Behind The Scenes - Blog Posts
Bofur’s costume
Actor: James Nesbitt
Designer: Ann Maskrey and Bob Buck
Made By: 3 foot 7 Costume Dept.
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Post 3/21 from the Costume Trail in Wellington. Message me if you’d like higher resolution photos or other detail shots.
More costumes from the Hobbit here.
Bombur’s costume
Actor: Stephen Hunter
Designer: Ann Maskrey and Bob Buck
Made By: 3 foot 7 Costume Dept.
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Post 4/21 from the Costume Trail in Wellington. Message me if you’d like higher resolution photos or other detail shots.
More costumes from the Hobbit here.
Ori’s costume
Actor: Adam Brown
Designer: Ann Maskrey and Bob Buck
Made By: 3 foot 7 Costume Dept.
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Post 5/21 from the Costume Trail in Wellington. Message me if you’d like higher resolution photos or other detail shots.
More costumes from the Hobbit here.
Dori’s costume
Actor: Mark Hadlow
Designer: Ann Maskrey and Bob Buck
Made By: 3 foot 7 Costume Dept.
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Post 6/21 from the Costume Trail in Wellington. Another very reflective display case, guys. :/ Message me if you’d like higher resolution photos or other detail shots.
More costumes from the Hobbit here.
Nori’s costume
Actor: Jed Brophy
Designer: Ann Maskrey and Bob Buck
Made By: 3 foot 7 Costume Dept.
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Post 7/21 from the Costume Trail in Wellington. Another very reflective display case. :/ Message me if you’d like higher resolution photos or other detail shots.
More costumes from the Hobbit here.
Elf Soldier costume
Actor: Various
Designer: Weta Workshop and Bob Buck
Made By: Armour and Weapons by Weta Workshop, Fabric Elements by 3 foot 7 Costume Dept.
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Post 8/21 from the Costume Trail in Wellington. Another very reflective display case. Message me if you’d like higher resolution photos or other detail shots because I got loads of this costume and the Elf Lieutenant costume.
More costumes from the Hobbit here.
Elf Lieutenant costume
Actor: Various
Designer: Weta Workshop and Bob Buck
Made By: Armour and Weapons by Weta Workshop, Fabric Elements by 3 foot 7 Costume Dept.
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Post 9/21 from the Costume Trail in Wellington. Another very reflective display case. Message me if you’d like higher resolution photos or other detail shots because I got loads of this costume and the Elf Soldier costume.
More costumes from the Hobbit here.
Radagast’s costume
Actor: Sylvester McCoy
Designer: Ann Maskrey
Made By: 3 foot 7 Costume Dept.
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Post 10/21 from the Costume Trail in Wellington. Unfortunately this costume was behind some truly grotty glass so I had to fiddle with these photos a lot in order to pick up any detail. I tried, o lord how I tried. Message me if you’d like higher resolution photos or other detail shots.
More costumes from the Hobbit here.
Bilbo’s costume
Actor: Martin Freeman
Designer: Ann Maskrey
Made By: 3 foot 7 Costume Dept., Sword by Weta Workshop
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Post 11/21 from the Costume Trail in Wellington. Another reflective case. Message me if you’d like higher resolution photos or other detail shots (I have many- these are the highlights).
More costumes from the Hobbit here.
Thorin’s costume
Actor: Richard Armitage
Designer: Ann Maskrey and Bob Buck
Made By: 3 foot 7 Costume Dept.
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Post 12/21 from the Costume Trail in Wellington. Message me if you’d like higher resolution photos or other detail shots.
More costumes from the Hobbit here.
Tauriel’s costume
Actor: Evangeline Lilly
Designer: Lesley Burkes-Harding
Made By: 3 foot 7 Costume Dept.
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Post 13/21 from the Costume Trail in Wellington. Message me if you’d like higher resolution photos or other detail shots of her costume clasps and the like.
More costumes from the Hobbit here.
Gloin’s costume
Actor: Peter Hembleton
Designer: Ann Maskrey and Bob Buck
Made By: 3 foot 7 Costume Dept.
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Post 14/21 from the Costume Trail in Wellington. Message me if you’d like higher resolution photos or other detail shots. This costume had heaps of wonderful detail in the leather work and construction of his tunic and coat.
More costumes from the Hobbit here.
Dwalin’s costume
Actor: Graham McTavish
Designer: Ann Maskrey and Bob Buck
Made By: 3 foot 7 Costume Dept.
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Post 16/21 from the Costume Trail in Wellington. Message me if you’d like higher resolution photos or other detail shots - I have a lot for Dwalin because his harness is so intricate.
More costumes from the Hobbit here.
Balin’s costume
Actor: Ken Stott
Designer: Ann Maskrey and Bob Buck
Made By: 3 foot 7 Costume Dept.
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Post 17/21 from the Costume Trail in Wellington. Message me if you’d like higher resolution photos or other detail shots. The fabrics used in Balin’s kit are awesome.
More costumes from the Hobbit here.
Gandalf’s costume
Actor: Ian McKellen
Designer: Ngila Dickson
Made By: 3 foot 7 Costume Dept., Sword by Weta Workshop
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Post 18/21 from the Costume Trail in Wellington. Message me if you’d like higher resolution photos or other detail shots.
More costumes from the Hobbit here.
Legolas’s costume
Actor: Orlando Bloom
Designer: Lesley Burkes-Harding
Made By: 3 foot 7 Costume Dept., Knives and Back rig by Weta Workshop
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Post 19/21 from the Costume Trail in Wellington. This one was impossible to get good photos of. Just way too much glare. Message me if you’d like higher resolution shots.
More costumes from the Hobbit here.
Kili’s costume
Actor: Aidan Turner
Designer: Ann Maskrey and Bob Buck
Made By: 3 foot 7 Costume Dept.
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Post 20/21 from the Costume Trail in Wellington. This one was, yet again, a very glarey case but look! The scale replica costume! Very cool how identical they both were in every detail.
Message me if you’d like higher resolution or more detail shots. Things not pictured in this photoset: his buttons and ties, vambraces, other perspectives of his boots, fur, edging detail on Kili’s coat, fixtures on his belts &c.
More costumes from the Hobbit here.
Fili’s costume PART 1
Actor: Dean O'Gorman
Designer: Ann Maskrey and Bob Buck
Made By: 3 foot 7 Costume Dept.
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Post 21/21 from the Costume Trail in Wellington. Yet another very reflective case. Message me if you’d like higher resolution or more detail shots. Part 2 can be found here.
More costumes from the Hobbit here.
Fili’s costume PART 2
Actor: Dean O’Gorman
Designer: Ann Maskrey and Bob Buck
Made By: 3 foot 7 Costume Dept.
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Post 21/21 from the Costume Trail in Wellington. Part 2 at the request of countrichmond. Part 1 here. Message me if you’d like higher resolution versions.
More costumes from the Hobbit here.
Dori being fussy during family photos
Matt Smith (Prop Designer):
“A Dwarven pipe was one of the first things I got to draw on The Hobbit and I was imagining what it might be made out of. When it came back from being made it was stunning: beautifully crafted out of carved walnut wood with ivory and silver. I suppose I thought it would be carved in polystyrene or something, so my expectations were blown.”
Alex Falkner (Weta Workshop Props Model Making Supervisor):
“Counting all the various doubles, we made something like 500 weapons for Thorin and his companions, far more than we made for all the hero characters of The Lord of the Rings a decade earlier…”
Emily-Jane Sturrock (Armour and Weapons Lead Stand-by):
"With Dwalin’s axes, for example, we had heavy versions for hitting with; mid-weight versions that gave an adequate sense of heft for an actor to hold in a scene, but which you wouldn’t want to carry for a long time; a flexible, lightweight pair to be worn on the back for stunt work; and a lightweight pair for the actor to wear on his back or run with in his hands. Graham McTavish could tell the difference between them instantly.”
Graham McTavish:
“I remember when we had our initial discussions with the Weta Workshop design team about dreaming up weapons for our characters to carry. It was marvellous in that abstract context and you found yourself thinking, ‘Oh, I want this gigantic thing that can crush people!’ Of course, a few weeks later when you’re shooting the eighth take of scene 88 the ideal weapon you want to be running with is a pen knife and you can’t help wondering, 'Who was the genius that suggested I carry a giant hammer?’”
Richard Armitage:
“Thorin had a royal Dwarf sword that represented his birth-right and past, the past in which he began the journey to re-claim Erebor. It was called Deathless in reference to Durin the Deathless, father of the line of Durin to which Thorin is heir.”
Aidan Turner:
“Thorin can wield a bow as well, but Kili seemed to have cornered the archery angle for most of the films as far as the Dwarves were concerned. Rumour around Middle-earth has it that he’s a better shot than that Legolas guy or Bard what’s-his-name.”
Dean O'Gorman:
“Fili unloads a lot of gear to Bilbo when we first arrive in Bag End. It’s quite funny because he’s a walking armoury, but in reality he’s more of a specialist. He might have his other blades as some kind of back-up, but his main weapons are his paired Dwarven swords and it’s them that he relies upon. Fili is a swordsman.”
Stephen Hunter:
“I got to learn that my character wasn’t about these high-tech weapons. Like all the boys in his family, Bombur is more of a scrapper and that shifted my understanding of the character. This Dwarf isn’t a trained fighter like perhaps Fili or Kili might be. He hasn’t had the kind of life experiences of someone like Nori and he hasn’t been to war like Thorin or Balin and Dwalin. He is a working guy. He has a ladle and a pot, which can be effective weapons when push comes to shove, but they’re tools. […] I think Bombur considers himself a bit of a weapon. He’s not fussy. He picks up a few things along the way.”
William Kircher:
“Even in our fight training I said to myself, I’m just going to go crazy and keep punching and stabing until someone pulls me off. That’s Bifur–when he gets into it he loses himself completely. He’s fearless and relentless.
Contrasting that, he’s also a craftsman of astonishing skill. He makes toys that are intricate and beautiful. I love that.”
Peter Hambleton:
“Gloin carries a set of axes that anyone who has watched The Lord of the Rings and paid attention will recognize as Gimli’s. It’s another of the many links between the trilogies that we have established and it makes perfect sense for the character, given how much family means to Gloin and to the Dwarves.”
John Callen:
“I forget where the idea came from originally, but the suggestion of a fighting stick seemed to be a good one to me. Putting a leather strap on it meant I could lean on it or rest it on the ground and hang on to the strap. It could be used for ligting, carrying or whacking. It turned out to be a wonderful weapon.”
Adam Brown:
“We looked at the World War Two new recruits and how these young men with fresh faces had no idea about the war they had just signed up for.”
Richard Armitage:
“I rather like that Ori’s slingshot is the kind of weapon that doesn't really look like a weapon. A kid could buy a replica and it’d really just be a good old-fashioned, wholesome pea-shooter.”
Mark Hadlow:
“Speaking to Dori’s eccentricity is his choice of weapon. His signature weapon is absolutely extraordinary. I’m only sad we lost the bolas at the Goblin caves. I loved my bolas!”
Jed Brophy:
“I’m not sure Nori even knows who his father is. His father was probably some travelling Dwarf who came through and stayed the night and left. I’m not sure what that says about Dwarf society. There aren’t as many women, so there aren’t as many opportunities!
I settled on the notion of a fighting staff. It was based on a Maori taiaha, a long wooden weapon with a pointed end and a flat, bludgeoning end. I imagined a weapon like this might actually be a tool that could be used by miners to dig out rock with one end and smash it with the other. If it worked on a rock it’d work just as well on an Orc’s skull.”
Next pages: Weight, Heat, Safety & Comfort; Barrel Escape Dwarf Costumes
Collective tag link: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Cloaks and Daggers
1600px versions: Dropbox repository (updated as I post more pages, might take a few days for new pages to show)
Notes: These photo excerpts are meant to be used by fans as references for the creation of The Hobbit fanwork (cosplay, art, fiction, nonfiction, etc.) Feel free to repost, use, and edit any of these photographs as you wish. Credit back to me is unnecessary.
If you found these useful, please consider reading through this post by Obscura and making a donation.
This wonderful book can be purchased at the following links: via RichardArmitageNet Charity Referral with Amazon [US | UK | DE] | via WETA.
Eowyn (Miranda Otto) Green Gown.. The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002).. Costume by Ngila Dickson & Richard Taylor.
Behind the Hobbit:
“ The funny is that everybody gets our names wrong. Everybody gets Fili and Kili wrong. Even Peter will go, “Kili- eh, Fili.” “ -Dean O’Gorman.
Dwalin’s Regal Armour by Edward Denton
“With the green theme in his armour Peter looked at Dwalin’s battle axe and suggested that we should give it blades that were made out of greenstone, or jade. In New Zealand it is called pounamu and it has cultural significance and value. The Maori people, native to New Zealand, carve it into jewellery and also make weapons out of it. It’s a beautiful stone, translucent and with flecks and veins of colour through it, so it made for a very eye-catching weapon. People from outside New Zealand probably wouldn’t catch the reference, and the films are fantasy after all, but for those of us who know what greenstone is and its specialness here it was cool to see Dwalin wielding an axe made of it.
A dagger for Dwalin came through as a fairly late request, but having just designed his greenstone axe it made sense to have it match“.
- Nick Keller, Weta Workshop Designer (The Battle of the Five Armies Chronicles: Art & Design)
from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Chronicles: Art & Design
Hobbits
unmentioned credits: MS - Matt Smith, Prop Designer BB - Bob Buck, Additional Costume Designer
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It’s going to take me a while to get through Thorin and Company’s pages, so in the meantime I figured I’d put up the hobbits
Year of the Tiger | Behind the scenes
@adobe-outdesign This is awesome!!!
Becky Sloan gave us the photo of Lesley’s fit! Or at least the full back of the coat!
@adobe-outdesign Make sure to check out the other parts too, there’s some really neat stuff!
Rosie Tonkin has shared a couple of behind the scenes photos of the cast and crew of the dhmis tv series on her Instagram the past few days
Part 1, part 2, part 3
(Blood warning)
rosie tonkin: Dunno if I've mentioned it before 🤡 but last year we made a tv show! It's on the actual tv on Fridav! I don't have the words to fully describe the incredibleness of everybody who worked on this but safe to say 2021 is one to remember. A wild, slightly broken rollercoaster that's mostly fun but sometimes makes you puke. I loved it. 🥹😭❤️🔥
