(My apologies - the formatting of this blog has gone awry since I have had it in draft. I am still in New Zealand, so will have to fix it when I get home. Off to Christchurch early tomorrow)
RED CARPET EXPERIENCE (RA RELATED).
The following pictures tell the story ......
Background:
May 2008: Speculation (by me) that RA would be great in the The Hobbit irrespective of the movie not being greenlit.
October 2010: Official announcement that RA has been cast in The Hobbit as Thorin Oakenshield. Much rejoicing from me.
November 2012: After a bit of a struggle given family bereavements, work commitments, and care concerns regarding frail elderly mother, I finally board a plane with OH for Wellngton and RA's big day on the red carpet. (Actually we join a LOTR/Hobbit premiere Tour with fellow Tolkien geeks enthusiasts from around the world).
26th November - The TORn/Red Carpet Costume Party. See report on my other blog. Amazing experience!
November 28th: World Premiere Day
Red carpet view at 3.30am 28th Nov
Waiting at the red carpet at 3.30am to ensure a good spot for photo opportunity
5.30am at the red carpet with other tour group members (me in red)
14 hours later .....
Actors take over one hour to complete first half of red carpet. Invited guests and VIPs suddenly merge onto carpet en masse from side street in order to walk to The Embassy Theatre for screening.
First sighting of RA on opposite side signing autographs surrounded by publicist and bodyguard. Please note - you will need good eyesight and imagination for this series of photos.
We (even OH) called out (in loud but dignified manner) to attract his attention. He turns momentarily but the media awaits and time is short. (I think this is what happened, anyway)
RA talking to media and then moves on ....
Next sighting of RA is an interview on the big screen near the Embassy Theatre at end of red carpet
Well folks, that's my sad and sorry tale after waiting 15+ hours starting at 3.00am. Did I cry? Not quite but I felt like howling as I think we just chose the wrong spot a few metres away from the media and too far down the red carpet.
On a brighter note, we did get autographs from the two artistic conceptual designers, Alan Lee and John Howe, Sylvester McCoy (Radagast) and the beautiful and serene Cate Blanchett who just had such a soothing aura about her.
Most of our photos are side shots as we were truly in an unfortunate location irrespective of the front row position. I will post them on my other blog if any one is interested. (Ironically, a lot of people in my tour group seemed to want to see Aidan Turner. I confess I am not familiar with his work but I got a cracker of a photo of him which I have promised to give to my fellow travellers).
(Modifying the following comment as it was written at about midnight last night).
PS: Dear fellow RA fans, I hope I haven't given the impression of having too high expectations ... I totally understand the enormity of this event and the pressure RA must have been under. All I wanted was a decent photo unobscured by the crowd on the red carpet and at the absolute best, an autograph in my copy of The Hobbit. I hope this post serves to reassure other fans who have found themselves in a similar situation to this that they are not the only ones who have missed photo/autograph opportunities. It seems we only hear of the successes and not the "near misses" which must be frequent I suspect. I personally think it is OK to feel disappointment (although I am shocked at my own level of disappointment - I thought I had more maturity!!!), but I feel it is also important to put it down to experience and move on. I'm not sure I would ever do this again however..... well, maybe not until next year