Made in Hollywood

In the open-air studio in Wellington, the top square of Minas Tirista, which took three months to build, looks extraordinarily noble and holy against the surrounding blue screen. Under the coordination of the assistant director, they stepped up one after another and formed a neat queue, ready to welcome the return of the king.

Duke stood on an elevator platform, with a loudspeaker in hand, methodically directing the entire crew.

"Amanda, do one more adjustment of the boom and recording equipment!"

The filming was from a live recording, with a boom that followed Viggo Mortensen, who played Aragorn, all the way up.

Then Duke turned back to John Schwartzman's side, "John, you're in control of the main camera, you're targeting Aragorn! Ben, camera number two on your boom, capturing the panorama as we planned! Special! Here, your camera three captures the actors in the front row! Gwill, camera four shoots The Hobbit."

The director's monitor was also set up on the elevator platform. Duke checked the test shots of each camera one by one, made a few minor adjustments, made an 'OK' gesture to John Schwartzman, and amplified the sound. The speakers are again aimed at the props group.

"Bill, how is the petal preparation?"

Bill, who made the final inspection of the Sacred White Tree, replied loudly, "Everything is ready."

The blood of Isildur returned to Gondor, and the king came to the Holy White City.

Although this scene is huge and requires a large number of actors, this aspect is the last thing Duke needs to worry about. First, except for the people in the first few rows, the people behind will use CGI in post-production. Before the shooting, the crew had rehearsed several times without makeup.

"The props group is ready..."

"The lights are ready..."

"The set is ready..."

"Photography ready..."

"The actor is ready..."

After reporting department after department, Duke waved his lower arm downward. The field recorder came to the main camera with the field record board.

"The Lord of the Rings, final shot, shoot now!"

The long boom is quickly activated, and the No. 1 camera hanging below captures every scene from far to near, and transmits the picture to the director's monitor, which gradually shrinks from the panorama. In the end, it was fixed on Aragorn in front of the palace.

Viggo Mortensen finally took off his tattered costume, put on a simple and gorgeous armor, and stood with his back to the camera.

Because the combat style is completely close-to-hand combat, the Aragon was always sloppy during the shooting process. In order to make his costume fit the characteristics of long-distance travel and close combat, Viggo Mortensen's play Clothes are rarely washed. It was soaked in sweat again and again, and many times it smelled bad.

Compared to Orlando Bloom, who is always cool and handsome, Viggo Mortensen really suffered a lot.

However, the king will eventually return one day, and Aragorn also ushered in the escape from poverty and setbacks. Become tall, rich and handsome and marry Bai Fumei one day.

Bright lights fell on Viggo Mortensen and Ian McLean, and Middle-earth dispelled the haze and darkness and ushered in light and peace.

Tall Ian McLean in the same way he had been rehearsing yesterday. Put a crown on Viggo Mortensen's head.

King's return!

Viggo Mortensen walked to the top of the steps and supported the sword of Anduril, which was recast from the fragments of the holy sword of Nasir. After a few simple words, he sang the glory of the ancestors in Quenya.

"Crossing the ocean, I came to Middle-earth..."

Just as Viggo Mortensen was humming, a large number of white petals were scattered by the props group from the lifting platform in the air. It seems to welcome the return of the king.

"My children and I will live here forever..."

This piece of singing will definitely have to be re-sound and dubbed in the later stage. Duke shot this way to make Viggo Mortensen better enter the state of Aragon. He walked down the steps and walked forward from the passage of the queue. The No. 3 machine controlled by him captures important characters one by one.

The main characters who participated in the Holy War of the Lord of the Rings and survived appeared one after another on the monitor in front of Duke.

Gandalf, Gimli, Faramir, Eowyn, Eomer, Elrond, and Arwen.

The crew rehearsed without make-up several times, which obviously worked. This long shot was almost perfect. Duke didn't stop until Aragorn took Arwen to the four Hobbits.

"Rearrange the venue!" he exclaimed into the loudspeaker.

In the previous shooting, the hobbit was only used as a background painting. Duke used four dwarf stand-ins. Next, he will shoot the frontal close-up of the four people, and I will definitely replace them with Elijah Wood and Billy Boyd.

But the height of the four would be an issue, so the surrounding area where the other actors stood would need to be raised to accentuate the Hobbit's being only about four feet tall.

More than a dozen platforms that had been prepared for a long time were pushed into the venue by the props team, and the installation was completed quickly, and the shooting started again.

Viggo Mortensen led Alessandra Ambrosio to Elijah Wood and the others. The four Hobbits bowed and saluted, but were stopped by Aragorn.

"My friends, you don't have to salute anyone..."

Having said that, Viggo Mortensen knelt down on one knee, followed by Alessandra Ambrosio, followed by all the actors...

His eyes moved away from the monitor, his eyes slowly falling down, Duke let out a light breath. After 14 months, this long journey finally reached an important node.

end? The post-production is far from complete, the road to making money from the show has not yet begun, and now it is just the end of the shooting!

"Cut!"

The thoughts in my mind were spinning, but it did not prevent Duke from calling to stop the entire crew. Everyone in the Holy White City stood up slowly. Some were relaxed, some were dazed, some sighed, and some felt that this filming road was too long.

Although "Titanic" took four years, it did not take long for the actors to shoot. A movie like the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy took 14 months to shoot, let alone Hollywood, look at it. There are very few in the whole world.

Duke let out a long sigh and raised the loudspeaker, "No matter how amazing the journey is, there is an end. I announce that The Lord of the Rings is officially closed!"

The elevator platform slowly lowered, and as soon as Duke stepped down, he was surrounded by more than a dozen main actors who came over.

Activist Billy Boyd hugged Duke first, joking, "I'm not sure if the film will make it to the end, but it's one of my fondest memories. Duke, I really don't want to say this last farewell."

"We'll see you again, Billy." Duke tapped him hard on the shoulder. "Don't forget, you're going to record a theme song for me."

After several changes by Billy Boyd, Duke has decided to use his "The Last Parting" as the promo and theme song for the end of the trilogy!

As long as the series can generate a strong response, when "The Return of the King" is promoted. This song is bound to touch the hearts of many people.

In such an occasion full of sadness, and thinking of these commercial elements, God will forgive Duke, as a director who shoulders a production cost of 350 million US dollars, the total investment of the final trilogy is bound to exceed 500 million US dollars. If you don't want these, then you really are not a qualified commercial film director.

For example, the camera under the boom, controlled by Ben Watts, as the actors hug him one by one to say goodbye. Has been faithfully recording every shot.

These are also great promotional materials.

Regardless of the internal relationship of the crew, a crew full of friendship and love. meet the public's imagination and needs.

Then, more people came to hug Duke, and Duke said goodbye to them one by one.

"Vigo, you are the most dedicated actor I have ever seen."

After an affectionate hug with Viggo Mortensen. Duke sent a souvenir, the king's sword - Anduril!

"Orlando, you will be the most handsome archer in the world!"

Duke gave Orlando Bloom a short bow used by Legolas, whose string had been blessed by Queen Galadriel's hair, according to the description in the original book.

What Elijah Wood got was a Lord of the Rings tied on a golden chain, which was different from the one he had worn, with a nick in the ancient Mordo language—the Supreme Lord of the Rings, the Ring of Domination!

"Yili, you can take it to sleep every night, and you will definitely have a good dream."

Duke made a rare joke. In fact, the souvenirs given to these people, especially the Lord of the Rings gifted by Elijah Wood, will be important movie peripheral products in the future.

"I didn't expect my elf journey to end so soon!"

With an air of elegance and agility, Alessandra Ambrosio walked across from Duke and looked down at the gorgeous elf robe on her body, "I really don't want to take it off."

"You can keep them."

Duke pointed to her head-to-toe outfit and accessories, "They're all yours now."

During the conversation, someone next to him handed Arwen's velvet robe to Alessandra Ambrosio's assistant.

"Colleen, kiss him!"

I don't know who shouted from behind, Ambrosio put his hands around Duke's neck and took the initiative to kiss Duke's lips.

Perhaps this was the most interesting scene at the farewell ceremony, with warm applause from the scene, no less than the reunion scene where King Ilissa held hands with Arwen.

"I see the light of the sky fade away and the twilight rises,

I sighed and sighed when I heard the wind,

When the snow feathers fall to cover the body of my old man,

I whispered this final farewell..."

When the applause died, Billy Boyd sang a cappella.

"Walking over a thousand miles of rivers and mountains,

All kinds of pain have been tasted,

No regrets, no regrets, no forgetting,

Who is with me to get through adversity together...

Although you and I are with you all the way, there are times when the song ends. "

Although after a simple farewell ceremony, the members of the Fellowship of the Ring team went to the tattoo parlor and tattooed the elf number 'nine' on their wrists to commemorate this special journey, but the crew has come to the moment of disbanding.

Most people, including Duke, take a vacation and go back to their normal Hollywood life.

Duke is going on vacation to Fiji with Alessandra Ambrosio, and then back to Los Angeles with Weta Studio's computer effects team to officially start post-production on The Lord of the Rings trilogy! (To be continued ~^~)

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