Wētā Workshop
Wētā Workshop is a special effects and prop company based in Miramar, Wellington, in New Zealand, that produces effects for television and film. The company is named after the New Zealand wētā, one of the world's largest insects.[1]
 | |
| Type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Visual effects, animation |
| Founded | 1987 (as RT Effects) |
| Founder |
|
| Headquarters | Wellington, New Zealand |
Key people |
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| Website | www |
History
Founded in 1987 by Richard Taylor and Tania Rodger as RT Effects, Wētā Workshop has produced creatures and makeup effects for the TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess and effects for films such as Meet the Feebles and Heavenly Creatures. A digital division, Weta Digital (now Wētā FX), was formed in 1993; it is a separate company and operates independently.[2]
Wētā Workshop's output was used in director Peter Jackson's film trilogies The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, producing sets, costumes, armor, weapons, creatures and miniatures.[3] It also aided in the making of Jackson's 2005 version of King Kong. It supported the creation of Reclaiming the Blade (2009), a documentary film on stage combat, historical European and Asian swordsmanship.[4]
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 of Other World at Delaware Theatre Company, creating a digital world for live stage.[5]
Innovations
Chainmaille
For the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, realistic looking PVC chainmail was made, not just for the lead actors, but also for the hundreds of extras that appeared throughout the films. PVC pipe was cut into rings, assembled by hand into a semblance of armor, and then electroplated. A total of 82.9 million links were manufactured from 7 miles of PVC pipe.[6]
Wētā Workshop makes chainmaille for film and creative industries using new techniques developed in-house. PVC injection was used for the armor in Kingdom of Heaven, giving better results than the process for Lord of the Rings.[7] It produces aluminium or steel mail for high-impact stuntwork.[8]
Bigatures
The term bigature is Wētā Workshop's nickname for a very large miniature model. They are used in the Lord of the Rings film 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.[9]
Bigatures used in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy included models of:
- The Hornburg – the mountain fortress of the Rohirrim
- The Grey Havens – the Elven harbour
- Minas Tirith – the White City of Gondor
- Rivendell – Elrond's city for the Elves
- Caras Galadhon – Galadriel's city in Lothlórien
- Argonath – the gateway into Gondor, two statues of Elendil and Isildur
- Osgiliath – the ruined City of Gondor
- Orthanc – Saruman's tower
- Cirith Ungol – the tower that guards the pass of Shelob
- Paths of the Dead – City of the Dead Men of Dunharrow
- Minas Morgul – Sauron's 'Dead City'
- Barad-dûr – Sauron's massive tower
- The Black Gate – the gate guarding the gap between the Ered Lithui and the Ephel Dúath
- Grond – the battering ram that smashed down the gates of Minas Tirith
- Mûmakil – large war elephants used by the Haradrim
People
Workplace culture
Beginning in June 2020, an investigative project by Kiwi public TV broadcaster 1 News into Wētā's workplace culture resulted in over 11 current and former Wētā Workshop employees anonymously sharing accounts of "bullying and harassment".[16] 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 by 1 News back in July, and the concerned employees stated in response they were not informed of the review having finished, either, in spite of their reluctant cooperation in it. Lazar stated in response that she "genuinely 100 percent still" stands by her public allegations.[17]
Film
Television
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 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 |
References
- "Weta Workshop". Weta Workshop. 18 August 2012. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
We chose our company name after an insect, a very cool, prickly little monster, unique to New Zealand.
- "FAQ". Weta Workshop. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
- "The Making Of Middle-Earth At Weta Workshop". Weta Workship. 5 March 2020. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
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
- "About the Film". Reclaiming the Blade. Archived from the original on 2 February 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- Quinn, Holly. "How do you create a digital world for the live stage? Like this". Technical.ly. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
- "Removing the weakest links from chain mail: Kaynemaile". Stuff. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
- "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 Brough at IMDb
- "Jonathan Brough". NZ On Screen. 15 October 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
Jonathan Brough... is not to be confused with two other Kiwi screen figures: actor/comedian Jonathan Brugh (What We Do in the Shadows) and sometime Weta effects-man Jonathon Brough.
- "Staring down the barrel". NZ Herald. 17 April 2010. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
Another Wellington artist, Jonathan Brough (sic), who works at Weta Workshop,...
- "Jonathan Brough (sic)". Gallery De Novo. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
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". Google Books. Harper Collins. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
- "Daniel Falconer". ideasondesign. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
- Hall, Kristin (28 July 2020). "'Toxic' culture at acclaimed Weta Workshop revealed by past and present employees". 1 News. TVNZ. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- Hall, Kristin (19 December 2020). "Woman whose sexual harassment complaint sparked Weta Workshop review says it's not over". 1 News. Television New Zealand. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- "Born of Hope – credits".
- Philip Wakefield (19 December 2009). "Close encounters of the 3D kind". The Listener. Archived from the original on 22 May 2010. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
- "Weta works on Neill Blomkamp's Elysium". Wetanz.com. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- "Sam Gao's Middle Earth, Wandering Earth and WETA". Radio New Zealand. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
- "Weta Workshop Movie and TV projects » Weta Workshop". www.wetaworkshop.com. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
- "ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL - The Art of VFX". www.artofvfx.com. Archived from the original on 20 December 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2019.