The Hunt for Gollum
| The Hunt for Gollum | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Chris Bouchard |
| Written by | Novel: J. R. R. Tolkien Screenplay: Chris Bouchard Additional writing: Julianne Honey-Mennal Sabina Sattar Stuart Price |
| Produced by | Executive producer: Chris Bouchard Co-producers: Brian Lavery Gladys San Juan Julianne Honey-Mennal Spencer Duru Assistant Producer: Ashram Maharaj |
| Starring | Adrian Webster Arin Alldridge Patrick O'Connor Rita Ramnani Gareth Brough Max Bracey |
| Cinematography | Mike Ritchie Stein Stie John Paul Frazer Neill Phillips Chris Child |
| Edited by | Lewis Albrow |
| Music by | Chris Bouchard Adam Langston Andrew Skrabutenas |
Production company | Rickety Shack Films |
| Distributed by | Independent Online Cinema[1] Dailymotion |
Release dates | 3 May, 2009 |
Running time | 38 or 47 mins.a |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £3,000[2] |
| Box office | £0 (distributed free) |
The Hunt for Gollum is a fan film based on elements of J. R. R. Tolkien's epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. The film is a prequel to the events of The Fellowship of the Ring, and is based on passages in the novel's appendices.[2][3] Its visual style is inspired by Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, but the production is completely unofficial and unauthorized by the Tolkien estate or New Line Cinema, which produced Jackson's film trilogy.[3] The film was shot in high definition video.[3] It was directed by Chris Bouchard.
The Hunt for Gollum debuted at the Sci-Fi-London film festival and on the Internet, free to view, on 3 May 2009.[2]
Story
The film is set between the events of The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring. The wizard Gandalf fears that Gollum may reveal information about the One Ring to the Dark Lord Sauron, and sends the Ranger Aragorn on a quest to find him first.
Cast
- Adrian Webster as Aragorn, Heir of Isildur. Media coverage of The Hunt for Gollum has noted Webster's resemblance to Viggo Mortensen, who played Aragorn in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films.[2][3][4]
- Arin Alldridge as Arithir, a Ranger of the North
- Patrick O'Connor as Gandalf the Grey. As with Webster and Mortensen, critics have noted O'Connor's resemblance to Ian McKellen, who played Gandalf in Jackson's films.[3][4]
- Rita Ramnani as Arwen
- Gareth Brough as the voice of Gollum. Brough also played Goblok, an orc chieftain.
- Max Bracey as an elf of Mirkwood
Production
The Hunt for Gollum had a budget of £3,000.[2] Location filming took place in North Wales, Epping Forest and Hampstead Heath.[2] 160 people volunteered as crew members for the production.[2] The production design was based on Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films. Director Chris Bouchard said, "Peter Jackson's individual look was a big inspiration, it's been an adventure for us to play in that world that he created."[2]
The film's most difficult production aspect was the title character. "Bringing Gollum himself to life has been a major challenge," Bouchard said. "I really didn’t want to cop out and knew that seeing Gollum would be an important part of the film. We have used just about every trick in the book to portray Gollum on screen without the full power of Weta Digital behind us!"[5]
The sound mix was completed at the Futureworks studio in Manchester.[6]
Reception
The trailer for the film was well received online. A blogger for Entertainment Weekly said that based on the trailer, the film "looks awesome", and added that the filmmakers "seem to have nailed a passable low-budget version of Peter Jackson's best-epic-movie-ever visuals."[4] Similarly, a blogger for Wired News said that "The Hunt for Gollum looks pretty stunning for a film made 'by fans for fans.'"[7] On National Public Radio's All Things Considered, reporter Laura Sydell said, "The Hunt for Gollum looks just like the Hollywood version. I was fooled the first time I saw it. ... the special effects in the trailer are flawless."[3] A writer for the film website Rotten Tomatoes said, "the trailers suggest it'll be better than Eragon ... or Krull.[8]
Legal questions
As a fan film, The Hunt for Gollum exists in a legal grey area.[3] The film's disclaimer states:
The Hunt for Gollum is a non-profit film for private use only, and is not intended for sales of any sort. It is in no way affiliated with, or sponsored or approved, by Tolkien Enterprises, the heirs or estate of J.R.R. Tolkien, Peter Jackson, New Line Cinema, HarperCollins Publishers, Ltd. or any of their respective affiliates or licensees. The content is for the private use of the viewer, and should not be sold, rented, or used for any commercial enterprise in any way, shape, or form. We make no claim on any characters, storylines, prop designs, names, logos or situations that are trademarked, copyrighted or otherwise protected by federal, state, international or other intellectual property law. This work is produced solely for the personal, uncompensated enjoyment of ourselves and other Tolkien fans.[9]
It is unclear whether the production violates the rights held by the Tolkien estate and New Line films.[3] Fred von Lohmann, director of the Electronic Freedom Foundation, told NPR that the high quality of the film and its global reach via the internet could potentially create legal issues. However, director Chris Bouchard told BBC News:
We got in touch with Tolkien Enterprises and reached an understanding with them that as long as we are completely non-profit then we're okay. We have to be careful not to disrespect their ownership of the intellectual property. They are supportive of the way fans wish to express their enthusiasm.[2]
Footnotes
- Note a: Sci-Fi-London states 47 minutes,[1] Filmaffinity has 42 minutes[10] and Dailymotion states "Duration: 38:11"[9]
References
- ^ a b "The Hunt for Gollum". Sci-Fi-London. Retrieved 1 May 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Masters, Tim (30 April 2009). "Making Middle-earth on a shoestring". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 1 May 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Sydell, Laura (30 April 2009). "High-Def 'Hunt For Gollum' New Lord Of The Fanvids". All Things Considered. National Public Radio. Retrieved 1 May 2009.
- ^ a b c Vozick-Levinson, Simon (24 April 2009). "'The Hunt for Gollum': How awesome is the new trailer?". Entertainment Weekly. Popwatch blog. Retrieved 1 May 2009.
- ^ Hartinger, Brent (27 April 2009). "Will The Hunt for Gollum Be as Cool as It Looks?". The Torch Online. Retrieved 4 May 2009.
- ^ "Lord of the Rings prequel, The Hunt for Gollum, hits Futureworks". How-Do. 30 April 2009. Retrieved 1 May 2009.
- ^ Wallace, Lewis (24 April 2009). "Middle-Earth Looks Stunning in Hunt for Gollum". Wired News. Underwired blog. Retrieved 1 May 2009.
- ^ "RT's Top 5 Fan Films". Rotten Tomatoes. 15 April 2009. Retrieved 1 May 2009.
- ^ a b Dailymotion - The Hunt For Gollum (HD version), Dailymotion, 2009-05-03, retrieved 2009-05-06
{{citation}}:|first=missing|last=(help) (URL redirects in some countries) - ^ The Hunt for Gollum, Filmaffinity, retrieved 2009-05-06
{{citation}}:|first=missing|last=(help)
