There are really only two rules at the Weta workshop. No photos and no touching stuff.
Despite living just down the road in a neighbouring suburb @kiwideb and I have never been to the world famous Weta workshop. Yesterday we took a tour and it was very cool.
When the tour guide asked where the visitors where from, they came from all over the world, so everyone laughed when @kiwideb said Wellington. Although we have met quite a few people who work there over the years, it seems to be unusual for locals to take the tour.
To see all they projects they have worked on, check out their amazing website. My favourite movies that they have done the props for are Avatar and Tintin, but they have been involved in many more - http://wetaworkshop.com/
The tour guide pointed to a large pile of skulls and told us “this is what happens to people who take photos” It’s all because of American film companies and their copyright laws. One of the few things they can’t copyright is skulls. Another is bones. There is a certain irony in the fact that American corporations can’t copyright skulls and bones.
Photo by @sift666
There are all sorts of amazing things in the workshop, and one of the things that really struck us was the amount of work that goes into movie props. The guns from District 9 had 520 designs made before the director was happy with them. (They make them using 3D printers and molds)
Photo - http://drippic.com/district-9-weapon-replica-weta-district-9-submachine-gun-jpg/
Another thing was how anal about guns American film geeks are – one guy spotted a gun on the wall and immediately asked “is that the original gun from Hellboy?” (It was). There seem to be no end of websites specialising in guns from movies, such as the Internet Movie Firearms Database - http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Main_Page
Photo - http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Hellboy
One of my favourite props was a car they made for Halo that could go 150kph forwards, 100kph backwards, and 100kph sideways in real life! It never ended up being used because the movie didn’t go ahead, but it has at least been used for a couple of weddings.
I took about 120 photos before we went in – here are some from the Weta Shop where they sell amazing replicas of things to tourists:
Photo by @sift666
Photo by @sift666
Photo by @sift666
Photo by @sift666
Photo by @sift666
Photo by @sift666
And here are some from outside – it’s a pretty regular looking suburban building apart from the trolls.
Photo by @sift666
Photo by @sift666
Photo by @sift666
(Note - that’s Weka St not Weta St – a Weka is a NZ bird)
Photo - http://www.birdingnz.co.nz/birds-of-new-zealand/western-weka
Photo by @sift666
It’s an awesome place to visit, even if you do only live five minutes away. Highly recommended.
And for any readers who are wondering what a Weta is – they are big creepy insects that like to crawl up your leg when you are in the garden. I don’t imagine many locals buy souvenir replicas of them, but there are some available in the Weta Shop.
Photo by @sift666
MY WHOPPING GREAT STEEMIT SIGNATURE
Because sometimes I like to do short posts with pictures, art, photos, and funny stuff, and then there is bugger all in my post, I need a whopping great signature to put at the bottom of my short posts to give them some beef.
On my longer posts I’m really just including it to go on about myself, but what the hell, we all need to blow our own trumpet sometimes.
@cheetah likes to point out that I’m plagiarising my own signature, but he is also voting for me, and a vote is a vote, so I’ll call that a good thing.
@sift666 is my Steemit alias. As 666 is the number following 665 and preceding 667, and I’m using the number here on my Steemit account, it might mean I’m a worshiper of Satan. Or it could indicate that I have troll tendencies I need to work out with myself.
My real name is Ian Gregson, aka wheels007. I’m a professional sifter from Wellington New Zealand. My interests include photography, conspiracies , web design, writing, nutrition, art, design, philosophy, technology, anarchy, health, computers, humour (humor), gratuitous arse shots, and anything that makes my eyes bulge while I make squeaking sounds (except torture).
Back in the glory days of Steemit (August 2016), I once made $404 for a post and went on a three day bender. It took months to work off the after effects of the hangover and I’m still attempting to understand how that ever happened.
I’m currently developing a new website portal to rival Steemit called www.frot.co.nz where I’m testing out a new feature called “frottage” that may revolutionise blogging and create a global paradigm shift.
Photos and pictures labeled @sift666, www.sift.co.nz or www.frot.co.nz are my own creations, while pictures with no credits are sometimes ones I found in my image collection and have no idea where they originally came from, or might be my own photos that I haven't put a signature on.
Otherwise, due to pressure to conform, I’m having a crack at including an image credit beneath each picture I copy off the internet. I do have opinions on this subject, but am practicing putting a sock in it.
To tell the truth I often have no idea what I’m going to post next, but I will be sure to include pictures. If you are a person who prefers mainstream opinion, my posts may not be entirely your cup of tea. But if you like to dwell on the wild fringes of conspiracy theory, or you are a whale with a massive blowhole, you might like to follow me on Steemit. It would be great to have you on board.
