Synopses & Reviews
Filmmaking history was made when, in
The Two Towers, an actor's performance and digital animation were seamlessly integrated to create the world's first totally lifelike computer-generated character. Now Andy Serkis tells his own story about how a three-week commission to provide a voiceover for Gollum grew into a five-year commitment to breathe life and soul into
The Lord of the Rings' most challenging creation.
Did the voice of Gollum really start with a cat being sick? What was it like acting in a bodysuit covered in dots? How much was Gollum modeled to look like Andy? What surprises does The Return of the King hold in store?
Fully illustrated with more than one hundred exclusive behind-the-scenes photos and drawings, and with contributions from the many designers and animators who brought Gollum to life, this book examines the transition to the big screen of one of literature's most unforgettable creatures. As the filming takes him from London to Wellington, and from the Misty Mountains to Mount Doom, Andy Serkis explains the methods and the madness behind the most amazing five years in this actor's life.
Synopsis
Few of the hundreds of characters within The Lord of the Rings are as fascinating as the tormented Gollum. Though he is entirely computer-generated onscreen, his haunted personality is brought vividly to life through the extraordinary talent and performance of Andy Serkis. Serkis's voice, body, and facial movements served as the electronic blueprint for the technical wizards who conjured the character seen in the film, and it was his physical presence later removed digitally that served as the foil for the actors playing Frodo and Sam. The behind-the-scenes story of a breakthrough cinematic achievement is told in this book.
Synopsis
Enter the amazing World of Hobbits. Packed with photos from the new film, this book will tell you all you need to know about these amazing creatures and#8211; their appearance, appetites, homes, friends, deadly foes and much more.
About the Author
Andy Serkis, who portrays the character Gollum in Peter Jackson's
The Lord of the Rings, most recently appeared as the eccentric choreographer in
Topsy Turvy, and as the coked-up yuppie in
Career Girls. He will soon be seen opposite Michael Caine in
Shiner. Other film credits include leading roles in
Mojo,
Among Giants,
Loop,
Sweety Barrett,
The Jolly Boys,
Last Stand, as well as major roles in
Stella Does Tricks,
Five Seconds To Spare,
The Near Room, and the forthcoming
Pandemonium.
His extensive television works include a highly acclaimed performance in a recent adaptation of Oliver Twist, and lead roles in The Jump and the series Finner along with many guest appearances in Shooting The Past and Touching Evil.
Serkis has played a huge range of parts in theatres in London and across the UK. Recent critically acclaimed roles include Potts in the original cast of Mojo by Jez Butterworth, King Lear, and Hush all for the Royal Court Theatre, Hurlyburly at the Old Vic and Queens Theatre, Decadence at the Bolon Octagon, and Cabaret at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield.
Table of Contents
Introduction: To Begin at the Beginning... 1
Chapter 1 "It's Mine. My Own. It Came to Me!" 2
Chapter 2 Welcome to Planet Middle-earth 14
Chapter 3 Another World 27
Chapter 4 Motion Capture 34
Chapter 5 Muttering and Gurgling 40
Chapter 6 The Taming of Smeagol 48
Chapter 7 "Give Us That, Deagol, My Love" 57
Chapter 8 Morgul Vale 66
Chapter 9 Escape from Middle-earth 71
Chapter 10 The Changing Face of Gollum 76
Chapter 11 "Nobody Likes You..." 94
Chapter 12 The Two Towers 105
Chapter 13 The Return of the King 111
Epilogue: The Good, the Bad...and the Precious 118