Exhibitions pay homage to 'Lord of the Rings'

Stevie Emilia, The Jakarta Post, Singapore

After countless viewings of The Lord of the Rings movies, there was no hesitation when I got the chance to visit an exhibition showcasing hundreds of props -- including armory and costumes, as well as demonstrations of behind-the-scene technology -- from the trilogy of movies.

Upon encountering the actual size Sauron, standing tall and gazing straight at me with its piercing eyes, and a large scale graphic of fiery Mount Doom in the background, I felt that I was in some way part of the epic.

The rare opportunity to discover secrets behind the silver screen came at the opening of two new temporary exhibitions: The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy -- The Exhibition and Special FX II Exhibition -- The Secrets Behind the Screen, at the Singapore Science Center.

The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy -- The Exhibition, a touring exhibition based on The Lord of the Rings trilogy, is developed and presented by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa in partnership with New Line Cinema.

Singapore Science Center is the third stop of the world tour -- after the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and the Science of Museum of London -- and is the only venue in Asia. The next two cities on the tour after Singapore are Boston and Sydney.

In Singapore, the exhibition -- which took almost four years to produce, from concept development until the opening at Te Papa -- was a hit, with some 15,000 visitors during the opening week alone. At Te Papa, it drew 220,000 visitors, earning it the distinction of New Zealand's most successful museum show ever. At the Science Museum in London, it attracted over 258,000 visitors and broke all records for the institution.

"These two exhibitions are the perfect showcase of how science and technology play an important role in the art of movie making. They have a strong educational element and, coupled with their interactive and entertaining programs, are sure to attract visitors both young and old," said the chief executive of Singapore Science Center, Chew Tuan Chiong.

Three days after the opening, when I toured the exhibitions at the invitation of the Singapore Science Center, people from all walks of life, particularly families, crowded the venue, perusing every detail of the exhibits.

They attentively watched the video footage, hanging on every word of the interviews with the people behind this amazing film trilogy -- including director Peter Jackson, special effects wizard Richard Taylor and actors like Elijah Wood -- as well as explanations of behind-the-scenes technology.

The exhibit is presented in a way that enables even children to actively take part, like providing easy to push buttons on some displays for them to learn about the movies themselves.

"It is interesting, after watching the movies to now see the exhibition. I also get to see things they do at the movies, like the Hobbit scene," explained Chia Hui Xuan, a 16-year-old senior high school student.

Accompanied by her parents and a brother, she experienced the films' scaling technology. Visitors are invited to enact the scene where Frodo joins Gandalf on his cart, experiencing for themselves how a person can appear significantly smaller using the scaling technique in filmmaking. Two shots combined cost S$5.

"For the most dramatic effect, the tallest person should get in the small cart and the smaller in the big one," explained the scaling show host.

In the weaponry section, unlike the hands-off policy of most exhibitions, visitors are allowed to touch the displayed swords -- from the Rohan to Elven swords -- to feel the difference between them.

"The attention is overwhelming. The visitors are asking so many questions, why different materials are being used for the swords," said Anitah Binte Ani, the exhibit show host.

She explained that swords for The Lord of the Rings were first created in steel, molds were then made from the originals and lighter aluminum and urethane copies were produced for stunt work, riding and background action.

The exhibition's open area is populated with realistic mannequins of the films' characters, along with actual costumes worn by the actors. Beside Frodo and his Hobbit companions, there are the wizards and other magical creatures, like the corrupted Ringbearers (including the Black Riders), the cultures and races of Middle-Earth (concentrating on elves and men) and the monstrous creations of evil and the warriors. Each group explains a major technological aspect of the movies.

At the Hobbits and The Shire section, for instance, I learned about the Hobbits and their environment as well as information about the making of the Hobbiton film set. I also watched an interview with Wood and took a close peek at Frodo's small scale costumes, Bilbo's book, Mithril's vest and the Phial of Light given to Frodo by Galadriel.

At the cultures and races of Middle-Earth, the exhibit explores Rohan and Elven cultures and the characters of Aragorn, Theoden and Arwen. Many items on display include Aragorn's travel costume, weapons used by Viggo Mortensen as well as the Evenstar necklace.

The Magical World exhibit also allowed me to closely observe the Elven Queen of Lothlorien's spectacular gown as worn by Cate Blanchett during the filming and many objects used and word by Sir Ian McKellen, Gandalf the Grey's costume, staff and weapons as well as his pipe and toffee bag.

For die-hard fans who yearn to know about the creation of various monsters, it is featured in the Creations of Evil exhibit, which looks into the creation as well as the techniques used to make them, from high-tech scanners to prosthetics. A section on Orcs and Urukhai delves into the making of Lurtz, the chief of the Uruk-hai.

As I went further into the exhibition, I found the most crowded exhibits -- apart from the interactive ones -- were at the space dominated by an exhibit of the One Ring, in a large curved enclosure evocative of the Cracks of Doom into which the One Ring must be thrown to be destroyed.

A path led me to what appeared to be a lake of lava, and in the center of the path was the Ring itself. From within the walls of the cavernous space, just like in the movies, one can hear and see the voices and faces of the story's protagonists, good and evil, urging Frodo to use or destroy the Ring.

Other popular exhibits are the Transformation of Gollum, where visitors can learn about the digital creation of Gollum, a major achievement made possible by a unique hybrid of acting by Andi Serkis and computer-generated imagery, as well as the life-size Elven boat where the slain Boromir is laid out on his way to the falls of Rauros.

"There's a funny story from the New Zealand exhibition. I heard that a woman tried to kiss 'Boromir', thinking that it's a real person. It's possible, because unlike in this exhibition, where we cannot touch the exhibits, visitors at that exhibition could get really close and even touch the exhibits," said assistant public relations officer Ang Kai Si of the Singapore Science Center.

With the delicate, almost human-like model of Boromir lying on the Elven boat as well as the meticulously detailed works of the props, costumes, weaponry and special effects, along with the obvious dedication of all involved, I fully understood why The Lord of the Rings swept all of its 11 nominations at the recent Academy Awards.

I-BOX:

The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture -- The Exhibition March 13 to June 4, 2004 Open Monday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (extended hours to 8:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday) Singapore Science Center, Annex Building, 12 Science Center Road, Singapore Tickets: Adult S$20, children (3-12 years) $12 (ticket prices include admission to The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture - The Exhibition, SFX II Exhibition and Singapore Science Center). Exhibition website: www.science.edu.sg/lotr