The Wellington Airport officially unveiled a giant sculpture of Gollum over the weekend that’ll hang over passengers as they make their way in and out of the country. The 12-metre monstrosity was constructed over four months by Weta Workshop, and it was conceived as both a reminder to the rest of the world as to why New Zealand offers exciting opportunities for filmmakers wanting to shoot in an exotic location and a celebration of The Hobbit one month ahead of its world premiere.
Designed using robotic technology and executed using chainsaws, the beautiful sculpture features the Tolkien creation sticking his head under water and reaching for one of three surrounding fish. You can take a look at a full video about its execution and get a good look at the finished product in the video below…
This might seem like an incredible waste of money, but it’s about a lot more than just The Hobbit. Hollywood took notice of how well New Zealand treated those working on The Lord Of The Rings, and when it came time to film this trio of movies, there was little question as to where they’d end up. Down the road, other filmmakers and studio executives are going to be figuring out where to spend their money, and when that times comes, they’ll remember how this Hobbit shoot went. There is not greater advertisement than good hospitality and making people feel good about themselves.
