♪ ♪ ♪ >> Stephen: WELCOME BACK TO
"RETURN TO NEW ZEALAND: A MAGICAL LAND WHERE HUGS STILL
HAPPEN."
AS I CASUALLY MENTIONED EARLIER, WHILE I WAS IN NEW ZEALAND, I
GOT TO SPEND TIME FILMING A MOVIE TRAILER WITH ACADEMY
AWARD-WINNING WRITER-DIRECTOR SIR PETER JACKSON.
CLOSE FRIEND OF MINE.
I STAYED AT HIS HOUSE.
WE HAD DINNER AT THE ORIGINAL BAG END.
NO BIG DEAL.
WHICH IS ON HIS PROPERTY.
BUT I DON'T WANT YOU TO THINK I SPENT MY WHOLE TIME RUNNING
AROUND, NERDING OUT OVER "LORD OF THE RINGS."
I SPENT PLENTY OF TIME SITTING DOWN, NERDING OUT OVER "LORD OF
THE RINGS."
SO, HERE IS NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN FOOTAGE FROM THAT RARE INTERVIEW
WITH SIR PETER.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR HAVING US DOWN HERE AT YOUR STUDIO.
>> YEAH, YOU'RE VERY WELCOME.
>> Stephen: NOW, WHERE ARE WE?
WHAT-- WHAT IS THIS ACTUAL SPACE WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW?
>> WELL, THIS IS-- THIS IS A SECRET LOCATION SOMEWHERE IN NEW
ZEALAND.
>> Stephen: RIGHT, GOT THAT.
>> THERE'S NO G.P.S. TRACKING.
>> Stephen: NOPE.
ALL OF OUR PHONES HAVE BEEN CONFISCATED.
>> HERE'S A SECRET LOCATION SOMEWHERE-- SOMEWHERE IN NEW
ZEALAND THAT HOUSES OUR MINIATURES.
MOST OF THEM ARE FROM "LORD OF THE RINGS."
SO, MOST OF THESE ARE GETTING ON FOR 20 YEARS OLD.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE A SELF-TAUGHT FILMMAKER.
YOU STARTED MAKING LOW-BUDGET HORROR MOVIES LIKE "DEAD ALIVE."
WHAT WAS THE TRANSITION FROM THAT TO ACCLAIMED OSCAR-WINNING
DIRECTOR?
>> THE TRANSITION WAS I-- WELL, FRAN WAS-- FRAN, MY PARTNER--
WAS INTERESTED IN A NEW ZEALAND MURDER CASE THAT HAPPENED IN THE
1950's.
AND SHE WAS-- AND SO, I STARTED TO RESEARCH IT WITH HER, AND IT
BECAME "HEAVENLY CREATURES," WHICH IS KATE WINSLET'S FIRST
FILM.
SO-- AND THEN AFTER THAT WE DID "THE FRIGHTENERS."
SO "THE FRIGHTENERS" WAS A VERY EARLY C.G.I. FILM.
WE HAD ABOUT 30 COMPUTERS.
AND SO, WHEN THAT FILM FINISHED, WE WERE STILL PAYING THESE
BILLS.
AND SO, WE-- WHAT CAN WE DO TO KEEP THESE 30 COMPUTERS GOING?
SO, I THOUGHT, WELL, I WANT THOSE FANTASY FILMS, BUT WITH
C.G.I. CREATURES.
BCAUSE "JURASSIC PARK" WAS COMING OUT, AND WE HAD THE-- THE
COMPUTERS TO DO IT.
WE WONDERED WHO HAD RIGHT TO "LORD OF THE RINGS."
>> Stephen: SINCE I GOT YOU, I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT "LORD
OF THE RINGS."
>> OH, MY.
>> JUST "THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING."
WHAT WAS THE FIRST C.G.I. THING THAT YOU CREATED FOR "LORD OF
THE RINGS"?
>> I KNEW I HAD TO DO BATTLE SCENES.
YEAH, HUGE BATTLE SCENES.
AND IN HOLLYWOOD FILMS, EVEN THOUGH, YOU KNOW, YOU SORT OF
SEE THESE BIG SPECTACULAR EPICS-- WHEN IT-- WHEN IT GETS
TO THE BIG CROWDS, THERE'S REALLY ONLY, LIKE, YOU KNOW,
MAYBE AT THE MOST, 1,000 PEOPLE, 2,000 PEOPLE.
AND, I MEAN, TOLKIEN WRITES ABOUT HELM'S DEEP, THERE'S,
LIKE, 10,000 URUK-HAI.
SO, THE ONLY WAY TO DO THAT WAS TO DO IT IN A COMPUTER.
AND SO, WE CREATED A SOFTWARE CALLED "MASSIVE."
EACH OF THE COMPUTER PEOPLE HAD THEIR OWN BRAIN.
7 THEY HAVE TO WALK AND DO THEIR
OWN THING AND MAKE THEIR OWN CHOICES.
AND IT WAS FUNNY.
THE VERY FIRST TEST, WE HAD, LIKE, 30-- 30 C.G.I. PEOPLE
RUNNING IT THROUGH, IS THAT HALF OF THEM TURNED AND RAN-- RAN
AWAY.
( LAUGHS )
ONES.
SO, WE HAD TO MUS-- SO WE HAD TO DUMB THEM DOWN AND TELL THEM TO
STAY FIGHTING.
YOU DON'T TURN AROUND, JUST-- >> Stephen: SO YOU DON'T KNOW
HOW THE BATTLE'S GOING TO TURN OUT?
>> NO, NO.
NO, YOU TEACH-- SO, IF YOU GOT-- IF YOU GOT ORCS FIGHTING ELVES,
YOU'VE GOT THE-- THESE C.G.I.
ORCS ARE TAUGHT HOW TO FIGHT LIKE AN ORC.
THE C.G.I. ELVES ARE TAUGHT HOW TO FIGHT LIKE AN ELF, WEAPONS
THEY USE, THE SORT OF STYLES THEY USE.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE CAPTURING THE ACTION, RATHER THAN, LIKE,
DIRECTING.
>> YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
NO, YOU ARE LITERALLY NOT IN CONTROL OF IT, NO, NO.
SO, YOU HAVE THESE HUGE BATTLE SCENES WHERE THE-- WHERE THESE
HORSES, LIKE, IN "RETURN OF THE KING," LIKE, SIX-- 6,000 HORSES
ARE PLOWING INTO THIS-- INTO THIS FIELD OF ORCS.
AND THAT RENDERS FOR ABOUT THREE DAYS, AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT
IT'S GONNA BE LIKE.
AND WE-- WE WAIT AND--
SEE, WHAT'S GOING TO-- BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL-- THE HORSES ARE THE
RIDERS, THE ORCS, THEY'RE ALL GONNA MAKE THEIR OWN MIND UP FOR
WHAT THEY DO-- >> Stephen: YOU'RE BAKING A
CAKE, AND YOU'RE NOT SURE HOW IT'S GOING TO TURN OUT UNTIL IT
ACTUALLY-- >> NO, NO, NO.
>> Stephen: WELL, IS THERE-- OF ALL THOSE THINGS, OF ALL THE--
OF THE MOMENTS THAT YOU CREATED IN "LORD OF THE RINGS," AND IN
"THE HOBBIT," IS THERE A SCENE THAT YOU, EVEN AFTER ALL THESE
YEARS OF LIVING WITH IT, YOU GO-- YOU SAY TO YOURSELF, "I'D
LIKE TO GO BACK AND SEE THAT AGAIN?"
>> I ALWAYS GET ASKED WHAT-- WHICH IS MY FAVORITE "LORD OF
THE RINGS" FILM?
WHICH YOU DIDN'T ASK, BECAUSE YOU'RE SMARTER THAN THAT.
BUT WHAT YOU ASKED IS, WHAT WAS MY FAVORITE SCENE?
WHICH IS, ACTUALLY, WHICH IS WHAT I THINK ABOUT.
LIKE, I LOVE THE MINES OF MORIA SEQUENCE FROM "THE
FELLOWSHIP."
YOU KNOW, WE MAKE-- GO THROUGH THE DOOR AND RUN AWAY THROUGH
THE BRIDGE AND GET UPSTAIRS.
I THINK, I-- YOU KNOW, I JUST LIKE THAT SEQUENCE, FOR SOME
REASON.
THE SCENE THAT I THINK CAPTURES A LOT OF THE SPIRIT-- AND IT WAS
A SORT OF A LATE SCENE, IS THAT WE WERE SHOOTING "TWO TOWERS,"
AND THAT WAS INTRODUCING GOLLUM.
AND A KEY THING WITH GOLLUM AS MOST PEOPLE KNOW, IS THAT HE'S
SMEAGOL AND HE'S GOLLUM, AND IT'S, LIKE, A SPLIT.
AND THEY-- BUT WE HAD GOT A SCENE WHERE THEY REALLY-- WHERE
THAT GOT SOLD, WHERE YOU REALLY GOT THE IDEA, AH, OKAY, THIS GUY
IS TWO PEOPLE.
SO, WE KNEW THAT WE NEEDED IT, BUT WE HAD NO TIME TO SHOOT IT.
SO FRAN WROTE A SCENE WHERE-- SAM AND FRODO ARE ASLEEP.
SO THEY CAN BE JUST LUMPS IN THE BED-- WE DON'T EVEN HAVE TO HAVE
ELIJAH AND SEAN-- AND A LITTLE SET.
AND WE DIDN'T HAVE ANYONE TO DIRECT IT, SO I SAID TO FRAN,
"WELL, YOU WROTE IT.
YOU SHOULD GO AND SHOOT IT."
( LAUGHS )
DAY, AND SHE WROTE AND DIRECTED THE SCENE, WHICH HAS BECOME KIND
OF PRETTY FAMOUS NOW.
>> YOU'RE A LIAR.
AND A THIEF.
NO.
MURDERER!
>> Stephen: (WHISPERS) "MURDER, MURDER."
>> YES, AND THAT WAS A LATE THOUGHT, BECAUSE WE JUST
REALIZED THAT WE NEEDED IT TO REALLY SELL THE IDEA TO THE
AUDIENCE.
>> Stephen: IT WAS TWO OF THEM.
>> OF WHO THIS GUY IS.
AND FRAN WROTE IT, WROTE AND SHOT IT WITH A TINY CREW.
>> Stephen: I RECENTLY SAT DOWN WITH JACINDA ARDERN, YOUR PRIME
MINISTER.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: AND SHE REVEALED THAT SHE AUDITIONED FOR "THE
LORD OF THE RINGS," AND DIDN'T GET A PART.
IS THAT AWKWARD NOW WHEN YOU RUN INTO HER?
>> NOW, DO YOU RECKON SHE WAS TELLING THE TRUTH?
WAS THAT?
>> Stephen: SHE SAID-- I MEAN, I HAVE NO REASON TO DOUBT--
>> NO, NO.
I-- >> Stephen: --THE LEADER OF YOUR
COUNTRY.
>> NO, NO, I-- IT CERTAINLY WASN'T A JOKE.
>> Stephen: WE HAD HER-- WE HAD HER AUDITION AGAIN.
>> YOU DID?
>> Stephen: YEAH.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE HER AUDITION?
>> OH, YEAH.
OH, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
>> Stephen: HERE WE GO.
>> IF YOU WANT HIM, COME AND CLAIM HIM.
>> Stephen: BOOM.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO APOLOGIZE?
PETER?
DO THE RIGHT THING.
>> I THOUGHT IT WAS GREAT, JACINDA.
AND, CLEARLY, 20 YEARS AGO, I MADE A TERRIBLE MISTAKE.
>> Stephen: OKAY, YOU'RE A BIG MAN, FOR SUCH A SMALL MAN.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: WHEN WE RETURN, MY CELEBRATION OF NEW ZEALAND
CONTINUES, AND I GET TO PARTICIPATE IN A TRADITIONAL
MAORI HAKA.
IT'S AMAZING!
I HAD BRUISES ON MY THIGHS FOR A WEEK.
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪