Going on location, I have to say was, was one of the joys.
I mean, one of the great joys of this job.
Just seeing New Zealand and actually shooting some of these places...
...is an amazing, amazing gift.
I can't imagine these films being shot anywhere else.
Middle-earth makes sense here. These movies make sense here.
I mean, New Zealand...
...which is God's country...
...it's another character in the film.
[ALL SHOUTING]
HADLOW: And here we were, making the film.
A New Zealand film.
The Hobbit.
BLOOM: Being in New Zealand...
...it's sort of like going back in time in a way.
Because it's very unchanged.
McKELLEN: The land itself...
...ancient, ancient but still being created.
BLANCHETT: You do feel, because of the volcanic nature of the place...
...that it was thrust up out of the ground yesterday...
...and that there's a potential for ancient creatures to exist there.
I just was expecting to see a T. Rex popping out at any point.
It does look prehistoric here.
It's a different, um...
...pace of life here.
[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]
[MIMICS BIRD WHISTLE]
You know you're in New Zealand when you cycle past a field of cows...
...and they all stop and look around at you.
It's a very peaceful place when a solo cyclist manages to stop the cows.
Seeing the country on a job like this is very special...
...because obviously, we are working on locations...
...that had been specially sourced out because of the way they look.
And because of that, we've got to see some incredible sights.
JACKSON: Well, here we are in the heart of the Southern Alps of New Zealand.
We've been shooting in a location on the edge of Lake Pukaki in Twizel.
Behind us here is Mount Cook, which is New Zealand's highest mountain.
That's where Sir Edmund Hillary trained to climb Mount Everest.
It's a little less than half the height of Everest, so he basically had to climb Mt. Cook twice...
...and he sort of had practice for Everest, basically.
FILI: We're leaving.
They are your people. You must go.
LILLY: These beautiful snow-capped mountains...
...they're in the background of every scene that we're doing.
And the sun has decided to come out and be glorious.
And the wind has decided to die down and be kind, and it's just been perfect.
We're all really, really lucky to be here.
Lake-town is actually gonna be positioned, um, out on this lake.
We use a CG version of Lake-town obviously, to show the extent of the burned-out city...
...and this is where all the refugees have landed on the beach.
And the water is really blue, like, it almost looks like a turquoise-y paint.
It's got a powder in it. It's a glacier flour that's like a rock powder...
...that makes it have this milky, blue-y color.
So, you get these contrasts of colors.
Blue, blue skies, weirdly colored lake...
...Mount Cook, and this native grass is kind of a yellowy-brown color.
It could be worse, couldn't it?
And action.
MAN: He brought the beast down!
Shot him dead with a Black Arrow.
[ALL CHEERING]
Thank you, Bard!
Thank you!
BROWN: About two miles outside of Stone Street, there is Mount Crawford.
And on top of Mount Crawford, they built the city of Dale.
MAN: This site has hosted a number of sets over the years.
King Kong, uh, Skull Island...
...and also we were up here on Lord of the Rings many years ago.
It's the biggest set they've built for the movie.
It's massive. There's streets through it.
I mean, it looks like an Alpine village.
JACKSON: It's great to work with sets that large.
So many different angles. You can shoot little alleyways, staircases...
...little nooks and crannies that you can set up an endless number of shots.
Balconies overlooking the beautiful piazza and little courtyards. I mean, it was stunning.
JACKSON: The day was nice when it was beautiful. It looked very, very pretty.
It's kind of a place you wanna have a summer holiday in actually.
But I kind of preferred it when we trashed it, I have to say.
PACE: So the roofs are gone.
The windows are all burned out.
I mean, it's just like a wasteland city.
And now it looks like somewhere where Ringwraiths might like to hang out.
It's winter and there's snow everywhere and it's really dramatic.
MAN: And action!
[ALL SHOUTING]
I know I'm a Kiwi, but I have to say...
...I cannot imagine making these films anywhere but this country.
Here, in New Zealand, feels like it's where they belong.
It's just nice, sometimes, to be able to say:
"Hey, welcome to our place. This is what we're like."
I haven't met anybody who ever visited New Zealand...
...who didn't say to themselves, "Why the hell didn't I come here before now.
And when can I come back?"
There's a magic and a majesty to the landscape, which is like nowhere else on Earth.
CONNOLLY: This place is gonna be invaded.
When the people of the world see it, they're gonna have to put the gates up.
FREEMAN: Meanwhile, the backdrop is so beautiful, people will think it's CGI.
You know what I mean? Because it's... It looks too perfect.
You can use that as an advert for New Zealand if you want.
I mean, succinct, snappy, all positive.
And cut. Brilliant. Trademark.