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{{Short description|New Zealand special effects company}}
{{
{{Use New Zealand English|date=January 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2018}}
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| name = Wētā Workshop
| logo = WētāWorkshop-logo.png
| type = [[Privately held company|Private]]
| founder = {{Unbulleted list|
* [[Richard Taylor (filmmaker)|Richard Taylor]]
* Tania Rodger
}}
| foundation = {{start date and age|1987}} (as RT Effects)
| location = [[Miramar, New Zealand|Miramar]], [[Wellington]], [[New Zealand]]
| key_people = {{Unbulleted list|
* Richard Taylor (
}}
| industry = [[
| subsid =
| homepage = {{URL|https://www.wetaworkshop.com/}}
}}
'''Wētā Workshop''' is a [[Special effect|special effects]] and [[prop]] company as well as a [[board game]] and miniatures company and [[video game developer]] based in [[Miramar, New Zealand|Miramar]], [[Wellington]], [[New Zealand]]. It mainly produces effects for [[television]] and [[film]].
==History==
[[File:
Founded in 1987 by [[Richard Taylor (filmmaker)|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 [[Visual effects|digital]] version, '''Weta Digital''' (now '''[[Wētā FX]]'''), was formed in 1993 and operates independently as a separate company.<ref>{{cite web |title=FAQ |url=https://www.wetaworkshop.com/faq/ |access-date=3 May 2021 |publisher=Wētā Workshop's official website}}</ref> The company is named after the New Zealand [[wētā]], one of the world's largest insects.<ref>Wētā Workshop [https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/78709352302/10150982993157303 on 18 August 2012] on [[Facebook]]. Archived from [https://www.facebook.com/WetaWorkshop/photos/we-often-get-asked-what-does-weta-mean-we-chose-our-company-name-after-an-insect/10150982993157303/ 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."{{cbignore}}</ref>
Wētā Workshop's output was used in director [[Peter Jackson]]'s film trilogies ''[[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|The Lord of the Rings]]'' and ''[[The Hobbit (film series)|The Hobbit]]'', producing sets, costumes, armour, weapons, creatures and miniatures.<ref>{{cite web |date=5 March 2020 |title=The Making Of Middle-Earth At Weta Workshop |url=https://tours.wetaworkshop.com/blog/lord-of-the-rings-making-of/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806121918/https://tours.wetaworkshop.com/blog/lord-of-the-rings-making-of/ |archive-date=6 August 2020 |access-date=29 March 2021 |publisher=Wētā Workshop's official website |quote=no trip would be complete without stepping foot ([[sic]]) inside Wellington's Weta Workshop. The Academy Award-winning creative design and physical effects facility is best known for its work on The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) and The Hobbit motion picture trilogies}}</ref> It also aided in the making of Jackson's 2005 version of ''[[King Kong (2005 film)|King Kong]]''.<ref name=Morton>{{cite book |first=Ray |last=Morton |title=King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon - From Fay Wray to Peter Jackson |publisher=Applause: Theatre & Cinema Books |pages=316–329 |year=2005 |isbn=1-55783-669-8 |location=New York City}}</ref> It supported the creation of ''[[Reclaiming the Blade]]'' (2009), a documentary film on [[stage combat]], [[Historical European martial arts|historical European]] and Asian swordsmanship.<ref>{{cite web |title=About the Film |url=http://www.reclaimingtheblade.com/main/?page_id=22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202061845/http://www.reclaimingtheblade.com/main/?page_id=22 |archive-date=2 February 2012 |access-date=13 November 2013 |publisher=Reclaiming the Blade's official website}}</ref>
Weta Workshop's video games division was founded in 2014<ref>{{Cite web |title=Games |url=https://www.wetaworkshop.com/games/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240909210922/https://www.wetaworkshop.com/games/ |archive-date=2024-09-09 |access-date=2024-09-17 |website= |publisher=Wētā Workshop's official website |language=en}}</ref> and has produced multiple games including the augmented reality project ''Dr. Grordbort's Invaders'' for [[Magic Leap]], which was apparently was never released,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Justin Sewell |date=10 June 2024 |title=Building a new Shire: Wētā Workshop developers chat about their new "Tales" video game |url=https://www.theonering.net/torwp/2024/06/10/118563-building-a-new-shire-weta-workshop-developers-chat-about-their-new-tales-video-game/ |access-date=2024-09-17 |website=theonering.net |language=en-US}}</ref> and the upcoming video game ''Tales of the Shire: A "The Lord of the Rings" Game''.<ref name=":0" />
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 (musical)|Other World]]'' at Delaware Theatre Company, creating a digital world for live stage.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Quinn |first1=Holly |title=How do you create a digital world for the live stage? Like this |url=https://technical.ly/software-development/other-world-delaware-theatre-company-weta-workshop/ |website=[[Technical.ly]] |access-date=12 April 2022}}</ref>
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== Innovations ==
[[File:Weta Workshop Buildings.jpg|thumb|Wētā Workshop buildings in Miramar]]
=== Chainmail ===
For [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''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 [[electroplate]]d. A total of 82.9 million links were manufactured from 7 miles of PVC pipe.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/79373599/removing-the-weakest-links-from-chain-mail-kaynemaile |title=Removing the weakest links from chain mail: Kaynemaile |website=Stuff |access-date=2020-01-22}}</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 (film)|Kingdom of Heaven]]'', giving better results than the process for ''The Lord of the Rings''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wetanz.com/chainmaille/styles.html|title=WetaNZ: The home of Weta Collectibles and Weta Tenzan Chainmaille}}</ref> It produces aluminium or steel mail for high-impact stuntwork.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.australiancostumersguild.org.au/forum/index.php?showtopic=34&st=20 |title=2006 Costumes – Guild Forums}}</ref>
===Bigatures===
{{Further|Production of The Lord of the Rings film series}}
The term ''bigature'' is Wētā Workshop's nickname for a very large [[miniature model]]. They are used in [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy]], with the largest of them measuring some 9 metres high. 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:
* [[Helm's Deep|The Hornburg]] – the mountain fortress of the [[Rohan (Middle-earth)#People|Rohirrim]]
* [[Minas Tirith]] – the White City of [[Gondor]]
* [[Rivendell]] – [[Elrond]]'s city for the Elves
Line 54 ⟶ 59:
* [[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
* [[Black Gate (Middle-earth)|The Black Gate]] – the gate guarding the gap between the [[Ered Lithui]] and the [[Ephel Dúath]]
* [[List of Middle-earth weapons and armour#Grond|Grond]] – the battering ram that smashed down the gates of [[Minas Tirith]]
==People==
<!---Jonathon Brough redirects here; not to be confused with two other Kiwis of the same name, different spelling--->
{{
* '''Jonathon Brough''' works as a designer / props finisher<ref>{{
* '''Daniel Falconer''' is the author of several Weta Workshop publications including ''The Art of District 9: Weta Workshop''<ref name="Google Books">{{cite book |last1=Falconer |first1=Daniel |title=The Art of District 9: Weta Workshop |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e4_xIN6TImAC |publisher=Harper Collins |isbn=9780062064318 |access-date=22 September 2023 |language=en}}</ref> He is also a member of the design team for the ''Lord of the Rings'' film franchise and other films.<ref name="ideasondesign">{{cite web |title=Daniel Falconer |url=http://ideasondesign.net/speakers/speakers/daniel-falconer/ |website=ideasondesign |access-date=22 September 2023}}</ref>
== Workplace culture ==
[[File:The Weta Cave.jpg|thumb|right|Sign outside the Weta Cave]]
Beginning in June 2020, an investigative project by New Zealand public TV broadcaster ''[[1 News]]'' into Wētā's workplace culture resulted in over 11 current and former Wētā Workshop employees anonymously sharing accounts of bullying and harassment.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hall|first=Kristin|date=28 July 2020|title='Toxic' culture at acclaimed Weta Workshop revealed by past and present employees|work=[[1 News]]|publisher=[[TVNZ]]|url=https://1news.co.nz/2020/07/28/toxic-culture-at-acclaimed-weta-workshop-revealed-by-past-and-present-employees|access-date=27 January 2022}}</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>{{cite news|last=Hall|first=Kristin|date=19 December 2020|title=Woman whose sexual harassment complaint sparked Weta Workshop review says it's not over|work=[[1 News]]|publisher=[[Television New Zealand]]|url=https://1news.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/woman-whose-sexual-harassment-complaint-sparked-weta-workshop-review-says-s-not-over|access-date=27 January 2022}}</ref>
==Film==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Name
!Notes
|-
|1989
|''[[Meet the Feebles]]''
|
|-
|1992
|''[[Braindead (film)|Braindead]]''
|
|-
|1994
|''[[Heavenly Creatures]]''
|
|-
|1995
|''[[Forgotten Silver]]''
|
|-
|1996
|''[[The Frighteners]]''
|
|-
|2001
|''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]''
|
|-
|2002
|''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]]''
|
|-
|rowspan="4"|2003
|''[[Peter Pan (2003 film)|Peter Pan]]''
|
|-
|''[[Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World]]''
|
|-
|''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]]''
|
|-
|''[[The Last Samurai]]''
|
|-
|rowspan="3"|2004
|''[[I, Robot (film)|I, Robot]]''
|
|-
|''[[Hellboy (2004 film)|Hellboy]]''
|
|-
|''[[Van Helsing (film)|Van Helsing]]''
|
|-
|rowspan="4"|2005
|''[[The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe]]''
|
|-
|''[[King Kong (2005 film)|King Kong]]''
|
|-
|''[[Kingdom of Heaven (film)|Kingdom of Heaven]]''
|
|-
|''[[The Legend of Zorro]]''
|
|-
|2006
|''[[Black Sheep (2006 New Zealand film)|Black Sheep]]''
|
|-
|rowspan="2"|2007
|''[[30 Days of Night (film)|30 Days of Night]]''
|
|-
|''[[The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep]]''
|
|-
|rowspan="3"|2008
|''[[The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian]]''
|
|-
|''[[Eel Girl]]''
|
|-
|''[[Love Story 2050]]''
|
|-
|rowspan="5"|2009
|''[[The Lovely Bones (film)|The Lovely Bones]]''
|
|-
|''[[Under the Mountain (film)|Under the Mountain]]''
|
|-
|''[[District 9]]''
|
|-
|''[[Born of Hope]]'' <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bornofhope.com/Credits.html|title=Born of Hope – credits}}</ref>
|
|-
|''[[Avatar (2009 film)|Avatar]]'' <ref>{{cite news |author=Philip Wakefield |title=Close encounters of the 3D kind |work=[[The Listener (magazine)|The Listener]] |date=December 19, 2009 |url=http://www.listener.co.nz/issue/3632/features/14597/close_encounters_of_the_3d_kind_.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100522202919/http://www.listener.co.nz/issue/3632/features/14597/close_encounters_of_the_3d_kind_.html |archive-date=May 22, 2010 |access-date=February 4, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|
|-
|rowspan="2"|2010
|''[[The Devil's Rock]]''
|
|-
|''[[Daybreakers]]''
|
|-
|rowspan="2"|2011
|''[[The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn]]''
|
|-
|''[[Rise of the Planet of the Apes]]''
|
|-
|2012
|''[[The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey]]''
|
|-
|rowspan="3"|2013
|''[[The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug]]''
|
|-
|''[[Elysium (film)|Elysium]]'' <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wetanz.com/weta-workshop-working-on-neill-blomkamp-s-elysium/ |title=Weta works on Neill Blomkamp's Elysium |publisher=Wetanz.com |access-date=13 November 2013}}</ref>
|
|-
|''[[The ABCs of Death]]''
|
|-
|2014
|''[[The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies]]''
|
|-
|rowspan="3"|2015
|''[[Krampus (film)|Krampus]]''
|
|-
|''[[Mad Max: Fury Road]]''
|
|-
|''[[I (2015 film)|I]]''
|
|-
|rowspan="2"|2016
|''[[Remo (film)|Remo]]''
|
|-
|''[[Spectral (film)|Spectral]]''
|
|-
|rowspan="5"|2017
|''[[Blade Runner 2049]]''
|
|-
|''[[Power Rangers (film)|Power Rangers]]''
|
|-
|''[[The Great Wall (film)|The Great Wall]]''
|
|-
|''[[Thor: Ragnarok]]''
|
|-
|''[[Ghost in the Shell (2017 film)|Ghost in the Shell]]''
|
|-
|2018
|''[[2.0 (film)|2.0]]''
|
|-
|rowspan="6"|2019
|''[[The Wandering Earth]]'' <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/voices/audio/2018652524/sam-gao-s-middle-earth-wandering-earth-and-weta|title=Sam Gao's Middle Earth, Wandering Earth and WETA|date=2018-07-06|website=Radio New Zealand|language=en-nz|access-date=2019-01-29}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wetaworkshop.com/projects/|title=Weta Workshop Movie and TV projects » Weta Workshop|website=www.wetaworkshop.com|access-date=2019-02-02}}</ref>
|
|-
|''[[Alita: Battle Angel]]'' <ref>{{cite web|access-date=January 5, 2019|title=ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL - The Art of VFX|url=https://www.artofvfx.com/alita-battle-angel/|website=www.artofvfx.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181220230359/http://www.artofvfx.com/alita-battle-angel/|archive-date=December 20, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
|
|-
|''[[I Am Mother]]''
|
|-
|''[[Men in Black: International]]''
|
|-
|''[[Sweetheart (2019 American film)|Sweetheart]]''
|
|-
|''[[Jumanji: The Next Level]]''
|
|-
|rowspan="2"|2020
|''[[Bloodshot (film)|Bloodshot]]''
|
|-
|''[[Mulan (2020 film)|Mulan]]''
|
|-
|rowspan="2"|2021
|''[[Mortal Kombat (2021 film)|Mortal Kombat]]''
|
|-
|''[[Dune (2021 film)|Dune]]''
|
|-
|rowspan="5"|2022
|''[[X (2022 film)|X]]''
|
|-
|''[[Thor: Love and Thunder]]''
|
|-
|''[[Black Panther: Wakanda Forever]]''
|
|-
|''[[Avatar: The Way of Water]]''
|
|-
|''[[M3GAN]]''
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2023
|''[[Cocaine Bear]]''
|
|-
|''[[The Wandering Earth 2]]''
|
|-
|''[[The Creator (2023 film)|The Creator]]''
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2024
|''[[Dune: Part Two]] ''
|
|-
|''[[Alien Romulus]]''
|
|-
| rowspan="4" |2025
|[[A Minecraft Movie]]
|
|-
| ''[[Tron: Ares]]''
|
|-
|''[[Mortal Kombat 2 (film)|Mortal Kombat 2]]''
|
|-
|''[[Avatar: Fire and Ash]]''
|
|}
==Television==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Name
!Notes
|-
|1993
|''[[The Tommyknockers (miniseries)|The Tommyknockers]]''
|
|-
|rowspan="2"|1995
|''[[Hercules: The Legendary Journeys]]''
|
|-
|''[[Xena: Warrior Princess]]''
|
|-
|2005
|''[[Jane and the Dragon (TV series)|Jane and the Dragon]]''
|
|-
|2009
|''[[The WotWots]]''
|
|-
|2015
|''[[Thunderbirds Are Go (TV series)|Thunderbirds Are Go]]''
|
|-
|2022
|''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power]]''
|
|}
== Video games developed ==
{{Incomplete list|date=September 2024}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Name
!Developer(s)
!Publisher(s)
!Notes
!Platforms
|-
|2025<ref>{{Cite tweet |number=1834336184639820240 |user=talesoftheshire |title=An important update for all Hobbits. |last=Tales of the Shire}}</ref>
|''Tales of the Shire: A "The Lord of the Rings" Game''
|Wētā Workshop
|[[Private Division]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome Home, Hobbit! Private Division and Wētā Workshop Announce Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game |url=https://www.talesoftheshire.com/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240915100600/https://www.talesoftheshire.com/ |archive-date=2024-09-15 |access-date=2024-09-17 |website=Tales of the Shire's official website}}</ref>
|
|[[PlayStation 5]], [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[Xbox Series X/S]], [[Nintendo Switch]], [[iOS]], [[Android (operating system)|Android]]<ref name=":0" />
|}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
* [http://www.wetaworkshop.com/ Wētā Workshop]
* [http://www.wetafx.co.nz/
{{Peter Jackson}}
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