The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King {Designing and Building Middle Earth Big atures}

[@Lewislpalm]

Hands down, the most effort ever put into a trilogy of films. I'd even wager that the time and effort poured into a single one of the films dwarfs that of 95% of anything shot in Hollywood. This was truly knocked out of the park and the series shall forever remain timeless thanks to the skilled and passionate hands of these people in New Zealand.

[@anrina]

it's because of stuff like this, these movies are going to outlast the test of time.

[@RamsayboltonSnow]

tis crazy to think about took 6 years 97-03 so worth it

[@gen2mediainc.577]

The story itself is also very awesome. The entire 4 hours is constant tension and feels like a war

[@juhos30000]

Mad respect for people who created this trilogy. Its mindblowing how much effort they put in these films!!!

[@tiberiussempronious6252]

Well worth the effort. It still looks great 16 years later

[@temporarymomentary]

It will look great forever because it was real. Not CGI.

[@ErikCPianoman]

Can confirm. Looks amazing and holds up to this day! Rewatching the trilogy with some friends who have never seen it.

[@NitrosS]

it will looks great forever, this is a timeless classic

[@theaddictofgaming9174]

@@temporarymomentary There was a ton of CGI to make these miniatures work the way they do. It's about the synthesis. Their are tons of old movies with fake-looking miniatures. These look good because of the careful consideration put into every aspect of the film.

[@tavo9716]

Glad to see that Grond did it's job first try... GROND! GROND! GROND! GROND!

[@YvieT81]

The conceptual designer, John, I believe he also worked on The Hobbit with the other conceptual designer, Alan. But man, just seeing him draw his pictures is just mesmerising! What drawing talents they both are! 👏🏼

[@DngrDan]

I never thought about the metal spikes on top of the battlements being an addition of the orcs and centuries of rust causing the stains on the walls. That attention to detail is amazing.

[@ariehill5631]

I had the same thought! And where the inspiration was drawn from was quite creative, specific, and unique

[@ThaCinna42]

When I was a kid watching these movies, hearing that they were entirely shot in NZ, I literally thought that places like Minas Tirith were ACTUAL PLACES in NZ. Like towns that existed that they just decided to shoot in. That is how incredible weta workshop's creations are.

[@Ben-sv5fy]

20 Years later and still an amazing looking film. Would love to know where these miniatures are now. They need to be in a museum

[@MerchantIvoryfilms]

Not since Star Wars did a Trilogy put this much love and care into the miniatures department. Just love this type of filmmaking!

[@rosezarroreid6928]

they did a wonderful job. For those who read the books, many of us were wondering if they would get the scale of these objects but they rewrote how we pictured these in our minds. Every time I re-read the book, I used the models for the movie. no other movie has ever come close to doing this.

[@JQUE94]

These movies will live forever, been binge watching the trilogy on Hulu

[@joewhitehead3]

Doing the same thing

[@SunburntHands]

I like the rubber duck at 1:41. Shame it didn't make it into the final version of Minas Morgul

[@Trapset_Agent]

Return of the King with a fraction of the budget made something with 100x the beauty and craftsmanship of Amazon's dollar store Game of Thrones.

[@pikkuadi]

1000 shoot days. This crew was 100/10

[@noahchavez741]

We shall never see this type of care and respect for any type film in this age or any age to come!

[@johnsullivanmusic2719]

Those miniatures, the fact they had to create so many different scales and they all look identical is just a level of mastery most wish to attain in their lifespan.

[@mosesking2923]

Anyone else here after they announced Lord of the Rings in 4K UHD? Can’t wait to see these beautiful miniatures in their full 4K glory!!!

[@chandyboi2976]

Just that moment at 6:32 gives you such a good feeling of reward and sense of satisfaction for the crew that worked on these movies.

[@BigBalvin]

You know Peter Jackson has the miniatures just chillin in his basement

[@vladtepes3201]

I would too lmao at least helms deep

[@user-dn9om6cx6q]

Do you know for sure?

[@owenhodson7921]

What’s his address?

[@hithere7626]

The BigBalvin *Currently finding his address.*

[@wildmikefilms]

I hope he kept some of them. But sadly.. many of them are destroyed :(. I would put them all in a museum.

[@johnconcerto8721]

This makes me emotional for some reason.

[@spikepachita6026]

0:10 glad Peter didnt listen to him

[@KillberZomL4D42494]

Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Hobbit trilogy are best films i've ever seen, no matter how much I rewatched and rewatch them, I love it.

[@Andy3612]

The Hobbit was offensively bad

[@yeahiagree1070]

Thanks for uploading this - I remember my old dvds i used to watch this over and over. I found these miniatures so fascinating. I wonder where all those 80,000 tiny skulls ended up. They would be a great memento of the trilogy.

[@bfkc111]

Going out with the bicycles. 8:04

[@bigbake132]

1:42 Orcs had a rubber duckie? LOL

[@timmteller871]

I saw it too lol

[@baptistic]

An iron duckie

[@antnovs]

The amount of miniature work man, insane. Modern filmmakers should take notes.

[@naeeanvideos]

Yo....those skulls.....Mad props to everyone involved.

[@LiliaArmoury]

watching this as a terrain maker is so inspiring, i love the use of lights

[@MattLeader]

Does anybody know what happens (happened) to all these fantastic pieces of work once filming has finished? They really deserve to be put on display.

[@jovelynlucero7746]

Ohhh you are here 😂😂😂

[@BasePuma4007]

They're actually hidden at an undisclosed location.

[@hntrl8880]

​@@BasePuma4007could you elaborate? They're hidden?

[@BasePuma4007]

@@hntrl8880 Yes, they are hidden at an undisclosed location in New Zealand that only a handful of people know the location to, which includes Peter Jackson. It is to protect some of the highly detailed miniatures from theft. Some of those miniatures - such as the Minas Tirith one - are immensely valuable due to the significance of the trilogy and the huge amount of highly skilled labor required to make them.

[@lordpigster]

Can you upload the entire appendices for The Two Towers and Return of the King? I've looked everywhere on the internet so far and just found the one for Fellowship of the Ring

[@itemtest1]

Feels like so much work and passion put into this :)

[@ayrton56612]

The miniatures are the secret to why these movies still look great and realistic today

[@ErikCPianoman]

17:12 that’s why everything looks so amazing. They sold their soul to the devil to make it so 😂

[@eternalnjem]

That part was a little creepy lol

[@waitwho3074]

Here's just another proof that Real Stuff beats hands up CGI effects! An amazing visual quality! 100% CGI sucks, feels plasticish and so noticable!

[@CianMcsweeney]

Depends on how good the CG work is, just like any other medium

[@Horny_Fruit_Flies]

The problem with CGI is that when it's good, you never notice it. You only notice the bad CGI.

[@robertJ14]

Wow that Minas Tirith model. Genius combination of the experts at Weta working with Alan Lee who's being imagining the books for a long time.

[@Orthodoge]

I hope they put this much effort in for the Amazon Prime Lord of the Rings show based in the Second Age, hopefully they work with Weta, Peter Jackson, and New Line Cinema

[@tylerwerner291]

I don't trust Peter after how much he milked the Hobbit. Fuckin disaster.

[@TheBuefurd]

@@tylerwerner291 It wasn't Peter's fault. Watch the documentary on the Hobbit. He was forced to do the films in a fraction of the time he was allowed to take with the LOTR trilogy, which had him stressed out and anxious the entire time. He didn't even want to do it because of the time restraints. It's an interesting story but sad that it cheapened what could have been an excellent film.

[@Pedrammotahari]

They are trying to use as little cgi as possible in the show

[@andrejkelcik4133]

@@TheBuefurd Lotr trilogy still came out each year same as Hobbit tho

[@andrejkelcik4133]

Since they payed so much money only for the rights they better put some fokin effort, and yea they working with new line I read somewhere

[@ayrton56612]

Still looks great today. Glad they did not ruin it with to many early 2000's animations.

[@txm100]

One cannot thank Peter and the people of Weta enough for bringing the books to life as perfect as they did.

[@johnconcerto8721]

Beautiful. What an achievement.

[@ayrton56612]

Definitely a dream job

[@masterowen45]

We all just gonna ignore the giant duck at 1:42 in the concept for Minis Morgul!?

[@mae-mx1rt]

haha keen eye

[@deedlit42539]

Minas Tirith is Beatiful 👑

[@Fritz___]

I wish new films would use more of this work with miniatures rather that overusing CG

[@ShengTheCraftsman]

no point really, it would costs too much and takes too much time, you can see this video the actual model and then the process, the touch up is so much it end up looks like CGI because of the lighting and stuff, but of course it has some dream like quality there, a lot of the sections are made specifically for close up shots, scenes that are too far away can greatly cost reduced by blue/green screen, also let's talk about stuffs, the stuffs most movie makes ends up destroyed due to copyrights law etc or split to keep by everyone else, just because when the franchise or the trilogy is not big enough to secure a long term showroom/museum/ warehouse , paying rent for these place costs a lot, I worked in props company before, we were throwing away so so much props, is a shame, I wish to kept some of the stuffs too, but I was not allowed to, unless I'm being sneaky, and those promotional props for malls, just omg, after the whole advertisement ended, we the clean up crew had to smash and destroy and dispose of the props and stuffs, such a heartbreaking job, I hope they did kept the rivendell, helms deep and most important Minas Trinith somewhere. ........

[@Archetype77]

@@ShengTheCraftsman Your inane rant doesn't change the fact that the miniature/cgi combo in this trilogy holds up better after nearly twenty years than the Hobbit, or any other pure cgi movies hold up after five minutes of release.

[@ShengTheCraftsman]

@@Archetype77 you are just being bias, that's all, the end of conversation

[@eternalnjem]

@@ShengTheCraftsman cgi is more expensive

[@Jhon_wick03]

​@@Archetype77 true

[@tomjwhite]

Adore the film but jesus christ peter thats an absurd amount of skulls

[@Pat121V]

For a scene that was cut from the theatrical release. The directors cut is a masterpiece.

[@purefoldnz3070]

Ten years later.. ALL CGI MODELS

[@brennanyoung4893]

Sucks, doesn't it?

[@johndelzoppo1366]

To be fair, WB only gave him a year in between to spit out each individual film. He did not have the time frame that he had for the LOTR trilogy. It's not entirely his fault

[@TaurinCoffein]

Not at all! Watch Blade Runner 2049...

[@ObstagoonGuy]

@@johndelzoppo1366 Erm, yes he did. Just like LotR, The Hobbit movies were all shot at once. The one year in between the movies was only for post-ptoduction as all movies were shot before the first one hit cinemas. LotR also only had 1 year in between.

[@ObstagoonGuy]

But nonetheless, The Hobbit is still a solid trilogy. Not in the same league as LotR, but solid

[@qurantino3624]

If I ever become a filmmaker, I want to use miniatures/bigatures!

[@MrStensnask]

1:41 is that a giant bathtub duck..?

[@Mr._Du]

6:20 is it weird that the skulls look like caramel corn to me?

[@armorpro573]

Exactly what I was thinking 😂

[@barneskirenj]

Man i wish someone would make a 1:1 3D model of Minas Tirith that would be possible to explore

[@sonofgondor1696]

And I want it to be even bigger, like an actual huge city having walls extending outwards from the existing city with farmlands and homes in it. That'd be so cool lol

[@TomorrowWeLive]

I'd live there. Make me the garbageman, privy cleaner, whatever. I'd do it for free just for the privilege of living there.

[@AAMPictures]

Could someone please refresh my memory - what was the main foam/material used in building and sculpting the miniatures?

[@chrisnewman7281]

One wonders were all these models are today if they still exist, they’ll be a great addition to a museum of some description

[@lemonana6509]

before the CGI made u feel like every movie is a cartoon

[@russianinc1]

Breathtaking

[@karolryszawy2531]

Imagine these being real people skulls..."Tackle Vinnie" XD

[@slane_design]

most badass job ! How cool would be to work on that set?

[@tylerfreitas1453]

Alan lee made me fall asleep with his whispering lol

[@ZaherArraf]

2:39 this reading does anyone know where can I find the full recordings?

[@TomorrowWeLive]

It's the audiobook. On audible.

[@ZaherArraf]

Tomorrow We Live Can you give more details or how can I find it? 🙏

[@BlueNightZX]

beautifully done

[@TheMoonShepard]

This is how you create something Timeless

[@Andy3612]

Wonder where these miniatures are now?

[@mareecuree]

lovely!

[@Stephen-wb3wf]

Wonder if the crew ever did some war gaming on these after hours!

[@2HHB]

was that skull roll cut from the film?

[@hugo54758]

1:43 look a cute duck oin the rightr side

[@eternalnjem]

Imagine Peter Jackson’s Halo movie

[@albertosaurschannel6946]

I’m still waiting for that movie.

[@lookaroundyou8108]

Where will all these miniature models go? Is there is a Lord of the ring museum? Cause that would be awesome.

[@gfmundial]

Amazing!

[@reyd-extrow402]

4:37 telk me if you see a face on there

[@johnnomadic440]

Rey D-ex Trow yes, there was a face!

[@adolfhitmaker8639]

THE BIG BOOK OF BRITISH SMILES

[@ChadKakashi]

Oh what I wouldn’t give to be a part of this crew...

[@orianswordsberg7963]

Wow, the kingdoms and the fortresses in the movie were all minitures

[@arsenal2death]

Greatness

[@cawotene]

17:24 MASSIVE

[@thecomradered]

What's with the duck at 1.42

[@KingJoshwer]

Where is Barad Dur?

[@SauROnmiKE]

I wonder what kind of party they had for day #420

[@mykls8712]

❤

[@jsprunger6246]

Fucking beautiful

[@skrivbordslampan6923]

Does this documentary have an official title? Can I find it on IMDB?

[@ToJam14]

Skrivbordslampan This is from the Appendices of the Return of the King Extended Edition

[@sergarlantyrell7847]

After this, how did The Hobbit go so wrong?

[@ladytenor9876]

John Ronald Ruel Tolkien is smiling.

[@mosesking2923]

Actually he would have hated these films for what they did to his beloved characters. But as a tolkien fan, I'd give them a 7/10.

[@briancarter1597]

But what happened to all the skulls!

[@MrInkblots]

Brian Carter It was pretty strange and unnecessary so they took it out

[@shirleymental4189]

Your Mum's got them.

[@MMAoracle]

CGI is terrible compared to this way of making sets

[@albertosaurschannel6946]

There are some directors today still use CGI but when it unnoticeable. Guillermo Del Toro still uses CGI even though he blends it with practical effects. It’s all in “How You Use CGI” properly. The Star Wars Prequels were using too much CGI and looked terrible. Even in the Hobbit Trilogy. Dead Man’s Chest is a great example of how to use it properly. I thought Davy Jones was an actor in a suit but that was all motion capture and the cgi of Jones made me believe “it was real”. The there I couldn’t tell if it was practical or cg.

[@griffinh21]

And then Peter scrapped the whole department for the hobbit.

[@christopherbuckley5929]

He didn't have time or any prep to do any of these miniatures because WB wanted him to immediately start filming after Guillermo left or they'd replace him.

[@griffinh21]

True, but Peter Jacksons one of the most powerful directors in Hollywood who won WB 17 oscars. I feel like he could have put his foot down/ delayed shooting had he really wanted to

[@jesperburns]

@@griffinh21 Not really. Jackson was one of the producers and they had already given Del Toro and team a lot of money, combine that with WB being in financial trouble and the fact that they had to attract (I think) 4 more producers to shell out the money for the project to not be a complete failure and you have a recipe for disaster. There was also some conflict with the New Zealand actors guild. Lindsey Ellis made a great documentary about the Hobbit films, sheds a whole new light on them.

[@Elemental-Phoenix]

@@griffinh21 Lindsey Ellis has a great video series explaining exactly what went down behind the scenes. I'd advise checking it out.

[@griffinh21]

Elemental_Phoenix Cool, I'll check it out! Clearly, there's a lot of behind the scenes stuff I was unaware of

[@massimo4683]

11:12 privileged? they build those "amazing toys" themselves so i dont understand why he says it like that.

[@ariehill5631]

I think he was referring that the crew is privileged with having such a sense of vocation rather than your average adult working a job they hate. It's in the sense of 'do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life" mist people don't get to do what they love for a living

[@arnieiam]

80000 skulls?! And it didn't make the theatrical cut

[@-aepo-]

the satanic party was eye opening.. wtf lol

[@EfnysYersina]

*GROND*

[@AJ0223]

Tolkien would have been furious at a party celebrating 666 and everyone dressed as demons while adapting his great lifes work smfh

[@AtlanteanVrilChad]

Right! People don’t know that he was a devout Christian who always had his bible open when he wrote LoTR.

[@AJ0223]

@@AtlanteanVrilChad GRRM certainly knew it though lol

[@dhardhirdruha6916]

You must not had mocked the verses of the Bible. When God said about the number of evil 666 means he had referred to something evil. It is not that you make fun and do perty by dress-up like demons... What was wrong with you??? Do you have lost your morality and forget the difference between evil and good???

[@AtlanteanVrilChad]

Tolkein was a Christian and actually had the Bible open every time he wrote LoTR.

[@AtlanteanVrilChad]

I believe 666 is the number of the Morningstar. The heroic hero-King. Jesus basically. 616 is the beast’s number. Of course they don’t want people to know this truth, all that is bad is good all that is good is bad. They want to convince you that Jesus is Evil when he is not. Don’t fall for their deception.

[@dhardhirdruha6916]

@@AtlanteanVrilChad Even saita open the Bible to deceive people and to currupt their brain accordingly. There who don't believe in Jesus name or believe that he is God of heaven and earth will be deceived by that same devil.

[@AtlanteanVrilChad]

@@dhardhirdruha6916 Jesus is a mortal man not God. Wralda and Jesus are two different people. He was the SUN of God. The morningstar. The one who shines the brightest. You have been deceived. The bible was written by 🔯 to deceive people.

[@dhardhirdruha6916]

@@AtlanteanVrilChad According to all the Previous Prophets Messiah is God Almighty. According to Jesus Christ himself he is Son of God (i.e equivalent to God) From the first book Genesis to the Last book Revelation Jesus Christ has shown God of heaven and earth. There is only one bright morning star present in this world which had not fallen and it is Jesus Christ. All those who had been created as bright morning star were fallen and failed. Indeed the Jew wrote the holy Bible because Jesus Christ came for the lost tribes of the Jew (Israel) to save them. And anyone who believe in God Jesus Christ will be saved from his punishment of sin as he/she has believe in the Son of Almighty.

[@muttleo]

waste

[@fdr100100]

Minas tirith is the worst model the detail looks fake and the placement of the buildings look awful

[@onyx4974]

Do better 😉

[@nak3dxsnakegaming661]

this guy sucks. you build one real quick. didn't they have different ones for different takes as well.

[@malifor00]

Its looked fantastic my guy. Theres a lot of fans put there who can tell you the same. This movie won awards for a reason.

[@MerchantIvoryfilms]

And you can do better? Oh wait you can't, your just a person who watches youtube videos...wow what talent haha!

[@hussain1921]

Nice try trolling lol