-OLD SWEDEN SUPPORTER, DAG ERIK NILSSON MYSSE, SAYING: “So I’m here for the World Cup, and then may as well just take the opportunity to see some of New Zealand.” REPORTER ASKING: “How do you feel about the Weta Workshop?” DAG ERIK NILSSON MYSSE: “I mean, there’re so many cool things around here. I haven’t been to the tour yet here so I don’t know what to expect, but it’s too many things you want to buy here basically and my suitcases don’t fit everything.” STAFF LEADING VISITORS TO TOUR IN WETA WORKSHOP STUDIO (SOUNDBITE) (English) WETA WORKSHOP’S AREA MANAGER IN WELLINGTON, JADE BOLSTAD, SAYING: “We're so excited to be welcoming the FIFA Women's World Cup here to the capital of New Zealand in Wellington. And we've seen fantastic visitor numbers. We've seen a lot of travelers from all over the world. So having the spotlight on our wonderful city has been amazing. And in the spirit of the World Cup, we have dressed up our trolls in their own Weta football jerseys and they've been playing a bit of a match up here with our visitors. And yeah, it's been it's been absolutely amazing just to see the atmosphere and vibe, especially around women's sport. That's really important to us too.” VARIOUS OF STAFF SHOWING VISITORS HOW TO SCULPT WITH ALUMINIUM FOIL VISITORS MAKING SCULPTURE WITH ALUMINIUM FOIL VISITORS IN WORKSHOP / DINOSAUR SCULPTURE MADE OF ALUMINIUM FOIL VARIOUS OF FLOWER VASE MADE OF ALUMINIUM FOIL STAFF EXPLAINING ABOUT ALUMINIUM SCULPTURE IN WORKSHOP DRAGON SCULPTURE MADE OF ALUMINIUM FOIL HEAD SCULPTURES IN DISPLAY (SOUNDBITE) (English) WETA WORKSHOP’S AREA MANAGER IN WELLINGTON, JADE BOLSTAD, SAYING: “On our guided tour, people will be able to come behind the scenes and see some amazing pieces that we've worked on. And it does take people on a journey back to Middle Earth in some ways, but it also does pay homage to all of the other work that we've done. And you'll get to learn who we are, what we do, and a little bit about how we do it. And we'll also show you and get you to get involved in what we do, too.” VISITORS PICKING UP PROPS VARIOUS OF VISITORS POSING FOR PHOTO IN COSTUMES IN FRONT OF GREEN SCREEN (SOUNDBITE) (English) WETA WORKSHOP’S AREA MANAGER IN WELLINGTON, JADE BOLSTAD, SAYING: “This December, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Return of the King. So it has been 20 years since Middle Earth. And it's a really nice time to reflect on what we've been able to do as a company since then. And we've worked on thousands of pieces of work throughout the world since the trilogy. So this year it is a really exciting time for us and we'll be celebrating and thanking our fans throughout the globe later on this year.” EXTERIOR OF WETA WORKSHOP AND BOARD OF PICTURE OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS SIGN, READING (English): “A Trilogy of Craftsmanship: Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of THE LORD OF THE RINGS”
  • Embargoed: 17th August 2023 06:57
  • Keywords: New Zealand The Lord of the Rings Weta Workshop Women's World Cup World Cup movie movie making movie props troll sculpture
  • Location: WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND
  • City: WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND
  • Country: New Zealand
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Sport,World Cup
  • Reuters ID: LVA001136301082023RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Sauron’s mace, Elrond’s sword and Gondorian soldier’s armour, the Weta Workshop in Wellington is taking soccer fans on a journey back to “Middle Earth” to browse hundreds of props and costumes used in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
    With the capital of New Zealand hosting Women’s World Cup matches, soccer fans are making the most of the non-game days to visit local attractions and Weta is welcoming people from all over the world.
    Their tour begins before they even enter the front door as they're greeted by a troll dressed up in a Weta soccer jersey before they take the first step on a journey to have a glimpse into the creative process behind the films.
    “The trolls are pretty cool, especially the football jersey. I did not expect to see that coming in. We (were) kind of in prepping for this trip. We saw as much as we could online, saw as many YouTube video as we could. So to come here and get this cool surprise, it’s been awesome,” said 37-year-old U.S. team supporter Sean Mullen, after a tour with his family on Tuesday (August 2).
    For many avid fans, it’s a tour of nostalgia, as 2023 marks the 20th anniversary since The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was released in cinemas for the first time.
    “I’ve been wanting to come here since I was about 14, and the Lord of the Rings movies came out, and I learned everything there was to know about the Lord of the Rings. I was completely obsessed. So, this is a dream come true for me to be able to share this with our kids and to show them all the cool things and how movies are made and how, you know, prosthetics are made for people and all of the sword making. It's just incredible,” said 37-year-old Breana Mullen, who plan to see the quarter final next week.
    Famous for making special effects for movies, the Weta Workshop made over 48,000 items including props, costumes, and miniatures for the Lord of the Rings, and since then has worked on hundreds of movies such as Avatar, Black Panther, Dune and Mulan.
    It started to host tours in 2012 for visitors to get a close look at the authentic Middle-earth artefacts and craftsmanship, and to learn about the creative process behind the movie scenes.
    Jade Bolstad, the area manager of Weta Workshop in Wellington, said it’s usually off-season during winter but they had seen an uptick in visitors this year due to the World Cup.
    “We're so excited to be welcoming the FIFA Women's World Cup here to the capital of New Zealand in Wellington. And we've seen fantastic visitor numbers. We've seen a lot of travelers from all over the world. So having the spotlight on our wonderful city has been amazing.”
    Outside the tour in studio, many visitors are amazed by designed collectibles, and prop replicas on shelves in Weta Cave shop.
    “It’s too many things you want to buy here basically, and my suitcases don’t fit everything,” said a Sweden team supporter Dag Erik Nilsson Mysse.
    Apart from the original trilogies, the TV series - The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power also made huge success and topped Amazon’s Prime video for months since the release in September last year, and Warner Bros also announced an upcoming animated fantasy film – the War of the Rohirrim which is due to release in 2024.
    (Production: Irene Wang)
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