Wētā Workshopis aspecial effectsandpropcompany as well as aboard gameand miniatures company andvideo game developerbased inMiramar,Wellington,New Zealand.It mainly produces effects fortelevisionandfilm.
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| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Special effects,animation,video games,board gamesand miniatures |
| Founded | 1987(as RT Effects) |
| Founder |
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| Headquarters | Miramar,Wellington,New Zealand |
Key people |
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| Website | www |
History
edit
Founded in 1987 byRichard Taylorand Tania Rodger asRT Effects,Wētā Workshop has produced creatures and makeup effects for the TV seriesHercules: The Legendary JourneysandXena: Warrior Princessand effects for films such asMeet the FeeblesandHeavenly Creatures.
Adigitalversion,Weta Digital(nowWētā FX), was formed in 1993 and operates independently as a separate company.[1]The company is named after the New Zealandwētā,one of the world's largest insects.[2]
Wētā Workshop's output was used in directorPeter Jackson's film trilogiesThe Lord of the RingsandThe Hobbit,producing sets, costumes, armour, weapons, creatures and miniatures.[3]It also aided in the making of Jackson's 2005 version ofKing Kong.[4]It supported the creation ofReclaiming the Blade(2009), a documentary film onstage combat,historical Europeanand Asian swordsmanship.[5]
Weta Workshop's video games division was founded in 2014[6]and has produced multiple games including the augmented reality projectDr. Grordbort's InvadersforMagic Leap,which was apparently was never released,[7]and the upcoming video gameTales of the Shire: A "The Lord of the Rings" Game.[7]
Wētā Workshop made its American musical theatre debut in 2022 with Workshop designer Rebekah Tisch serving as the art director for the musical stage production ofOther Worldat Delaware Theatre Company, creating a digital world for live stage.[8]
Innovations
edit
Chainmail
editForThe Lord of the Ringsfilm trilogy,realistic lookingchainmailwas made for the lead actors and for the hundreds of extras that appeared throughout the films.PVCpipe was cut into rings, assembled by hand into a semblance of armour, and thenelectroplated.A total of 82.9 million links were manufactured from 7 miles of PVC pipe.[9]
Wētā Workshop makes chainmail for film and creative industries using new techniques developed in-house. PVC injection was used for the armour inKingdom of Heaven,giving better results than the process forThe Lord of the Rings.[10]It produces aluminium or steel mail for high-impact stuntwork.[11]
Bigatures
editThe termbigatureis Wētā Workshop's nickname for a very largeminiature model.They are used inThe Lord of the Ringsfilm trilogy,with the largest of them measuring some 9 metres high. Extensive computer graphics techniques and computer-controlled cameras were used to seamlessly mesh the bigature photography with live actors and scenes.[12]
Bigatures used inThe Lord of the Ringsfilm trilogy included models of:
- The Hornburg– the mountain fortress of theRohirrim
- Minas Tirith– the White City ofGondor
- Rivendell–Elrond's city for the Elves
- Caras Galadhon–Galadriel's city inLothlórien
- Argonath– the gateway intoGondor,two statues ofElendilandIsildur
- Osgiliath– the ruined City of Gondor
- Orthanc–Saruman's tower
- Cirith Ungol– the tower that guards the pass ofShelob
- Minas Morgul–Sauron's 'Dead City'
- Barad-dûr– Sauron's massive tower
- The Black Gate– the gate guarding the gap between theEred Lithuiand theEphel Dúath
- Grond– the battering ram that smashed down the gates ofMinas Tirith
People
editWorkplace culture
edit
Beginning in June 2020, an investigative project by New Zealand public TV broadcaster1Newsinto Wētā's workplace culture resulted in over 11 current and former Wētā Workshop employees anonymously sharing accounts of bullying and harassment.[19]Another former employee, Layna Lazar, came public with her own allegation by social media posting the same month that she was sexually harassed repeatedly and after seeking recourse, was fired, this prompted an independent review by Hive Consulting in December of that year. Their reviewer Ashley Benefield cleared the company of the allegations stating that "the majority of allegations in the post including the most serious allegations, have either not been substantiated or were reasonable in the context of circumstances not described in the post". The review's December 2020 report did not address the anonymous allegations of over 11 employees originally reported by1 Newsback in July, and the concerned employees stated they were not informed of the review having finished, in spite of their cooperation in it.[20]
Film
editTelevision
edit| Year | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | The Tommyknockers | |
| 1995 | Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | |
| Xena: Warrior Princess | ||
| 2005 | Jane and the Dragon | |
| 2009 | The WotWots | |
| 2015 | Thunderbirds Are Go | |
| 2022 | The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power |
Video games developed
edit| Year | Name | Developer(s) | Publisher(s) | Notes | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025[27] | Tales of the Shire: A "The Lord of the Rings" Game | Wētā Workshop | Private Division[28] | PlayStation 5,Windows,Xbox Series X/S,Nintendo Switch,iOS,Android[7] |
References
edit- ^"FAQ".Wētā Workshop's official website.Retrieved3 May2021.
- ^Wētā Workshopon 18 August 2012onFacebook.Archived fromthe originalon 26 February, 2022. Retrieved on 3 October, 2020. "We chose our company name after an insect, a very cool, prickly little monster, unique to New Zealand."
- ^"The Making Of Middle-Earth At Weta Workshop".Wētā Workshop's official website. 5 March 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 6 August 2020.Retrieved29 March2021.
no trip would be complete without stepping foot (sic) inside Wellington's Weta Workshop. The Academy Award-winning creative design and physical effects facility is best known for its work on The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) and The Hobbit motion picture trilogies
- ^Morton, Ray (2005).King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon - From Fay Wray to Peter Jackson.New York City: Applause: Theatre & Cinema Books. pp. 316–329.ISBN1-55783-669-8.
- ^"About the Film".Reclaiming the Blade's official website. Archived fromthe originalon 2 February 2012.Retrieved13 November2013.
- ^"Games".Wētā Workshop's official website.Archivedfrom the original on 9 September 2024.Retrieved17 September2024.
- ^abcJustin Sewell (10 June 2024)."Building a new Shire: Wētā Workshop developers chat about their new" Tales "video game".theonering.net.Retrieved17 September2024.
- ^Quinn, Holly."How do you create a digital world for the live stage? Like this".Technical.ly.Retrieved12 April2022.
- ^"Removing the weakest links from chain mail: Kaynemaile".Stuff.Retrieved22 January2020.
- ^"WetaNZ: The home of Weta Collectibles and Weta Tenzan Chainmaille".
- ^"2006 Costumes – Guild Forums".
- ^The Lord of the Rings: Extended Edition Special Features DVDs
- ^Jonathon BroughatIMDb
- ^"Jonathan Brough".NZ On Screen.15 October 2021.Retrieved17 July2022.
Jonathan Brough... is not to be confused with two other Kiwi screen figures: actor/comedianJonathan Brugh(What We Do in the Shadows) and sometime Weta effects-man Jonathon Brough.
- ^"Staring down the barrel".NZ Herald.17 April 2010.Retrieved17 July2022.
Another Wellington artist, Jonathan Brough [sic], who works at Weta Workshop,...
- ^"Jonathan Brough [sic] ".Gallery De Novo.14 May 2018.Retrieved17 July2022.
He works as a designer / props finisher for Weta workshop in Wellington as well as pursuing his own artistic career.
- ^Falconer, Daniel.The Art of District 9: Weta Workshop.Harper Collins.ISBN9780062064318.Retrieved22 September2023.
- ^"Daniel Falconer".ideasondesign.Retrieved22 September2023.
- ^Hall, Kristin (28 July 2020)."'Toxic' culture at acclaimed Weta Workshop revealed by past and present employees ".1News.TVNZ.Retrieved27 January2022.
- ^Hall, Kristin (19 December 2020)."Woman whose sexual harassment complaint sparked Weta Workshop review says it's not over".1News.Television New Zealand.Retrieved27 January2022.
- ^"Born of Hope – credits".
- ^Philip Wakefield (19 December 2009)."Close encounters of the 3D kind".The Listener.Archivedfrom the original on 22 May 2010.Retrieved4 February2010.
- ^"Weta works on Neill Blomkamp's Elysium".Wetanz.com.Retrieved13 November2013.
- ^"Sam Gao's Middle Earth, Wandering Earth and WETA".Radio New Zealand.6 July 2018.Retrieved29 January2019.
- ^"Weta Workshop Movie and TV projects » Weta Workshop".www.wetaworkshop.com.Retrieved2 February2019.
- ^"ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL - The Art of VFX".www.artofvfx.com.Archivedfrom the original on 20 December 2018.Retrieved5 January2019.
- ^Tales of the Shire [@talesoftheshire] (12 September 2024)."An important update for all Hobbits"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.
- ^"Welcome Home, Hobbit! Private Division and Wētā Workshop Announce Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game".Tales of the Shire's official website.Archivedfrom the original on 15 September 2024.Retrieved17 September2024.