The sound of helicopter propellers echoed in the air, even the closed earplugs couldn't block it. Duke confirmed that his seatbelt was secure enough. From the open cabin door, he operated the camera and shot downwards. The almost pristine wilderness of New Zealand stretched below. The members of the Fellowship of the Ring were lined up in a long queue, making their way across the rugged hills.
Middle-earth is a marvelous world that exists in Tolkien's fantasy, yet it has never truly been showcased in any movie.
By taking advantage of the Fellowship's travel time and using New Zealand's natural scenery as a reference, combined with appropriate CGI enhancements, this world would become clearer in the film.
The plane made a turn, and Duke shot several wide-angle shots of the Fellowship from the front, left, and rear before instructing the pilot to return to base. After landing, he took an off-road vehicle and drove to the filming location.
Upon arriving at the outdoor set, Duke had just gotten out of the car when Tina Fey, accompanied by Nancy Josephson and an actress, approached.
"Hey, Duke, long time no see," she greeted him first.
"What brings you to New Zealand?"
Nancy Josephson's clients weren't just him; she also worked with many actors, which puzzled Duke.
"I came with Cate."
She stepped aside and introduced, "This is Cate Blanchett, an actress I just signed."
"Cate, you should know Duke, right?"
Cate Blanchett removed her sunglasses and gloves, extending her hand. "Hello, Director Rosenberg."
"Hello, Miss Blanchett." Duke shook her hand, exchanged a few pleasantries, then turned to his assistant. "Tina, take Miss Blanchett to get familiar with the set."
The scenes for Galadriel, the queen, were about to begin filming, and the actress needed to get into character quickly.
Tina Fey took Cate Blanchett away, while Nancy accompanied Duke up a small hill, standing on a large rock, overlooking the entire outdoor set.
Nancy looked towards the woods at the end of the wilderness and asked, "Looks like the shoot is going well?"
"Not bad," Duke glanced at the members of the Fellowship resting nearby. His gaze shifted to the woods, one of the filming locations for Lothlórien. "Some films are hard for me to shoot, while some types are easier."
Movies that explore characters' inner emotions at an extremely slow pace, and showcase a variety of personalities, are incredibly difficult for Duke. To be more precise, films about psychopaths, sadists, and multiple personalities aren't his forte.
This has resulted in a peculiar phenomenon: while his films easily make stars out of actors, he has never created an Oscar-winning male or female lead. However, he has had several actors nominated for the Golden Raspberry for Worst Actor and Actress.
The result is another phenomenon: the actors nominated for those Golden Raspberry awards often have higher salaries and wider recognition compared to the Oscar-winning stars.
This was particularly obvious in recent years. During the current awards season, Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron were nominated for Worst Actor and Actress at the Golden Raspberries. Yet, they have become global superstars, solidly entering A-list status. Meanwhile, the Oscar winners?
Even with their little golden statues, Robert Benigni and Gwyneth Paltrow are still far from being A-listers.
The Golden Raspberry isn't the end, and the Oscars don't necessarily guarantee endless glory for an actor.
Simply put, playing a psychopath, sadist, or ugly character doesn't have more artistic value. It's just catering to a certain group.
"So, how did you sign Cate Blanchett?" Duke asked curiously. "Wasn't her agent not yours when the crew discussed contracts last time?"
"I just signed her recently," Nancy retracted her gaze and stomped on the rock beneath her foot. "You must have heard about this year's Oscars?"
Duke nodded, and she continued, "After Cate lost the Oscar for Best Actress, she fired her previous agent."
"She wasn't wrong to lose," Duke said lightly.
"Yeah..." Nancy Josephson completely agreed with Duke's point. "It would have been strange if Gwyneth Paltrow had lost to her."
Though Gwyneth Paltrow won the Oscar for Best Actress and was criticized by the media as one of the most undeserving winners in recent years, industry insiders knew that it was entirely normal for Gwyneth Paltrow to win Best Actress, considering her pedigree and extensive public relations. If she had lost to Cate Blanchett, Hollywood would have been in serious trouble.
Gwyneth Paltrow came from a showbiz family. Her father was well-liked in the industry, and she had Steven Spielberg as her godfather, with Miramax managing her public relations. Given that, it was impossible for her to lose to Cate Blanchett, who wasn't keen on public relations, or Meryl Streep.
In fact, the Oscar results in recent years have become increasingly obvious, with roles and acting no longer being decisive factors in who wins. Outside factors now play a more significant role.
It hasn't been too severe yet, but in another decade or so, as Oscar viewership continues to decline and more niche films and roles are chosen, the Oscars may subtly become a political award, losing much of its previous influence.
Down below, the crew finished their break, but Duke had no intention of heading over. John Schwartzman could handle the wide-angle shots of the Fellowship's march perfectly.
The crew moved to a new location, continuing to use wide-angle shots to showcase the fantastic scenery of Middle-earth.
After two days of filming over twenty shots of the Fellowship moving across the barren land in New Zealand's South Island, the crew moved to the woods at the far end of the wilderness. With temperatures rising in mid-October, it was the perfect time to shoot the exterior scenes.
"Go notify Ian and Cate."
Standing at the edge of the forest, which was referred to as Lothlórien, Duke looked towards the makeup trailers and instructed an assistant. "Tell the makeup artist she has half an hour left."
Duke was about to shoot the beginning of the second movie, where Gandalf meets Galadriel, the queen.
In the original story, Galadriel was a key figure in Gandalf's transformation into the White Wizard.
In Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Gandalf and Galadriel never meet directly, but their support for each other is evident. Both were members of the White Council, with Gandalf even being recommended by Galadriel for the position of the council leader, although Gandalf refused.
In the later Hobbit trilogy, the relationship between Gandalf and Galadriel became more ambiguous, with many scenes hinting at a certain closeness.
In The Hobbit 3, their interactions, including the princess carry and kiss, were particularly intense.
Ian McKellen arrived shortly after, while Cate Blanchett, who had just started filming her first scene, took much longer to complete her elaborate makeup.
However, once Cate Blanchett was fully transformed into Galadriel, the effect was stunning. As she walked into the set dressed as Galadriel, she immediately captivated everyone's attention.
Her pale skin, the embroidered white dress, and the sunlight shining down from above made her seem as though she was radiating white light.
Cate Blanchett walked up to Duke and quietly said, "Sorry, I took a bit longer than expected."
"No problem," Duke glanced at his watch. "You're not late."
He turned his gaze away from Cate Blanchett and called out loudly, "We start shooting in ten minutes!"
Though the scene wasn't too difficult, Duke was planning to add it to the beginning of the second film, so it was one of the most significant scenes.
Ten minutes later, when all departments were ready, Duke glanced at Ian McKellen and Cate Blanchett's positions and shouted, "Action!"
In the silent golden forest, Cate Blanchett, barefoot, walked out, and a beam of pure white light shone down from a crane, enveloping her and giving Galadriel a regal and sacred appearance.
With light and graceful steps, she walked toward Gandalf, who was lying in the golden leaves.
She carried a white staff in one hand, her white robe draped over her other arm.
Gandalf slowly woke up, turning to look at Galadriel. "My... dy..."
Cate Blanchett gave a mysterious and enchanting smile, "Gandalf, returned to Middle-earth with a mission."
As she spoke, she bent down to drape her white robe over Gandalf.
"Cut!" Duke called for a stop. "Ian, Cate, good job. Let's do it again."
Galadriel, one of the most powerful elves in Middle-earth, possessed some prophetic abilities. In the original story, she foresaw Gandalf's return, sending the Great Eagle to search for him, and the eagle found Gandalf on the peak of the Misty Mountains and brought him back to Lothlórien.
Gandalf had indeed died but was sent back by Eru to complete his mission.
Galadriel draped the white robe over him to symbolize his new identity as Gandalf, who would replace Saruman as the leader of the Wizards.
Cate Blanchett had now entered her role, and with her in character, Duke led the crew to the nearby temporary set to continue filming Lothlórien scenes with the backdrop of the set and blue screen.
The filming continued into November, and Duke gave the crew another four-day break. He and Nancy prepared to fly to Sydney to discuss the Matrix sequel with Warner's higher-ups.
Since Nancy also had business to discuss with Cate Blanchett regarding the Sydney Theatre, after receiving Duke's approval, she invited Cate Blanchett to join them.