My Trip to New Zealand Begins
It took about a month of planning–figuring out what places to visit, how to travel to each, the availability of the transportation, the kind of transportation, the time and distance it took to walk to the accommodations, the availability of the accommodations, making sure I filled government requirements for passage, adjusting flights to allow time […]
The Paper Mache Smaug
Dan Reeder has done it again. He’s created a paper mache version of Smaug the Terrible, and he’s videoed every step of the process. Watch: Uploaded by GourmetPaperMache May 8, 2016. More details here.
A Portrait of Smaug by John Howe
Now THIS is a dragon! Yet another magnificent achievement from the magical fingers of John Howe.
Smaug Gets Busted
Over the weekend Weta Workshop’s bust edition of Smaug the Terrible made its premiere appearance at New York Comic Con. Charlie Jane Anders of io9 reported that the supply “sold out in a heartbeat.” But the Workshop has more that can be ordered from their website, here. Behold the detail of the bust, as sculpted […]
How to Desolate a Dragon
In its first two weeks of release, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug became the fourth highest-grossing film of 2013, ultimately earning $958,366,855 worldwide in its theatrical venue. Do these enormous box-office revenues make the film immune from criticism? Here’s an Honest Movie Trailer: Posted online on December 16, 2014 And author John C. Wright […]
Smaug in Action
Videos have popped up on YouTube featuring a certain desolation-maker in the form of scales, fangs, and the voice of Benedict Cumberbatch: Smaug wakes Smaug threatens Bilbo Thorin vs Smaug
The Wonderful World of Weta Workshop
After the debut of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, New Zealand’s news magazine SevenSharp produced a segment featuring, for the first time, a look inside Weta Workshop, presented by Sir Richard Taylor. Reported by Jehan Casinader. Published on Dec 16, 2013. A week earlier, Richard and his team installed a couple of Giant Eagles, […]
Peter Jackson’s Three-Minute Rule
In an interview with Jason Gorber of Moviefone, Desolation of Smaug star Evangeline Lilly revealed one of Peter Jackson’s nifty storytelling techniques: “When you introduce a group of characters on screen, if you don’t introduce specific members of that group, nobody will care about that group. If you’re at war and that group is losing, […]
Smaug Revealed!
It’s a secret no longer. Today, December 1, 2013, Air New Zealand unveiled the likeness of the vile dragon adorning its Boeing 777-300. Yes, now you can fly the friendly skies with Smaug! For details, click here. To view a video of the plane-decoration–and listen to Sylvester McCoy’s narration–click here. Note that the newly-decorated plane […]
Ed Sheeran Sees Fire
For the end credits music for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, writer-director Peter Jackson asked songwriter-singer Ed Sheeran to compose-sing “I See Fire.” Posted online November 6, 2013. Enjoy: And here is UK singer Alice Olivia‘s take on the music, published November 9, 2013: LYRICS: Oh, misty eye of the mountain below Keep careful […]
