Oh, the things we do for the things we love... - Page 3
© Michael Martinez
When asked if he could visit parts of the production where Grima doesn't appear, Dourif mentioned he had visited one set which simply blew him away. A few members of the audience, in the back of the room, became concerned that Grima might appear in scenes where he obviously has no place in the book, but Brad hurried to assure them he was only a visitor to the set. He did not name any scenes which had been filmed, but indicated that the filming sequence was not the same as that which would be used in the movies (a fairly standard practice in the film industry).
Brad was asked if he had seen any of the advance promotional screenings and he answered that he had seen one shown to the cast and crew. When pressed for a description of the screening all he would say in reply was, "Beautiful". The audience realized the line had been reached once again as Brad agonized over how to explain that word without revealing anything, and the session moved on.
Both actors mentioned that up to four filming units operate at the same time. Peter Jackson directs the project utilizing a bank of television monitors which show him what is going on. He radios instructions to each unit as required in a very seasoned but rapid-fire process. Karl said he got to sit behind Peter and watch one day and was absolutely amazed at how smoothly Jackson was able to work with several teams in action.
One of the actors was asked if the sets have to deal with intrusions. He said there weren't many problems, but occasional flybys had occurred. There is a certain intensity in the production which seems to engender great loyalty for the project in most of the crew.
The actors were also occasionally asked about other projects they had coming up or had just recently worked on. Karl has completed a movie in New Zealand with fellow Hercules/Xena actress Danielle Cormack (titled "The Price of Milk", if I recall correctly). Karl and Danielle play dairy farmers with some complex issues to resolve. Brad will be starting work on Myst 3 in a few days (he loves the game, he says) and later this year will be working on a film titled "Route 66" which is set in the desert and is a horror flick with ghouls in the desert.
I had a far better turnout for my first "Reconstructing Middle-earth" session than I anticipated -- a full room, although it was not standing-room-only. I was quite flattered, and I did talk about some things I have not previously revealed on the Internet concerning my involvement with various Tolkien-related projects. You can listen to the full session at Tolkien Online.
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