UrbanWire

If you thought you've got to go to your extended movie DVDs to revisit Frodo and gang, brace yourself, Singapore Science Centre (SCC) will be transformed into Middle-earth come Mar 13.

Dr Chew Tuan Chiong, Chief Executive of the SSC revealed in a press conference that Singapore will be the only Asian country to house the touring The Lord of The Rings Motion Picture Trilogy - The Exhibition, and we'll even get to see it before America and Australia. Before our stop, the exhibition was presented to sell-out crowds of over 220,000 in New Zealand and 258,000 in London. After Singapore, it will be traveling to anxious fans in Boston and Sydney.

So, while you are rubbing your hands in anticipation and waiting impatiently for doors to open on March 13, read on as UrbanWire sneaks a peek at this exhibition that previewed in New Zealand on December 19 in the Ta Papa Tongarewa Museum.

Mr Steve Lahood from StoryInc, the company engaged to design the exhibition, shared that just as landscape was described in great detail in Tolkien's stories and faithfully recreated by Peter Jackson in the movie version, in the exhibition, elven structures and caves were painstakingly built to create a life-like "environment" where viewers can feel like they're in Middle-earth.

Be prepared to step into the battle between good and evil, learn about behind-the-scenes decisions, explanations of the set, and see the costumes, jewellery, armour and weapons found in the movie.

Apart from the individual "shrines" of different key characters (both good and evil), there will be sections focusing on the use of prosthetics, animation and digital technology that made the movie successful and realistic. Videos interviews with director Jackson, producer Barrie Osbourne, leading actors, and the head of special effects, Richard Taylor, will also be shown at various "key points of the exhibition".

Alan Lee's original artwork that influenced the final look of the trilogy will also be displayed. Lee was the illustrator for Tolkien's LOTR book, and conceptual designer for LOTR films. Linger for a moment and watch interactive videos that explain and demonstrate how miniatures, scaling and weapons are deployed in the filming process. High cost was one of the factors why miniatures were used instead of full-scale sets.

If you always wondered if Elijah Wood (Frodo) is really that petite or how did Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf) grow so tall, the interactive exhibit based on the scene where Gandalf and Frodo are seated on the cart back to the Shire for Bilbo's party will definitely enlighten many. Visitors can assume the "positions" of either Frodo or Gandalf by sitting in the respective side in a blue or green screen room. After that, using the scaling technique, the visitor's image would be elongated or made smaller.

Before leaving the exhibition, one will pass the "Corridor of Amour" where 12 battle costumes including Rohan, Warg Rider, Uruk-hai, and Orc's armour and weapons are displayed. [^top]

Housing Middle-earth
Mr Chew said that excess turnout will be a "happy problem", and shared that the Annex can hold 500 visitors at any one time. On the overcrowding in New Zealand, Mr Paul Brewer, Director of Marketing of the Ta Papa Museum shared that they entertained the people waiting to enter the exhibition with comedians and other performers. Hence, he is sure that the SSC will also "play by ear" if crowd control proves to be a problem when the exhibition opens.

In London, the organisers solved this problem by selling "timed tickets" meaning there is a time limit to how long a patron can stay. So far, a "few thousand tickets" have been sold since advanced booking was available from December 22. UrbanWire advises you to get advanced tickets so you can skip the queue to get into the exhibition.

The estimated turnout here is 120,000 and Ms Lynette Pang, Assistant Director of Lifestyle and Events from the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) predicts that around 10% of the visitors would be tourists. STB has also been publicising this exhibition in neighbouring countries and tour packages including tickets to the exhibition are also being offered.When UrbanWire asked if they would be selling tickets at the airport, Ms Pang excitedly exclaimed that she'll do just that.

Lastly, note that cameras (handphone cameras inclusive) are not allowed into the exhibition, and if you are a real die-hard fan, you can download a teacher's guide to the exhibition. UrbanWire checked it out; it has 44 pdf pages of activities to be done with references to the exhibits on display. Although it is meant for students (primary 5 to secondary 3), it highlights the challenges filmmakers faced and is filled with little nuggets of information (ie: Orc's noises are actually "performed" by a cricket match audience, and that Arwen's Evenstar signifies her purity, beauty and immortality).

The exhibition ends on June 4, and there won't be an extension, so don't miss this opportunity to learn more about what goes behind this 11-Oscars-winning epic.[^top]

Did you know…
1. that 4 years was taken to produce this exhibition?
2. that the Ta Papa museum had to pursue the film-makers, designers and distributor of The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy from NZ to Los Angeles to New York to get New Line Cinema's permission and collaboration for this exhibition?
3. that the exhibition in London was housed in an L-shaped museum, making it a little constrained for designers to lay out the exhibits?
4. that the replica of Boromir in his death boat was so real that a glass barrier was erected to prevent female fans from kissing it? (joke told by Mr Steve Lahood)
5. that King Theoden's (Bernard Hill's character) armour was fitted inside out so he could feel like a real king and get into character better? [^top]

Exhibition and Ticketing Details

The Lord Of The Rings Motion Picture - The Exhibition
Venue: Singapore Science Centre Annex Building.
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 10am-6pm, Friday and Saturday nights till 8:30pm.
Ticket Cost: $20 Adults, $12 Children (3-12), $1 extra through SISTIC for online bookings - Ticket also includes entry to Singapore Science Centre (closed on Mondays), Special FX II exhibition.

Advanced tickets can be bought at all Sistic and TicketCharge websites and outlets.