Escape Off The Road is a collectable statue created as part of Wētā Workshop’s Masters Collection in celebration of the 20th anniversary of The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring.
We’re going to examine the storytelling mastery of Wētā Workshop, using this fine art sculpture as our exhibit.
Throughout this article, we’ll establish who Wētā Workshop are and what their Masters Collection is, as well as have a breakdown of the Escape Off The Road piece and how it demonstrates the art of storytelling.
We’ll also have a brief introduction to the artists that brought this scene to life in a three-dimensional format and take a look at some behind-the-scenes, work-in-progress visuals.
What Is Weta Workshop?
Wētā Workshop is an award-winning concept design and manufacturing facility based in Miramar, Wellington, New Zealand.
Founded over 30 years ago by Richard Taylor and Tania Rodger, Wētā Workshop has grown extensively. It covers the development and manufacturing needs of many big brands within the creative industries including film, TV, gaming, themed attractions, collectables and more.
Wētā Workshop have demonstrated their artistic and creative innovative prowess on many occasions, including the creation of chainmaille and the large-scale production and use of bigatures.
The team take great pride in working collaboratively to help their clients achieve their vision and bring their ideas to life.
Notable projects that Wētā Workshop have been involved with include:
- Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
- Xena: Warrior Princess
- King Kong (2005)
- Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes
- The Lord Of The Rings & The Hobbit Trilogies
- Avatar: The Way Of Water
- The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power
Learn more about Wētā Workshop.
What Is Weta Workshop’s Masters Collection?
Wētā Workshop’s Masters Collection was designed to highlight the outstanding craftsmanship and artistry of the company’s most exceptional creatives, whilst also appealing to serious collectors of their work.
Each sculpture is created with meticulous attention to detail and created using only the finest quality materials and incorporating both traditional craftsmanship and industry-leading technology.
Every single statue created for the Masters Collection line is much more than just a collectable, they are masterful works of fine art that clearly demonstrate the art of storytelling.
Masters Collection: Escape Off The Road.
Escape Off The Road is a 1:6 scale Masters Collection piece made from high-quality polystone and created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring.
The team at Wētā Workshop wanted the perfect piece to capture the essence of that first film in the trilogy; this piece was prompted by an inspiring suggestion on the collector’s forums that resonated with both collectors and creatives alike.
The team decided to bring to life this iconic moment where the Hobbits first encounter true danger on the road when they’re almost captured by a servant of the Dark Lord, a Ringwraith.
Something even more iconic about this particular scene and in relation to the 20th anniversary of the movie is that this was one of the first scenes shot for the entire trilogy, giving this Masters Collection piece even more significance.
Wētā Workshop has an extensive library of reference materials: original props, costumes, designs, and concept art; and the artists also had unique access to the location where this scene was filmed, allowing them to become fully immersed in the scene they worked to create.
To be able to spend time in the real environment and reference the true colours and textures of the costumes and props; as well as the detailed expressions of the characters’ faces, gave this piece the solid foundation that sets apart the work of Wētā Workshop.
Masters Collection pieces provide the opportunity for the artists to get stuck into the details and demonstrate their craftsmanship. Each and every element that you see in Escape Off The Road has been deliberately crafted and honed with a love of the story and attention to detail.
With an accumulated 3000+ hours of work that’s gone into this piece, it encapsulates the features and quality of a true Masters Collection work of fine art while simultaneously returning you back to the story and into the scene that’s been depicted.
The Storytelling Mastery Of Weta Workshop?
In an attempt to sneak out of the Shire and head to Bree, Frodo and Sam cut across the countryside but before too long find themselves in the middle of the mischief being caused by Merry and Pippin.
In this instance, they’ve been stealing vegetables from Farmer Maggot who is chasing them off.
Narrowly escaping the angry farmer and his dogs the Hobbits take a stumble over the side of the farmland and down into the forest where the trail they’ve landed on has a cluster of tasty mushrooms just begging to be picked.
Sam, Merry and Pipping begin collecting mushrooms when Frodo is suddenly overcome with a sense of imminent danger and warns them all to get off the road.
The Hobbits just about manage to scramble over an embankment and hide beneath the shelter of some overhanging tree roots when the black-robed figure of a Ringwraith appears from the mist on his jet-black horse.
The faceless robed figure dismounts its horse and stoops down, holding the exposed roots of the tree leaning over the embankment and sniffing at the air as though he’s being drawn to a scent.
Even the insects and creatures living in the ground and within the root system are desperately trying to escape the terrifying presence of the Ringwraith; worms are writhing their way out of the ground and centipedes and spiders are also trying to move away.
As the figure leans threateningly closer; Frodo seems to fall into a trance and can feel the Ring calling to him, urging him to put it on.
Frodo’s finger is a mere moment away from the safety that the One Ring promises…
In creating this Masters Collection piece, Wētā Workshop has excelled in bringing to life such an iconic moment from the movie in a way that perfectly demonstrates the art of storytelling; telling the entire story of this scene in a single sculpture.
Every angle of this piece has something to show and an element of storytelling that works into the overall story of the scene.
Escape Off The Road flawlessly captures the terrifying atmosphere and eerily tense silence at the moment where the Ringwraith is so close to discovering the four Hobbits and reclaiming the One Ring for the Dark Lord.
“The key was getting the right balance of tree and roots versus Wraith, Steed, and Hobbits. I believe each element is equally important but they also need to have their own prominence.”
Brigitte Wuest – Senior Sculptor, Weta Workshop
Just looking at this statue transports you into the scene; you can feel the tension and the bated breath of the Hobbits, you can hear the Ringwraith as it sniffs at the air. The rattling metal of the wraith’s armour sounds even louder amongst the nervous silence as his steel gauntlets grip the tree roots just above the Hobbits’ heads.
It’s an atmosphere of suspense and high alert, and even knowing they won’t be caught doesn’t lessen the intensity of the scene that shows them so close to being caught.
On closer inspection of the details, you’ll be able to identify the insects and small creatures seen in the movie. There are worms twitching and wriggling around as they surface from the soil, a centipede hastily making an escape and a large spider that’s found its way onto Merry’s shoulder (who doesn’t seem too happy about it).
Each Hobbit has a distinctive and realistic expression as they shelter in fear of the Ringwraith’s evil presence: Frodo is in a trance, about to slip the One Ring onto his finger; Pippin is looking characteristically dense but scared; Sam seems to have given in to a desperate and fearful silence, his head bowed and his body tensed; Merry seems to be weighing up the thought of what’s worse, letting the spider crawl all over him or jumping out and into the reaching grip of the ringwraith.
The Hobbits are all holding an item relevant to the story too: Frodo with the One Ring, Pippin has hold of a cabbage, Sam has his food bag and Merry is holding his sack of newly collected mushrooms, which he’ll soon throw in an attempt to distract the wraith.
Turning the piece around to view it from the back there’s still more to see, and more clever storytelling elements too.
We can see the very carrot that Merry remarks that he’s broken after their fall from Farmer Maggot’s crops, we also see the clusters of tasty mushrooms that even in sculpture form look good enough to pick and eat.
And then there is what I would consider one of the golden storytelling elements of this entire sculpture; the small rabbit desperately trying to hide from the evil and terrifying presence of the Ringwraith.
Which Artists Worked On Escape Off The Road?
Escape Off The Road was a collaborative effort between two of Middle-earth’s master sculptors: Brigitte Wuest and Gary Hunt; who between them have 40+ years of film sculpting experience.
Working together on this Masters Collection piece, Brigitte and Gary created a fusion of both traditional and technological sculpture techniques; resulting in an extraordinary three-dimensional, 360° view of one of the most iconic scenes from The Fellowship Of The Ring.
Brigitte Wuest worked on the Ringwraith, the horse and the environment using traditional sculpting and modelmaking methods; using plasticine as her medium.
“With all the sculptures I do, I like to think that I try to bring them to life, I try to feel their spirit or the essence of it; and whether it’s a tree or a horse or a creature, it doesn’t really matter”
Brigitte Wuest – Senior Sculptor, Weta Workshop
As a Senior Sculptor, Brigitte has worked on many of the collectables that have been released over the years since moving to New Zealand in 1999 to work on The Lord Of The Rings movies as part of the art department.
Born in Switzerland, Brigitte is a renowned sculptor with a particular penchant for equestrian sculpture; she trained in Switzerland under the artist H R Giger.
Gary Hunt, another long-term Wētā Workshop Senior Sculptor who was also originally employed for work on the Lord Of The Rings movies sculpted the four Hobbits for Escape Off The Road using the latest digital technology.
How Weta Workshop’s Mastery Can Inform Your Storytelling?
There are so many things to take away from Wētā Workshop’s portfolio that can inform your own storytelling whether you’re an artist or a writer; one of the biggest things should be inspiration.
The way the creative teams fuel their imagination and combine that with a rich and well-researched handle on history to bring stories to life that take place in fantasy worlds is both astonishing and inspiring.
Every single design, prop, costume, prosthetic, miniature, bigature, and statue is believable and cohesive to whatever story is being told.
Wētā Workshop’s mastery of storytelling can help you physically, by researching and analysing the ways they have created tangible storytelling elements; but also in the abstract, inspiring you to pull from the deep waters of your imagination and conjure up innovative new ways to tell your stories and bring them to life.
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Sketches & Storytelling - Art, Illustration, and Storytelling 