22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
We likes it, my precious, February 25, 2004
This review is from: Gollum: A Behind the Scenes Guide of the Making of Gollum (The Lord of the Rings) (Paperback)
Andy Serkis is the outstanding actor who is barely seen in his most beloved role: Gollum, the tormented Ring junkie. In "Gollum: A Behind the Scenes Guide," he talks frankly and easily about how this complex, difficult character was brought from the book to the screen.
Andy Serkis was unenthusiastic when he heard that they were searching for actors to play Gollum in "Lord of the Rings." But after his now-wife began gushing about what a wonderful character Gollum was, he went in for an audition, armed only with a voice that sounded like his cat throwing up hairballs. Not only did Serkis get the role, he also learned that there was more needed for Gollum than just the voice: He had to suit up in a motion capture suit to provide Gollum's movements as well.
"Gollum: A Behind the Scenes Guide" is more than just a guide about how the first really convincing CGI character was created. Serkis also chronicles bits of his everyday life in New Zealand, the birth of his son, September 11th, the premiere of "Two Towers," and the more widespread reaction to everybody's favorite Ring junkie (Gollum appeared on SNL and "The Simpsons, for example). Not to mention a sweet poem Serkis wrote to his young daughter.
To give further dimension to Serkis's story, there are lots of concept drawings and clay statues of Gollum (warning: avoid certain pages unless you're willing to see Gollum naked). There are also detailed sections written by Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, the mocap crew, and many others about how they also helped create Gollum. For example, there was a lot of thought given to what kind of nose Gollum should have, or whether he should have a potbelly.
Serkis has a nice, conversational style, with plenty of self-deprecating humor and excellent descriptions ("... suddenly this bald lunatic in pale green spandex comes lolloping into view. It was like a very bad nightmare, like a Dali painting gone wrong"). He's got a nice vocabulary and a great actor's sense, getting into Gollum's bald little head. And despite his claims of "ignorance of great literature," he makes some nice references to Narnia, Shakespeare, Dickens, Hugo, and ancient Norse sagas.
Andy Serkis and the people at WETA created movie history with the flawless Gollum. And Serkis's mini-memoir about how Gollum came to life is not just a good book for "Rings" fans, but for cinephiles and movie students as well. It's our precious.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"It's MINE, my own, my preciousssssss...", May 9, 2004
This review is from: Gollum: A Behind the Scenes Guide of the Making of Gollum (The Lord of the Rings) (Paperback)
When a friend of mine told me about this book, I just knew I had to get it. Gollum was my favorite character back when I read Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" and, seeing the movies, I was amazed at how well his complexity was captured in a CG (computer-generated) character. Yet, until I watched the bonus features on the extended version of the DVD for "The Two Towers," I'd had no idea how much Andy Serkis had put into this role. I, like most people, assumed he'd merely done the voice. So I was thoroughly impressed upon seeing how hard Serkis has worked, and gained an immense respect for him. This book, written by Serkis himself, takes us even further into the creation of the most impressive CG character ever created to date.
Writing in chronological order, Serkis takes us through his entire experience with the making of the movie trilogy. When he was first offered what was initially described as a three-week job doing the voice for Gollum, he was unimpressed. He hadn't even read the books. But when Serkis's girlfriend (now wife) heard about the offer, her response was "Oh Andy, you've GOT to go for it!" (pg. 3). And thus the journey began. After doing a little background reading, he began to prepare for his audition, but was at a loss for what Gollum's voice should sound like. In a strange twist of fate, his hairball-afflicted cat, Diz, provided the answer. But Serkis found that he could only do the voice properly if he actually crouched down and physically acted out his role as Gollum. Unknown to him at the time, what started out as a techinique to help the actor get into character would ultimately redefine the entire role.
It is usually assumed by newcomers to the movies that Serkis only provided Gollum's voice, and that the rest was entirely CG-driven. What one sees in the movie IS entirely computer-generated, but Gollum's movement throughout the films is copied almost entirely from Serkis's own physical acting. Even his facial expressions were used. "In fact," Serkis says, "more actor hours were spent working on Gollum than on any conventional screen character" (pg. 110). He actually had to perform each of Gollum's scenes twice - once with Elijah Wood (Frodo) and Sean Astin (Sam) to provide them with something other than thin air to act against, and again on his own, wearing a special motion-capture suit (often with numerous takes and retakes for each version). The data collected from the motion-capture takes was then given to animators from Weta Digital as a basis for Gollum's movement.
In addition to all his "hidden" work, Serkis does have some actual screen time - in the scene where young Smeagol murders his cousin Deagol to get the Ring. This scene, not in the original script, also meant that the CG Gollum's face had to be drastically redesigned. Gollum had to look like something that could reasonably have evolved from Smeagol, and in this case Smeagol looked like Andy Serkis. Thus the original conception of Gollum (which can be seen briefly in "The Fellowship of the Ring") was greatly altered, given more Andy-like features.
Not only does Serkis reflect on what went into the actual creation of Gollum, but he also shares with us the overall picture of his life during the years he spent working on "The Lord of the Rings." His son, Sonny, was born during the film's production. In 2002 Serkis married long-time girlfriend and mother to his two children, Lorraine Ashbourne. He also takes us along on his numerous New Zealand side trips, hiking, camping, and even river-kayaking. He tells us about the birthdays that were celebrated during this time - both his own and those of his daughter, Ruby. In one place he has included a poem he wrote to Ruby during a period when he was separated from his family. Serkis (himself originally from the Middle-East) even reflects on his reactions to the events of 11 Sept. 2001 and the subsequent "war on terrorism."
The book also contains numerous other goodies. There are over one hundred full-color images, including concept art, production photos, and movie stills. We can also read inset comments (ranging in length from one paragraph to a couple of pages) from others involved in Gollum's creation, among them director Peter Jackson, co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, and various Weta Digital artists. One fun little feature is the "flip-book" like images of Gollum: on the top, outer corner of each page is a small picture of Gollum's face with a different expression; if you flip rapidly through all the pages, you can see a kind of little "mini-movie" of him. My ONLY criticism of the book is that I wish the pictures had captions. In cases where Serkis is talking about, say, several different pieces of concept art, and only one or two are pictured, it is not always apparent which is which.
This book is an absolute must-read for any Gollum fan. It's a fairly quick read (I finished it in a few hours), but provides an amazing wealth of information. Serkis's writing is very reader-friendly, and his frequent self-deprecating humor adds a wonderful comic quality to some of his experiences (he describes himself as "a man in a gimp suit, with a face that makes Jim Carrey's look relaxed" (pg. 26).). The whole work is a tremendous look into the leading edge of CGI technoglogy, and also offers some great insights into the story of "The Lord of the Rings" and the character of Gollum in particular. I just can't recommend it hightly enough. Definitely get a copy for yourself, and consider it as a gift for any Gollum-loving friend. In a word, it's precious.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Wonderful Book, January 6, 2004
This review is from: Gollum: A Behind the Scenes Guide of the Making of Gollum (The Lord of the Rings) (Paperback)
This is an amazing book that takes you behind the scenes of how Gollum/Smeagol was created on the screen. Not only does Andy Serkis, who played Gollum, tell about his experiences creating Gollum, but he tells all about his experience with the cast and crew, and many of the adventures he had in New Zealand. It is definatly a must read for all fans of the movies and/or the books. Serkis also talks some about his family life at the time and often talks about where he got his inspiration for Gollum. I recieved this book for Christmas and I was instantly captivated by it. I would read for hours on end and never got bored of it. There are also small sections written by other crew members about Serkis and Gollum. The book is full of amazing pictures, some from the finished movies, some behind the scenes pictures, and many showing the different stages Gollum went through before he looks like he does now in the movies. I would definatly recomend this book to anyone who is looking for an interesting story.
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