Aragorn Van

A picture of our sweet ride was in high demand, so here it is!...I know there is a lot of people in front of it, but still. We met up with the BYU Study abroad group that was already here in New Zealand. Cool people. They totally loved what we were doing.

Just want to apologize for  not blogging as much as we promised. When trying to seek out the Director of all Directors and make sure our plans for being extras are secure, we sort of forget to write. We have been visiting locals and other people trying to rally the fans of New Zealand to help us. Hopefully Peter won't be able to say no with a good portion of New Zealand on our side.

Just want to remind everyone though that it will be easier for us to post new pictures on twitter and facebook, so if you're not already following us there, you should so you can support us from a far.

That's it for now, I'll go into more detail here soon, promise. I know everyone back in the US is eager to here of our progress.

Your in the fellowship,
The Hobbits

EXHAUSTION

Well, the journey has begun. We've made it past our first challenge: catch a flight from SLC to LAX via our standby buddy passes #thanksforthedonation. Now we come to our next challenge. Catch a flight to Sydney where we have confirmed tickets to Christchurch NZ. From there we will visit the Red Cross and then make our way up to the north island and to THE SHIRE. We will be trying to keep you updated. So far during our layover we've met some really interesting people. Everything from a Russian cab driver to a band of American "travelers" (gypsies) who were making their way on foot from Seattle to San Diego. (We met them at Venice beach during our 10 hour layover). One of them kept telling everyone that he was up for adoption--especially to attractive women. It was fascinating. For now this is all. Please enjoy this comatose pic of Olo Bracegirdle of Hardbottle. We were all pretty tuckered out including Toad who pulled an all-nighter before to finish the 4 ft tall portrait of Sir Peter Jackson we are going to deliver to him. Pics to come.

The inner workings of Road to the Shire.

Hello,

So...I'm not a hobbit, but I am on the road to the shire project and the boys told me to write a few things about the experience. Basically, it's the coolest project I have done at school so far. I am the account manager, so I keep the boys and the team organized.

We figured most people didn't realize how structured this whole thing was, so that's why i am here to let you know. There is me, Megan; and the three hobbit boys, Jon, Mitch, and John D; and then we have a  team of writers, who help with the scripts for our videos and help us keep facebook and twitter updated; and we have two PR people, who write the press releases we send them out to all our news outlets ;and then finally we have a group of people who help us with video editing, graphics, make-up and costumes, scrolls, choreography...you name it. There are about twenty people in all who help, but a lot of the work is done by our three hobbit friends.

I joined the project in the fall and it has been quite the adventure ever since. You really do feel like you're on a journey, only it's a viral journey mostly, and not a physical journey. I sort of feel like I am one of the fellowship. I am not going the whole way to New Zealand, but I am helping them get there, kind of how the rest of the fellowship never went the whole way to Mordor but they still kept fighting else where. Anyway, I bet that sounded really corny, but its true.

While the boys are in New Zealand our team of writers and I will be setting up for the documentary, writing the script, and compiling videos and photos from the past eight months.

I'll be honest, I never even dreamed this project would work as well as it did. But here we are, having articles published in New Zealand's top newspaper, writing blogs for the official movie blog, talking with the manager of the Lord of the Rings Franchise and sending our hobbits to the shire to be extras in a world  renown film.

It wouldn't have been possible without our fans though. Fans, you have helped spread Road to the Shire globally, you have helped legitimized us on facebook and twitter. You are the reason newspapers and  television shows have heard of us, and you are the reason the boys are on their way to New Zealand on Sunday. So just in case you didn't realize it and felt your part was minimal, I just want you to know, we would still be some odd characters taking videos of people dressed as hobbits in the woods if you hadn't helped us. So, thank you and I hope you continue to stay with us as we send the boys to the Shire and we make our documentary.

sincerely,
Megan
Account Manager

OFFICIAL MOVIE BLOG LOVE

Well if you haven't been visiting the official blog for the Hobbit movies you should, and by the way Road to the Shire is on the front page today! Pretty cool. Thanks to all the people working hard on An Unexpected Journey and There and Back Again. You all are amazing! Visit the blog and follow! Check out the episode of Dining with the Dean too!

For All the Doubters...and Those Who Don't Pay Attention, or Perhaps are Inclined to Snap Judgements

Dear friends

We have greatly appreciated all the wonderful support from all of you LOTR fans out there. The Road to the Shire is thriving and its all because of the awesomeness of all of you. It's really amazing to see the kindness, generosity, and passion of fellow fans. Occasionally we get some nay-Sayers or people that seem to have a negative reaction to what we are doing. We have tried to address the concerns presented below by highlighting a recent question on our guestbook. 

(Question submitted by Adam see guestbook for details)
@Adam
You've mentioned that you have looked at our site. Perhaps we can point out some information that is easily found.

1. Road to the Shire is a social experiment meant to bring Tolkien fans together to see if it is possible to interact with one of the greatest stories/films of all time.

2. We have made quite public from the very beginning that we are making a documentary about the whole process and effort.

3. Is it possible? Absolutely.

4. What about our height? Do you know the height of Martin Freeman? Elijah Wood? 5'7" and 5'6". Most anyone that has paid any attention to the films know that Hobbits are shot with two actors (one average size, and one little person). They are not really 3ft tall. Using forced depth of field and doubles the hobbit effect is created. They also use compositing. I would recommend the DVD extra features on any of the trilogy films as a reference. Any scene you see Bilbo or Frodo with other Hobbits there are average size people playing the hobbits around them. This is why they have two sets for each scene (one scale, and one large than life)

5. Have we ever specified what "extra" means? Well we've tried about a million times to say that we just want to be involved--as extras (in any fashion: men, elves, tree stumps, orcs, anything...OR we've said we'd be willing to be water boys, elvish squires, pages in the shops of Weta, or interns, anything for Peter.

6. Will we feel guilty about creating this once in a lifetime event and trying to bring fans together and promote one of the coolest films of all time wilst making a documentary about the whole thing? No. Absolutely not.

7. Work visas? Have we ever suggested that we would require payment for our role as "extras?" No. If you are not "working" you do not require a visa. Also it is not impossible to get a work visa. People's imaginations are so limited in this one. Other extras have been selected who are not New Zealanders (see internet). The goals of Road to the Shire are very clear: Bring Fans together, see if they could really have an influence, document the experience, try to do something that's never been done before with fans interacting with a movie, promote the film and generate excitement for its release. Are we working? Yes. Very hard. We have jobs and second full-time jobs in trying to promote road to the shire. Is there any kind of  sneaky motive? Not at all. If we succeed, everyone who has supported us will have claim on our success and bragging rights to any success we achieve. It's not about us Hobbitses. It's about fans. We're not sure how we can make this more clear, but we will try our hardest.

8. Why money? Well simply put, as we are working our hardest to pull together funds to a. get Peter's attention, b. fly to New Zealand, and c. to make a documentary it will cost money. We are contributing as much as we can ourselves. Can we do it alone? No. Is it wrong to try to raise additional funds with help from those who share our interest and dream? Not at all. Again it's not about money, it's about the power and capacity of fandom. Hope this helps to clarify. I mean we thought we said this but apparently no matter how hard you try some people just make up their mind before really taking the time to find out. If you have any questions we'd be happy to talk with you--literally. You can reach us at roadtotheshire@gmail.com

To all you fans and supporters, thank you for being willing to dream with us.

Toad, Beri, and Olo
The Hobbits of Road to the Shire

We love you. Really.

Errand Boy Shout Out to Road to the Shire

We were just alerted to this superhero vlog Errandboy and wanted to give him some love on our blog for shouting out to us on his youtube channel. Check him out, subscribe, and leave a comment.

Hobbit Day Video Compilation

Dear Friends

We thought you would like to know that we have compiled our submissions from Hobbit day 2011. Thanks for all the participation. You guys are great! Check out the video on the youtube channel later today and the rest of the pics on our facebook page. We hope you like our little highlight reel of all the fun. Keep livin' the hobbit life.

Your besties

The Hobbits
Beri, Toad, and Olo

The Prelude @Lilymilos Highlight Road to the Shire

Well yet another Tolkien blogger has been so kind to give us some love on their blog. Lily Milos (follow her on twitter @lilymilos), interviewed us and has written quite a nice article about her experience with our quest to get back to the shire. We really appreciate her kind words and great support. She has definitely made a huge contribution to our cause. Recently one of our other believers has offered to donate plane tickets to New Zealand. We just can't believe the amazing support we have received. We love you guys. Check out her blog and the article.

In other news we have a big announcement to make on Oct 6. Stay tuned for details!

If You Didn't Notice.. New Videos are in the Video Page..and the Channel.

Hey check out our most recent video reaching out to the Bieb on twitter. You can help us out over on twitter and ask @justinbieber to give us a RT http://bit.ly/qLo2ex ( <-- cut and paste this) Here's what the video is. Hope you love it.

Hey btw, if you scroll down to the bottom of the website you can click on the youtube button to go to our channel. You should subscribe to us and follow our blog--just sayin. There will be something new on the channel every other Tuesday (at least sometimes more!) Help us share it! You should follow us on Twitter and Facebook too.

Hobbits on Wheels

Watch for the Hobbits on Wheels around Provo and neighboring cities!

The Provo Outsource

Road to the Shire is designed to succeed if the fans want it to. Olo, Toad, and myself, of course are not going to rest until we get back to the Shire, but the promptness with which our journey takes place is in your hands not ours.
We recognized early on in this process that we needed as much help as we could get. Thus far, we have been graced by the presence of professional actors, dancers, singer/song writers, rappers, voice recorders, and several more. This post goes out to one of these talented individuals who played Polando the Blue Wizard in our trailer video. Thanks again Critter.

Christopher Sherwood Davis, from Pepperell, MA, received his BFA in Acting from Brigham Young University and studied with the Moscow Art Theatre School: Stanislavski Summer School in Cambridge, MA. Christopher can currently be seen in All's Well That Ends Well with Utah Shakespeare in the Park, and soon in The Three Musketeers at the Covey Center and in the feature film WWJD. Recent stage work includes Astrov in Uncle Vanya (USP), Reginald in Getting Married (BYU), James in Selfless (BYU, also billed as They Shoot Horses Don't They), Colin in Absent Friends (BYU), and Rosse in Macbeth (BYU). Christopher can also be seen as Simon in the critically acclaimed web-series The Book of Jer3miah. Christopher has twice been nominated to compete for the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship through KC-ACTF and in 2010 was recognized as a regional finalist. Christopher is also an accomplished acting trainer and recently directed A Midsummer Night's Dream (USP).

Sneak Peek- Bieber Video

Hello and good day.
To all our fans and supporters out there, we appreciate all of the help, donations and buzz thus far. Our trailer video got 1,000 hits in the first week. So it is with great pleasure that we give you a little preview of the next video to land on our page. This one is dedicated to Justin Bieber and his fans as well as to all of you Roadtotheshire fans. So help us get JB on our side to persuade Peter Jackson to invite us back to the Shire!

1st verse- Lyric sneak peek:

We know you love us,

we know you care.

Just tweet about us,

hit like or share.

Cause we are furry,

our need is dire.

And we must get back, get back, get back to the shire!

*Once the video is up, you will also be able to download the original track we cut for $1.

Cheers!

Olo, Toad, and Beri

The Dream is Happening

When I was in elementary school, a friend of mine introduced me to the J.R.R. Tolkien series, The Lord of the Rings. I wasn't much of a reader back then, and the series was definitely above my reading level. I had no idea what fantasy books were and I had certainly never heard of Middle Earth or even Tolkien. The only thing I knew about hobbits was the small, creepy culdesac in the avenues next to Salt Lake called Hobbitville. But I went for it anyway. Little did I know it would turn out to be the greatest series I would ever read. Peter Jackson and crew had just come out with the Fellowship of the Ring movie. Thus, fantasy books gained an aspect of "cool" without which, would have led to me to hide my new passion in it's entirety. All of the sudden, I found myself shopping for Tolkien based trinkets and memorabilia online and at book fairs. I poured over those books and watched the movies repeatedly. I longed to visit the Shire and live the life of a halfling.
Ironically enough, my physical appearance resembled that of a hobbit in a few ways. I was short for my age, had long, curly, brown hair, was in-shape(round is a shape), and I smoked a lot of Pipeweed... ok, I never smoked. But the rest was true. I belonged in the Shire.
After I finished The Hobbit for the first time, I began wondering when Peter Jackson would announce the production of said book into a feature film. It was inevitable that it would happen, just a question of when. I decided to write a letter to Jackson. Not only would I ask him about his timetable, but it seemed only fair that I offer my services as a hobbit look-alike as well. I could think of no better way to feed my Tolkien hunger. I am sorry to admit that fear got the best of me, however. Jackson didn't need more hobbits, and he certainly didn't need amateur actors. I had played Hamlet in the 6th grade school play, but that hardly compared. Besides, I didn't even know the address to send the letter to. So I destroyed it. My friends and family would have just laughed anyway.
My passion began to dwindle. I stopped wearing the replica ring-on-the-chain I had purchased and set it neatly in its miniature Mt. Doom stand on the back of my shelf. My dreams of the shire were over.
Fast forward to 2011. I am studying advertising at BYU. My friend Jon Wright approaches me to continue a conversation we had a few weeks earlier concerning a summer project. "What if the theme based itself on The Hobbit. They just started production in March."
Fast forward about one half of one millisecond. The passion and dreams were back. We are going to make it to the shire. But we can not do this alone.
Hopefully most of you have found that soft spot in your heart for making dreams come true. This blog is dedicated to Aimee Fresh, for donating the first dollar to our dream. Thank you Aimee!

If you don't feel like donating, help us with our social media endeavors. Blog, tweet, comment, like, retweet, text (or anything else) about us so as to get Peter Jackson's attention. Ideally, he will invite us to be extras in one of the greatest epics ever told, The Hobbit. So spread the word, The Road to the Shire is here. Stay tuned for more of our blog posts, videos, photos, etc.
Cheers, and God bless.
http://roadtotheshire.com/
Check us out!

WELCOME

Welcome to the Road to the Shire blog. We're so glad you're here. If you haven't checked out our website at roadtotheshire.com you should. This is a place where we hope to interact with you and share the progress of our journey. Along the way we will post updates about our adventures in the land of men and updates on our efforts to get back to the shire. We hope you will leave us comments and suggestions on how you think we might achieve our goal to raise the necessary funds and or persuade Mr. Jackson to invite us back to the shire for our great big family reunion: The Hobbit. Until next time Elen sila lumenn omentilmo.

Namaarie

Toad, Beri, and Olo