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We work at Rooster Teeth, the company behind Red vs Blue, and we walked 130 miles (210km) from the set of Hobbiton to Mount Doom in 6 days. AskUsAnything!
Hey everyone! We are Kerry Shawcross and Chris Demarais from Rooster Teeth and we recently wrapped a series called A Simple Walk Into Mordor that documents our 130 mile trek across New Zealand from the set of Hobbiton to the filming location of Mount Doom. Our cameraman, guide and friend Nick is also here!
You can see the first video in the series here.
If you would like to see more videos from us you can go to our website, subscribe to our YouTube, or follow Rooster Teeth on Twitter.
We're here to answer any questions you guys might have about the series or about Rooster Teeth. Or you know, life.
Azniac350 karma
Thanks for doing this! I'm a big Roosterteeth fan, and I though "A Simple Walk" was an absolutely great idea!
I don't have any real questions about RT or the video, but, I was wondering what your favorite place to eat in Austin is?
roosterteeth332 karma
I love Trudy's stuffed avocado. I want it served at my funeral. -Chris
thestig8329 karma
Chris and Nick: Did you want to kill Kerry when he lost the ring?
Kerry: What did you think when you lost the ring?
roosterteeth495 karma
I was just really mad at myself for wasting our time and energy more than anything else. Ring bearing is hard man.
-Kerry
roosterteeth293 karma
Not at all. Shit happens. That's why we filmed it. I mean, when things go wrong, it can often times make documentaries more intersting. And we found it in the end so Sauron didn't win. -Chris
roosterteeth450 karma
For me the last day was the hardest physically. My leg sort of stopped working and we had to stop every 20 or 30 minutes for a while so I could loosen my leg muscles by rubbing them. That being said we were the most motivated that day so it wasn't as bad mentally. Mentally, the 4th day was the hardest. We went sooo slowly because we hadn't figured out the blister popping method yet. We also didn't think we would be able to finish the trip so we were disheartened. -Chris
roosterteeth180 karma
Technically the 5th day was the toughest, but it felt much more rewarding because we made so much progress. The 4th day felt much worse just knowing that we didn't get as far as we wanted.
-Kerry
roosterteeth447 karma
Just sheep and cows mostly. Though there was a time when an entire herd of cows just followed us around until we passed their field. It was surprisingly creepy. They just stared at us... Cows are scary, man. - Chris
roosterteeth258 karma
Does NZ have crazy animals? I thought everything was fluffy or edible.
-Kerry
j_ball13182 karma
This might not be A simple walk into Mordor related but Kerry on the podcast you said yours and Miles' desk had loads of action figures and collectibles, is there any chance of showing The People?
roosterteeth405 karma
ManPris181 karma
Is what Gavin said about Kerry true? (We all know what I'm talking about)
roosterteeth241 karma
I don't know personally, but Hobbits have unusually large feet... -Chris
SabCorps174 karma
Is there any chance that true RT Shorts may come back someday? I was a huge fan of seasons 1-3 (for the most part). I felt that season four felt too fake, even though I know that you guys played major parts in it (sorry :P )
The one off short series such as "A Simple Walk" are great, but I don't think any Rooster Teeth Production can compare to some of those earlier shorts except for parts of some AH stuff and some of Immersion.
roosterteeth217 karma
Rooster Teeth isn't the type of company to say never, or no. Or yes. We're very indecisive. You should take our survey though and tell us your favorite shorts:
kamberlin22158 karma
How did the others in the office react when you told them your idea for 'A Simple Walk'?
roosterteeth480 karma
Either thought it was the coolest idea or that we were insane/delusional. I think my favorite reaction was Geoff one day when we were trying out our costumes. He just sort of smiled and shook his head. He was in the army so I think he had a good idea of what we were in for. - Chris
roosterteeth186 karma
I'm pretty sure there were some bets going on. I'm still waiting for my cut.
-Kerry
Hughie7107 karma
Nick, are you a regular guide in New Zealand? Or how did you get involved with Chris and Kerry's adventure?
roosterteeth132 karma
When Kerry and I first started planning the trip, we realized we'd need help with transportation and supplies from someone in New Zealand. Then I remembered I'd met Nick a couple months earlier when he came to visit our office. And Nick was perfect: a talented film professional, a fan of Rooster Teeth, and physically able to do it. Plus he's just an awesome guy. And after realizing all of that, we decided to have a third person come with us on the walk. And that was the best decision we made. -Chris
roosterteeth252 karma
As lame as it sounds, the first time we saw the Mountain was pretty spectacular for me. It made it feel like we actually had a chance of finishing.
-Kerry
roosterteeth180 karma
When we first saw the mountain I got chills. Also, when we got to the end of a 70km stretch of road on day 5 it was pretty awesome because that was when we knew we might actually have a chance at finishing. I also immensely enjoyed anytime we sat down. Especially when candy was involved. - Chris
eighteenfeet102 karma
This was one of my favorite things Rooster Teeth has ever done! Are you guys planning to do anything similar in the future (maybe not on this big of a scale, but a similar series)?
roosterteeth322 karma
I don't know why but I almost always pick the grass type on my first play through. I realize that this will upset exactly 2/3 of you, but I've got to stick to my guns.
-Kerry
JPDrummer23484 karma
I can't think of any good questions but I'm a big fan and I wanted to take part in this somehow so… What is your favorite color?
roosterteeth208 karma
Probably Kerry or me. We wore our Hobbit outfits the whole time without changing or showering and Nick at least changed clothes every once in a while. We were some pretty stinky hobbits. Just remembering the smell of our feet when we took off our shoes makes me want apologize to Nick again. -Chris
deshki72 karma
If you guys were to have a gay sex fantasy with each other set in the Lord of the Rings universe, which one of you would be the Balrog?
DonyWonny70 karma
Since Kerry and Chris were carrying the Ring and were basically being Sam and Frodo, does that mean Nick was Gollum?
roosterteeth109 karma
We actually cut a bit from the first episode where we compare him to Aragorn. They actually look pretty damn similar. -Chris
Mr_Rippe63 karma
On your trip to Mount Doom: Who had the most injuries/blisters/wounds at the end of it?
On working at Roosterteeth: What does Nathan do?
roosterteeth106 karma
I would say that Nick had the worst blisters overall. His feet were destroyed all over. My pinky toe might have had the most concentrated blister on it though. -Chris
infiamme60 karma
Loved the series, thought it was a great idea, but also kind of felt bad for y'all and your gross blistery feet n stuff. Anyway. What was the first thing you guys did when you got home? (i.e. sleep for a year, cuddle with each other, play some halo)
roosterteeth123 karma
I wish we could have come back and relaxed but we pretty much started editing it immediately since we wanted to get the whole series out before Christmas. That meant working non-stop for 3 weeks and pretty much living in the office. I also developed Bronchitis during the trip so that plus no sleep made post-production almost as difficult as the actual walk. But thankfully editing doesn't require you to move your feet. -Chris
roosterteeth101 karma
Right before sleeping for a day I replied to all of the emails I had from family/friends/and co-workers letting them no that we didn't die.
-Kerry
roosterteeth136 karma
My parents were worried about me but felt much better once they found out Nick was going with us. They thought it was brilliant/dumb. Much like a lot of my ideas as a child. This one didn't end in a hospital trip so that was good.
-Kerry
roosterteeth168 karma
Deciding that I wanted to use a chisel to make art when I was 4.
-Kerry
roosterteeth109 karma
Well, you actually see my mom in it but after that skype session she told me how genuinely worried she was. My sister thought I was insane. And I don't think any of them thought we would finish but they were supportive. I mean, they kind of had to be because they knew I was going to do it regardless. - Chris
roosterteeth116 karma
Walking through the cut-down forest was pretty rough. It was high noon and there was zero shade.
-Kerry
roosterteeth54 karma
Climbing up the mountain on the last day was the hardest part for me. My leg sort of stopped working. -Chris
fishanlers51 karma
If you ever do this again who would you eat first if push comes to shove?
AH_AlphaOmega44 karma
What was it like working with Elijah Wood for season 10? Did you guys fangirl out when you saw him?
roosterteeth78 karma
I didn't get to work with him directly on Red vs Blue, but I was lucky enough to meet him once when he came to our office. I absolutely geeked out like a fangirl. -Chris
roosterteeth124 karma
I would definitely do it again if we had lost the footage or something like that before it got released, but if I'd much rather do a new walk than the same one again.
-Kerry
roosterteeth64 karma
I would do it again but take a lot more time with it so it wouldn't be as painful. New Zealand is absolutely beautiful and it was amazing just seeing the country while we walked. That being said, I'd rather attempt a different adventure in the future than do this one twice. -Chris
silverbackpie37 karma
What do you prefer about LOTR in the books and films? Like, what bits were skipped from the books that you liked, and what scenes were better in the films? Also, what do you think about the Hobbit being three movies?
roosterteeth80 karma
I love both the books and the movies. I read The Hobbit when I was 12 and then immediately went and bought LoTR (and a map of Middle Earth so I could follow along). When I finished the books and heard they were making movies, I was stoked. I still remember the first time I saw the trailer in theaters. I got goosebumps and my stomach dropped. I was sad the scouring of the shire wasn't in the movies, but as a filmmaker myself, I understand why it wasn't included. I thought it was ridiculous they were making The Hobbit into three movies when I first heard about it, but I also trust Peter Jackson so I'm excited to see the next two. Plus, it means two more movies of Middle Earth. -Chris
roosterteeth66 karma
I'm a big fan of both. My favorite scene out of the series is coming up, when Bilbo and Smaug first talk in his den. Pretty excited for that. I trust Peter Jackson and I feel like there is enough content to work with, so I'm excited that it's going to be 3 movies.
-Kerry
roosterteeth91 karma
I started as an intern and was lucky enough to be able to stick around.
-Kerry
roosterteeth53 karma
In college I started a comedy troupe called Lark the Beard, best known for our web-series The Wingmen and for Zach Anner's travel show videos.
We met Matt and Burnie after entering a short film contest where they were the judges. After seeing our stuff, they decided to hire us to help write and produce some projects for Rooster Teeth when they needed extra help. After about 8 months of working on a project-by-project basis, I was offered full time job at RT. -Chris
BootRecognition30 karma
What were your respective parents' reactions when they saw the videos?
I'm curious given that the Chris' mom was at one point afraid that the group would be mistaken for terrorists by New Zealanders.
For that matter: could you please try to explain your mother's logic behind that conclusion Chris? She obviously cares about you, but I'm a bit confused about how that was her major concern.
roosterteeth52 karma
My mother is a mom. So she has unrealistic and crazy concerns for her kids. -Chris
BeastlyEuph6928 karma
For all three of you, what is your favorite movie and/or scene in the Trilogy?
roosterteeth17 karma
Watch this for your answer: http://roosterteeth.com/archive/?id=6737&v=more -Chris
Ashbrandicoot15 karma
What was your funniest experience during the creation of A Simple Walk (on or off camera)?
nikz07102 karma
The realisation that Chris has no idea that cars can run you over. Every time a car was coming Kerry had to tell him to get off the road. For the longest time I thought he was quoting Wanes World so after the car passed I would say "Game on" but after Chris nearly got run over I realized Kerry was telling Chis to get off. -Nick
roosterteeth61 karma
At times it was like he was testing the drivers to see if they would do it.
-Kerry
Jackinhisweenis15 karma
What would you rather fight, one Church sized duck or five duck sized Churchs?
roosterteeth52 karma
Gonna have to go with five duck sized Churches. And it'd be neat because I figure one of them might actually be yellow somehow. -Chris
roosterteeth16 karma
I would almost always rather fight one thing than multiple things.
-Kerry
Sip_That_Haterade10 karma
Kerry, Chris. No question here. Just go let everyone at The studio that they are amazing. And thank you for doing what you do.
Grognak-gro-Gorbag786 karma
Kerry, of the original 151, which pokemon would you have sex with, other than Scyther of course?
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