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Ring*Con 2007 - Press Conference

During the press conference of Ring*Con 2007 we had the chance to ask Mark some questions which you can find below - including the answers, of course :-) Next to the questions we asked (by Starry) you can find the things other journalists were interested to know ... This is just the pure transcript, a version with photos can be found at CraigParker.de.


Starry: I have a question for Mark Ferguson. You've been here every year.

Mark: Sechs.

Starry: Obviously, Ring*Con has changed a lot, over the years. Can you tell us, how it has changed for you? In what way has it changed for you?

Mark: Some things have changed, some things haven't changed. My level of fear has gone down a little bit. When we started, we had no idea what to expect and Craig and I particularly we were absolutely terrified when we suddenly found ourselves alone on stage with a lot of very excited people. Especially the two of us who really weren't in the film very much.
But as time is going on we've realized that this Convention is very much about the people and very much about the interaction and the openness of the guests with the audiences and that's what we've enjoyed so much. So that's the one thing that's been the same. As it's going on, one thing I have noticed, is that the fans have taken over more and more. So we're starting to see more shows, more evidence of their talent and to a certain degree we're facilitating that now. And that's being wonderful, because I think it's being claimed more and more by the fans. And I think it's success and why it's grown. So the more we can help with that, the better. Thank you.

Starry: Thank you

Mark: It's ... fantastisch


Journalist: So my next question goes to Mark again. So, I would like to ask you about the charity. This is the last year of the charity… Didn't you know it?

Mark: I did, but I was not surprised.

Journalist: … so this will be the last time. Can you say something about this and the past years?

Mark: Yeah. The auction and the charity's been very important to us. I think, I mean it's great coming to these events and having a lot of fun. But it's also very important for us that we give something back and being part of something that is bigger than ourselves and I think that the charity really brings the fans and us together. And also… it's very important… We have some interesting items up for auction. One is from Craig, or has been worn by Craig. [Laugthers] Another one - they don't know it yet - but it's going to be some services donated by some of the actors. I'll be explaining that later… to you and to the actors. [Laugthers] But I'm pretty sure that they're being well and hopefully we'll raise, especially for the last one, as much as we possibly can.


Journalist: I have a question for Daniel Falconer, about WETA. … For me, WETA came almost out of nothing, so can you tell me the reason for your big success? Is there any specific reason?

Daniel: That's a difficult question, but … I think, something of the naivety of us starting on the Lord of the Rings. WETA existed before LOTR but it was a much smaller company. I should say, it was two smaller companies. There's WETA Workshop and WETA Digital. For the LOTR I guess there was the attitude 'yes this is huge, yes this is enormous, but we'll give it a go'. Which is, I think, a kiwi attitude, but it was certainly an attitude that everybody in the Workshop had. [Daniel keeps on explaining]

Mark: So, if I could just say to that, for those of us who have been working in New Zealand for a long time, we go way back. There was WETA in the early days and all of us who had experiences, in Xena, in Hercules and those sorts of shows… when you're playing a horse, or a centaur in an early Hercules, and they were very excited cause they'd never done a centaur before, and discovering that you had to put a guy in the back of the suit to actually walk around swishing the tail to really have the effect… yeah, those were the days! [Laughter]

Daniel: Who would've thought! [More laughter]


Journalist: So this is a question to all the actors. The LOTR films were really a major success and now there were really loads of LOTR fans everywhere, but do you think that the more time there is between the release of the films and the conventions, that the conventions will have to open up to other films like POTC or Harry Potter as was just discussed?
Someone in the audience: No!

Mark: Whoa!

Marc B. Lee explains what he thinks.

Mark: But I think it's very important, because I have heard a couple whispers of some hard core fans who are thinking "OOOOOHHH!!" mixing the films and genres is problematic. But I think they need to remember that the cause of Marc saying that it was for financial reasons, that it ends up being a choice of 'do you still want the conventions'? And if you still want the conventions there may have to be some slight changes. And we're still having a convention and it's better to have it than not have it, very obviously.


Starry: I have a question for Mark and Lori about the Improv Acting Workshops you have. I've noticed they are longer this year and also on Sunday, there's an advanced workshop. Can you tell us something about this?

Lori: Yeah. We've had a few workshops, the last year and the year before and people seemed to express an interest and they wanted to learn a bit more. So we thought: 'Well, those that had already been to the first one we were gonna offer them another more slightly advanced one". So we came up with that. So we're just gonna be working on character and story and hopefully they may even get up on the stage and join us at some point and so… But, yes, cause we actually did have some people up on the stage last year that worked out enormously well so there's loads of talent out there and we just get together and we have a good time and we just laugh like crazy. So that's a fantastic ... Yeah, we're gonna have a good time.

Mark: And we went longer to have more of a good time. [Most likely he's referring to the 90 minutes instead of 60 the last years]


Journalist: It's a question for all of you. Can you tell us something about your current projects?

[Everbody tells]

Mark: I've been playing a character in a telly movie who is a Jewish convicted fraudster, who went to jail, converted to Christianity in jail and is now a … Christian preacher who helps the FBI convict other fraudsters. And I got to preach at the destiny church in front of 2000 real Christians!

Lori: Did you send them screaming out of the church?

Mark: No. I think they really liked it.

Lori: Yes, this Sunday Mark will be holding the service.

Mark does praying gestures.


Journalist: There's a question to the actors. We have heard now in the beginning the presentation from Codemasters which created this online role playing game from LOTR. I presume now they would think with all the modern technology it would be easy to capture you digitally to put you in the movie and they will ask you to appear… say for two or three days… as your character from the movie into the game. Would you consider accepting this offer?
Jed: Hell yes!

Mark: Yeah, I think that as actors you really look forward to the different challenges that come up. And whether it be… I think pretty much all of us, all worked as voice actors, on stage, in front of all sorts of audiences and with different technologies and I think the concept of moving to games and just how you actually would play or develop a character that then goes off on its own life, then gets manipulated and used by… well, audiences… Because we used to being manipulated and used by producers and it would be really nice to have that direct line through to the audiences.. So I think, yeah, everyone would really look forward to that.


Journalist: I have a question for all the actors. Filmmaking has developed very much in the last few years. You see Andi Serkis playing Gollum, he's not recognizable as himself, and before that, of course, actors accustomed to act in heavy make-up. Now actors can work in the suits with the dots that can be digitalized. Is it difficult for an actor to adapt to all the changes in filmmaking?

[Everybody answers]

Mark: But I think also you can see very very clearly the approach that different directors take. That some of the directors - I'm not mentioning any names - but people are so obviously very very keen with the more affect ridden characters that they were still being into playing between actors because that's where the magic happens. And that Andy would be there and directing playing those characters with the other actors so they had someone to create those scenes with. Yeah, and I think in the last few years there have been other fantasy types of films with great results leave far more interest in the effects and you see very good actors delivering very dull performances and you're wondering why that is. It's because they're bored, you know, they spend days and days in front of the blue screen and they're not getting that direction and I think it comes through in the … that's where the magic is.

[Other answers]

Mark: Look at Peter's next film, Lovely Bones. I don't know if you read the book, but it's a deeply, deeply personal story about the terrible tragedy … and his life and how they cope with that … even with all the digital stuff it's great beyond that … it's so much about people and in people that's where a good story lies.


Starry: I have a question to all of you who have been here before. I would like to know what made you come back? Was ist any experiences or any special impressions you got? What is it that made you want to come back?

Marc B. Lee: Money!

Mark: No no no, it can't be the money. It's too far to come. I think everybody here who comes to this, and this is what we often have, we have new people particularly from New Zealand as well and we all talk to each other and was like "Ahhh… I've heard about this, should I come, should I come?" And I was like "Yeah, you gotta come." Because it's about the shows, it's about the involvement, it's about partiiiieees and not sleeping and just being involved with a great bunch of people and having grand times.

[Everyone tells]

Mark: And also we came along this year to find out what Johnny Depp's really like.


Starry: I'd just like to hear a little statement of all of you about what you think of Ring*Con, what you expect this weekend to be like, just … whatever you wanted to say and we didn't ask you.

[Everyone answers]

Mark: I'm just looking forward to being here without Craig Parker holding me back.

Jed: I'm looking forward to watch him being here without Craig Parker holding his hand. I think the whole of New Zealanders are waiting with bated breath to see what happens with the other half of the brain away... No, sorry, that was jokes! I still got a lot of stories I haven't told anyone and I'm haunted by them, I need to get them out. So this to me is therapy.