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The Location/Filming
- Tolkien's stories are set in a world of wonder & discovery, of vast distances and long journeys. Finding such a setting
was instrumental to the trilogies success. They found that & much more in New Zealand.
- A year before filming began, Location Production manager Richard Sharkey & Location Supervisor Robin Murphy accompanied Director
Peter Jackson as they scouted the length of North & South Island for possible locations.
- Working with the New Zealand Department of Conservation
the film crew filmed in more than seventy locations (not including studio shoots in New Zealand).
- Thanks to that country's vastly different landscapes, environments, & ecosystems being located so close
to each other, filming in everything from rural farmland, to sweeping rivers, to snow-capped mountain peeks was possible without the
need or expense of moving
people & props long distances.
- The three films combined have a budget of $300 million when the exchange rate in New
Zealand is taken into account, a huge amount of money for a movie project
of any sort. But a great deal of funding was saved by filming the trilogy in New
Zealand, due to the cheaper costs of most goods and services.
Money was also saved because the films were shot simultaneously, in one
giant production, rather than as three separate film projects. This left more budget for
the ground breaking spectacular sets, epic battle scenes, and stunning special
effects the trilogy required.
- Officially the filming began on October 11, 1999, and continued for an
astounding 14 months, eventually wrapping up on December 22,
2000. Though preparation for the filming began almost four years before
the first scene was filmed!
- The special effects team worked on footage as it became
available, thereby saving a lot of time in the post-production phase.
The major post-production work, including dialogue looping, editing, and the
addition of music, sound effects, and visual effects, is still underway for the The Two Towers & The Return Of The King.
-As of November 2001 The Fellowship Of The Ring was finished & it's first copies sent with great secrecy & much security to
high execs in New Line Cinema.
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