Macleans College students become interns at Wētā Workshop Unleashed

Posted on July 08, 2024

Macleans College AS and A Level Design and Technology students spent a day at Wētā Workshop Unleashed to experience some of New Zealand’s most impressive special effects, props, and larger-than-life sets.

Wētā Workshop Unleashed is a fantastical film effects facility, inspired and built by Wellington’s Academy Award-winning Wētā Workshop - a special effects and prop company.

Immersed in worlds of horror, fantasy, and sci-fi, the students - as the newly hired interns of Wētā - were challenged to channel their creativity throughout the trip. Ultimately the trip offered insight into multiple design and creative industries, in addition to aiding them in their current projects.

Beginning the trip with a tour of three original film concepts, the students were led through a series of intricate models, animatronics and displays. As they were greeted with life-sized orcs and grotesque mannequins, the students were allowed a close-up experience of the globally recognised craftsmanship involved in creating realistic horror set pieces.

They then journeyed through a realm of fantasy, which featured two ‘bigature’ cities of grand castles and terraced slopes. The tour ended in a sci-fi zone, with a futuristic spaceship and a robot that towered over the students.

Concluding the trip, the tour was followed by a workshop in which the students created a physical miniature landscape. From the workshop, the students were able to produce a fun souvenir to take home alongside their new model-making knowledge. This supplemented the students’ understanding and preparation for the creation of their final models in their coursework.

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