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The Hobbit To Be Filmed In New Zealand After All
An anonymous reader writes "John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand, has confirmed this afternoon that The Hobbit will be filmed in NZ, after weeks of uncertainty. From the article: 'The future of the $670m production hung in the balance after an actors union issued a no-work order on the films last month. Talks were held overnight with studio executives from Warner Brothers to resolve concerns about industrial laws in New Zealand.'"
I can't wait to see the Duke Nukem Forever trailer that's debuting with it.
If Flight of the Conchords taught me nothing else, it's that New Zealand is the happening place to be (it's like Scotland, only further) and a great place to film The Hobbit. It's an excellent location for more walking.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Talks were held overnight with studio executives from Warner Brothers to resolve concerns about industrial laws
Uh-huh.
"Industrial laws"? Nice euphemism. Yet another example of how unions exist to keep unions existing.
You could say that New Zealand bribes Warner to get the Hobbits. From TFA: "Mr Key also announced The Hobbit will get a $20million ($15m US) tax rebate - US$7.5m per film" and "The Government will also offset U$10m of Warner Brothers' marketing costs."
...and Bilbo paid the actors union the funds they wanted, and everyone lived happily ever after.
He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
Hobbits are so gay.
What do you mean, films? There's more than one? The Hobbit isn't a particularly big book, so why is it being made into more than one film?
Seems to me the people who really dislike unions are those white collar office workers whose idea of "industrial accidents" extends to catching your tie in the stapler or spilling a latte over your nicely pressed shirt.
Ask the "Los 33" miners who have been just rescued from a death trap of a mine in Chile if they think unions are a good or bad thing, ask them if they have the power as individual employees to protect themselves against dangerous cost cutting by their employers.
Closer to home, you might ask your female colleagues if they think it would be a good thing if employers could sack them if they were pregnant, had kids or got married.
The folk who disparage industrial laws are the ones who don't even realise they benefit from them. The folks who are acutely aware of their importance to keep them alive, healthy or in a job tend to give them and unions a bit more time.
And get off my lawn.
If information wants to be free, why does my internet connection cost so much?
still plenty of time for the LHC to retroactively prevent the completion of DNF...
I saw the art movie The Centurian earlier this year. The plot was basically a hybrid of Gladiator and James Bond. The scenic vistas of horse and foot chases through the Scottish Highlands (Cairgorms NP) were breathtaking mountains and valleys. Reminded me a lot of the LOTR stuff.
Or maybe the story could stick to one set of currency to keep confusion to a minimum.
Ocean is land, covered with water.
670million...for the Hobbit? Is Smog a transformer?
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Hollywood is extremely, EXTREMELY heavily unionized. For such a specialty kind of setup it is rare to see that many unions. Everyone is in a union, the actors, directors, writes, casting agents, etc, etc. Been that way for a LONG time too, it isn't like they unionized a couple of years ago. The Screen Actors Guild started in 1933. Also many of the unions have larger union connections. The SAG is part of the AFL-CIO, as an example.
So, that being the case, why the fuck is Hollywood Accounting still around if the unions can force change? You telling me that all those unions working together somehow just haven't been powerful enough? The unions that control essentially everyone on the production of a movie, including the big names and important talent?
Ya right.
Rather you find that they do as unions are wont to do today in that they work to better and perpetuate themselves within the system. They are fine with Hollywood Accounting fucking all kinds of people, including the government, they just figure out ways to work the system. Their members get paid, they can tell people how to work within the game, but they do nothing at all to change it.
Sorry man, but if ever there was an example of unions NOT forcing change, it'd be in Hollywood. They actively fight against change.
huh, only 78 posts, and the web video on the page played. I remember when the page would have crumbled under the slashdot effect for such a topic as this. Well I am happy to hear this hurdle has been overcome for the making of the movies.
and back again.