Weta Originals, a division of the multi-Oscar winning SFX shop, Weta Workshop in New Zealand have launched a range of amazing SteamPunk Rayguns for collectors. With names such as the MANMELTER 3600ZX; the F.M.O.M. INDUSTRIES Wave Disrupter, or even the GOLIATHON 83, you know that these have been created by a truly warped mind! Handcrafted, and constructed from metal with some glass parts; and with only 500 of each being manufactured, they are truly limited edition pieces. Each one weighs between 71/2 and 10 lbs, and come in a beautiful lined metal presentation case.
Normally this industry makes collectibles (action figures etc) to support an existing movie, TV, or graphic novel property. Obviously in those cases, they have an existing back-story and buzz to create the demand. However, Rayguns were an original creation of Weta, and so we had to help create the back story for the Rayguns range.
Rayguns are the mastermind of the mysterious Dr Grordbort, and he has reached out from his parallel universe and appointed Weta Collectibles to manufacture his awesome range of Rayguns.
TOUCH/CAST NEXT had a story to tell (and a very small budget), and so decided as part of the campaign, the best way to do that was to create an infomercial with a difference!
You can check out the whole story and download the infomercial here. Also, for future reference, the infomercial is here in the commercial archive.
Weta Originals
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Very cool...I want one!
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PermalinkThis has to be the most stupid collectable ever. A piece of junk with zero provenance, what's the point? The budget might have been small compared to say, Coca Cola's, but it still looks pretty generous for a collectable. They have my sympathy though, I wouldn't want to have to sell this piece of crap.
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PermalinkEverybody is entitled to their own opinion, and your opinion is as valid as anyone else's... to you.
From your response, it'd be safe to assume that you are not the target market for these amazing 'artifacts' from a parallel universe - and that's cool!
However, it may interest you to know that there are many collectors out there with a fascination for anything sci-fi, steampunk, or even more specialised, Rayguns. Not to mention actual gun collectors.
Designed by the geniuses at Weta Workshop, 'Rayguns' are not seen as 'junk' by many people, but as almost sculptural pieces in their own right. Wired Magazine, and even Playboy also seem to find them fascinating as evidenced by the multi-page spread on Rayguns in their latest magazine issues. Check out the online Wired feature at http://www.wired.com/culture/design/multimedia/2007/05/ff_weta
Finally, thank you for your amazing compliment:
"The budget might have been small compared to say, Coca Cola's, but it still looks pretty generous for a collectable".
I don't know whereabouts in the world you live, but the infomercial was conceived, cast, shot, and all post production was done by us for under US15,000! In fact, in what some of my friends and colleagues down here in NZ thought was a 'Hitchcockian gesture', I am indeed in the opening cocktail party scene, as was our compositor and a bunch of other friends.... for ego reasons? No, merely so we could keep our production budget down.
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