Wētā Workshop
Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Use New Zealand English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox company
Wētā Workshop is a creative company delivering concept design, special effects, props, collectibles,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> immersive visitor experiences<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and video games.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Based in Miramar, Wellington, New Zealand. It also offers two tourism experiences, the Wētā Workshop Experiences Wellington Tour<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Wētā Workshop Unleashed<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in Auckland. It is known for effects for television and film.
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 version, Weta Digital (now Wētā FX), was formed in 1993 and operates independently as a separate company.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The company is named after the New Zealand wētā, one of the world's largest insects.<ref>Wētā Workshop on 18 August 2012 on Facebook. Archived from the original on 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."Template:Cbignore</ref>
Wētā Workshop's output was used in director Peter Jackson's film trilogies The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, producing sets, costumes, armour, weapons, creatures and miniatures.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It also aided in the making of Jackson's 2005 version of King Kong.<ref name=Morton>Template:Cite book</ref> It supported the creation of Reclaiming the Blade (2009), a documentary film on stage combat, historical European and Asian swordsmanship.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Wētā Workshop teamed up with Team Fortress 2, creating weapons and cosmetics based on the company's Dr. Grordbort's Infallible Aether Oscillators series.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Additionally, Wētā Workshop created the Aegis of Champions, the trophy awarded in The International, an annual esports world championship for Dota 2.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Wētā Workshop's video games division was founded in 2014<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and has produced multiple games including the augmented reality project Dr. Grordbort's Invaders for Magic Leap,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the video game Tales of the Shire.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Innovations
Chainmail
For The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, realistic looking chainmail was made for the lead actors and for the hundreds of extras that appeared throughout the films. PVC pipe was cut into rings, assembled by hand into a semblance of armour, and then electroplated. A total of 82.9 million links were manufactured from Template:Convert of PVC pipe.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Wētā Workshop makes chainmail for film and creative industries using new techniques developed in-house. PVC injection was used for the armour in Kingdom of Heaven, giving better results than the process for The Lord of the Rings.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It produces aluminium or steel chainmail for high-impact stuntwork.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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 Template:Convert tall. Extensive computer graphics techniques and computer-controlled cameras were used to seamlessly mesh the bigature photography with live actors and scenes.<ref>The Lord of the Rings: Extended Edition Special Features DVDs</ref>
Bigatures used in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy included models of:
- The Hornburg – the mountain fortress of the Rohirrim
- 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
- 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
People
- Jonathon Brough works as a designer and prop finisher.<ref>Template:IMDb name</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Daniel Falconer is the author of several Wētā Workshop publications including The Art of District 9: Weta Workshop<ref name="Google Books">Template:Cite book</ref> He is also a member of the design team for the Lord of the Rings film franchise and other films.<ref name="ideasondesign">Template:Cite web</ref>
Workplace culture
Beginning in June 2020, an investigative project by New Zealand public TV broadcaster 1News into Wētā's workplace culture resulted in over 11 current and former Wētā Workshop employees anonymously sharing accounts of bullying and harassment.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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 they were not informed of the review having finished, in spite of their cooperation in it.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Film
Television
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1985 | The Ray Bradbury Theatre |
| 1991 | The Boy from Andromeda |
| 1993 | The Tommyknockers |
| 1995 | Hercules: The Legendary Journeys |
| Xena: Warrior Princess | |
| 1998 | Young Hercules |
| 2005 | Jane and the Dragon |
| 2006 | The Killian Curse |
| 2009 | The WotWots |
| 2015 | Thunderbirds Are Go |
| The Expanse | |
| Childhood's End | |
| 2016 | Cleverman |
| The Shannara Chronicles | |
| 2017 | Black Spot |
| 2018 | Altered Carbon |
| Kiddets | |
| 2019 | Love Death + Robots |
| Fast & Furious Spy Racers | |
| 2020 | Book Hungry Bears |
| Cleopatra 2025 | |
| 2021 | Jupiter's Legacy |
| Foundation | |
| Invasion | |
| 2022 | The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power |
| Obi-Wan Kenobi | |
| 2023 | Beacon 23 |
| 2024 | Secrets at Red Rocks |
| Time Bandits | |
| Sunny | |
| 2025 | Alien: Earth |
Video games developed
| Year | Name | Developer(s) | Publisher(s) | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Dr. Grordbort's Invaders<ref name=":1" /> | Wētā Workshop | Wētā Workshop | Magic Leap |
| 2025<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game | Wētā Workshop | Private Division<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android<ref name=":0" /> |
References
External links
Template:Peter Jackson Template:Tolkien tourism Template:Authority control
- Film production companies of New Zealand
- Special effects companies
- Wellington City
- Entertainment companies established in 1987
- Companies based in Wellington
- Privately held companies of New Zealand
- Toy companies of New Zealand
- Science and technology in New Zealand
- New Zealand companies established in 1987
- Video game companies of New Zealand