by frog
I’m all for celebrating our wonderful creative film industry, but let’s do it in an original way. Is this a fitting tribute?
As one commenter over at Stuff said
They should put one over the Cake Tin too saying “Cake Tin” and one over the Beehive saying “Beehive” and one over Mount Vic saying “Mount Vic” and one over any other landmark they can find. Because signs are cool. Especially when they are big like that one in Hollywood.
Or is it an early April fools article?
Can we really have lost it this badly? Surely not. Guys, it’s a joke, right? Right??
Published in Society & Culture by frog on Tue, March 9th, 2010
Tags: april fools?, wellington, wellywood
on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
yah. Provide your reasons please. One would think...
Go Celia!!!
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Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
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Why nothing, at least according to frog: “I’m all for celebrating our wonderful creative film industry, but let’s do it in an original way.”
Is the idea of all types wealth that repugnant or is just simply jealousy?
Surely you cannot that dull and boring that you have to invent things to get upset about?
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I’m all for cities doing things aspirational and innovative to promote themselves. “Absolutely, positively Wellington” has been great.
But this is just a tacky piece of plagiarism. I’m astounded that the Mayor supports it.
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frog -
yes, it’s derivative, yes, it’s faintly farcical, but for anyone who has driven/cycled/walked through the cutting on their way to work at Weta, it is the gateway to our film industry.
Given that at one point in time, about one in three students in Welli were employed by Three Foot Six Productions, either as extras or on-set casual labourers, there’s a lot of locals who can wave a payslip or three and say they contributed to some part of Weta’s success.
And Weta are our own little Oscars goldmine!
We all want to claim our share of ‘the precious’.
[Not often I do this frog, but consider yourself told off!]
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Who do you think has their fingers in all that property?
Just askin’…
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I think we should build it in 3D and paint it blue – course I live in Greymouth
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Valis
The frog ridicles the signage but offers no alternative.
I doubt if many Wellingtonians will be against the sign (well maybe the stupid, but you get them everywhere)and well relish it and enjoy the parody.
What a happy vibrant city I live in.
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http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/film/3421114/A-sign-of-success-for-Wellywood-hills
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Rimu
Wellington is not only the Capitol politically but the capital of sports and their venues as well as the arts.
They are just jealous Jaffas. With plenty of reason to be.
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ahhh kahikatea, but I wasn’t talking to pentwig. I just said it for the benefit of the silent majority who read but don’t post
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Kahikatea
And dull and boring like the frog.
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I doubt if many Wellingtonians will be against the sign (well maybe the stupid, but you get them everywhere)and well relish it and enjoy the parody.
Ah yes, now I see the link to wealth hating and jealousy. Obvious if you just turn your brain off first.
What a happy vibrant city I live in.
Me too. And frog! Nice we all agree on that.
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It’s quite Hollywoodish!!!
It’s a Capital Idea!
It’s a Sign of the Times!
Reminds me of Hollywood!!!
It’s Subtle!
It’s Out There!
It’s like Hollywood, eh!!!
It’s Fuck*ng Awful!!
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Me too!
Go Frog!
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I have an alternative ‘fly:
Creeches!
Did anyone ever get those chocolate fish to stop swimming up and doing a bit of sunbathing on the beach at Oriental Bay? I know we tried when I was there, but I haven’t lived in Wellington for over 20 years.
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Why is this thread listed under “Health & Wellbeing” rather than “Society & Culture”?
Enquiring minds are curious…
Trevor.
[frog: Because I ticked the wrong category, Trevor. Fixed now.]
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I can only see it as a parody of a parody. “Bollywood” was funny and clever, “Wellywood” would just be a worn joke.
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Something so unoriginal is not creative (there are dozens of copies around the world, including one in Mosgiel – a suburb of Dunedin – which is ridiculed for it)
It’s unoriginal, embarrasing and cringeworthy.
And promotes Wellington as such.
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You don’t see any value as a sort of parody?
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another dopey idea from jackson – like most of his movies – rubbish
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“You don’t see any value as a sort of parody?”
yes, if it were in a movie or on a T-shirt. But as a permanent landscape feature, the parody would quickly get old.
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Perhaps just a huge sign on the hill saying
<- Weta this way
After all, that’s the net effect of what is being mooted, isn’t it?
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“Perhaps just a huge sign on the hill saying
<- Weta this way"
or a large statue of an actual weta.
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Can’t work it into anything but …Edward Woodwood would (were he not dead!).
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Kahikatea -
you’d be pleased to know that Weta sculptures abound at the actual premises, then
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i notice that the proposed wellywood sign is next to ‘the cutting’ and i think the cutting room floor is a more appropriate location for a wellywood sign… i reckon puting an arch over the cutting and upon it a statue (of King Kong holding up Gollum in the palm of 1 hand and a weta in the other) is on par with this idea. Perhaps if the wellywood sign was done in such a way it could only be seen by wearing 3D glasses? The concept of a prominant visual acknowlegement of the contribution of industry to the economy leads us to… public sponsored advertisments for private enterprise, another form of corporate welfare. If the sign was on weta owned land, erected by weta, maintained by weta and only needs council approval then that is a different huddle of hobbits…
i have no more problem with that than a Feltex sign over a Feltex factory. Of course i have strange ideas such as regarding ads as corporate graffiti and puzzled that while kids with cans get arrested ‘industry’ can bribe their way into many horrors that would otherwise be socially unacceptable. However i respect the rights of others to different opinions and certainly won’t indulge in personal attacks on those with different ideas, or not on this occassion anyway.
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As an valid alternative that would save Wellington much embarrassment i propose suggesting to the new Supercouncil up north a sign on One Tree Hill saying ‘ORCLAND’
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Gordon Campbell rather nails it too:
As the Facebook critics of the Wellywood sign have pointed out, it is pretty hard to see the logic of promoting the creativity of the New Zealand film industry via a copy of someone else’s creativity. It is especially dumb when the item in question has been trademarked, and when copying it exactly – as, reportedly, Sir Peter Jackson has been advocating for parody purposes – would quickly amount to a copyright infringement.
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Change the capital’s name to WETAVILLE or WETAWOOD or WETAWINDYPLACE
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Callan, Breaker Morant, dead you say Fly?
Must get out my old LP’s and have a Memorial Concert.
The site for the proposed sign is a pretty ugly little corner.
- I don’t feel this classy addition is any better the the gorse it will dislodge (temporarily).
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Not to mention The Wicker Man (the real one)
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Better a Wicker Man than a Hollow one hey?
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Could the Wicker Man and the Hollow Man both be emblems for atavistic cult worship?
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Now there’s an interesting line of thought.
Sounds Feasible to me – solid, sensible
Illuminating!
That’s what I’ve been missing!
A bit of Atavistic Worship….
Sundays could get real interesting
right round here….
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Is the illumination produced by fire?
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I believe the Wicker Man caught on in a Big Way yes…
As for them Holler Fellas
I’m thinking a vacuum of fire
Sort of like a jet engine in reverse?
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Actually I used to work just around the Corner from the Site of proposed Sign – all things considered I think “Smellywood” a more honest appellation.
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More of a whimper than a bang then Mark?
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Basically yes; consider it a lucky thing too given the competence levels involved – a Bang of any description could be catastrophic.
Somewhere in between – reminds me of a Winston Churchill quote somewhat…
“I contend that a Nation trying to Tax itself into Prosperity, is rather like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle”
Good old Winnie – England Has Nothing to Hide hey?
Poor Old Edward Woodwood – I miss him already
Have been for a while I suspect….still
Nothing like a good fire
I’ll be out the back for a while…
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Who’s ever heard of an uninsured Fire Truck then?
I waved down that Bus and they all just waved back.
Have sent the Bill to Mr English of Double Dipton.
That’s quite enough fire for one day….
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