The Crucible Stage Door Experience

Looking content, not tired anymore.

 

This Wednesday evening 23rd July 2014 I saw The Crucible at Old Vic Theatre in London.

I went to see it with my 76 year old Mum, as a neutral commentator of acting and as an travel companion for my 5 day London trip. (Last time she was there was 50 years ago.)

 

As someone mentioned to me online, I must be aware to be very Lucky, as thousands would have loved to be in my seat. (Note to you, I would be very Lucky if only half of you would send me one pound to help me pay this trip). So I felt the burden responsibility and kept my eyes open for your sakes.

How can I help you? How can I stand out? Writing just another review with a rehassle of the same words (Miller, Salem, school assignment, intense, play in the round) is best to be avoided. Thus popped in the thought to give you impressions by drawings/sketches/jottings! Those will have to be scanned, so please come back here. Because of uploading troubles with large pictures, I will break this into more blogposts - and start with the last bit.

 

**

When in Rome, erm, when in London, we just had to do the SDE. That SD thing brings out the worst in tourists like us. Although it all went very civilised, with a security guard, if you don't show pro-active eagerness, you won't get your autogramm or picture. Mum offered to take pictures and went all papperazzi-mode and me standing ready with my signable programme and The Crucible book I bought at Harrods one hour before.

 

(fair use of pictures please, copyright @VioletsTFB)

(no commercial re-use of pictures without permission)

 

This man was genuinely surprised that we came from Holland to see this play.

I said: "It was one of the best and I've seen a lot!"

He signed my Miller book.

She signed my programme and looked me straight in the eyes

when I said "You were very evil". She thanked me.

Others just fled.

Or came over.

He knew where to sign my programme: in his text.

Tituba had to go back to Barbados, no time to sign.

Then the movie star whirled by, shadowed by his security guard.

Of 30 people, he just took 4-5 pictures and didn't even finish the line.

He never looked anyone into the eyes, so I found him under my nose.

He scribbled my programme and my Crucible book.

Did I see him slightly raise his eyebrows?

Fans looking at Mr. A.

"Did you just take a picture of me?", the girl on the left asked us.

End of SDE

 

I had a Dutch gift, which I handed to the guard afterwards.

He took it indoors, repeatedly saying "He already left". I said: "Tomorrow is fine."

 

Later I recalled to have seen a huge container indoors next to exit. He wouldn't, would he?! :O :)

So much for celebrity lifestyle then.

 

Then we went back to the Underground around 23hr30 to catch a train to our hotel in Bloomsbury.

You can say the SDE was handled too fast, but we were back at the hotel before 00hr00.

 

Last trains leave at midnight, in case you need this information.

 

**

I would love to see this play back on DVD!!!

 

Impressions Of The Hobbit Part One

"Acting from the heart causes the drama in comedy." - Bradley Cooper
BBC 1 The One Show 18 Dec. 2012
OK, wrong actor quote.

Warning: spoilers! Shameless dumping of movie details!!

Imagine you're sitting at home writing your diary as Bilbo does, thinking over a grim scene with a group that happened years ago. You remember them as troubled by their own flaws, demons and sorrows and reject good intentions. First impressions of them can give a distorted perception. Best not to hammer on the distortion as being the truth, yet grab the chance to adjust. No time is wasted to make two people friends. Heck, be a Dwarfleader about it: "I could never be more so wrong". 

Middle Earth isn't that big in scale when you do leave your hobbit home. You will never know if you ever come back, but isn't that part of the adventure? You might find friends who will travel with you for some time. Friends you won't normally recognize as such. Just help them find their gold back and grieve with them over their losses.

So, here I am at Bag End, cheering at Richard Armitage's success, together with ardent RA fans and customized Hobbit enthusiasts, I open the door for you, as long as you promise no to throw with my plates.

An unexpected journey

An unexpected journey it will be, so I advice you to travel light. As I have learned in the course of following The-Hobbit-We-Love-Making-Franchise, it's best to avoid TV spots, reviews, interviews and red carpet flirtations. Take the trailer with you, that's all you need. Even Sir Pete's Vidblogs are best to ignore as various shots were not even used in this first movie of this trilogy. Don't read that hobbit book. If you must, read until chapter six. Be warned, knowledge distracts the thoughts.

The prologue: meeting Thorin, or, rather 'Thorin'

Meeting the Dwarves was quite an experience. The two LOTR-fans who wanted to see it with me, couldn't or wouldn't go, so I went alone. Did I initially choose to buy a 2D-ticket, I managed to change it in time for the later that evening showing in 3D 24fps. Then I found myself seated at the edge of the row slightly at the back next to a bearded man of roughly my age. 'Thorin' informed me that only 23 seats were unsold of the 400-so seats. The majority of the audience, 2/3 were male, aged 20-30, up to 40+. the rest were females of the same ages. 2D would be much calmer to watch as 3D unsharpened the fast movements in the action scenes and it made the dutch subtitles lavitating.

First half

The movie starts off with Ian Holm as Bilbo in his hobbit home. A peaceful setting and he is writing in his diary. Then I didn't take notice for one or two sentences, because suddenly, the scene got replaced by a dark, grim fortress which got violently attacked by what? And there is Thorin/RA! WHOAH! Wasn't this later on? Forget the book story, throw it out the window! Thorin being powerlessly defeaten, the gold is stolen, it really pains him, the overwhelming useless attacks on his people, which made me root for him instantly, is all very effectively done and moving.
Then, back to the hobbit home, boring, oh it's sixty years earlier, and there's Martin Freeman, yay. Then the scene which is in the trailer, but now extended, the encounter with Gandalf the wizzard and especially the Dwarves who come in one by one, sort of. Totally forgot from the book that Thorin had a meeting, this came across as a casual remark, no image at all of a round table type gathering to show how important this was. So possible it was just a regular meeting. The plates throwing by the Dwarves was a nice show-off of effective teamwork, although Bilbo didn't like it and Thorin would ignore it. The two songs were great and especially the Misty Mountains song made the audience quiet. Bilbo gets a contract which horrid conditions makes him faint, which was played funny by MF.
The fight with the Orcs was wonderful with Thorin, and the sleepover on the hill was witty and scary.
The empty barnhouse where the group touched the porch, made me wonder that in the book they all went inside and met a character and only then Gandalf said he had to do a detour of some sort, so that ate my memory.
Radagast the brown wizzard was like a fairytale figure with these cute animals.
Conclusion first half: clear stand-out scenes by introducing different characters, moods and settings. Ended the first half with one tear in one eye.

Losing it

The second half was like sitting on a galloping horse. Too much impressions.

PJ likes threesomes. Thorin has three fight scenes with The Oakenshield, a piece of wood which RA suggested for his character, according to his promo interviews. Bilbo has three scenes in which he lies on his side and awakens in a closeup shot.

The Eagles were beautifully and realistically filmed, like watching the Earthflight tv series.

The eery, dark moods of the place where ghosts were brought to life was well pictured. The Elven's statue looked like the statues of those at the gate of that lake in LOTR. The manlike figure with Thorin later fought against, looked like it was designed by the CGI people of the Avatar movie.

The stone-throwing giants were amusing yet impressing, like the walking trees in LOTR.

The Goblin king looked delightfully gross, while Dwarves don't need to burp!

A lof of room for violent action in the second half, and it was not a moment too long, yet I dearly missed the cross-country banter between the Dwarves and Bilbo, to awkwardly get to know eachother, and also as viewer to take in and enjoy their unique appearances. Maybe it was in there.

Overall conclusion

The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey in 3D 24 fps: 8.5/10
Impressive, funny, moving, crowded, a galloping horse.

After years of struggle Peter Jackson finally brings The Hobbit to the screens. The public relations machine showed a humble director, writer and cast thanking the fans in advance for their trust.
The first hobbit movie continues carrying PJ's visual signature, recognisible from the LOTR movies.
While the book's story is told straightforward without much explanations, the movie has a wonderful showcase of digital fantasy. The real landscapes of New Zealand were breathtaking just as the fantasy landscapes, and like seeing all these weird creatures. However when it mattered to be breathtaking, there were moments in The Hobbit that felt off, on first viewing. Those moments were felt when Bilbo, or some Dwarves, hung unto their dear lives on edges or at the wizzard's stick in abysses, which did not evoke a feeling of nailbiting urgency. The Goblin's cave showed an endless depth, which caves not necessary have. Dark caves with fragile bridges are a bit typical in movies.
The Dwarves have fantastic individual looks which were promoted far in advance, yet in this movie there was not enough banter between the Dwarves; the story of the film preferred action scenes. In total shots the focus was hard to find.
Martin Freeman as Bilbo is a natural choice and although his profile may skyrock after this movie, it doesn't seem to be a big leap to act on world stage. For the other actors who didn't appear in LOTR, it will certainly give them a bigger profile, with Richard Armitage playing Thorin as the stand-out guy. His portrayal as Thorin as the proud, yet defeated king was epic and moving. Andy Serkis brought the beloved Gollum back to life to play riddles with Bilbo.
However all in all an effective tearjerker was missed. Not much sentimentalism was played out in part one of The Hobbit movie which merely gave an introduction of the characters and settings. PJ will no doubtedly get there in The Hobbit part three as he did in the final movie of the LOTR trilogy.

Next up: part Two and Three

More Thorin! Not enough in part one! And this is not me being biased about some actor.
I don't know if I will shed a tear for Thorin. I give RA not the chance to make me teary.
My eyes watered seeing movies like The Bucket List (2006) and The Ultimate Gift (2006).

A whole year to wait for the next movie: The Desolation of Smaug (with devastating Thorin!) and and another half year for part 3, The Battle of the Five Armies (spoiler: the war on the stolen gold).
Thankfully, in the tenth Vidblog, PJ was so nice to promise he will keep in touch - and otherwise the 'Warner Brother suits' will remind him.

Edit: this post is a mixup of my review and impressions. I read the book only once, until chapter six, and have seen this movie only once also.

** Image: Dwarfleader promotion tour: the Apple Store London, Q and A, 10 Dec. 2012 **

Not Quite An Interview With A Dwarfleader

A smiling Dwarfleader promoting Captain America after filming block 1 of The Hobbit.

The Framework Blog caught up with Mr. A on an imaginary level in cyberspace to hook up answers for those much plagued questions RA followers' minds are mucked with.

We don't hear a lot from you these days. Maybe it's for the best. Do your research on the Net, Miss.. what's it, again? Violet. Okay, it's my alter ego, and we're in cyberspace so...

How's your beard hanging? "I grew my own beard after the first block because I felt that it was restricting my face. The jaw is so connected to emotion that I wanted to have that free. It made such a huge difference." Why don't you quote me some more? MTV.com, Jan 11, 2012

Are you not too young and too handsome to be a Dwarfleader? Should the cast of The Hobbit Movie include handsome actors? To have them covered in fat suits, prosthetics and heavy beards? Is the cast diverse enough? Is Thorin not too young? Are women Hobbit fans? I'm finding these questions so funny. The extents of these talks... reminds me to focus on my acting.  TheOneRingNet, Dec 8, 2010

The Hobbit set in Nelson, December 2011 (source protected)

How is your typical day on the set? I can't reveal details yet. However, I'm proud to say, my short appearance as Thorin in The Hobbit Teaser is already perceived as 'Aragorn's stand-in', see podcast. Back in the days of LOTR, my predecessor if you like, Viggo Mortensen ran errands, and he got the role because another actor was fired after just one day on the set. Sofar so good for me. A day in the life of the LOTR, ABC News, Dec 4, 2004

Has Peter Jackson seen your showreel? Not during the casting process, but on set he might surprise actors by mentioning he has seen your previous work, of which he doesn't say it was your worst, to put you in place, but he doesn't exactly say it was your best, either. He is also known to have a lot of books, mostly about The Hobbit and LOTR. My stash of books at my bedsite looks meagre in comparison. There And Back Again, excerpt Sean Austin, ABC News, Oct 14, 2004

How is Peter Jackson really treating you? Holy crap, this man eats you alive! Brain Dead, 1992

Top photo Mike Warsland/WireImage, Jul 20, 2011, adjusted by TheFrameworkBlog

Another Profile The Women Adore

HOLLYWOOD - If you are a man and had the chance to visit Miramar’s Stone Street Studios when "The Hobbit" was being produced you would no doubt have been much more interested in how the picture was being shot, than in the personality of the star.

On the other hand, if you are a woman or a girl, it would be Richard Armitage you would be most interested in seeing.

I must confess that this clash of interest as displayed by the opposite sexes is not from personal observation.

That is what the guides at the studio told me - and they ought to know.

In fact, he so impressed the ladies by his gallantry of manner and courtly charm - two attributes by the way which were his great assets - that they began to pester the officials unmercifully.

Hence a ban on visitors for the rest of the production period.

None of this adulation, however, affected Richard Armitage. He carried on as usual, debonair, charming, always letter-perfect and in his usual high spirits.

However, the women who did manage to meet Richard Armitage in the early stages of the production were clearly pleased by his attention and all of them came away with the impression that he was their favorite actor.

In fact, he flattered them more than they did him.

In this picture he had keen competition - Orlando Bloom, Elijah Wood, Aidan Turner and Benedict Cumberbatch are in the cast - and he worked exceptionally hard to give of his best.

For several days he was trussed to a pony. Nothing about him could move except for his eyes.

Peter Jackson, who directed and produced the film, was finally moved to remark, "Looks as though we've got him where he'll behave at last."

To which the cameraman remarked, "That's what you think. Richard can do more with his eyes than most people, and if you look through the camera you'll see he's pinching the scene."

Film fans have alot of knowledge about starts. Most of his American visitors knew he was born in England and that he joined the circus in his determination become an actor.

Many of the visitors to "The Hobbit" asked when he expected to sing in a picture. He merely said he had no plans for singing on the screen, although he is to portray the life story of Thorin Oakenshield, leader of a group of singing Dwarves, in his upcoming picture.

It was his singing ability, however, which got him back into a singing role, having performed in musical theatre in England.

For several years he appeared on English television in several tv series, Robin Hood, Spooks and Strike Back.

Literally "tall, dark and handsome" Armitage seems to have all it takes to make an idol on the screen. Women talk about him and when they talk to him he has the ability to make every one of them think he has eyes and ears for her alone.

Yet their menfolk don't object for they recognize in his easy-going manner, friendly attitude and ready wit that he is also a "man's man."

**this is a fake article**

A scan of the original article published in Picturegoer, February 17, 1945, can be found on http://www.carygrant.net/articles/profile.htm

The rights of above picture of Richard Armitage are with Recognize Magazine/Daniel Higgins,

in classic Hollywood look photoshopped and cropped by The Framework Blog 

Meanwhile, between Hobbit Holes And Dwarf Beards...

"You will looooooooove every RA drought! Wait, I´ll take a sip."

It may be imminent, that EricV, embedded blogger on the Hobbit set, will come with Hobbit news. He joined the crew to visit the front, and has already spoken with Mr. A and Aidan Turner, but that is so much as the leaks on his twitterfeed can tell. If his set-pictures get the "go ahead", we will read his latest adventure on hairy feet any day now.

On the set of Flik*ken Maas*tricht

EricV may be happy to be embedded on the Hobbit set for two months, he did not get there by crashing hobbit holes. Lately I visited Maastricht on a day trip and ran into the set of Flik*ken Maas*tricht! Did I in an earlier post tell about my visit on the set of Dr. Chee*sy, I now could compare a bit the way cast and crew worked. Another reason to witness the activity, was that I challenged my writing by joining a contest. And for daring, I did an audition too! It was a true confidence boost! Not that I expected anything to come out of it. Mantra: "office joooooobs"! Yes, and less blogging. There is homework to be done.

Flik*ken Maas*tricht is a tv-series that runs for 5 seasons on Dutch and Belgian public television and is filmed on location. It is a police show and has a lot of banter between the two leads, who have something going on. Have seen some episodes and currently I´m catching up!

 

**

Like to say this in German (auf Deutsch) "Die Stars der TV Show, Vic*tor Rei*nier und An*gela Sch*ijf".

The German border lies fairly close to Maastricht, and the German prononciation of "Stars" implies

an unreachable distance to people who are on TV for a living.

While in my country there is a whole ´nother perception: "Act normal, then you´ll act crazy enough". 

**

I was alerted to this set by a 60-something year old couple of which the man with a grey ringbeard and a huge professional camera enthousiastically told me he had to leave the set, because of his camera.

Filming was going on for some time already when I came close. Passers-by came and went, and stood still for minutes to catch a bit of the magic. The magic was not at all there. Between shots makeup was done, hair was fixated with hairspray and a hot-water bottle helped to remain comfortable.The passers-by were also taking pictures with their smart phones and digital cameras, so a lot of delicate clicking sounds was heard. Picture taking was okay while in rehearsal. I stood at 10 metres distance and could not quite hear the conversation.

This shot was taken several times, very swiftly.

**

The contra shot in which the leads get interrupted by an American security guard type. It was important this man stood at the correct spot. A closeup of the conversation was taken twice.

Because a ray of sunshine appeared between the clouds, the collection of shots was quickly added with an extra shot, of them walking in the street, up to this corner. 

Then it was off to lunch, a temporary campement of long tables and vans parked behind the church.

**

In the background are two churches. 

One of them had four vehicles parked outside with American numberplates.
Contemplating why this was, I got tapped on the arm.
A very small, but intrigued American lady with flickering eyes asked me who was visiting the church!

In Spooks series 9 they called this person "Lighthouse". Made me think of that episode on the spot!

Inside the church, big lights stood ready for later to be shot scenes after lunch.

 In the other church, next to this one, in a tomb, two young women with nail pistols were preparing a scene by nailing blankets to a wooden trunk, to hide this VIP for dangerous reasons..Had a friendly chat about the scene, their company and their profession (interns to become director).

They revealed it was all for the latest episode of series 6 to be broadcasted in March 2012.

**
So, if you consider working outdoors, and are very patient, then consider working for a tv series.

Screencap of Spooks 7, DVD extras on set in Russia (RACentral)

Pictures Flikken Maastricht latest episode of series 6  (MyVeryOwn)

Quiet Dwarves, Hobbit Fans: Take 2, Position 1

"Again, don´t tell everyone about our route."

Filming on The Hobbit has started for the second sequence in a row,
so what´s up? (using crew lingo)

Take 1.

It´s all gone very quiet around the Dwarves. The hobbit must have got something to do with that. The hunger forced the hobbit to quarrel with Thorin Oakenshield about the Dwarves´ food supply. Was it at first rather innocent, making remarks about the Dwarfleader´s musical qualities, now the hobbit opted to go radical and climb in the nearest tree. The Dwarfleader snarled at Bilbo to get out of the tree at once, but the hobbit wouldn´t budge. After it had hit him he wouldn´t get his daily two breakfasts, he finally climbed down. The Dwarves found him a moaner and grunted for taking him along. In the end, they traveled long tracks very silently together.

PJ gives RA instructions on tossing the sword Orcrist

Take 2.

It´s all gone very quiet around the Dwarves. The Hobbit must have got something to do with that. The media hunger forced The Hobbit to quarrel with the Dwarfleader about the fans´ news supply. Was it at first rather innocent, making remarks about the Dwarfleader´s aging qualities, now The Hobbit opted to go radical and climb in the nearest confidentiality agreement. The Dwarfleader snarled at The Hobbit to get rid of the confidentiality agreements at once, but The Hobbit wouldn´t budge. After it had hit the fans they wouldn´t get their daily news, they finally stepped down. The fans found The Hobbit a moaner and grunted for taking it seriously. In the end, they traveled long tracks very silently together.

Take 2 was rejected at the editing table, for one thing: it wasn´t a truthful representation. It is fantasy!

Position 1.

If there are any Hobbit fans out there who feel they are bereft of a constant stream of Hobbit´ facts, observations and opinions by insiders, because of the confidentiality agreements signed by cast, crew or even visitors, then assume: cast and crew are at work!

So, when can the Hobbit fans climb down the tree for the next Video Blog?

UPDATE
 The next Video Blog may be imminent, according to a close source, date: 27th October.
Or not, as the revelation was later removed.
At least an embedded blogger is installed on the set of The Hobbit, reporting biweekly,
following the crew going to several locations in the next 7 weeks, date: 27th October.
Follow @EricVespe on Twitter and read ´Quint´ on aintitcool.com

Screencaps: RACentral/ The Hobbit Video Blog 3, 21 July 2011

Dwarves Are Not Gnomes

Dwarf Thorin as Gnome Richard

The gnomes in my cartoon, who were previously pouting and making a mess of my back garden, being ignored as casting material for Dwarves, were busy playing a re-enactment of The Hobbit, when they heard disturbing news, yet also uplifting, about some wannabe gnomes playing the fool for charity goal Rise Up Christchurch.

The Union Of Legimate And Honorable Gnomes had set up a statement which reads as follows:
(I had to enlarge it to read it).

"The Union Of Legimate And Honorable Gnomes wishes to declare to be saddened by the misrepresentation of gnomes in a Hobbit trailer. Although we considerately and carefully try to understand the popularity of pretending to be or being a Legimate And Honorable Gnome, we cannot include everyone of our height and beardsize into our Union. Acknowledged Legimate And Honorable Gnomes nurture nature, mumble in their beards and are called Gnome, son of Garden. Therefore we cannot agree with the representation of Dwarves pretending to be Gnomes as given."

A spokesperson said, when asked about the implications of the statement, "Once we´re back on speaking terms with Hobbitwood, we will take our statement into consideration."

Hope you understand I have to find my way out of Milkwood Mirkwood soon!
I intend to put my #hobbitread tweets in a post, eventually.

Good to see The Hobbit is filmed within budget!

Looking forward to it even more!

Oh, and I hoped for a Dwarves´ song!
I came close, didn´t I?

Check out Servetus´ (Me+RichardArmitage) and RAFrenzy´s posts
with ´Informal Fan Challenge´ on giving donations to this charity.

Found fascinating gif on RAlfieism´s blog.

Dwarf Thorin RA has sent a Hobbital Thank You on 29th May 2011.

Find out about the cello playing request by Calexora on Befuddled Musings.

I tweeted:
I was hoping for a Dwarves´ song on the telethon, I settle for cello playing :)
(Didn´t think there was time to practise or screen time for cello playing,
was hoping for something Dwarvish in jeans,
not expecting Dwarf costumes, but hey, they made an effort!)

I retweeted:

To benefit the Rise Up Christchurch Telethon, Servetus will donate for each comment on this post: http://t.co/cqYWzqz

~~~~~~~~~~~~

This post
Dwarves Are Not Gnomes
was a reply to
my previous post
Gnomes Are Not Dwarves

The truth is in there, somewhere.

Screencap: RAnet/Bccmee

Gnomes Are Not Dwarves

Sir Ian McKellen has a blog on which he tells about his observations, like now, working on The Hobbit. His blog had a blogpost in which the phrase ´gnomes are not dwarves´ appeared. I wondered why he would educate his followers, of which a substantial number might know him from Lord Of The Rings already.
I have a clue. Thanks to my speculative brain and that Extras clip, links at end of this post, I imaged a scene like below. You can read that Sir Ian McKellen is shortened as IK and Richard Armitage as RA and the whole thing is intended as a jest. As much as this is my rough idea of the conversation and you all want to spit on it send lovely replies, I safely call this a draft version:

Again: draft version!

SCENE:

Ian McKellen sits, reading. Richard Armitage approaches and joins Sir Ian.

RA: Hi.
IK: Ah, ´Thorin´! How´s preparations going?
RA: Fine, thanks. I understand you maintain a blog.
IK: Blog. Website. Website. Blog. Whatever. So, you´ve seen it, have you? And, like it?
RA: Yes, it´s great, but I come to that later... As I´m new here and signed this  - fist-thick - Hobbit contract - you know it, obviously -
IK: Hm-mm. Mine´s a meter!
RA: I wondered - as you have this - website - how you can post about your observations regarding The Hobbit?
IK: Well, I can - and that´s the joy of it! Why?
RA: I don´t have a blog and don´t want to start it, or be on Facebook or Twitter..
IK: Oh, come on! You do have something?
RA: Yeah, email, but that´s about it. The thing is - my agent recommends - for now - to keep my head down and stick to participating to Sir Peter´s videoblogs -
IK: Ah, yes. Peter And His Videoblogs.
RA: So I would like to ask you to put something for me on your blog. Very informative by the way.
IK: Years of experience!
RA: Blogging? Congratulations!
IK: Well -
RA: It will only be one thing. Allow me to explain. My fans - I hate that word - they´re overall lovely, and a surprising lot very creative - and bright -
IK: Hm-mm. Males or females?
RA: They say they´re women.
IK: Males are the worst! I deal with male fans most of the times. However, never mind, continue.
RA: The one thing they didn´t have to do extensive research for - as I have done, munching over the tiniest details, and they notice everything -
IK: Are you sure they´re not males?
RA: Is to relate Thorin, the Dwarfleader - and his dwarves - to gnomes!
IK: And - gnomes are not dwarves?
RA: Exactly! But they keep doing it. See this cartoon??

IK: Hm. Yes. That´s serious.
RA: It´s just that I don´t want to exclude my fandom from vital information.
IK: I´ll see what I can do.
RA: Thanks! Don´t tell them it was from me, though!
IK: Your fans will probably mock up this conversation as well and talk about it.
RA: By that time there will be something else!

END

Disclaimer:

Normally I would not ever do real fiction, but this RA drought forces me to.

Water!

LOL!

Hope I still have your respect. *ducks*

You don´t have to worry.
This post gave sparkles to new ideas.
And I read The Hobbit now, finally!

http://www.mckellen.com/cinema/hobbit-movie/blog.htm see ´March 31, 2011: Gandalf Is Tested´
I posted my gnomes/dwarves cartoon on February 20, 2011 in ´Fanstrafaganza Cartoons´.
I´m not alone in this. I know that Servetus showed gnomes on her blog too, in between these posts.

A Poisonless Toast To Entertaining

"The pellet with the poizzon izz in the flagon with the dragon,

the fazzle with the pazzle has the brew that izz true..."

As the cameras are rolling for The Hobbit, one evening I was entertained by The Court Jester (1956) with Danny Kaye, who was fantastic in his comical expression and timing. It´s a film I´ve seen many times. One of the greatest scenes is the one of the mishaps of words in a lifesaving riddle.
Word twister scene Can you remember the riddle?
Word twister scene in full The whole scene where his concentration is also challenged by the electrically charged armour, which causes magnetism with his opponent´s armour.
Transcript of The Court Jester, see Contents: ´pellet of poison´
In this film there is -of course- a case of a mistaken identity, just as in Hitchcock´s North by Northwest, read here what´s it all about.

It is a case of blasphemy to put up screencaps of Gisborne here in connection with The Hobbit film or to compare The Court Jester as it's comical and The Hobbit is more fantasy, but it has two reasons. Firstly, through that scene in The Court Jester I was reminded of the drink-scene in the 2006´s tv-series Robin Hood, episode 3.8, in which Gisborne´s sister does 'poison' him with a sedative. Secondly, I propose a toast to The Hobbit and RA´s part. May they be just as entertaining to the young and old as The Court Jester was to me. It´s hard to put that feeling into words. I can try by saying it gives a feeling of an enthousiastic joyride by being entertained by experienced actors and filmcrew, who want to share the goal of telling a (un)believable and entertaining story as part of a common quest, to be still memorable after many years. I have seen the three Lord of the Ring films and I salute anyone who is aware of the unique opportunity they´re in: ´There´s really a sense of (director) Peter (Jackson) wanting people around him who totally understand the material and the work ethic´, Andy Serkis who plays Gollum on also becoming a second unit director for The Hobbit.

And it´s gonna be filmed in 3D....


I’ve seen Bilbo — in three dimensions. I was visiting old friends in the Stone Street offices and heard Martin Freeman was just round the corner by the permanent greenscreen, done up as Bilbo, testing his costume in front of the 3D cameras. Indeed, there he was in the open air, mostly oblivious to the camera, though turning this way and that as required. Martin improvised a hobbity gait, padding back and forth, testing his big hairy Hobbit feet, pointy ears and little tum. Beneath the shade of a tent, in a sun hat, Andrew Lesnie was remotely controlling the two lenses within the mighty camera which digitally records in 3D. His screen showed the familiar 2D image but next to it, above the director’s chair, was a large colour screen in full magical three dimensions, much as it will appear in the cinema — courtesy of the spy-glasses that transform the blurred outlines onscreen to the high definition exactitude of the 3D effect. Three Bilbos simultaneously, two performances on screen and the actor beyond: which was the real one? Martin Freeman was transmuting into a character whose reality will soon be as authentic as his own. — Ian McKellen, Wellington, March 2011 posted on his official site....in 48 frames per second, it says so here.

This implies no blurring in motion. Say cheese, fanvidders!

And if you´re a real Hobbit Nerd like me,

read here: James Cameron of The Avator says it too.

...and YAY there is strutting involved!! (as if I didn't know)

"Everyone who saw the first parade of

2 Thorin Oakenshields plus 24 assorted dwarves

was mightily impressed!"

Ian McKellen on his site

So.. Cheers!

"Wazzin my drrink?"

"Nuffin´!"

Scrreenncaappzzz by RACentral

The Hobbit: Exciting And Dynamic Casting

One of many exciting and dynamic moments of RA as Sir Guy of Gisborne

in the tv-series Robin Hood (2006)

Geez, I turn my back on internet for a couple of days to go to Narnia and there is news about some tall, dark "hot tottie" (excuse my language) joining the cast of The Hobbit as a Dwarf fighting a dragon! Hopefully he does the full works: with braids in beard :).

Strangely I was thinking about dragons last week. Some months back I watched the movie Eragon (not Aragorn) on tv. It was about a gentle dragon. By chance I managed to get a copy of this booklet The Making Of Eragon by Mark Cotta Vaz. It has a great read how to act opposite an imaginative dragon.
Another example is the mini-series The Color of Magic, which has David Jason and a dragon and is at times hilariously funny! Maybe I write a separate post on dragons in movies/tv-series someday.

But no matter who would be appearing in The Hobbit, I would still buy my ticket for the cinema, as I have seen the three movies of Lord Of The Rings on the big screen and later on borrowed DVD´s. Went with someone who was proud to have read these books, while I had to learn the story as it was presented, with all these visually stunning scenes.

To my surprise, I was really moved by Smeagol/Gollum !! After seeing the DVD extra´s, I learned that Andy Serkis was initially on board just to mimic Gollum´s moves for computer graphics and was later on recognized and properly acknowledged for his acting talent. I assume that was done by it´s director, Peter Jackson.

Now recently Peter Jackson said on casting RA for The Hobbit: “Richard is one of the most exciting and dynamic actors working on screen today and we know he is going to make an amazing Thorin Oakenshield. We cannot wait to start this adventure with him and feel very lucky that one of the most beloved characters in Middle-earth is in such good hands.” (1) If you need proof, take a look at RA´s showreel for example.

“Thorin Oakenshield is a tough, heroic character, and he certainly should give Leggie and Aragorn a run for their money in the heartthrob stakes — despite being four feet tall,” says Jackson, who also announced seven lesser-known English, Irish, and Kiwi actors in the roles of other dwarves. “In Middle-earth, dwarves are a noble race and have a culture and physical appearance which sets them apart from humans. It’s fun to develop these different cultures for the movie, and we are doing much more with dwarves this time around than we did with Gimli in Lord of the Rings. Our company of thirteen dwarves in The Hobbit lets us explore many different personalities — and costume and make-up designs will support the type of character each actor plays. Richard is a powerful actor with a wide range, and we’re very excited to be handing Thorn over to him. In this partnership, we need Richard to give us his depth, range, and emotion as an actor — and we’ll make him look like a dwarf!” (2) A heartthrob Dwarf, noted, so no beard?

“We’re auditioning for every role,” Jackson said in an interview, adding he is a big believer in casting a wide net to better match actors with the roles. “What we’ve done over the years is discover a lot of interesting actors, like Orlando Bloom (in ‘Rings’), Kate Winslet (in ‘Heavenly Creatures’), Saoirse Ronan (in ‘The Lovely Bones’). So if you start looking and auditioning seriously, it’s amazing what incredible talent you’ll find out there.” (1) See link of clip in which he said that TH or LOTR are not star-driven films, Tolkien is the star: finding the right people who can do a Hobbit or a Dwarf.

Auditions often involve multiple sessions, readings or interviews and for films of this size the net would likely be cast wide causing the process to be a lengthy one. Likely cast members are called back to read with other actors to test for chemistry and rapport, extending the process for weeks or even months. (1)

(1) Quotes found on TheOneRing.net
(2) Quote found on EW.com

Would it look like this? Too many beards, if you ask me

Meet the demands

[THORIN OAKENSHIELD] Heir to the Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, Thorin Oakenshield was forced to lead his people far away from their homelands into exile in the Blue Mountains. Powerfully built and a legendary fighter, Thorin has led a tough and dangerous life and it shows on his face. He is sharp eyed and sharp tongued, proud in his bearing and un-trusting of those he does not know. But Thorin is also capable of intense loyalty, immense courage and surprising gentleness and humour. Thorin will be required to wear a wig and beard and some minor prosthetics make-up, like a nose or forehead, is possible. LEAD. AGE: EARLY 40’S to MID 50’S. ACCENT – STANDARD R.P. OR SLIGHTLY ACCENTED REGIONAL ENGLISH ACCENT.

What they were looking for...read more here.


Meet the cast

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903624/ The Hobbit: part 1 (2012)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1170358/ The Hobbit: part 2 (2013)
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/the-hobbit/cast/ latest
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2010/10/21/39468-meet-your-hobbit-cast/
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/archives/who_on_middle_earth_are_the_new_cast_members_of_the_hobbit/


Meet the lobbyists

http://mulubinba.typepad.com/an_ra_viewers_perspective/2010/10/well-i-may-have-got-the-role-a-bit-wrong-but-.html  OK, one of them

**Find more links on my blog in the sidebar: Hobbit Country**