news culture Without this fantastic film, the Lord of the Rings trilogy would NEVER have seen the light of day!
Peter Jackson’s legendary trilogy would absolutely not have happened if the New Zealand director had not recently been working on another film. So let’s take a look at this feature film that made it possible for one of the most iconic sagas of all time to exist in cinemas. Let’s go !
No need to introduce yourself Peter Jackson as his work with the trilogy of is known worldwide Lord of the rings off at the beginning 2000s. These films have forever shaped cinema history and are still considered cult more than 20 years after their theatrical release. The quality of these three films was extremely impressive for the time, especially for Tolkien’s work, which had been deemed inappropriate. However, creating such a masterpiece requires a very solid experience in cinema, especially with such a big budget.
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A need to prove yourself
Without knowing too much about Peter Jackson, you’d think he’d spent years writing and directing fantasy films, but that’s not the case. Although he was a fan of Tolkien’s work, he had done nothing in this area. Before directing the three cult films that everyone knows, Peter Jackson went a very traditional way of filmmaking. His directing career began in the 80s far away from swords, elves and dwarves. Yes, Peter Jackson got his start in the film industry by working on comedy and horror films. Looking at his first films it can be confusing to believe that this is the person who made the legendary saga. And for good reason, if we take the Feebles’ example, it’s clearly not intended for family audiences, given its black humor and vulgarity.
Despite this, he found success in his debut and after his few crazy films thanks to a film released in 1994: Heavenly Creatures. For this feature film he and his wife won the Oscar for the best screenplay Fran Walsh. He managed to get recognition in the cinema world, but it’s not the film that, in his opinion, was the most important of his career.
Ghosts vs. Ghosts, a pivotal film
I’m sure you know the movie ghosts against ghosts who was born 1996. For those who have never seen it, it’s a horror comedy whose special effects had shaped viewers’ minds, despite being a box office failure. This is the film that precedes the famous trilogy, surprising as it may seem. Still, Ghosts Against Ghosts (The Frighteners in VO) wasn’t just a transitional film before dipping into big-budget films. According to the director himself, this title establishes the connection between the first major success Celestial Creatures and The Lord of the Rings.
Analyzing my career as a filmmaker, this is a pivotal film for me. Because it was the first time I broke the barrier of independent New Zealand film while my previous films were funded in this way. (…) The Frighteners gave me, for the first time, access to a budget that seemed very large to me at the time (…) But it was new to me (…) I hadn’t ever done complex visual effects like this .
Not only did he have to make a big-budget film (for the time), but he also had to manage the special effects, which was a complex task for a discovery. He has passed from a single computer to 35, in his post-production studio called WETA. However, when he wondered what he would do with all those computers once Ghosts vs. Ghosts was done, he immediately thought of making The Lord of the Rings. In short, if Peter Jackson hadn’t directed The Frighteners, the trilogy would certainly never have seen the light of day.
