[Lily Bracegirdle]

In Quickbeam's "Out on a Limb" section of the Greenbooks at theOneRing.net, he talks about visiting the shoot in NZ. He doesn't watch the shooting of Denethor's death, but sees the aftermath, charred floor and all. The "Ian" referred to in this passage is Ian McKellan, Quickbeam's tour guide, lucky Ent!<P> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> Down another hall I found myself in the Silent Street.... the Rath Dínen.... and within was a larger tomb where lay the Stewards of Minas Tirith. Fittingly, the space was quiet and grey. Only the work lights glowed softly overhead. <P>With a glint in his eye, Ian said, "This is the leftover set where we filmed the Pyre of Denethor last week. I came crashing down that ramp on Shadowfax. Quite a dramatic entrance!" <P>I admired the plywood walls, convincingly painted like ancient marble. Along the perimeter loomed a dozen bas relief figures "carved" into the wall. Nearly two meters tall, these specter-like forms were draped with robes covering all the features of the face. Each figure held a down-pointed sword. VERY chilling indeed! <P>Lo and behold! Each tomb had a name and date below its mysterious Grim Reaper figure. I walked around the room, reading each one. They were accurate! These weren’t just made up names like Underdog or Henry Kissinger. I recognized them from Appendix A: ‘Annals of the Kings and Rulers.’ <P>Mardil 2080 – Belecthor I 2655 – Ecthelion I 2698<P>Brilliant! How totally brilliant to apply this much effort to something that will hardly register on the screen. When you sit in the theatre watching The Return of the King you probably won’t even notice them. So why put them there? <P>Think about it: somebody at WETA spent a lot of time going through the Appendices and assigning very clever artisans to create gorgeous, creepy sculptures – with accurate nameplates. The object was for the actors to be surrounded by "history" and, for obvious reasons, to help center their performances. Fidelity of this grade is significant, I feel, and I would see plenty more of it during the rest of my visit. <P>The room took on a new aura. I had a sense of true place. A raised platform stood center where the pyre had burned. It was charred and black. Although the props, fuel, and actors were gone the horror still weighed oppressively in the air. Denethor’s raging madness. The bloodshed. The screaming. <P>I had to get out.<BR><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>If you want to read the rest of the story go here:<BR><A HREF="http://greenbooks.theonering.net/quickbeam/files/nz_part1.html" TARGET=_blank>Where the Stars are Strange</A><P>-Lily