Weta scout on lookout for film designers

Thorin Oakenshield wields the legendary Orcrist, designed by Paul Tobin.

Top movie designer keen to find Kiwi graphic stars at Chromacon festival

Budding Kiwi artists will next week have the chance to wow a top Weta Workshop designer.

Paul Tobin, a member of Weta's Academy Award-winning design team for more than a decade, will be talent spotting at the Chromacon indie visual arts festival at Auckland's Aotea Centre next weekend.

As well as showcasing his own creations and talking to would-be artists about working on blockbuster movies, including The Hobbit trilogy, Avatar and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Tobin will also be on the lookout for new graphic stars to join the Weta Workshop team in Wellington.

"If I meet someone with potential I'm certainly not shy about putting them in front of Richard [Weta co-founder Sir Richard Taylor] and our HR department," Tobin told the Herald on Sunday.

Weta's Paul Tobin will be talent-spotting at Chromacon at Auckland's Aotea Centre next weekend.

"I'm definitely on the lookout for those people."

Tobin said Weta Workshop took pride in developing local artists.

"We probably have around 18 to 20 designers working on a couple of new blockbuster films and the bulk are Kiwis," he said.

"Richard and Tania [Rodger, Sir Richard's wife and business partner] are very much about fostering local talent.

"So when I go to conventions and shows or do talks at universities it's a good chance for people to try to get noticed or come and meet."

Among Tobin's credits is the "Orcrist" sword that featured in the recent The Hobbit trilogy.

Tobin said the Chromacon festival was a rare opportunity for young artists keen to pursue a fulltime career to meet people involved in the New Zealand scene.

His involvement includes an hour-long workshop on Friday, the day before the festival's official launch, for students and emerging artists who want to gain the inside word on how to land a job in the industry.

He would talk about his personal experience in the entertainment and creative industries, which included pursuing his dream despite being rebuffed for tertiary art courses.

Tobin admitted it was still difficult to get a foothold in the industry 11 years after he got his big break.

"A lot of the time it can come down to good timing. And having connections helps as well," he said.