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The Frodo Franchise: The Lord of the Rings and Modern Hollywood 1st Edition

by Kristin Thompson (Author)

4.2 11 ratings

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"Once in a lifetime." The phrase comes up over and over from the people who worked on Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings. The film's seventeen Oscars, record-setting earnings, huge fan base, and hundreds of ancillary products attest to its importance and to the fact that Rings is far more than a film. Its makers seized a crucial moment in Hollywoodthe special effects digital revolution plus the rise of "infotainment" and the Internetto satisfy the trilogy's fans while fostering a huge new international audience. The resulting franchise of franchises has earned billions of dollars to date with no end in sight. Kristin Thompson interviewed seventy-six people to examine the movie's scripting and design and the new technologies deployed to produce the films, video games, and DVDs. She demonstrates the impact Rings had on the companies that made it, on the fantasy genre, on New Zealand, and on independent cinema. In fast-paced, compulsively readable prose, she affirms Jackson's Rings as one the most important films ever made.

ISBN-10

0520247744
ISBN-13

978-0520247741
Edition

1st
Publisher

University of California Press
Publication date

August 27, 2007
Language

English
Dimensions

6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
Print length

421 pages
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“The Frodo Franchise is the best case study yet written about film as a commodity in the global marketplace.” (Stephen Prince Film Quarterly 2008-12-01)

“For any person interested in the role of franchise film making on modern Hollywood, The Frodo Franchise should be considered required reading.” (Terry Hobgood Film International 2009-04-01)

“A lively and quick read that should appeal to scholars and fans alike.” (Tolkien Studies 2008-07-01)

“It’s always more satisfying to follow the art than the money, but in this comprehensive study you can do both.” (Richard Von Busack Metro Newspapers 2007-08-29)

“Whether you are a film scholar, a student, or a Tolkien enthusiast, you will benefit from her [Thompson’s] efforts.” (Journal Of Popular Culture 2008-04-01)

From the Inside Flap

"This is the best all-around view of the Tolkien phenomenon. Thompson understands the books, she understands the moviesshe also understands the money and the franchising. Best of all, she understands the people. Thompson offers cultural criticism of the highest order, examining one of the most significant shifts in contemporary popular media."Tom Shippey, author of The Road to Middle-earth

"Reading these chapters has been an absolute pleasure. It’s all so complex but so succinct. Thompson has managed to do what so many others have failed to do . . . in chapter one, she has explained how all the rights to LOTR bounced around, and were finally sorted so Peter Jackson could make the movie. I’ve never understood the complexities of how that worked until now!"Judy Alley, Merchandising Coordinator, The Lord of the Rings

"I must say that Thompson has written the definitive study of Peter Jackson’s work in creating this remarkable production entity."Alex Funke, ASC, Oscar-winning Visual Effects Director of Photography, miniatures unit, The Lord of the Rings

"I had a wonderful time reading those chapters! There’s so much I don’t know about what went onI am in awe of all the research Thompson has done. It is an extremely interesting read! There’s so much there that I’d forgotten and I always wished there was a permanent record of many things that happened. Thompson’s account of TORN’s beginnings and how it functioned gets it absolutely rightmore than that, Thompson captures how it felt to us at the time. Nobody else has managed to get enough of an understanding to do that."Erica Challis ("Tehanu"), co-founder of TheOneRing.net

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of California Press; 1st edition (August 27, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 421 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0520247744
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0520247741
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.12 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,817,101 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,509 in Film & Television
- #9,165 in Movie History & Criticism
- #31,677 in Professional

Customer Reviews:
4.2 11 ratings

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4.2 out of 5

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Beth

This book rocks!

Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2007

The Frodo Franchise is a MUST-HAVE for anyone who is passionate about: The Lord of the Rings movies, Peter Jackson and how he and his fellow creative geniuses revolutionized the movie industry, New Zealand, the LOTR fan world, etc. It is an engaging, carefully researched and very detailed work about all aspects of the PJ/LOTR phenomenon. It includes great photos, important interviews, fascinating information about the way films are marketed and how LOTR took that to a new level, etc. The title tricked me--for some reason I thought it would be a negative book; however, it is clear Thompson is a Tolkien fan who was at first skeptical about the films but then grew to love them. This book is an in-depth look at all things LOTR and, much to this reviewer's delight, it is clear the LOTR phenomenon is not going away anytime soon. Thank you, Kristin Thompson, for this wonderful and important book!

10 people found this helpful

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George L. Dziuk III

A Thorough Discussion of the Movie's Impact

Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2009

This book centers around the development and repercussions of the movie franchise on the industry. Its primary focus is to explain in detail how Peter Jackson was able to create one of the most successful movie franchises in the history of film making. That being said...its not just a book about the film, but an argument against the notion that franchise films stifle creative thought and are simply money making schemes of Hollywood. Some of the most interesting sections detail how big a risk New Line was taking with Lord of the Rings, how Jackson's New Zealand shooting gamble paid off, the development of Wellington's movie making capacity through creation of postproduction facilities and other movie-making related business firms, and the enormous impact the movie franchise had on the New Zealand economy.

I enjoyed this book immensely because it discusses a facet of movie making that I didn't really understand. This book is about the business of making movies and how the Lord of the Rings trilogy was able to capitalize on emerging trends in movie making and internet-based marketing, and how Jackson and his crew used innovative practices and cost-cutting mechanisms to make the film.

Finally, I don't recommend this book if you are interested in learning more about how the movie was filmed. Instead I recommend simply watching the movie development series on the Extended Edition versions.

2 people found this helpful

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Richard M. Lippincott

Not quite what it may seem.

Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2008

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Don't be mislead by the positive reviews. This is not a book about the making of the movie series and had very little new information in that regard. What it is is a detailed look at how the films were marketed and how the franchise was leveraged for maximum profit. There is also a lot of discussion of how that applies to the way Hollywood does business.

Just make sure you know what you are getting.

5 people found this helpful

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James W. Cortada

Perfect book for Rings Fans and Film Buffs

Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2007

This book is an intimate look at the creation, filming, and deployment of The Lord of the Rings movies. It discusses all the key participants, the role of New Zeland, how fans influenced the movies over the Internet, and how the film industry is fundamentally changing because of this project. It is well documented and close to the events because the author had access to everyone involved, producers, director, actors, techis, the works. The book is also a great action-packed read. Maybe the best film book we have seen this year!!

12 people found this helpful

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Sherry Williams

interesting

Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2008

I really enjoyed the book Frodo Franchise. I must have because I got two of them. Actually, I was curious about how a movie got made, especially one that I loved as much as Lord of the Rings. But I don't know why I got two.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

tatiana

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 23, 2015

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fine

Ron Graham

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 29, 2017

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1

Nicholas Casley

Where 'The Lord of the Rings' Film Trilogy Led, Others ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 15, 2014

Verified Purchase

The story that this book tells is not about `The Lord of the Rings' film trilogy (hereafter `TLOTR') itself, but rather it is used as an example - and in some ways the originator - of the dramatic changes in cultural and business models adopted by the major studios. The book's subtitle `The Lord of the Rings and Modern Hollywood' is not for nothing.

The book was published in 2007 and has ten chapters, spread over four sections. There are thirty-nine figures as well as twelve colour plates. In her preface and acknowledgements, Kristin Thompson (Honorary Fellow at the University of Wisconsin) states that she interviewed seventy-seven people from all aspects of the film business.

In her introduction, she points out that significant works of art have always had the potential to create a franchise, citing Shakespeare's Falstaff as a good example. She then explains how `TLOTR' also fits the bill, whatever Tolkien himself might have thought of the consequences of his conception.

The first of the four parts - `The Film' - has three chapters. `Prudent Aggression', the title of the first, is an axiom adopted by film studio New Line Cinema. Thompson explains how New Line used `prudent aggression' in the filming of the trilogy - not the nitty-gritty of the daily shoot, but in terms of film rights, studios, potential directors, and economic returns. In this first part, she also explains why changes were made between the book and the film, and the assessments made of the kind of audience for which it was aiming. She writes, "Fans who might object to some of the liberties taken with the story could be consoled by the fact that the physical world described so extensively in the novel was created in rich detail up on the screen."

Part two, again with three chapters, is titled `Building the Franchise.' Here she addresses how the trilogy was advertised; how it was tied in with other brands; the creation of `making of' special documentaries prior to the films' releases; press kits and press junkets. And here she demonstrates how the nascent power of the internet which was then only starting to have such a profound effect on communications helped spread expectation around the world's Tolkien communities. In two chapters she covers (i) official fansites and their relationship of the film to marketing, and (ii) unofficial websites and spin-offs such as fan-fiction sites over which the studio could have little or no control. There was initially a large degree of friction between New Line and unofficial websites until the former realised the level of suitably-controlled but free publicity that the latter could bring to their product.

Two chapters comprise part three, `Beyond the Movie.' In a chapter titled `Licences to Print Money', she analyses the new merchandising opportunities, most especially through the extended DVDs, another new concept in the market that appeared around the turn of the century to set alongside the power of the Internet in franchise promotion. `TLOTR' led the way in terms of extras on these DVDs. Video games are another feature she explores, writing "The games of the franchise have not simply adapted Tolkien's tale. They have expanded his imagined world into a site for interactive play."

The two final chapters that form part four do not really share a subject. In the first she looks at how New Line cleverly persuaded independent film distributors in their respective national territories to take on some of the debt towards making the trilogy even before the first had been completed. In the second she looks at the effect of the making of `TLOTR' on the country in which it was made: "Perhaps no film has had as much impact on the country in which it was made as `Rings' had on New Zealand. The short-term and long range effects on its national economy, on its film industry, and even on its culture in general are astonishing." There is much here about how the film was made in terms of the physical work required and the locations used.

This book then is geared more towards students of cinema as a business rather then to fans of `TLOTR.' Where `TLOTR' led - such as in terms of the issue of extended DVDs, or the interaction with internet fan-bases, or simply through the profits that can be gained through taking a franchise further - others followed, and to that extent the book is of immense insight. But it is noticeable that some of those franchises she mentions as being in the pipeline in 2007 have not appeared after all. Some might indeed blame `TLOTR' for much of the poor films produced by Hollywood since then.

Nevertheless, Thompson has done her homework, interviewed key players, engaged with wide-ranging sources. It is well-written and communicates easily, not being encumbered with academic or philosophical pretensions that much of cinema writing possesses these days. The book is insightful and has important things to say. So why only three stars? Well, because the subject is not one that really appeals to me. This book is about the nuts and bolts, not the magic; it is about the other culture of cinema, the side we do not really know about, or even wish to know about. That is not to say that I did not enjoy some parts of the book; but I was on the verge of boredom in others. This is not the author's fault: I am a student of life, not of the business of making money out of films. (Btw, I loved the films.)

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