Working for the Man: In the Weta Workshop with Sir Peter Jackson and the Perry Brothers

Working for the Man. Working with the Man.

 On dioramas and purpose of life.

Wellington Artists: Modellers, painters, wargamers in the Weta Workshop. 

Oh yes, and Sir Peter Jackson, and the Perry brothers. 

(Photo credits: First 3 photos :Roly Hermans. Official project blog: Mustering the Troops. The rest are from my camera. Very strict on what photos may be taken. Roly as official photographer/blogger and a brief photo session)

On dioramas and life:

I am 5 years old.

I am standing in front of a diorama in the tower of Fort Namutoni, in the Etosha Park, in what is now Namibia. I ask my father to lift me up, so that I can see the scene better. I am content: 

A  6 foot x 6 foot square diorama: Hundreds of Ovambo warriors assailing the German defenders of the Fort. 

I stand transfixed. I can't stop looking.  My father becomes tired and puts me down. I return several times during our stay, to marvel at the figures, the miniature landscape and the miniature replica of the building that I was standing in.

I am 10 years old. I see a diorama of Rome in a book. My friend Jan and I decide that we would build Rome. We start, but lack any idea of how to go about it. We buy figures and start making walls. The grandiosity of the project overcomes us.

I am 15 years old. I build a diorama in our garage with my friend Barry: A 12 x 12 foot diorama for wargaming. Another depicting a WW2 Airfield during the Blitz. The size is impractical. But it serves its purpose. We game. I am content.

I am 25 years old. I stand in Fort Namutoni with Jeanine, the love of my life. I brought her to Namibia to meet my parents. The African sun is setting, a truly beautiful sight.  I look at the diorama again. A little dusty now, but still there.  I am content.

I am 35 years old. I now stand in New Zealand, with my young family in tow. Somehow a trunk with miniatures make it across the waves. " Daddy, can I play with them? " 

"When you're a bit older, Luc" 

He revisits the trunk over the years, I think as transfixed as I was with the diorama at Namutoni, until the day that we take them out and start to play. I am content.

I am 40 years old. My son and I start building, painting and wargaming together. My wife tolerates and encourages it. I am content.

I am 45 years old. My son and I play in the New Zealand Warhammer Team Championships together. I am content.

I am 50 years old. 

I stand on top of what may be one of the largest dioramas in the world, in the Weta Workshop with my son, Luc. 

We are working on the WW100 Project, depicting the battle of Chunuk Bair during the Gallipoli campaign of WW1. Beside me are my son, my friends and fellow artists and gamers, a retired Chief of the NZ Defence force, the Perry brothers, (makers of some of the best military miniatures in the world), and Sir Peter Jackson. I am not content. 

I AM OVER THE MOON !

Sir Peter and the Perrys discussing some of the finer detail of the diorama over a few thousand Turks

Selfie with you-know-who

Sam, Fern and Morty being photo-bombed by the same guy.

Horsing around with the Perry brothers

All Fall down. ANZACs going over the top and taking casualties

Last of the WW100 Diorama ANZACs (Mostly) Painted

Like most painters in this project I couldn't resist having a bit of a play with the figures before they join their brothers at Chanuk Bair.

As this batch does not have any charging figures I could not make a gallant charge diorama, so I opted for a "Waiting to go over the top" theme instead.

Regrettably my photographic skills lag behind my painting skills, and the result does not really do the mini's justice. I would like to share it though.

It has been an unique honour to have been part of this project. Kudos to Peter Jackson and his vision, Weta workshop and Rhys Jones for pulling it all together. I am lucky enough to live in Wellington, and may be able to assist with the final assembly of this project (if my schedule allows)

They Died
So we may live
Let their memory live forever.

Sound the attack!

OK boys, this is it. When the shelling stops and the whistle blows,  we go over the top !

But we all fall down...

 

B company ! Get ready !

 A Company got a bit of a pasting, but we'll be all right! 

Fix bayonets!

Chaaaaarge!

 

C Company ! Form up !  

Water! Bring water! Water for the wounded!

Alright chaps! B company didn't do that well either. So it's up to C company to finish the job !

Tell my wife that I love her...

Waiting to go over the parapet...Waiting...

Song for You

Hello darling, this is the army,
I've just got the time to write,
Today we attack, there's no turning back,
The boys they're all ready for the fight.

Yes, I'm well but this place is like hell,
They call it Passchendaele, (We could probably substitute Gallipoli here - Ed)
In nineteen seventeen the war must be ending,
The general said this attack will not fail;

So I'm writing down this simple little melody
When you play it my love, think for me...
We'll be together in this song for you,
And it goes la la la, sing it darling, la la la

They got old Bill, and the sergeant is still out there
Wounded in some shell hole,
They say this war will end all wars,
Oh God I really hope it will,

Oh how's old England, are they still singing
Those songs that we loved to sing,
When all this is over, we'll go sailing in Dover,
Catching fish like we used to with a string,

Oh I miss you, I miss you, I miss you,
If they get me my love you will know
We'll always be together in this song for you

And it goes la la la, I have to go now
Take care of yourself my love.

Chris de Burg

Reference for ANZAC Diorama, Gallipoli: More historic photos of ANZAC, British and Ottoman troops

Anzac Diorama: More reference photos for Chanuk Bair project 

The realities of war. A commonwealth soldier observes the body of a compatriot.

 The caption reads that he is handling stores, which could well be so, judging from the packed provisions (? ) water barrel and ammunition/food. The roll of cable suggests a different task to me though, and that barrel appears very empty. For some reason the guy also looks like a sapper to me. 

This particular photograph was censored at the time, as it showed a dead commonwealth soldier. The Kings College collection have some really graphic photographs of casualties that were censored and embargoed at the time. Some of the pictures still turn the stomach, even in today's permissive and desensitised world and the era of the internet.

Water supplies being filtered to remove impurities. Water at Gallipoli had to be imported from friendly territory around the Med or captured local supply. 

The harshness of the terrain illustrated. Very steep incline, with hardly any beach at high tide. Notice the line of horses tethered to the start of the undergrowth

Water being filtered before it was fit for consumption. Water quality was poor, shipped from surrounding islands or obtained from captured local sources.

View from one of the ridges. The light coloured specs are bodies. Hundreds of bodies, commonwealth and Turkish, both 

Evacuating  the wounded. I suspect this series of photographs may have been staged. Never the less, it gives us a good look at the uniforms. You can even see the hobnails under the boots that the Perry Brothers have faithfully reproduced in their miniatures that I am painting at the moment.

Field dressings being applied

NZ soldiers fraternising with the locals. There are several photographs of these two soldiers with the Turkish family. Clearly for propaganda purposes.

Exhausted New Zealanders asleep in their trench (IWM)

One tends to think that the troops were dumped at Gallipoli and left untill evacuated. This was not the case. This photograph is captioned " New Zealand soldiers returning to Gallipoli after leave on Lemnos" What it does show clearly is the wide array of headgear worn.

British Officers meeting with Russian Naval allies 

Some traditions endure. British Naval Officers taking tea.

British landing at V Beach, from the sea, and the ridge above

Brits dug in

Landings at ANZAC Cove:

ANZAC Divisional Officers landing

Terrain of the cove - Equipment, supplies and men piled high

Overview of the terrain

 

Once a foothold had been established...

Grenade practice. The webbing can be seen nicely in this picture, as can the variety of trousers, shirts and tunics. There is clear colour variation, even in the B&W photo.

ANZACs in the Trenches. Good detail of footwear and leggings.

Two Australians of the ANZAC in their dugout, named Spliter Villa for good reason. It is estimated that more soldiers died from flying wood splinters than from shrapnel. This was poarticularly true in the wooded areas of Europe (see my previous post on the Dellville Wood debacle, South Africa's WW1 equivalent of Gallipoli's senseless slaughter)

Field surgeon at work on Gallipoli beach.

One tend to think of Gallipoli as hot and dusty. When winter came it was wet, cold, and miserable

Frostbitten men awaiting evacuation

Frostbite victims in makeshift shelter

ANZAC Maori warrior braving the cold in the trenches

Turkish Uniforms

 

Staff Officers (I suspect a tad retouched)

ANZAC Soldiers with a captured Turkish Sniper

Turkish captives

Tending to Turkish wounded

Interrogation of captives

Note the huge variation of dress, mostly civilian. It looks as if pants and tunics were issued, but the enlisted men were free to wear anything underneath. Looks like both sides suffered from shortage of supply

Again the variety in Turkish Uniforms

A Captured Turk who was a barber in civilian life pressed into duty by the ANZACs

 

The omnipresent draught and pack animals. 

A donkey being given coco (!) Anyway that's what the caption says.

A Gallipoli pet. Light distraction was scarce in Gallipoli. One would have to presume that the donkey was pretty tame to allow this!

Indian Mule handlers

More on Donkeys at Gallipoli, and the story of Simpson and his Donkey

 

A cricket game played on the day of the withdrawal from ANZAC cove. A ruse to fool the Turks that all was business as usual in ANZAC Cove. I bet there was no sledging from the Aussie side that day!

Infantry Dress

Mounted Infantry - Huge variation in headgear, all within the same unit.

Rear view of mounted Infantry