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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 791.4372
EAN num: 9780618391042
ISBN number: 0618391045
Label: Houghton Mifflin
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 128
Printing Date: December 22, 2003
Publishing house: Houghton Mifflin
Age index: Ages 9-12
Sale Popularity Level: 556727
Studio: Houghton Mifflin
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Product Description:
Film-making history was made when, in The Two Towers, an actor's performance and digital animation were seamlessly integrated to create the world's very first totally lifelike computer-generated character. Now Andy Serkis tells his own story about how a three-week commission to provide a voiceover for Gollum grew into a five-year commitment to breathe life and soul into The Lord of the Rings' most challenging creation.
- Did the voice of Gollum really start with a cat being sick?
- What was it like acting in a bodysuit covered in dots?
- How much was Gollum modeled to look like Andy?
- What surprises does The Return of the King hold in store?
Fully illustrated with more than one hundred exclusive behind-the-scenes photos and drawings, and with contributions from the many designers and animators who brought Gollum to life, this book examines the transition to the big screen of one of literature's most unforgettable creatures. As the filming takes him from London to Wellington, and from the MIsty Mountains to Mount Doom, Andy Serkis explains the methods - and the madness - behind the most amazing five years in this actor's life.
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Rated by buyers -
Just wanted to give five stars.
Oh, yes, and I thought I was the only person to camp with no supplies save a copy of LOTR! You know what they say: great minds think alike.
Rated by buyers -
I love Andy Serkis. I love his book. Go buy it. Love him too. Enough said.
Rated by buyers -
Andy Serkis, the actor behind the character of Gollum in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, takes us deep into the terrain behind this great epic of our time. Through his experience in creating a close reflection to Tolkien's Gollum, he comes forward in what seems to be a blunt honest story of his time on the set and creates a brief, enjoyable actor's account.
Beginning with a phone call and winding his way through the streets of New Zealand, the highways of character development and the psychological paths of his acting and character experience, we get a great bit of knowledge of what it really feels like to transform yourself into another person for the sake of showing the world a tale - or even a message. You could call it a diary, completely packed with bits and pieces that are extremely informative, but brief. Learn what it takes to be an actor or a psychiatrist, to completely envelope yourself into character and to be immersed in a wonderfully diverse land. With contributions from Gary Russell and others on set, this book has incredible illustrations, sculptures, design plans, photographs and passages from the crew. Hilarious Gollum faces are located on the top outer corner of each page as you read along, making a fun time in itself.
I would definitely recommend this book to fans of the movie trilogy, those who want a better glimpse behind the making of a soon-to-be classic, movie enthusiasts/aspirers, or anyone else if they just want a fun read. This is definitely a kid-friendly book (though some kids may get disgusted or confused at some of the sculptures of Gollum without his little rag around his waist. Ahem. . . :D), though I think it may tend to be slightly boring for younger kids. Definitely PG.
So I will leave you to your browsing and shopping with a song from Gollum,
"Rock and pool
is sweet and cool
so nice for feet,
we only wish
to catch a fish
so juicy sweeeeet!"
Happy Reading!
Rated by buyers -
This is a fascinating account of Andy Serkis's experience in creating the CG character, Gollum, as well as his actual "on screen" time as the ring-beguiled Smeagol in the opening scene of The Return of The King.
Andy's tale is engaging and honest, relating the hardships he endured in bringing the character to life and only increases my respect for him as a performer and a human being. It must have been a long, sometimes difficult job for every actor in the films, but Andy put in more hours than any other actor involved, many of them in isolation from the "moral support" of comrades.
Perhaps the most touching part of this book is Andy's dedication, which is to his own children, the Jackson children, the Astin children, and all the other "children of the ring" who were forced to sacrifice so much time with their parents during the making of these epic pictures.
A GREAT bet for some wonderful inside info and some pretty neato pictures!
Rated by buyers 
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Even casual film fans are now familiar with the character of Gollum and the groundbreaking special effects that turned him into one of the screen's most memorable characters. Now, we get to see Gollum from a different perspective: through the eyes of the man who brought him to life, Andy Serkis. This memoir, written by Serkis (w/help from Gary Russell) is an entertaining and eye-opening look at the production of both the character in general and the films as a whole. Andy had done mostly small roles in films and plays when he received an intriguing casting tip from his agent: Apparently, New Line was making a trilogy of films based on the "Lord of the Rings" series, and needed someone to voice the character of Gollum. Serkis, unfamiliar with the trilogy (though he had read "The Hobbit" in school) initially balked, until his partner (later, wife) Lorraine--who HAD read the books--urged him to try out. Andy agreed, and began to try different voices that might fit the character. He was stuck, having tried many different voices, until inspiration hit in the form of his cat. (His gagging, hairball-infested cat.) Serkis, who had decided to approach Gollum as a character so full of guilt and obsession (he also compares Gollum to a hardcore junkie) that he was literally choking on it, imitated his poor gagging cat in front of Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh...and the rest, as they say, is history.
Andy journeyed to New Zealand for what he though might be a bit of voice work. Instead, the role of Gollum turned into one of the most challenging undertaken to date: Serkis not only supplied the voice of Gollum, but also his movements as well (thanks to innovative motion-capture technology). Serkis would end up filming scenes multiple times: once in a blue suit, accompanied by Elijah Wood and Sean Astin, then again without them, and often again in a suit studded with dots (reference points for computer animators). Though tedious, this process allowed the animators to bring Gollum to living, breathing life, a genuine example of movie magic. (How detailed is the character of Gollum? A deaf man who saw "The Two Towers" was able to read his lips.) Andy studied the character, often referencing the books for little insights into the character and his psychological makeup in order to bring greater depth to Gollum. And perhaps a little bit of Gollum worked its way into Andy...because vegetarian Serkis suddenly found himself enjoying fish again.
Despite the frequent hardships of filming, Andy was able to keep a sense of humour and professionalism about him, and is able to look back at many of the more difficult moments and laugh. Indeed, his sense of humour sustains the book when it bogs down or becomes repetitive; Serkis felt the need to relate the details of motion-capture technology a few too many times, as if he were telling a multi-part story and needed to bring new readers up to date. He grouses a bit about his initial lack of recognition and appreciation, especially when he had to repeat long scenes in the blue suit while the other actors could relax. (The worst one: Repeating a scene that involved splashing in frigid water...and that blue suit was NOT insulated). But he chides himself for those feelings, and finds a great deal of humour in those difficulties now.
Serkis, who claims little knowledge of classical literature, belies it with frequent references to and quotes from Nordic literature, the Bible (Smeagol's murder of Deagol draws comparisons to Cain and Abel), Shakespeare's "The Tempest" (comparing Gollum to Caliban), Jekyll and Hyde, Frankenstein's monster, and more. His writing style is smooth, full of humour and frequent good-natured self-deprecation, especially when relating how he foolishly ventured onto a rapids-filled river with minimal supplies, only to be rescued by four Wellington city councilors. His feelings of unappreciation were greatly assuaged when he learned that he would actually be on-screen, playing the role of young Smeagol in a flashback, as we see how Gollum came into possession of the Ring. Though he would still find himself largely unrecognized: A flight attendant saw him reading the books and innocently asked him if he knew about the films, sighing all the while because Orlando Bloom had been on the plane just a few days before. Serkis resisted a strong urge to crawl on all fours and hiss in his Gollum voice. (I don't know if I could have).
This little book (119 pgs) contains all one would want to know about the creation and evolution of one of modern cinema's most unique characters, and is highly recommended.
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