Just in time for Christmas, after a lot of polishing we're finally ready to release the first ever full length trailer. Check it out below!
THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM - FULL Trailer 1
This exclusive brand new trailer shows more than ever before!
Official Website for pics, movies and downloads:
http://www.thehuntforgollum.com
Friday 19 December 2008
Thursday 4 December 2008
Featured on BBC Radio 6 Music
I was asked to phone into the Nemone Show to talk about the film. You can hear the interview here:
BBC Radio 6 Music.mp3
Wednesday 19 November 2008
The Hunt - Getting warm...
It's been a landmark acheivement to finish filming after all the effort the production crew have put in. Gladys, Brian, Spencer & Julianne - my awesome co-producers have kept this project going through the most amazing trials. (Thanks guys!)
So now finding the time to finish things is the more tricky thing.
When will the film be released?
Well we have been aiming for putting the film online this December. This is almost achieveable but because of delays during filming and the sheer volume of work to be completed in our spare time on editing, music, sound and visual effects I'm going to put the date back a bit. Currently I'm discussing a fixed date with the team which we will announce soon. I might be as early as January or it might be a month or two later, to give time to put some polish on our hard work. Ultimately I won't release it until I'm completely happy.
Anyway that's all for now folks. Thanks to everyone on the production crew who's made this so fun. Now we hand over to the postprod team and enter the final stage of this epic journey...
Just remember... there's nothing quite like hugging a friendly orc...! ;)
Tuesday 4 November 2008
Almost a wrap
It's November now and we're now as good as wrapped. Over a year in the filming, it's sad to think I won't be spending so much time camping out in forests with a bunch of orcs and our amazing crew!
Spencer, Adrian and myself after wrapping the marathon last shoot.
The final few shoots were intense, the very last one included a fight scene at night, which we filmed until 3am before grabbing a couple of hours sleep and embarking on a full day of shooting the next day.
An elf scout makes an appearance on the night shoot
Anyway it's all in the can, Adrian's wrapped and Lewis is editing the latest scenes into place. After staring at a rough cut without a beginning or end, I'll soon be able to see how the movie is flowing as a whole.
A snap rescued from our first shoot in Wales over a year ago
Just as Born of Hope hit the Chicago Tribune and Daily Telegraph, we had a nice bit of press with an interview I did for SFX magazine link.
Orc desktop by Julie Mink
Spencer, Adrian and myself after wrapping the marathon last shoot.The final few shoots were intense, the very last one included a fight scene at night, which we filmed until 3am before grabbing a couple of hours sleep and embarking on a full day of shooting the next day.
An elf scout makes an appearance on the night shoot
Anyway it's all in the can, Adrian's wrapped and Lewis is editing the latest scenes into place. After staring at a rough cut without a beginning or end, I'll soon be able to see how the movie is flowing as a whole.
A snap rescued from our first shoot in Wales over a year ago
Just as Born of Hope hit the Chicago Tribune and Daily Telegraph, we had a nice bit of press with an interview I did for SFX magazine link.
Orc desktop by Julie Mink
Wednesday 17 September 2008
Surviving the shoot - day 11 & 12:
Ok well, this is a blog so it's about time I posted something like a diary.... blog.... thing.... Here's what happened over the last two days shooting.
[[[[UPDATED - pictures added - thanks to Gladys!]]] :)
7am Monday morning we all gathered at Debden House campsite, Epping Forest. Straight away we were onto the task at hand. Max, Soph & Gary got the orc footprints created while Adrian (Strider), myself and Irene (lol) rehearsed with Matt (playing Gollum in the sack). Makeup and hair went on speedily - grubbying up our Ranger sufficiently to be convincing in the wild. In this scene Aragorn discovered a large trampling of Orc prints. A simple scene but one to help build up tension before the fight. Adrian was marching right along the stream and even though the camera was a bit heavy for the jib we pulled off a rather lovely shot even with the SG-Pro depth of field adapter mounted. This makes the camera twice as heavy but makes the background all nice and out of focus. It makes it look 10 times more cinematic. We were using Chris's FX1 as the main camera during the shoot but also had the HVX200 on our low budget steadicam and for sound. Lucky we had Chris onboard with his cam because the HVX batteries were prone to dying at any moment. After a couple of takes and further hair adjustments we got the scene. Bex kept Strider's freshly cut wig aka "Curly Sue" straightened out for the whole shoot and sprayed the poor chap down at every convenient moment.
Anyway the next scene was Matt's entrance. He'd come all the way from Wales to help out and his main task was to enact the body movements of Gollum while trapped in the sack; with hilarious consequences on the location. The sight of the tightly wrapped bag containing Matt rolling and struggling with the caterpillar effect couldn't help but make us laugh. But poor Matt soldiered on through what must have been considerable discomfort until we had a shot that wasn't too silly but added a bit of lightness into the otherwise dark scene.
Following this Adrian had to draw swords as the steadicam moved towards him. We attempted the Vertigo effect (dolly zoom) on our steadicam - using the remote control to zoom out slowly as JP moved the camera forwards with his trademark smooth operational subtlety. The effect worked pretty well after a couple of takes - . It's always great to experiment - we'll see if it makes the cut.
Next up came the ultimate test. Co-producer's Gladys & Julianne, also know as The Banshees rolled in with the day's rations and our big star for the day. Franceso - Gladys' son. Could we get 4 year old Francesco to perform as needed? It was a difficult and rather violent scene where Gollum gets captured. I knew it was going to be very difficult to get what we needed. After carefully sculpted prosthetic hands were applied by makeup artist Sara (and much coaxing and child-bribery) we attempted to shoot the scene. Ash kept him amused with the latest sci-fi geekery while the prosthetics were sneakily applied. Seeing a laptop playing Stargate in the middle of the forest was kindof wierd. For the scene little Franky was required to be tied completely inside the sack by Adrian. Mum was on hand to make sure he was happy and Adrian was ready to be gentle.
"Ok Franky are you ready to go in the sack?" Franky: "no". The little chap was far more interested in stealing JP's role as camera operator. Uh oh - what next. This is where Spencer stepped in. The kid had latched onto him like a limpet and Spence turned the whole thing into a game. The cameras rolled and Franky did more than 5 takes fully in the sack with the prosthetic hands groping out for freedom before being tied inside by Adrian. Amazingly we got the shots we we're hoping for - a great acheivement by all and what bravery by our little starlet!
So the day finished with a few steadicam journey shots. The pressure was on as the sun started going down (as per usual) but 1st AD Irene made sure we got every shot on camera before darkness set in. Pretty good going - and off to Theydon Bois for a pint and chips to round off the day.
Next day half the crew were back for another grueling shoot. This time at Leytonstone - a risk shooting so near the population of London which unfortunately caught us out. We had to relocate back to the safety of Epping forest and thanks to survival expert Gary (from Bear Claw Bush Craft) we found a suitable Dead Marshes location up there to replace Leytonstone. This time the focus was on Ranger survival in the wild. How would Strider live off the land? Bushcraft teacher Gary Wale had come down with all the gear and experience to train Adrian in skinning Rabbits, making fire, cooking, washing and catching food. It was so realistic we were all in awe. Gary was a real-life Ranger! We spent the morning getting some great survial shots as Gary showed Adrian what to do. Following this we were jumping forward a long way in the script to a scene of considerable tension. Strider discovers he's being followed by a black horseman. Julian jumped right in to replace Matt as Gollum puppeteer. And for the horse; initially planned to be a digital effect, we got solid assistant producer Ash Barker in along with Spencer sitting on his mighty shoulders. Out of focus in the distant sillouette - we had an astonishingly convincing horse impression. Those guys wouldn't believe it but it was pretty close. We shot the scene and then headed straight for the pool (ok it was kindof a marsh). Here some muddy footprints lead our hero on the right track at last. We finished the last shot and the sun went down. Time for a muddy tramp back through the now dark and creepy forest towards The Bull where fresh beer awaited a thirsty crew.
Our young star & cameraman Franky, shows us how it's supposed to be done.
Until next month... Farewell
[[[[UPDATED - pictures added - thanks to Gladys!]]] :)
7am Monday morning we all gathered at Debden House campsite, Epping Forest. Straight away we were onto the task at hand. Max, Soph & Gary got the orc footprints created while Adrian (Strider), myself and Irene (lol) rehearsed with Matt (playing Gollum in the sack). Makeup and hair went on speedily - grubbying up our Ranger sufficiently to be convincing in the wild. In this scene Aragorn discovered a large trampling of Orc prints. A simple scene but one to help build up tension before the fight. Adrian was marching right along the stream and even though the camera was a bit heavy for the jib we pulled off a rather lovely shot even with the SG-Pro depth of field adapter mounted. This makes the camera twice as heavy but makes the background all nice and out of focus. It makes it look 10 times more cinematic. We were using Chris's FX1 as the main camera during the shoot but also had the HVX200 on our low budget steadicam and for sound. Lucky we had Chris onboard with his cam because the HVX batteries were prone to dying at any moment. After a couple of takes and further hair adjustments we got the scene. Bex kept Strider's freshly cut wig aka "Curly Sue" straightened out for the whole shoot and sprayed the poor chap down at every convenient moment.
Anyway the next scene was Matt's entrance. He'd come all the way from Wales to help out and his main task was to enact the body movements of Gollum while trapped in the sack; with hilarious consequences on the location. The sight of the tightly wrapped bag containing Matt rolling and struggling with the caterpillar effect couldn't help but make us laugh. But poor Matt soldiered on through what must have been considerable discomfort until we had a shot that wasn't too silly but added a bit of lightness into the otherwise dark scene.
Following this Adrian had to draw swords as the steadicam moved towards him. We attempted the Vertigo effect (dolly zoom) on our steadicam - using the remote control to zoom out slowly as JP moved the camera forwards with his trademark smooth operational subtlety. The effect worked pretty well after a couple of takes - . It's always great to experiment - we'll see if it makes the cut.
Next up came the ultimate test. Co-producer's Gladys & Julianne, also know as The Banshees rolled in with the day's rations and our big star for the day. Franceso - Gladys' son. Could we get 4 year old Francesco to perform as needed? It was a difficult and rather violent scene where Gollum gets captured. I knew it was going to be very difficult to get what we needed. After carefully sculpted prosthetic hands were applied by makeup artist Sara (and much coaxing and child-bribery) we attempted to shoot the scene. Ash kept him amused with the latest sci-fi geekery while the prosthetics were sneakily applied. Seeing a laptop playing Stargate in the middle of the forest was kindof wierd. For the scene little Franky was required to be tied completely inside the sack by Adrian. Mum was on hand to make sure he was happy and Adrian was ready to be gentle.
"Ok Franky are you ready to go in the sack?" Franky: "no". The little chap was far more interested in stealing JP's role as camera operator. Uh oh - what next. This is where Spencer stepped in. The kid had latched onto him like a limpet and Spence turned the whole thing into a game. The cameras rolled and Franky did more than 5 takes fully in the sack with the prosthetic hands groping out for freedom before being tied inside by Adrian. Amazingly we got the shots we we're hoping for - a great acheivement by all and what bravery by our little starlet!
So the day finished with a few steadicam journey shots. The pressure was on as the sun started going down (as per usual) but 1st AD Irene made sure we got every shot on camera before darkness set in. Pretty good going - and off to Theydon Bois for a pint and chips to round off the day.
Next day half the crew were back for another grueling shoot. This time at Leytonstone - a risk shooting so near the population of London which unfortunately caught us out. We had to relocate back to the safety of Epping forest and thanks to survival expert Gary (from Bear Claw Bush Craft) we found a suitable Dead Marshes location up there to replace Leytonstone. This time the focus was on Ranger survival in the wild. How would Strider live off the land? Bushcraft teacher Gary Wale had come down with all the gear and experience to train Adrian in skinning Rabbits, making fire, cooking, washing and catching food. It was so realistic we were all in awe. Gary was a real-life Ranger! We spent the morning getting some great survial shots as Gary showed Adrian what to do. Following this we were jumping forward a long way in the script to a scene of considerable tension. Strider discovers he's being followed by a black horseman. Julian jumped right in to replace Matt as Gollum puppeteer. And for the horse; initially planned to be a digital effect, we got solid assistant producer Ash Barker in along with Spencer sitting on his mighty shoulders. Out of focus in the distant sillouette - we had an astonishingly convincing horse impression. Those guys wouldn't believe it but it was pretty close. We shot the scene and then headed straight for the pool (ok it was kindof a marsh). Here some muddy footprints lead our hero on the right track at last. We finished the last shot and the sun went down. Time for a muddy tramp back through the now dark and creepy forest towards The Bull where fresh beer awaited a thirsty crew.
Our young star & cameraman Franky, shows us how it's supposed to be done.
Until next month... Farewell
Wednesday 3 September 2008
Thursday 14 August 2008
Behind The Scenes Info
We've just added a large new section to the website featuring how the art department, prosthetics, fight team and visual effects are being done on a microbudget... Visit the site here: www.thehuntforgollum.com
Tuesday 29 July 2008
Teaser 2 - Released
We are proud to finally reveal the brand new 2nd teaser for The Hunt For Gollum. Hope you like this video, it shows a little more of what is to come.
Trailer links on website:
www.thehuntforgollum.com
Trailer links on website:
www.thehuntforgollum.com
Wednesday 16 July 2008
Special effects work & concepts
I'd like to release a couple of images from the vfx/art side of the film. These by concept and visual effects artist Jean-David Solon.
Concept image: Strider passes through the ruins of ancient Arnor on his quest...
It's exciting for us to add new depth to the realism of the film through special effects. The quality of work created by the TH4G artists breathes life and spectacular realism into our vision of middle earth.
More concept work by TH4G artist JD Solon
The next shoot dates will be in August and September...
Concept image: Strider passes through the ruins of ancient Arnor on his quest...
It's exciting for us to add new depth to the realism of the film through special effects. The quality of work created by the TH4G artists breathes life and spectacular realism into our vision of middle earth.
More concept work by TH4G artist JD Solon
The next shoot dates will be in August and September...
Monday 30 June 2008
Dream scenes and editing
The mysterious immortal Elves of Middle Earth make an appearence in The Hunt For Gollum. Last week we explored these mysterious immortals through a dream sequence which was shot in a wonderfully Elvish location: Hampstead Heath Pergola in London.
Currently the production will be completed for an end of the year release online. We've got a lot of editing now to be done (30+ hours of footage to cut into the 30 minute film). Also we're looking for visual effects and sound artists to join the Hunt For Gollum team. Get in touch by email... chris@hunt4gollum.com
And so, onwards we continue THE HUNT!!!
Currently the production will be completed for an end of the year release online. We've got a lot of editing now to be done (30+ hours of footage to cut into the 30 minute film). Also we're looking for visual effects and sound artists to join the Hunt For Gollum team. Get in touch by email... chris@hunt4gollum.com
And so, onwards we continue THE HUNT!!!
Friday 23 May 2008
Orc shoot completed!
2 weeks ago we completed the most ambitious shoot of the film. It was an intense 4 day shoot where featuring a large band of Orcs and some choreographed fights. Epping Forest was our location and our crew of 48 people camped out for 4 days at Debden House Campsite. Was a great shoot enjoyed by all, and an impressive acheivement for a low budget film.
There will be some proper updates appearing about this on our website, but in the meantime here's a few stills from this shoot.
We're working on some short teaser clips, to put online soon.
Tuesday 22 April 2008
Costumes... in progress
... 2 weeks before the shoot Marta, Natalie and Sophie lay out the orc costumes made so far. Now final adjustments, refinements and extra costumes will be thrown together to complete the Orc army.
The costumes laid out on the rooftop...
The director can't resist taking a turn...
The costumes laid out on the rooftop...
The director can't resist taking a turn...
Saturday 19 April 2008
Making Helmets...
Here's a first look at the orc helmets made today our creative Hunt for Gollum props team Lisa, Jim and Lisa! They'll be outfitting the Orcs for the shoot in 2 weeks today....
Monday 14 April 2008
pics, art and stuff
Dear H4G readers... here's a few new images, storyboards and posters, as we build up to the biggest shoot of the film...
Tuesday 29 January 2008
Launch of www.hunt4gollum.com our new website
... has just been launched. Drop by and have a look around, there's a lot more info and imagery from the film on www.hunt4gollum.com
www.hunt4gollum.com
We've also completed a shoot last Sunday, in 2 forest locations around London. It was a very successful shoot which brings us up to 25% of the film shot.
The shoot made good progress with a very strong team coming together for this scene with 2 Rangers.
Next we're building up our art department creating the costumes and props for the main batch of principal photography in April and May.
www.hunt4gollum.com
We've also completed a shoot last Sunday, in 2 forest locations around London. It was a very successful shoot which brings us up to 25% of the film shot.
The shoot made good progress with a very strong team coming together for this scene with 2 Rangers.
Next we're building up our art department creating the costumes and props for the main batch of principal photography in April and May.
Monday 14 January 2008
Latest News:
With weekend Costume design sessions and lots of new faces on the team, The Hunt For Gollum is well and truly underway. Our strong team of 5 co-producers have been working really hard putting togther the different departments on the film from locations to art department, prosthetics & costumes. And our first shoot of the year is coming up next Sunday. This will be a forest based Ranger scene.
A shot of next week's location:
Soon to come:
info on costume design, fight team training and our brand new website will be launched next week.
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