Weta Workshop

Weta Workshop is a "five time Oscar winning one stop shop servicing the world's creative industries." The company is broken into two distinct division; 'Weta Workshop' and 'Weta Digital'. For the purpose of this blog I will be dealing predominantly with 'Weta Workshop' and the goings on in the physical modelling and engineering wonderland. There is also 'Weta Limited' which is in charge of sales, marketing and merchandise and The Weta Cave, which is a mini museum and shop for fans to visit. They work closely with Park Road Post Production, Stone Street Studios and Portsmouth Hire.

Set up as 'TR Effects' in 1989 in Richard Taylor and Tania Roger's apartment, Weta Workshop is now a conceptual design and physical manufacturing facility and caters for a range of disciplines necessary for the movie industry including; conceptual design, weapons, armour and chainmaille, specialist props, vehicles, speciality costumes, models and miniatures, special fx make and prosthetics, public art and displays. They excel in sculpting, engineering, moulding, painting and finishing, 3D modelling and printing and design.

Currently Weta Workshop employs about 200 people, 20% of which are non New Zealand nationals. Competition is high and they only employ about 5 to 10 people each year, but receive 30 to 50 portfolios a week. They currently have 5,000 portfolios on file. Immigration laws demand that they only employ people from outside New Zealand when they cannot find a person of similar skills in New Zealand. Currently they have contracted a number of oversees workers as the work load is massive while working on The Hobbit and the

Although best known for the company's design and effects work on award-winning film projects, including Lord of the Rings Trilogy, King Kong and Avatar, Weta Workshop offers services to all creative industries throughout the world.

They have and continue to work closely with Director Peter Jackson (LOTR, King Kong, Lovely Bones) and are currently working on The Hobbit (to be released in December in the US).They have also worked with Stephen Spielberg (Tin Tin) Ridley Scott (Prometheus, VFX), Neil Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium), Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, VFX), Joss Whedon (The Avengers VFX),  Zack Snyder (Man of Steel, VFX), James Cameron (Avatar), Andrew Adamson (Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian and The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe).

They built a working Warthog car for the Halo Shorts, which was not made into a feature length movie. 

 

They produce high quality models, sculptures and collectibles sold online. Including the popular Dr. Grordbort ray guns.

Weta have also contributed to public art exhibitions such as the Dyslexia Discovery Exhibit - an outdoor sculpture, free to view by the public in Christchurch, New Zealand. 

Weta Workshop is based in Miramar, Wellington, New Zealand.
General and Client Enquiries: Telephone: +64 4 909 4000 Fax: +64 4 388 9722
Press Enquiries: Magnus Hjert or Ri Streeter - Email: news@wetaNZ.co.nz Phone: +64 4 909 4000
Postal Address: PO Box 15208, Miramar, Wellington, New Zealand.

The name 'Weta' comes from a cricket like prickly insect native to New Zealand.