ABSTRACT
In 1995, the filmmaker Peter Jackson embarked upon an adaptation of Tolkien’s fantasy epic Lord of the Rings. In the many interviews which followed the international success of the ensuing trilogy, Jackson reminisced on the roots of his project. He had been encouraged, he often stated, by a realization about the level of complexity reached by computer animation and special effect technology. Following these advances, Jackson realized it was now possible to put anything on screen, or as the director once put it, to do anything. Suddenly, all technological limitations having been removed, Jackson felt he was in a position to create a believable Lord of the Rings. And indeed, the director’s explicit policy throughout filming was to shoot with the realism of an historical reconstruction, and he enjoined all those involved in the project to consider it as such.
