Harry here with an article that appeared in a local New Zealand newspaper that seems to be about one communities attempt (shared by communities all around New Zealand) to snag locations in Peter Jackson's films. After all, wouldn't you want to go visit Mordor or Rivendell yourself? Pretty interesting piece I felt. So here it is, complements of ASyLUM

MANAWATU EVENING STANDARD – SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1998

When Wellington-based film director Peter Jackson starts spending some of his $264 million budget on location sites for his Lord of the Rings project, he will be aware of options in the Manawatu-Wanganui region. EWAN SARGENT reports on efforts to bring a bit of Hollywood glamour, and money, to this region.

PICTURE the first screening of Lord of the Rings in Downtown Cinema 8.

In the dark the excitement is building as one of the most famous books in the world is about to be bought to life with stunning special effects.

Adding to the occasion is the fact the film was shot in New Zealand. It will be like The Piano all over again but even bigger. Millions around the world are also flocking to theatres to see the great event.

Images flash on the screen and Bilbo Baggins and company are in The Shire before their journey to battle evil.

The Shire seems strangely familiar and it is, because the hobbit is strolling across beautiful Pohangina Valley.

The excitement of just that moment would be worth all the effort that's gone into making it happen now, and that doesn't even start to measure the economic benefits of having film crews working in the region.

It takes a little of this imagining to understand some of the fuss last week in making a submission to get Peter Jackson's cameras to this region.

Project coordinator Paula Allen admits it's a long shot.

While the aim is to bring Jackson and his cameras to the River Region - an area stretching from Levin to Waiouru and from Stratford to Cape Turnagain - it won't be easy given the stiff competition from other regions such as Queenstown which have long experience in working with film productions.

Allen says a number of the region's local authorities had already started on packages to woo the film crews when it was decided to combine efforts, Allen, who is Destination River Region tourism coordinator, led the $2000 project which was paid for by money from Wanganui and Palmerston North City Council economic development funds.

Many other organisations contributed time and money, including the Evening Standard which took photographs of likely Manawatu locations for the presentation.

Allen says the outcome was probably a $6000 project, and the effort showed how much could be achieved by this area if resources were combined.

Craig Harding of Outpost Digital Media helped choose the sites in the region to put forward as locations. He hadn't read the trilogy for many years so re-read it quickly with an eye to using parts of the region for location work.

He says some factors are in the region's favour and make it worth pursuing. Firstly, it will need many different location sites because the books plots revolve around constant travel to new places. Harding calls it the “ultimate road movie”.

The region’s closeness to Jackson’s Wellington Wingnut studios must also be attractive. Harding says filming locations as a backdrop to digital composition is much less expensive than creating locations on a computer, so he believes Jackson will use live locations wherever possible. Areas chosen from the region include the Pohangina Valley near Totara Reserve for woodland scenes, the lower Rangitikei River valley area for Rivendale, with the Rangitikei becoming the Grey Flood River, Mounts Ngarahoe and Ruapehu for Mordor and Mt Doom, and upper Whanganui River for the Anduin River.

The Lord of the Rings production team is known to have received a flood of submissions on location sites and actors. Filming won't start until the middle of next year, but the film's producer Tim Sanders says now is a good time to get location ideas in..

"It's a pretty damn bureaucratic process but because there is so much on offer in New Zealand we have to go through this distilling process."

Those locations with promise go on a working list. The locations manager makes a more thorough investigation, taking video and photograph shots, and makes a final recommendation on whether a site should be shortlisted.

The shortlisted sites are visited by a larger group, and if they still appeal , negotiations start for their use.

"Frankly, it will only be too late when we have cut a deal and stuck a camera on the site,” Sanders says.

Location sites aren’t the only money spinner from big budget film productions, especially of the size of Lord of the Rings, which has 50 actors and 15,000 extras.

When large groups of people are moving through a region on a project they also need services such as accommodation and food. And for this film it's obvious a lot of leather garments, chain mail, swords and such will be needed.

Allen says Wanganui Prison's shoe factory was suggested in the submission as a good source of leather workers and a company specialising in stunts using horses also based in Wanganui was recommended. Office support systems also come into demand, even something as simple as supplying paper cups.

Allen says a national survey was done recently by the film industry on what resources there are in different parts of the country for film companies moving into an area.

She says if the region is serious about attracting large productions then it needs more formal structures in place to make it easy for film companies to come to the area.

Allen says from the tourism perspective, the spinoff is the worldwide release of the documentary about making the film that usually accompanies major releases such as Lord of the Rings.

"That gives an instant promotional tool to get through to the international market."

So back to the imaginary beginning. The movie has finished in the theatres and is out on video. The documentary has been on Tv around the world.

Now busloads of free-spending tourists are coming to the region eager to see the places where the famous movie was filmed. And they need to be fed, housed, transported ....

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

The cover of the submission to Wingnut Films recreates a popular book cover of the trilogy. The wizard Gandalf is superimposed on a Pohangina Valley setting. Photo by Warwick Smith.

LEFT: The upper Whanganui River which would make a Great River Anduin.

ABOVE: Photograph by Peter McDermott of the Rangitikei River which would create the location of Rivendell.

ABOVE: The beautiful Pohangina Valley near the Totara Reserve has a very English feel that would suit as a location site for The Shire and Rivendell. Photo by Warwick Smith.

RIGHT: Artwork byChris Murray of Outpost Digital Media which was part of the submission to Peter Jackson showing potential sites.

Text on map: