The Hunt for Gollum - Fan Film Takes It to the Next Level

 

Video by Independent Online Cinema on

youtube

I stumbled on this film today while browsing for something to watch that I hadn't seen or didn't want to see. What I found was a done not-for-profit Lord of the Rings fan film "The Hunt for Gollum". The film is very well done; proof that your too can make a movie.

The all volunteer crew and cast spent two years lovingly hand-crafting this tribute to the Lord of the Rings series and an homage to the Peter Jackson films.  The film managed to stay within a doable budget with clever shot angles, brilliant film editing and a talented cast of amateur actors. The film doesn't try to do too much, one of the traps so many fan films fall into. The action covers a single story arc from within the LOTR universe. It chooses its subject well so that it is the story that takes center stage and not the special effects, of which there are few. It's very clever the way they did it.

I have to hand it to the actors who portrayed Strider and Gandalf. They made them believable. Strider's fight scenes with the orcs were very well done. Somebody certainly knew how to choreograph fight scenes! The guys doing the orcs were no slouches either. The big fight scene was worthy of a multi-million dollar special effects blockbuster, albeit as an episode within the film. .

Apparently, gifted amateurs can make a very good film on a very low budget.  All you need is a smart director , talented film editor and enthusiastic volunteer actors with some degree of ability. The love and respect for the material these people had is evident throughout the film. And this was no rogue operation. They had permission of the Tolkien family to make it. And they didn't steal anything from Peter Jackson. Everything is original right down to the music. The 40 minute film is based on appendices and supplemental story material from The Silmarillion and other Tolkien materials.

And surprisingly, given some of the truly cringe-worthy fan films that have come out of late, this fits nicely as a supplemental chapter to the Peter Jackson films. I'm going to grab this one and add it to my digital collection. I don't think the makers will mind. And if you're a LOTR fan, I highly recommend you see this one to complete your viewing of all things Middle Earth.

Great job guys. My hat is off to you. A decade or so ago, George Lucas predicted that in not many years ordinary people would be able to make high quality films with over-the-counter computer and video equipment. The only limitation they would have, Lucas said, was intelligence and artistic sense. Given how well this film came out, not every good filmmaker is working out of Hollywood. Had they chosen to make this a for-profit film, with a little marketing, it might have made a little money. As it is, it's an act of love by fans of JRR Tolkien and Middle-Earth.

Made in 2009, I can't think how I missed "The Hunt for Gollum" for this long. Three pineapples!

© 2020 by Tom King