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RETURN OF THE KING:
The culmination of nearly ten years' work and conclusion to Peter Jackson's epic trilogy based on the timeless J.R.R. Tolkien classic, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King will present the final confrontation between the forces of good and evil fighting for control of the future of Middle-earth.
Starring: (in alphabetical order) Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Brad Dourif, Bernard Hill, Christopher Lee, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen, John Noble, Miranda Otto, John Rhys-Davies, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler, Hugo Weaving, David Wenham, and Elijah Wood.
TWO TOWERS:
SYNOPSIS
Picking up where the first film left off, Peter Jackson's THE TWO TOWERS throws the remaining members of the Fellowship into the scattered chaos of Middle-earth, now fully under siege by the forces of Sauron. While Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) journey to the dreaded Mordor, Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) are held captive by orcs, and Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) search for their abducted companions. Soon Frodo and Sam are joined by the sulking and duplicitous Gollum (portrayed by the voice and motion-captured acting of Andy Serkis), who becomes their guide through the barren lands leading to Mount Doom. Meanwhile Merry and Pippin encounter the looming Treebeard (voiced by Rhys-Davies) and Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli find themselves in the land of Rohan, accompanied by an old friend. As the tale continues, each scenario becomes more perilous, and fierce battles erupt at both Isengard, home of the treacherous Saruman (Christopher Lee), and the massive Helm's Deep.
After masterfully setting up the world created by J.R.R. Tolkien in THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, Jackson continues the trilogy with the increasingly dark and battle-filled TWO TOWERS without skipping a beat. Although the director takes a few more liberties in adapting the second installment, he skillfully cuts from one scenario to the next, creating a tightly woven tapestry with the various storylines. Joining the impressive cast this time around are Miranda Otto as Éowyn; Bernard Hill as her father, King Théoden; Brad Dourif as the aptly named Grima Wormtongue; Karl Urban as Éomer; David Wenham as Faramir; and Serkis under the remarkable CGI facade of Gollum. An intense epic that features one jaw-dropping sequence after another, THE TWO TOWERS more than carries its weight as the crucial centerpiece of THE LORD OF THE RINGS.
PRODUCTION NOTES
TAKING ON TOLKIEN:
PETER JACKSON BRINGS THE EPIC NOVEL TO THE SCREEN
Since the first volume was published in 1954, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy has had a profound effect on generations of readers, defining for many the archetypal struggle between good and evil. Voted in worldwide polls the "Book of the Century," it set the benchmark for the modern epic in its creation of an entirely new and thrillingly vital universe. It introduced an unforgettable hero - the Hobbit Frodo Baggins - caught up in a war of mythic proportions in Middle-earth, a world full of magic and lore. Most of all, it celebrated the power of loyal friendship and individual courage, a power that may hold at bay even the most devastating forces of darkness.
Known for visually evoking the vibrant world of dreams - and nightmares - in such films as Heavenly Creatures and The Frighteners, Peter Jackson had long felt that The Lord of the Rings was ripe for its first complete cinematic telling, but he also knew that to do it justice would take perhaps the most ambitious production ever attempted in film history.
For over a half-decade, from the earliest development through the release of the first film in the trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and the continuing production of the next two films, Jackson has poured his heart into every aspect of the project. "I think that's the least we owe to Tolkien and the legions of fans around the globe," he says. "They deserve our very best efforts."
Jackson and his co-writers Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and, on the second film, Stephen Sinclair, wanted to bring front and center Tolkien's themes of good versus evil, nature versus industry, and friendship versus the forces of corruption. "What we are trying to do, as we adapt The Lord of the Rings into a film medium, is honor these themes; and whilst you can never be totally faithful to a book, especially a book over 1,000 pages, we have tried to incorporate the things that Tolkien cared about when he wrote the book, and make them the fabric of the films," says Jackson.
Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne, co-chairmen and co-chief-executive-officers of New Line and executive producers of the film, backed Jackson's vision from the beginning. "The decision to make this movie was very intuitive," Shaye comments. "It has only happened to me a few times; it occurred to me that it was the right thing to do, that it was just what New Line could use, and it could be done in a fiscally prudent way."
Likewise, they share his devotion to the books' themes. "The story of The Two Towers is as relevant today as it was fifty years ago," Shaye and Lynne noted. "Tolkien never lost sight of the destructive and seductive nature of power, and the idea that a person - or Hobbit -- no matter how small or inconsequential, can change history." Adds Lynne, "History is marked with sagas like the struggle for control of Middle-earth and the battle of good versus evil."
The second film in the trilogy expands the world of Middle-earth introduced in the first film. "In the first film, the Fellowship travels as a unit," comments Elijah Wood, who plays the Hobbit Frodo Baggins, who must bear the Ring throughout the trilogy. "The second story involves the characters being split into pieces and each character has an individual journey. The world becomes larger, so it's a lot more interesting dramatically and visually."
Adds executive producer Mark Ordesky, "In The Two Towers, the aperture of the camera opens. You see a lot more of Middle-earth. You see Mordor, Rohan, all of these places that have only been spoken of before. You have many more major speaking roles and creatures. And then there's Gollum, who can't even be defined as a creature, because he is a character with as much importance as any one of the main cast."
Adapting the epic trilogy into three films has resulted in the deployment of a logistical operation on par with an intricate and wide-reaching military campaign. An army of artists - including digital experts, medieval weapons designers, stone sculptors, linguists, costumers, make-up artists, blacksmiths and model builders - as well as an internationally-renowned cast of actors and over 26,000 extras -- gathered to make this ambitious dream come true.
Jackson also embraced a decision in the early days of the trilogy's development to shoot all three films at once, something which had never been done in filmmaking history. "Once people actually come here and are surrounded by the work effort involved and the people that were part of making the film, you get a better sense of what it was like and what it is like still," notes Wood. "It's so far beyond articulation."
For a year and a half, Jackson and his devoted production team of over 2,400 filmed all over the spectacular landscapes of New Zealand, and in the time since the release of the first film in the trilogy, an army of post production and visual effects artisans have continued their work to prepare the three films for consecutive release. Comments producer Barrie Osborne, "One of the real blessings of shooting all three movies at once is that you are able to look at each movie with a fresh eye once you've finished work on the last. To have the opportunity to do that is very rare."
One common sentiment among the cast and crew is the sense that the long and multi-faceted production has forged an unforgettable bond among them. "It has been an amazing life experience for all of us," says Wood. "It also gave us an opportunity to become closer than any of us had ever been working on other films. I think we've made some of the best friends of our lives."
"Coming back together with the cast and crew of The Lord of the Rings is like reuniting with your family," Osborne adds. "It's like going home for Thanksgiving."
With the 2001 release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the extraordinary world of Middle-earth was introduced to audiences on movie screens around the world. The resulting phenomenon, from lines around city blocks all over the world to critical accolades and awards, has provided a boost to everyone involved in this colossal undertaking.
"Everyone was very deeply invested in satisfying the fans - because we were fans," explains Ordesky. "Peter had read the books when he was 18. Fran and Philippa also came to the books very naturally. I came to the books as a 12 year-old. But there was never any doubt that Peter wasn't going to achieve this accomplishment, not in my mind anyway."
On December 18, the legend continues with The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. "It's three movies, but it is one story," comments Wood. "People are anticipating the next chapter of what happens because it becomes much more dynamic. And much more interesting, in my opinion. There are more battles, and, of course, you've got the inclusion of Gollum, which is one of my all time favorite characters in literature."
"Not all of the new characters of The Two Towers are played by human beings," notes Jackson. The central film in the trilogy introduces two memorable digital characters brought to life in the Wellington, New Zealand-based studios of WETA Digital. Gollum, articulated through groundbreaking motion capture techniques using actor Andy Serkis as a guide; and Treebeard, a character that mirrors the actual trees seen every day in our environment, but who walks and talks.
The film will also stage the colossal battle at Helm's Deep, in which thousands of Uruk-hai soldiers storm the Rohan fortress, through an intricate combination of live action, miniatures and WETA Digital's proprietary MASSIVE software, which gives each digital character a mind and will of its own. "We used this program to some degree on The Fellowship of the Ring, but in this movie it really comes full force against the inhabitants of Helm's Deep, with 10,000 Massive-driven CG Uruk-hai marching down the valley towards the castle," Jackson describes.
Richard Taylor, who received two Academy Awards® for his work in the first film, notes that the stakes for this film have been raised not only in terms of the story, but also in terms of design and visual effects: "I wait in great anticipation as we hold out to see what the world's audiences are going to think about The Two Towers because the first film has been hailed as this incredible visual epic, but that's nothing compared to what's to come."
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the final film in the trilogy, is slated for release on December 17, 2003.
THE FELLOWSHIP BROKEN: THE STORY OF THE TWO TOWERS
The balance of power is shifting across Middle-earth. Two Towers - the Dark Lord Sauron's stronghold at Barad-dûr and the wizard Saruman's chamber at Orthanc - have aligned to wage war against all civilization, and bring about the end of the race of Humankind.
"The title, The Two Towers, refers to the tower of Orthanc, which is where Saruman is based, and the tower of Barad-dûr, the home of Sauron, and the two are in alliance," comments director/writer/producer Peter Jackson. "It's a story of genocide to some degree, of these two evil forces deciding that the race of Man, mankind itself, must be eliminated from the face of the earth. And they attempt to do that."
The corrupting evil of The One Ring, forged by Sauron, has splintered the Fellowship that banded together to destroy it. The quest has already claimed the life of the Wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) and the Human Boromir (Sean Bean). Only the Hobbit Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) has shown some resistance to its great power, which makes him uniquely qualified to be the Ringbearer.
Frodo, Sam and Gollum in the Hills of Emyn Muil
Now Frodo must face his destiny alone. Accompanied only by his loyal friend, Sam, Frodo ventures into enemy territory unaware that he is being tracked by a mysterious creature with his own dark history with The Ring: Gollum.
Though once a Hobbit, Gollum's 500 years in possession of the Ring has deformed his body and warped his mind. When he is caught tracking them by Frodo and Sam, Gollum offers to guide the hobbits through the craggy hills of Emyn Muil into Mordor if they will release him. "When Frodo meets Gollum, Frodo sees a lot of himself in the creature," notes Andy Serkis, who provides the voice, the movement, and, through his work with WETA Digital, the essence of Gollum. "He senses that his journey can't continue without Gollum."
Gollum cooperates, if only to be near his "Precious" long enough to steal it back. But because he shares the quality of Ringbearer with Frodo, the Hobbit coaxes out of him the story of what Gollum once was - a "Stoor Hobbit" named Smeagol who gained possession of The Ring through an act of violence. "When Frodo gets him to confess who he was, he begins to remember what he was like before The Ring came into his life," explains Serkis.
For Frodo, being near Gollum is like looking into a dark mirror. "It's like seeing someone with a terminal disease that Frodo himself is in the early stages of," Serkis explains.
Once re-awakened, Smeagol begins to unburden himself of Gollum and his connection with Frodo drives a rift between Frodo and Sam. "Gollum joining them brings about a lot of change within Frodo and Sam," Wood continues. "Their friendship is tested as Frodo relies more on The Ring and is changed by its power over the course of the journey. Sam has to take more responsibility to see Frodo through because Frodo is starting to lose his own sensibilities, his purity, and his way."
"Frodo is suffering a lot the longer he holds the Ring," says Sean Astin, who plays Frodo's loyal friend, Sam Gamgee. "Sam always trusts Frodo and appreciates how hard what he's going through is for him."
The two Hobbits' trust in each other, which has played such an important role in Frodo's quest, slowly deteriorates as Gollum leads them across the hills of Emyn Muil and through the Dead Marshes. Gollum's ability and willingness to take them into Mordor is constantly in question.
"Just when you thought it couldn't get any more difficult for the little Hobbits trekking across the vast plains and deserts and volcanic regions of Middle-earth, it gets a little worse for them," comments Astin.
Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli in the Rohan Kingdom
As The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers begins, Aragorn, along with the elf archer Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and the dwarf warrior Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), pursue a platoon of Uruk-hai. The Uruks have abducted the hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd), believing they are the Ringbearers Frodo and Sam. If the Uruks succeed in delivering Merry and Pippin to Saruman, the wizard will discover that they are the wrong Hobbits, and they will be killed.
Out on the plains, the three hunters encounter a troop of Rohan soldiers on horseback. Aragorn learns from Eomer (Karl Urban) that Rohan's king, Theoden (Bernard Hill), has been bewitched by Saruman and betrayed by his closest adviser, Wormtongue (Brad Dourif). "He has been virtually a zombie," says British actor Bernard Hill, who joins the motion picture trilogy as King Theoden. "He has been eaten away by the poison of Saruman, put there by Wormtongue."
Worse, the Rohan soldiers say that they slaughtered the Uruks the night before, but found no hobbits. Frantic to find Merry and Pippin, Aragorn leads Legolas and Gimli into a haunted forest. There they are stunned to discover the wizard Gandalf alive. Not in grey robes, as he was when locked in battle with the Balrog, but in shimmering white. "Gandalf is immortal," explains Ian McKellen, who was nominated for an Academy Award® for his powerful performance in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. "But he returns a changed Gandalf, brought back not as Gandalf the Grey now but Gandalf the White. It's quite clear from the book that he's got renewed vigor. He returns with a clear aim in view, focused, like a Samurai, and dedicated to the job at hand, which is to provide overall leadership to the Fellowship."
Gandalf has returned with even greater power and wisdom. He tells Aragorn that they must do whatever it takes to unite the world of Men against Sauron and Saruman to give Frodo time to get The Ring to Mount Doom.
"Gandalf is not entirely in control of his own destiny, or that of Middle-earth," says McKellen. "His job is to help the creatures of Middle-earth survive and resist the mighty changes that Sauron will wield if he becomes all powerful."
Arwen, Aragorn and Eowyn, and the Fate of Rohan
In Rivendell, Arwen (Liv Tyler), Elrond (Hugo Weaving) and the Elves are in a state of transition. "It's a sad time, a parting time for Elves," says Weaving, "because they know that their time on this earth has come to an end and they must make way for the rise of Man."
Arwen has made clear her intentions to remain in Middle-earth, though she will sacrifice her immortality. "It's about mortality versus immortality," says Liv Tyler, who returns as Arwen. "Those are the difficulties of Arwen and Aragorn being together. But they can't say good-bye."
Far removed from Rivendell, Aragorn meets Eowyn (Miranda Otto), a fair-haired Rohan human and the niece of the Rohan King Theoden (Bernard Hill). "There are very few women in The Lord of the Rings," says Australian actress Miranda Otto, who is introduced into the trilogy in The Two Towers. "Eowyn is the first real human female character. Galadriel and Arwen, who are both Elves, were introduced in the first film. But the second film takes you into the world of human beings."
Following the consecutive deaths of her father and mother at the hands of Orcs, Eowyn has been raised by Theoden, alongside her brother Eomer (Karl Urban) and cousin Theodred. "Eowyn in the book is described as the daughter of kings," Otto explains. "It's a very difficult time in Rohan and she has had to watch the whole house deteriorate, the whole lineage decline. She wants to spur Theoden into action, but she is powerless to do that to her king."
Aragorn's presence in Edoras, the Rohan hilltop capital city, renews Eowyn's hope in their chances against Saruman's army. "Eowyn plays a very heroic role in the story," says producer Barrie Osborne. "She is very strong and you feel that she has a great passion for Aragorn."
Though Aragorn feels a strong connection with Eowyn, his heart is continually returning to Rivendell where he swore a pact with Arwen.
When her people are forced to take shelter from the coming Uruk onslaught in Helm's Deep, Eowyn yearns to fight. "Generally, in the myths and legends we hear as young girls, we're given Sleeping Beauty," comments Otto. "We're given Cinderella. They're all stories about women who are in difficult situations who are then saved by men. But Eowyn is a character who is in a difficult situation and must become empowered or lose everything. Here is this amazing man, Aragorn, who represents everything that she wants to happen again. And yet she knows she must find the strength within to save herself and her people."
The Lost Hobbits in Fangorn Forest
Keeping their wits about them after being captured by Uruk-hai at the end of the first film in the trilogy, Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) manage to engineer their own escape. "Uruk-hai are physically imposing," says Dominic Monaghan, who plays Merry (Meriadoc Brandybuck). "They have no real sense of pain, guilt or fear. Their big weaknesses are that as a group, they bicker, because they all have the same mentality of being strong. Merry and Pippin see that very quickly, and start to use that to get away."
After escaping from the Uruks, the two hobbits flee into the Fangorn Forest, which is reputed to be haunted. "The forest is alive," comments Monaghan. "It has this spirit of old age that just surrounds it. That has been its protection for so many years. And there's a mystery in there."
Legend has it that Fangorn is populated by enormous, ancient trees that walk and talk, which the hobbits discover to be profoundly true when Treebeard, the most ancient of them all, befriends them. Treebeard is one of the film's all-CG characters created by WETA Digital. John Rhys-Davies, the film's Gimli, also provides the ancient tree's unique voice.
"The way that Treebeard affects Merry and Pippin, and the way Merry and Pippin affect Treebeard is very interesting," Rhys-Davies reflects. "I don't think that Treebeard would have done anything of great value if he hadn't met them. He needed that connection. And I also don't think Merry and Pippin would have grown into these people that could see a wider scope of the world if it wasn't for Treebeard saying to them, 'At the moment evil will rule the world. But then at some point, good will come back and rule the world.' And that's a good thing for the hobbits to hear."
King Theoden and The Battle at Helm's Deep
As 10,000 Uruk-hai storm the lands of Rohan, King Theoden, who has awakened from his spell when Gandalf exposes Wormtongue's treachery in his kingdom, resolves to lead his people to Helm's Deep. "Helm's Deep is a large stone fortress set in a narrow, rocky gorge," says director Jackson. "It's not a strategic castle. It's actually a refuge. It's where the people of Rohan go and have protection in times of war. But in this particular instance, the Uruk-hai, led by Saruman, are intent on killing every man, woman and child in Rohan, so they set a huge army against this fortress at Helm's Deep."
Theoden shows the fortress to Aragorn "knowing full well that it is inadequate with the numbers that we've got inside to defend it," comments Bernard Hill, who joins the trilogy as King Theoden in The Two Towers. "But it's traditionally where the people have gone. No one has ever breached the Deeping Wall. No one has ever come through the Hornburg. But then he's told that he's got 10,000 Uruk-hai, which is a number he can't even imagine. It's outside anyone's imagination, except for Aragorn, who has seen and fought them and knows their incredible strength."
If they survive this battle, it is Aragorn's ultimate responsibility to unite the two human kingdoms of Rohan and Gondor against the alignment of villains that threatens the destruction and enslavement of Middle-earth. "It's the moment in which Aragorn has to decide whether he is really going to embrace his destiny as the king of men," comments Jackson, "because this is a time when mankind needs its king."
"Aragorn is given more responsibility, like the others in the Fellowship," comments Viggo Mortensen, who returns in The Two Towers as Aragorn. "He knows that he needs to step up and do not only what Boromir expected of him, but what Elrond, who has been like a father to him, and Arwen expect of him; and, most importantly, what he knows to be his calling."
Though Aragorn knows he may not succeed, he, like the others in the Fellowship, is determined to try. "Everybody is willing to continue to make that group effort," says Mortensen. "There isn't really one hero. It's a group of people with their private doubts, which they need to overcome. Sam and Frodo may not make it to Mount Doom. Gandalf may not succeed in doing what he needs to. Merry and Pippin may not survive their predicament. They all have to find a way to sacrifice themselves to the group."
The remainder of The Two Towers involves Aragorn's heroic efforts to help Rohan defend itself against the evil might of Saruman's army. Frodo and Sam must contend with Gollum, the spies of the Dark Lord Sauron, and unexpected capture by human rangers from Gondor. Their leader, Faramir (David Wenham), is under strict orders to escort the ring bearers to Gondor, where his own father hopes to seize the Ring for himself and use it to defend his people. Frodo must somehow convince Faramir that use of the Ring will only doom Gondor, and assure victory to Sauron.
It is not only external evils that the Fellowship must combat, but also internal dissension and the corrupting influence of the One Ring itself. The course of future history is entwined with the fate of the Fellowship.
New Characters, Creatures and Civilizations
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers introduces several new characters, creatures and civilizations.
THE PEOPLE OF ROHAN
The Two Towers introduces the country of Rohan, which is inhabited by human beings. The Rohirrim are a race of plainsmen with a culture centered around the horse. Peter Jackson describes the fair-haired race as "Very Viking-like. And Norse in ways." Soldiers of Rohan are highly skilled riders who maintain vigilant patrols in the lands north of their ally, Gondor.
From their breathtaking hilltop capital of Edoras, the Rohan people are led by King Theoden (Bernard Hill). Eowyn (Miranda Otto), her brother Eomer (Karl Urban) and their cousin Theodred are also members of the Rohan culture. The Rohirrim are a culture of the land and not war-faring by nature, but are able to fight bravely and effectively from the back of a horse.
GONDORIANS
Gondorians are the first line of defense against the darkness of Sauron in the shadowy lands of Mordor to the East. They take pride in their monarchs, their powerful army, and in the antiquity of their culture.
Gondorians have a highly developed code of honor and ethics. They are willing to take commands and die in battle. Unlike Boromir (Sean Bean), who died in battle with the Uruk-hai, his brother, Faramir (David Wenham), is not loved by their father and has spent many years scouting and defending the wild borderlands of Gondor to earn his acceptance.
Gondorian culture, and their capital city of Minas Tirith, will play a prominent role in the third film in the series, The Return of the King.
GRIMA WORMTONGUE
Veteran actor Brad Dourif joins The Two Towers as Grima Wormtongue, a man of Rohan who became an agent to the evil Saruman and serves as advisor and confidant to King Theoden of Rohan. Using his insidious influence on the weakened king, Wormtongue does grave damage to the Rohan Kingdom as he secretly aids the wizard in his plot to kill its king. Conniving and duplicitous, Wormtongue is a key villain in The Two Towers.
TREEBEARD AND THE ENTS
Treebeard is an Ent. Ancient as the Elves, Ents are forest shepherds that originated as trees inhabited by spirits to protect all trees and flora. When Hobbits Merry and Pippin find them, the Ents are in their usual ponderous state but become agitated as rumors of war and the encroachment of industry reach them. They know that their former ally, Saruman, has betrayed them and decimated half their forests. Merry and Pippin beseech Treebeard and the other Ents to join in the fight to save Middle-earth from evil.
UGLUK AND THE URUK-HAI
An Uruk-hai chief, Ugluk takes command of a troop of scouts dispatched to capture the Hobbits. Saruman's army of Uruk-hai, bred by the fallen Wizard beneath his fortress, come into the fore in The Two Towers. Another terrifying strain of Uruks have also been developed called Berzerker Uruk-hai. these massive warriors wear no armor; their sole purpose is to strike terror into enemy lines.
GRISHNÁKH, SHARKU AND THE ORCS
In The Two Towers, a number of Orcs are brought into the action, including Grishnákh, a scheming Orc who joins the troop of Uruk-hai who have kidnapped Hobbits Merry and Pippin. Sharku, an old and horrifically scarred Orc, leads the vicious tribe of Warg-riding Orcs who throw their support behind the banner of the fallen wizard Saruman against the people of Rohan.
WARGS
Saruman's Orcs ride massive, malformed creatures called Wargs, which resemble a mix of bear, wolf and hyena. With low-slung heads, sharp teeth and evil hearts, the Wargs contribute to the battle by snapping at the legs of Rohan horses.
EASTERLINGS
Many races of men are represented in Sauron's armies of the Third Age, including the savage and violent Easterlings. Having marched from their lands in the distant east, a great host of these richly garbed warriors assemble before the Black Gates.
SHADOWFAX
Gandalf's white horse is of the stunning breed of Andalusion. Once Gandalf the White makes his appearance in The Two Towers, he summons this magical horse.
OLIPHAUNTS
Huge, elephant-like beasts of war, Oliphaunts carry war-towers into battle and frighten horses. Also called the Mumakil by the Rangers, they have a tendency to run amok and can only be killed by being shot in the eye.
THE REAL AND THE IMAGINED COMBINED: DESIGNING THE TWO TOWERS
From the earliest preproduction sketches to the final mix, Peter Jackson and his team's dedication to depicting Tolkien's world as realistically as possible bled into every aspect of the massive production of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
In the earliest months of preproduction, Jackson brought on conceptual artist Alan Lee, who created the seminal illustrations of Middle-earth for Harper Collins' award-winning illustrated edition of The Lord of the Rings, to work with production designer Grant Major in bringing Tolkien's world to vivid life. Likewise, John Howe, who is regarded as one of the most successful Tolkien illustrators in the world, has also been working with the design team since the beginning.
Lee and Howe's works of art formed the backbone for design throughout production and heavily influenced the overall look of Middle-earth in Jackson's trilogy. "Middle-earth has to be a very real place," comments Lee. "It's definitely not a fantasy. It should feel as real as possible, and I try to achieve that as much as possible and concentrated very heavily on the landscapes as I was illustrating the books."
Lee remained on set throughout production, giving input and picking up a paintbrush to add an authentic finishing touch to a set.
Academy Award nominated production designer Major oversaw the creation of such life-sized exterior sets as the breathtaking Edoras, the Rohan capital poised at the top of a hill surrounded by vast plains and backed by a spectacular row of mountains. Realism and exquisite detail was a consistent priority, from the insignia of the Rohan riders to the fall of bark on the living trees of Fangorn Forest.
Having worked with Jackson on earlier films from Meet the Feebles to Heavenly Creatures, WETA's two-time Oscar winner Richard Taylor and Tania Rodger continue to oversee several aspects of The Lord of the Rings production - Creatures, Miniatures, Armour and Special Make-up Effects.
With huge castles, towering fortresses and entire civilizations to be realized, all three films were storyboarded before production began by storyboard artist Christian Rivers. The combined illustrations and storyboards were ultimately assembled into an animatic previsualization of The Two Towers which rigorously informed the work of every department - from the production design to cinematography to the groundbreaking physical and visual effects work performed by WETA Limited.
Before a single 35mm frame was shot, WETA created the major structures and landscapes of Middle-earth entirely in miniature, through which Jackson maneuvered using a miniature "lipstick" camera, in order to conceptualize what would eventually be shot in live action on full-size sets. Once the sets were completed and shooting was to begin, it was as if he had already been there.
In their 65,000 square foot WETA Workshop, Taylor and his team created over 48,000 separate items - from prosthetic limbs to hand-forged swords; 2,000 stunt weapons; 1,600 pair of Hobbit feet; and 200 handcrafted Orc masks. WETA was also responsible for the design, manufacture and operation of the creature animatronics.
The crew numbered 148 at the height of production, with another 45 technicians on set dressing 500 actors in WETA product with over 200 background players in full body prosthetics.
One of the biggest challenges of WETA Workshop was to create functional armor that had the appearance of having gone through battle, but was also comfortable and safe for actors. "WETA went to great lengths to hand-make everything in Middle-earth," explains Taylor. "Hand-beating the armor out of plate steel exactly as it had been done in the Medieval era; the swords being hand-ground out of plate steel; the hilts and crossbars cast out of the lost wax casting. In the process, we were trying to make sure the physics of the manufacturing complemented very closely that which was available 500 years ago."
WETA set up a foundry with two full-time armor smiths, Stu Johnson and Warren Green, to hand-beat and hand-make the armor from steel. From these original suits, molds were made and 48,000 separate pieces of armor were made for all of Tolkien's Middle-earth civilizations, including Elves, Orcs, Uruk-hai, Rohans and Gondorians.
Taylor, with the aid of designs by John Howe, wanted to create armor that had a different look and felt authentic. To make them functional, WETA designed mock chain maille from rubber tubing painted to look like metal. A department of four full-time chain maille technicians assembled more than 12 million circular links to make up the hero suits featured in the trilogy.
As each pair of feet only lasted two shooting days, 1600 pair of Hobbit feet were made to be used throughout production. The prosthetic feet took one hour to apply to actors Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd. "Honestly, they feel like the most comfortable tennis shoe you could wear," says Astin.
The Swords that WETA Workshop created for LOTR are all inscribed with messages in one of Tolkien's invented languages.
Since Tolkien's world of Middle-earth has never been seen before on screen, every prop item was created from scratch. The One Ring was made by Jens Hansen, a renowned jewelry designer whose studio is in the art community of Nelson, New Zealand. Though Hansen passed away prior to the start of principal photography, his son, Thorkild Hansen, took over during production.
For costumes, Oscar-nominated Ngila Dickson and her team needed to create new wardrobes for the Rohan people, as well as the sinister Wormtongue (Brad Dourif), Faramir and his group of Rangers. "From a wardrobe point of view, it's almost an entirely new film," comments Dickson. "Suddenly we are developing a totally new world and new looks. We are always trying to define these civilizations completely, so that you never forget where someone comes from, and how they fit into this traveling tale across Middle-earth."
For Eowyn (Miranda Otto), Dickson designed and hand-made several wardrobe changes to reflect the changes taking place in her culture. "There is always this dichotomy in her character," says Dickson. "Her natural bent is to be fiery and passionate about her people, but caught by the strictures of the society which demand that you wear woman's clothes and behave like a lady."
Dickson took great care in creating wardrobe for the four lead Hobbits that would reflect the challenges they face as they travel through Middle-earth. Frodo wears maroon/brown, suggesting a princely quality as he is the Ringbearer. Sam wears earth tones to reflect his dependable nature.
Hobbit clothes were also designed to accentuate their small stature, with shorter hemlines, high waistlines and pockets high on their hips. Dickson used all organic fabrics that appeared lived in and realistic when aged and made two sets of everything to accommodate the scale doubles of many of the different characters in The Two Towers, particularly the Hobbits. All in all, the wardrobe department managed between 30 and 40 costumes per actor.
Elves wore flowing, luminescent gowns like the one worn by Galadriel. They are dressed in delicate fabrics and designs using layers and intricate stitching.
Arwen has several wardrobe changes in The Two Towers. Each gown is unique and built from velvets and silks. "It seems to be in my nature to persecute all the girls with very heavy frocks," she jokes. "And a lot of the colors are part of the palette of Arwen, soft dark blues, shades of purple and lilac."
Wellington, New Zealand-based Jasmine Watson provided the jewelry to compliment the wardrobe.
FROM MAQUETTES TO MASSIVE: WETA WORKSHOP MEETS WETA DIGITAL
The Academy Award for Best Visual Effects received by the effects team from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring has proved both an encouragement and a challenge to WETA Digital to raise the bar for the second film. On top of the greater effects demands envisioned by Jackson for digital characters and massive battles was an increased familiarity with Tolkien's world and the continuing evolution of WETA's proprietary software.
Because of such creatures as Treebeard and Gollum, The Two Towers features 800 visual effects shots, compared to the 560 shots in The Fellowship of the Ring.
Visual effects supervisor Jim Rygiel notes that with The Lord of the Rings trilogy, there is no real post production. "The making of the effects is not treated as post production," he says. "It's actually part of the process itself, which is a very interesting way to work. We're all playing off each other."
To create the creatures that populate and, in many cases, stage massive battles in The Two Towers, WETA Workshop provided maquettes of each creature to be created digitally. The device that is used for scanning the maquettes in 3D was created in New Zealand and was initially used for measuring size and space of meat carcasses for the New Zealand butcher industry.
While the dimensions and proportions would be scanned for the digital artists to use for reference, "motion trees" were created on the motion capture stage to provide a library of movements, techniques, attacks, etc. for the characters to portray in battle. "Each of these characters has its own selection of military moves, its own repertoire of military performances to undertake, and all these elements have to be woven into the characters with great subtlety and the appearance of complete determination on the part of the digital character to closely complement the live action actor such that there is no opportunity to see the difference," comments Taylor.
The revolutionary Massive software written by WETA Digital's Stephen Regelous animated the groundbreaking Prologue from The Fellowship of the Ring and steps into the fore with The Two Towers. Regelous created the program in the spirit of the continuing push into artificial intelligence technology. "I wanted to create it using artificial life-inspired approaches rather than what would typically be done for a crowd system," he explains. Massive works in creating "agents," with their own randomized characteristics and the ability to make their own decisions in a crowd situation. "For these agents to respond naturally to their environment, it's important that they have senses the same as we have. They have vision, sound, a sense of touch through collisions. They can see their environment."
Each agent also has its own personality traits, i.e. boldness, aggressiveness, cowardliness, etc. "Then there are parameters that affect how dirty they are, how tall they are, how weary they are - so there are many ways that each of these agents can behave and be unique entities," Regelous says.
Jackson sees the Massive agents as not animated creatures at all. "They simply mass in armies and then we press a button and they just go fight themselves," he says. "They'd make up their own decisions about how they would want to fight."
"Each of these guys has an AI brain," explains Massive technical director Geoff Tobin. "One part of the brain decides which action to do based on what he's currently doing, what he's allowed to do, and the other brain modules feed into that, giving him information about what kind of terrain he's on, the enemies that are around him, the allies that are around him, navigation. In a way," Tobin jokes, "they're not so different from real extras."
"Some of the scenes we will see in Helm's Deep will defy belief because these Massive epic battles have tens of thousands of soldiers coming together in a huge milieu of anger and death, and all of it is digitally created," adds Taylor.
The final step following Massive's simulation is the rendering of the image, which is done by another device invented in New Zealand, affectionately called a Grunt. Massive supervisor John Alitt created the Grunt to render CG images faster than any commercially available software. "Out of the Massive simulation engine we get motion data for each individual agent, which is just a description of joint angles that belong to the skeleton of the agent," explains Alitt. "What Grunt does is take the motion data and file describing what the agent should look like, what possibilities of armor and clothing he has on, what possibilities of shading he's got and actually construct that as it's rendering from the motion data."
The process of maquette, to digital creature, to final action was repeated with two new species to enter the Lord of the Rings universe - Wargs and Oliphaunts, and two distinct characters which play important roles in the quest to destroy the One Ring…
GOLLUM AND TREEBEARD: THE DIGITAL CHARACTERS OF THE TWO TOWERS
Because of Gollum's crucial role in the journey of Frodo and Sam toward their destination where the Ring must be destroyed, Jackson was determined that the character must be entirely authentic, a presence that would carry as much reality and emotional weight as a live actor. "The character of Gollum is a completely digital creature, but I was determined that I wanted an actor to actually create the character, which in this case is Andy Serkis," says Jackson.
The collaboration between creative teams and Serkis has resulted in the first character of his kind -- an entirely performance-based digital creation that "acts" as much as any actor in the film.
As Jackson and Oscar-winning director of photographer Andrew Lesnie supervised actor Andy Serkis's performance on set, the animators at WETA Digital studied the resulting performance to remake it digitally, using his movements and facial expressions to animate the Gollum that would ultimately "act" in the scene. "I am so in awe of the skill, effort and technical wizardry of the rotoartists," says Serkis. "The skill of the animators to bring this off, and have such passion for it, is quite staggering."
His body and voice design was then taken further into an animated world through motion capture photography, computer generated imagery and digital sound mixing. The resulting synthesis is a totally new visual effect. "Obviously, Andy creates the character through the voice," explains Jackson. "But also, we're doing a lot of Gollum as motion capture, which is when Andy wears a suit covered in these little dots, and he performs Gollum. He says the dialog, he plays the scenes out just as he would, and the computer is able to capture his movement, and translate that to the digital version of Gollum."
Starting with sketches by conceptual artists Howe and Lee along with the art, Jackson's vision for Gollum was ultimately sculpted into a plasticene maquette which was then scanned into the computer. "There are around 300 different muscles or more on Gollum," says creature supervisor Eric Sainden. "He has a full skeleton and a full muscle system that's all driving what you see on his skin. One of Gollum's greatest challenges is his face. He has to act with the other actors. The facial system we're doing has about 250 different face shapes that we're working in between."
Gollum's famous voice, one of the most memorable elements of both Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, became Serkis's touchstone and key to the character. "I had an emotional root to that sound," he says. "For me, it is where his pain is trapped. That emotional memory is trapped in that part of his body, his throat. In just doing the voice, I immediately got into the physicality of Gollum, and embodied the part as I would if I were playing it for real."
His performance was so strong as Gollum that the initial digital character has evolved throughout the production to be more like the actor. "Gollum is probably the most actor-driven digital creature that has ever been used in a film before," Jackson adds.
Tolkien created an ancient culture of trees, called Ents, in The Lord of the Rings. To bring these "living trees" to life, Jackson called on WETA workshop. The greatest challenge of the Ents was the notion that trees are not creatures of the imagination - their characteristics are known and recognized the world over. "Ents are a challenge because there is so much interaction with branches and leaves and roots that grow into the ground as they walk," says creature supervisor Eric Sainden. "There is also a lot of interaction with the live action characters. So, we have a lot of moving barks and bark colliding with itself on the cheeks and the eyes. Essentially, the tree must come to life."
Working with Alan Lee and Grant Major, WETA Digital's Daniel Falconer designed Treebeard, the oldest of the Ents. "I believe that Treebeard will bring a really beautiful and sensitive character to the screen," says Richard Taylor, "a very different creature from anything we've seen in cinema before. He is a character of immense history and a wealth of knowledge."
WETA Workshop built maquettes of Treebeard until Jackson was satisfied with the design. The next step was to build an actual 15-foot tall animatronic model of Treebeard that interacted with Merry and Pippin on set. Using this model as a guide, the CGI version was created digitally to hone the articulation, particularly in Treebeard's face.
"Treebeard is a fantastic creature," comments visual effects supervisor Joe Letteri. "One of the greatest challenges has been to piece the character together digitally using the live action model so that you can't tell which is which."
Providing the voice is John Rhys-Davies, who also plays Gimli in the film. An avid reader of Tolkien's text, Davies trusted director Jackson that giving voice to a tree was a risk worth taking. "You are only one small part of an enormously technical process that is needed to bring a character to life," comments Rhys-Davies. "If you do your job right, when people read the book, they will hear your voice. They will see your Gimli or hear your Treebeard. And if you don't do it right, they still have their own voice to fall back on."
After some experimentation with various blends of sound, Jackson decided he wanted Treebeard's voice to be Rhys-Davies's own voice, but using different techniques for different parts of the ancient Ent's speech. "We used every conceivable sound that the voice can produce," the actor describes. "At one point, I found that I was able to split the voice, which you can do when the voice gets tired. We also slowed it down immensely. We made deep, bellowing noises when communicating with other trees. It is like whales song."
A WORLD OF SCALE: PRACTICAL LOCATIONS AND "BIGATURES"
The Fellowship travels through a number of new locations throughout Middle-earth in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, including:
Emyn Muil
Rohan Plains
Edoras (Capital city of Rohan)
Fangorn Forest
Barad-dûr (Sauron fortress)
Dead Marshes
Isengard/Orthanc Chamber/Isengard Gate
Black Gates of Mordor
Lothlorien/Galadriel's Glade/Caras Galadhon
White Mountains
Ithilien Countryside
Henneth Annun Waterfall/Cave/Room
Anduin River Banks
Helm's Deep/Hornburg Gate and Tower/Cloisters/Deeping Wall/Great Hall/Causeway
Osgiliath/Sewers
The strikingly diverse New Zealand landscapes provided Jackson and his team with every type of location Tolkien's text described.
Negotiations were done with Maori Iwi, the indigenous people and tribes of New Zealand, where certain landscape backgrounds were forbidden to be shot on film. Other delicate plant life was protected from the inevitable film crew foot traffic by laying down huge pieces of carpet.
EDORAS
The capital city of Rohan, Edoras, was one of the largest sets erected for The Two Towers and perhaps the most spectacular. Edoras was only accessible by a remote gravel road deep in the plains, at least an hour from any signs of civilization, and mirrors the Alan Lee illustration in The Lord of the Rings illustrated book edition.
In the middle of a beautiful snow-capped valley a 600 meter high hill named Mount Sunday stands alone. Part of the Mount Potts station, at the turn of the century this mountain was a meeting spot for sheep herders and horse wranglers (usually on Sundays, hence the name).
A five kilometer road was built with two temporary bridges and a cast and crew of 200 as well as background players were shuttled up the hill at the beginning of each shooting day. Only the exterior of Edoras was shot at this location, with the inside of the Golden Hall, Stables, and other surrounding structures used for catering, actor green rooms and the production offices.
As in the entire detail of The Lord of the Rings, Grant Major and his team created every aspect of Edoras and its culture in painstaking detail. From the horse carvings on the sides of the buildings to the raw Nordic influenced architecture, it felt as if the Rohans had truly lived and died in the center of this kingdom.
This stunning set took six months to build after a lengthy one-year-long consent process. Because of the remote location and extreme exposure to the natural elements, the sets were reinforced with steel to withstand 130 kilometer high winds. After filming ended it took another six months to return the site to its original condition. Even the tussock plants have now grown back over the man-made road.
"BIGATURES" AND THE BATTLE AT HELM'S DEEP
One of the largest action sequences in The Lord of the Rings takes place at Helm's Deep. The Uruk-hai raid, fended off by the remnants of the Fellowship and the Rohan people, was shot over a grueling 14-week second unit night shoot at a transformed quarry just outside of Wellington. A huge rock wall with natural rock formations was incorporated into the design of the Helm's Deep set.
When the massive set demands could not be met with practical locations, WETA workshop constructed 68 miniatures that were sculpted and molded with excruciating detail. Barad-dûr was built in 1/166th scale. For reference, miniatures as small as a 1/3000 scale Orthanc Chamber were also built. Shooting for the miniatures took place in a 24,000 square foot warehouse.
A ¼ scale miniature was built at this location for foreground shots in which Helm's Deep was to appear in the distance, which took over four months to construct. Another 1/35th scale miniature was built by WETA Workshop. These models were so detailed and artistically rendered that the slightly larger ones became known as "bigatures." "The use of miniatures in this film is, I think, pretty extraordinary," says Barrie Osborne. "People have gone towards more CG work and less towards miniatures. But the extent that we use them in The Lord of the Rings is pretty unique."
Alex Funke, director of photography on the miniature unit, won an Academy Award for special effects for his work on Total Recall and played a significant role in the visual effects for such films as Starship Troopers and The Abyss. "Middle-earth is so vast that everything is a towerless fortress or a bottomless mine," comments Funke. "It was impossible to build these sets to scale. There is no studio stage big enough to hold it all. In many cases, Peter prefers to use a tangible miniature compared to a digital model because textured nooks and crannies exist that are hard to spontaneously create digitally."
The miniature cameras shoot much slower than standard ware. The cameras used on The Two Towers, called Mitchells, were originally developed for aerial photography during World War Two. This, combined with new technology from German-based Arri, were mounted on cherry pickers to twist and turn through tiny model corridors. Actors are added last to the scene.
A motion control camera rig was built, which the production dubbed "Frankenstein Two," which miniatures director of photography Alex Funke used in the air-tight WETA miniatures facility. In some cases, Funke used toy plastic soldiers to line up the shots that would eventually be rendered in the computer. "This is not about effects," says Funke. "This is about telling this very beloved, moving story. If we see the effects then we did the job wrong. This is about doing whatever you have to do to tell the story in such a way that the audience is completely involved with the movie."
With live action and CG elements shot and created, the final step is to composite everything together. "Massive is a key component of the Helm's Deep sequence," says Joe Letteri. "On Helm's Deep, we might have a bit of live action with a bit of miniature to extend it. We might have some pieces of matte painting or CG environments to extend that even further. We may take blue screen elements that were shot for some of the hero action and combine it with Massive armies. We may extend that with motion captured hero actors that we want for specific performances. It all comes together in any number of ways, and usually in any one particular shot you're seeing some combination of all those elements."
Orthanc Chamber, the seat of power for Saruman (Christopher Lee), was built as a massive interior set carved with chainsaws out of polystyrene. To decorate this jet black chamber, prop master Nick Weir found bones from local museums and created grotesque Uruk-hai embryos in jars. As conceptual artist Alan Lee remarks, "Orthanc would be a great place to throw a cocktail party."
BATTLES ON A MASSIVE SCALE: THE STUNTS AND ACTION OF THE TWO TOWERS
The increased action element of The Two Towers required a stepping up of the stunt demands. Armies of horses and footsoldiers had to be coordinated for major attack sequences. In The Two Towers, live action soldiers would clash with digital ones, but all had to work in concert to mount these intense battles.
Swordmaster Bob Anderson, who in his long and illustrious career worked with Errol Flynn and performed as Darth Vader under the black costume in the original Star Wars films, was impressed with the swords and fight tools created by WETA Workshop. WETA technician and sword smith Peter Lyons created a shock absorbent, steel-sprung blade that remained intact during fight sequences.
Anderson created a distinct fighting style for each civilization of Middle-earth, from Elves to Orcs, and calls Viggo Mortensen, the film's Aragorn, a better swordsman than Erroll Flynn. "He has a natural ability that I have never seen in any performer," comments Anderson.
New Zealand-based archer Jan Kozler trained actor Orlando Bloom in archery for his role as Elf Legolas over six extensive archery sessions.
SHADOWFAX AND HORSES
To create the army of horses used by the Rohan people, horse coordinator Steve Old held "auditions" all across the country of New Zealand. His search yielded breeds of all types, with owners traveling for hours with their horse and trailer to the audition.
The two horses chosen to play Shadowfax, the majestic white horse on whose back Gandalf the White makes his first appearance, were of the Andalusian breed.
A stable was set up outside Wellington with 75 core horses being housed and trained there. The open-door policy for actors to come and ride any time of day or night paid off. Cast members such as Mortensen, Tyler and Bloom rode for leisure, even on their days off. Mortensen developed such a close bond with his horse that he purchased it from its owner.
In some scenes, the production used as many as 250 horses at once- side by side riding on New Zealand terrain. The resulting image possesses a realism that can't be duplicated digitally.
Horse technical advisors Lyle Edge and John Scott, whose work includes such films as Unforgiven and Legends of the Fall, were on location to help orchestrate and choreograph the complicated riding and battle sequences.
Tim Abbot and his team made 70 saddles by hand especially for the production. Each of these saddles are embossed and carved with Middle-earth history and were also aged and painted for authenticity.
SONGS OF MIDDLE-EARTH: SOUND DESIGN AND MUSIC
Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Gethin Creagh and Hammond Peek were nominated for an Oscar for their sound in The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring. The sound elements for The Two Towers provided equal challenges based on the new locations, characters and action in the second film.
"Our approach has been that this is an imaginary place, but it's a place that has existed in the real world," comments supervising sound editor/co-designer Ethan Van Der Ryn, "as if this place actually existed somewhere deep in history and we're rediscovering it."
Tolkien had numerous very specific sound descriptions in his Lord of the Rings books, which the screenwriters incorporated into the script prior to any sound work being done to capture how Middle-earth would sound. Like other departments, the sound team was able to use the complete animatic of the second film to begin designing the sound.
The sound team traveled all around New Zealand to capture the unique mix of elements that make up the sound landscape of Middle-earth. At one point Jackson and the sound team turned to a crowd of 25,000 cricket fans at Wellington Stadium to help create the sounds for the epic battle at Helm's Deep. Using eight microphones, Jackson directed the audience to create a series of mass sounds - from chanting, stomping feet and slapping their chests (for Helm's Deep) to whispering (for Fangorn Forest).
For intensive battle sequences, sounds had to be broken down into elements such as foreground sword hits; swishes for swords; and hits on bodies and shields. In the mix, director Jackson would join the sound team in their 5.1 editing rooms and experiment with moving sounds around in a three dimensional space.
For the new creatures in the second film, the sound team turned to nature. "A Warg is based on a wolf," comments Van Der Ryn. "We start with a wolf and sweeten it with other animals' grunts, groans and attacks."
Fangorn Forest had to be a alive, so the sound team captured wind and tree noises, and coupled that with whispering from the Stadium session.
Composer Howard Shore won an Academy Award for the music of The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring and music continues to be the one element of the trilogy's production created outside New Zealand. Once again working with the 96-piece London Philharmonic Orchestra, Shore created the score in London, with Jackson traveling back and forth to consult with the composer.
As with the first film, the soundtrack for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers features songs by acclaimed artists -- "Isengard Unleashed," featuring Elizabeth Fraser & Ben Del Maestro, and "Gollum's Song," featuring Emiliana Torrini.
LANGUAGES OF MIDDLE-EARTH
Andre Jack and Roisin Carty coached the principal cast in Elvish, one of Tolkien's 14 invented languages. The challenge of bringing a language to life that until now has existed only in the imagination of readers proved a challenge for the consultants and actors alike.
Jack and Carty trained the actors in the Elvish language skills so they would be able to adapt their speech as scene changes often demanded.
Tolkien experts David Salo and Bill Welden consulted with the production in correct pronunciation and usage of Elvish, as well as providing background on Tolkien's sources in inventing Elvish.
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