from Weta:
Introducing:
Weta Legs — a costuming revolution!
Weta is today hugely excited to bring to the world Weta Legs, a digitigrades leg extension for performers, costumers and anyone who’s ever wanted to walk like an animal.
Since they were displayed a year ago on the Internet for the first time, there has been tremendous interest from performers across the world.
Weta Legs are a unique, low profile, professional grade, reverse leg stilt for creature and costume performances in movies, television, theatre, circus, street performances and other creative contexts. Something previously reserved for commercial film and television projects, they are the first of their kind available commercially to the public.
Check out the Product Video on wetaNZ.com.
“It’s a real thrill to be able to present these stilts to performers across the world,” says Richard Taylor, Weta’s Creative Director and five time Academy Award winner. “Kim Graham has really nailed this and we’re very proud to be working with her to bring these legs to the market.”
Kim Graham — the inventor of the Weta Legs:
“The greatest challenge was to build something all my friends could wear and build cool costumes over the top of. And this was a tremendous challenge. I wanted to incorporate everything, low profile, ease of use, light weight, comfort and adaptibility. All of these are extremely important to a performer who will be wearing these for long periods of time”.
Weta Legs are sold online at wetaNZ.com and shipped world wide.
What is “digitigrades”?
In essence, it means “walks on its toes”. Us humans put our heels flat on the ground, but what we call the foot on an animal such as a dog, is really its toes. Its “heel” is therefore the next joint off the ground and it points backwards. By using the Weta Legs, you can imitate this way of walking.
Other words for digitigrades leg extensions are “digilegs”, “reverse leg stilts” or “dogleg stilts”.
Who is Kim Graham?
Kim Graham, from Seattle, Washington, has been sculpting since the 80s in a wide variety of media and sizes ranging from 22′ wide fiberglass dragons to fired clay figuratives to architectural ceramic pieces. Primarily self-taught, Kim has in recent years moved away from her special effects/fantasy based mold-making work to focus intensely on one-of-a-kind fine art sculptures.
Kim started the development of the Weta Legs three years ago and has continually refined and developed the design. She has worked for the last year in Wellington with the Weta Workshop technicians.