Stories and achievements of Weta Workshop and Weta
Digital brought to life
San Diego, USA: The celebrations of 20 years of film-making from the
Weta Group will kick off with the launch today of two stunning books capturing
the history of the Weta companies.
The books, Weta Digital:
20 Years of Imagination on Screen and Weta Workshop: Celebrating 20
Years of Creativity will be unveiled at Weta’s booth at Comic-Con
International and are available as a special edition dual set for purchase by
fans attending Comic-Con.
Published by HarperCollins
and Weta, the books are available for pre-order through Weta’s online store: http://www.wetanz.com/the-art-of-film-magic-20-years-of-weta/; and ship in September.
The deluxe slipcase
two-volume set is an insider's tour of 20 years of film-making magic at Weta
Workshop and Weta Digital, the creative companies behind such celebrated films
as The Lord of the Rings, Avatar, The Avengers, King Kong, District 9
and The Hobbit. Brimming with never-before-published content,
including concept designs, sketches, making of and behind-the-scenes imagery,
along with interview material from cast and crew members, it is a stunning look
at how the costumes, creatures and characters, weaponry, and visual effects are
created for some of the world's most iconic films. The two-volume set, titled The
Art of Film Magic: 20 Years of Weta, includes both books.
Weta Digital: 20 Years of
Imagination on Screen is a
celebration of the people and projects that have defined the first two decades
of Weta Digital. One of the world’s premier visual-effects studios,
Wellington-based Weta Digital is known for its Academy Award®-winning visual
effects for such films as The Lord of the Rings, King Kong, and Avatar,
as well as its ground-breaking work on Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The
Avengers, Prometheus, and The Hobbit trilogy. Featuring a foreword
by Peter Jackson, personal stories and recollections, expert technical
insights, and a wealth of behind-the-scenes imagery, the book offers fans an
intimate look inside the studio and the minds of the people behind its
innovative effects. Visual Effects Producer Clare Burgess wrote the book with
the assistance of writer Brian Sibley and countless others who helped chronicle
the studio’s remarkable history.
Weta Workshop:
Celebrating 20 Years of Creativity
reveals the extraordinary story of Weta Workshop, an Academy
Award®-winning conceptual design and manufacturing studio known for its
creations for such films as The Lord of the Rings, King Kong, Avatar, The
Chronicles of Narnia, District 9, and The Hobbit trilogy. Along with
its film work, Weta Workshop makes collectible art, children’s television
shows, and public sculptural pieces. Featuring a foreword by Peter Jackson, the
book delivers unprecedented access to behind-the-scenes photographs, concept
sketches, and final imagery from all these ventures. Weta Workshop:
Celebrating 20 Years of Creativity was written by Weta Workshop Supervisor
Luke Hawker, who has been with the Workshop for 14 years.
The book launch is the first
of a number of activities celebrating 20 years of “Weta.”
The books are a key part of
the celebration as they document, for the first time, the history and achievements
of Weta, says Weta Workshop co-founder Sir Richard Taylor.
“We are very proud of our
work and these books really bring that work and our artists to life. We hope
our friends and fans who have supported us all these years will enjoy adding
these volumes to their library, as we are incredibly proud of what our teams
have achieved over these past 20 years.”
Weta Digital Senior Visual
Effects Supervisor Joe Letteri says: “This is a great opportunity to give fans
a closer look at how some of the new ideas and techniques developed by the
artists at Weta Digital came into existence over the past twenty years, and how
they have contributed to the changing world of Visual Effects in filmmaking.”
The Weta Group of Companies
has their largest presence ever at this weekend’s Comic-Con International event
in San Diego (July 24-27). The booth showcases New Zealand creativity, talent
and artistry to industry media and thousands of fans. Weta is also exhibiting
at the other satellite events in Denver, New York and Utah in 2014.
Comic-Con Media Note: The 20th Anniversary book signing events at Comic Con
will be held on the Weta booth (No. 3613, access through doors D and E).
The signing event will feature Richard Taylor with authors Luke Hawker and
Clare Burgess and will take place at the following times:
·
Thursday 24 July
– 1:00pm - 3:00pm
·
Friday 25 July -
10:00am – noon
·
Saturday 26 July
- 2:00pm - 4:00pm
·
Sunday 27 July -
1:30pm - 3:30pm
Fans who purchase the books
at Weta’s Comic-Con booth have the opportunity to win a special copy of the
dual slipcase books signed by Weta Workshop and Weta Digital crew.
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