If you haven’t seen Meet the Feebles, watch it.
As funny as it is low budget, as entertaining as it is repulsive, this 1989 black comedy about the twisted life of a group of puppets involves pornography, drugs and suicide.
It’s a bit of early work from one of New Zealand’s greatest film makers, Peter Jackson, with the creative work of a young group of New Zealand artists including Weta Workshop founder Richard Taylor. Quite simply, it’s an example of how raw talent and tenacity make a good film, even if there’s almost no money behind it.
It was the first opportunity for Taylor to work with this unique New Zealand film maker. Splatter flicks, the brilliant mockumentary Forgotten Silver and the critically acclaimed Heavenly Creatures followed. Then the coup d’etat; persuading Hollywood to let Peter tackle Tolkien’s epic trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, in New Zealand. The rest, as they say, is history. The movies were New Zealand’s biggest film project and the smash hit that turned the team (and the rest of the gang of talented artists), into some of the best-known film makers in the world.
Weta Workshop (and its sister company Weta Digital which creates digital effects) emerged from this success. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, King Kong, District 9 and Avatar are just some of the films worked on by Weta Workshop, run by Richard Taylor and his wife Tania, from their Miramar studio.
Weta Workshop – which had its origins in the Taylors’ 1987 flat – now employs more than 150 people and services the creative needs of clients all around the world.
The big budget movies that sit alongside the smaller NZ films that Richard works on now are a far cry from the smell-of-an-oily rag affairs he toiled away on back in the 80s. But it’s that spark he once exhibited that he looks for in his Weta Workshop team.
“Here at the Weta Workshop I list in order of importance: passion, enthusiasm, tenacity and then talent. Luckily those four things come in abundance from young people in this country.
“For me, passion means what’s in your heart, the thing that gets you up in the morning, the desire and drive to do something. I see enthusiasm as the ability to turn that passion into an action to actually make the thing unfold and happen on a daily basis.
“Tenacity is just sheer stickabilty, because a great deal of what we do is very repetitive and requires the ability to just stick with it day in and day out. And talent, whether that is artistic talent or some other form of creative ability, whether that is in the engineering workshop or the sewing department, it all requires incredible talent with the materials the team are working with.”
Richard Taylor recently won the title of New Zealander of the Year. It’s an award well-deserved because more than being a talented man, he genuinely cares about young Kiwis. For example, he insisted that local talent be employed on LOTR. Only a scattering had ever worked on a TV show or film before. That didn’t matter to him.
“The young people of New Zealand have a unique cultural and creative view of the world,” Richard says. And the success of the films, their ability to create a truly Tolkien-esque world, show he was right.
Digital revolution
We’re in the middle, Richard believes, of a digital revolution. For anyone, getting their hands on the basic equipment needed to make their own short films is easy and inexpensive. Then there’s YouTube, “the great leveller”.
Anyone can put a clip online and its popularity determines what goes to the top. Take Grammy winner Adele, who was discovered after clips of her were posted on MySpace or teen heartthrob Justin Bieber who was discovered on YouTube.
“We’re watching mind boggling imagery that has been created for almost no budget by just innovative thought, by people that are utilising very inexpensive technology and their talents.
“We have the great fortune of working with directors that come through the internet generation and are now making a huge impact at a creative film level. That’s very exciting because it allows all of us to see the latest talents coming through and we can watch and learn from them.”
Great film makers don’t have to attend expensive film schools; a good short film with hundreds of hits is something Richard and the Weta team look forward to.
“Very few people here have a tertiary education in what they actually do on the workshop floor. We are happy to find people that have been doing their own thing in their bedrooms or workshops at home, than necessarily having done a tertiary course that gives them a set of skills – but not necessarily the inventive and exploratory skills we’re looking for in someone’s work.”
The future
Weta Workshop is usually thought of as creating props for movies but will turn its hand to most things. It publishes books, creates sculptures and museum displays and has a partnership in China producing chainmail armor for films.
Richard and Tania have always been passionate about children’s TV and that’s what led to the creation of Pukeko Pictures. The company’s hugely popular shows Jane and the Dragon and The Wot-Wots have taken off. The latter is now playing in 90 countries, including most of China.
“It’s reached a huge part of the world’s population, getting to China is beyond our wildest imaginings of five years ago,” Richard says.
Best of all, his own children are big fans and he admits he and Tania get a buzz out of creating content his children can watch and enjoy.
Many exciting projects are on the agenda for 2012. The Hobbit is currently being filmed and Avatar 2 will hopefully start this year.
There are a number of ideas Weta Workshop will be pitching as Richard says the company wants to also move into making long-form episodic television shows.
An art exhibition of the world of Dr Grordbort’s is currently touring Europe and Richard and his team will be at San Diego Comic Con in July (Richard’s 12th visit), an event Richard says is “like Christmas” to him.
“It is the litmus test of the pop culture of the world, with 100,000 people on the floor. It’s very exciting, just walking the floor is an education. It’s such a hotbed of people and the feedback is great too.”
Wet windy and wonderful
Richard Taylor moved to Wellington for the Massey design course when he finished school, and it has been his home ever since.
The capital, unlike so many others such as Canberra, is not just the home of dour faced civil servants but is a cultural and
artistic haven.
“We’ve been here 28 years now and I’ve come to love Wellington and couldn’t imagine running a creative company anywhere else in the world,” Richard reflects.
“What we require is people and Wellington attracts highly creative dynamic people. Without fault the people that do join us
from around New Zealand and the world find Wellington to be an incredibly engaging and endearing city that energises their creativity and gives back to them as much as they
put in.
“We have no intention of working anywhere else in the world. A move to LA would be very foolhardy. The New Zealand and Wellington film industry is a very dynamic one, where you still have a large group of film technicians who love the process.
“Having the opportunity to work with these people is incredibly fulfilling and I feel very lucky we’ve been able to set up a small part of that here in Wellington.”
Timeline
1987 – Richard and his partner Tania start Weta Workshop from their small flat.
1989 – Richard and Tania make the film Meet the Feebles with film director Peter Jackson.
1992 – Weta does the props for The Frighteners, another Peter Jackson film starring Michael J Fox, filmed in Wellington and Lyttelton.
1995 – Works on Heavenly Creatures, the critically acclaimed film which launches actress Kate Winslet’s career.
1997 – New Line gives the rights to film Lord of the Rings to Peter Jackson who asks Weta Workshop to create the armour, weapons, special makeup effects, creatures and miniatures.
2004 – The Return of the King, the final film in the LOTR trilogy is released. All up, the three films together were nominated for a total of 30 Academy Awards, of which they won 17. The Return of the King wins all 11 of its nominations in 2004, the largest win in history.
2009 – Avatar, the highest grossing film of all time is released. Weta Workshop and Weta Digital are two of the companies behind its creation.
2010 – Richard Taylor is knighted for services to film.
2012 – Richard Taylor is named as New Zealander of the Year.
