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Summary: Three-ring Serkis is a special treat for readers...
Review: In the history of modern filmmaking, few actors have been asked to work with special effects so extensive that they were called upon to transcend their craft through the application of new technology. Andy Serkis is one who has, and his recent book, "Gollum: A Behind the Scenes Guide of the Making of Gollum (The Lord of the Rings)," formerly titled "How We Made Movie Magic," is both a fascinating account of how he met that challenge and an interesting look at what it took to create one of the most popular - and critically acclaimed - motion picture trilogies ever done. Lavishly illustrated, this slender, 119-page volume is far more than a talented entertainer's puff piece or vanity publication. It is, instead, an intimate diary of what Serkis went through to capture the complex personality of the strange, morally conflicted creature known as Gollum, whom many readers consider the central character in J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" books. At the same time, Serkis is generous about sharing the stage with his fellow partners in imagination. He gives space to everyone from director Peter Jackson to his FX collaborators at the WETA Workshop to talk about the process involved in producing the most realistic CGI performance to date. As the fallen hobbit Smeagol, Gollum is a giant figure in the often bizarre world of fantasy literature, and the failure to present him believeably might have crippled the whole storyline of the films. Serkis explains just how risky this project was, and what happened to turn him from an initially unenthusiastic participant, who had never read Tolkien's tale, to an ardent champion of developing the part to such an extent that the viewer could actually see the transformation of Smeagol into Gollum. Along the way, his role steadily grew. What Serkis at first guessed would amount to five weeks of voice-over work eventually became five years of grueling, difficult, and often frustrating and physically demanding scenes that had to be done over and over again to get it right. Serkis's dedication paid off, and some of his choices were simply brilliant in how well they caught the essence of Gollum/Smeagol for moviegoers who also had not read the source material before coming to the film adaptation. For instance, his decision to draw on the sound of his cat coughing up a hairball, as a manner of speaking, tied in nicely with the idea that Gollum's pain was stuck in his throat (from the guilt of having strangled his cousin Deagol to death). It gave the audience an audible shorthand for his schizoid nature. In addition, Serkis cleverly used the concept of addiction as a metaphor for Gollum's craving for the corrupting One Ring of Power. Once again, this enabled the casual viewer to find something identifiable and sympathetic even in the repellent and tormented villian before them. On a side note, it is also worth pointing out how much Serkis observed the entire LOTR cast - himself included - gradually blending into their characters, as weeks of filming in New Zealand stretched into months and then years. In his case, although Serkis ultimately got married during his professional journey, he spent long periods on location alone, just as isolated as his fictional alter-ego, Gollum. And Serkis found himself paying a personal price for portraying Gollum when (between shooting LOTR movies) he was acting as Iago in a theatrical production of Shakespeare's "Othello" as well. Needless to say, he writes, "Playing Iago and Gollum at the same time is bad for your mental health." Indeed. So did Andy Serkis deserve an Oscar nomination for all of his hard work to render the role of Gollum in "The Two Towers" and "The Return of the King"? Probably. But he seems not to care much either way. Although he is quick to credit the animators and stop-motion-capture team for their contributions, Serkis convincingly argues that innovative technology is just another means to an end, and that the emotional impact of a movie still depends on the acting and directing and writing of each and every part. And that rests with what is inside the human hearts behind them. It is then perhaps somewhat fitting that Serkis finally dedicates this book to "those who live or have lived in a dark, lonely cave of their own, either driven by incurable obsession or powerless to change their course, 'loving and hating themselves' like Gollum."
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Summary: Thank you, Mr. Serkis, our european Best Actor as Gollum!
Review: Thank you, Mr. Serkis! The our european Best Actor as Gollum, together Bilbo, Gandalf, Saruman and Aragorn, of course!
I've read your Gollum/Smeagol Great Book in few hours.
It's wonderful and important to know Peter Jackson's masterpiece of Cinema History and the movie secrets.
What after the Lord of the Rings in the Cinema? Maybe nothing...But I hope in Peter Jackson "King Kong".
Hello, Mellon, from Italy. Mr. Nicola Facciolini
Journalist
Teramo Shire
Abruzzo Region
Italy (E.U.)
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Summary: Who knew Gollum had hairballs?
Review: This book is great! I found it refreshing as well as amusing (read: "muttering to myself in Gollumese" &c.) to get an insight to the man behind the character who, in my opinion, won the Best SFX Oscar for The Two Towers. Andy Serkis deserves major props, not just as a good and funny storyteller, but as a great actor who can not only provide the hairball-hacking, chortling voice for Gollum, but jump right into a freezing cold river to chase down a fish that's "rrraw and wrrrigling" and probably not even there!
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Summary: Andy Serkis - Invisible Genius!
Review: This engaging and heartfelt book is not only an insider's look at a good few years in the life of an actor, but at his dedication to a role. I've come to admire Serkis for his commitment to his craft, and for his likeability, sincerity, and willingness to give it all in the name of credible filmmaking. As an artist, I truly am awestruck; it's a pity the book tour does not include Miami, so I could compliment him in person. At any rate, do yourselves a favor, LOTR fans, Serkis fans, and acting aficionados alike...it is very revelatory and heartwarming.
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Summary: Gollum and Smeagol and Andy......
Review: 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!
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Summary: A Wonderful Book
Review: This is an amazing book that takes you behind the scenes of how Gollum/Smeagol was created on the screen. Not only does Andy Serkis, who played Gollum, tell about his experiences creating Gollum, but he tells all about his experience with the cast and crew, and many of the adventures he had in New Zealand. It is definatly a must read for all fans of the movies and/or the books. Serkis also talks some about his family life at the time and often talks about where he got his inspiration for Gollum. I recieved this book for Christmas and I was instantly captivated by it. I would read for hours on end and never got bored of it. There are also small sections written by other crew members about Serkis and Gollum. The book is full of amazing pictures, some from the finished movies, some behind the scenes pictures, and many showing the different stages Gollum went through before he looks like he does now in the movies. I would definatly recomend this book to anyone who is looking for an interesting story.
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Summary: "It's MINE, my own, my preciousssssss..."
Review: When a friend of mine told me about this book, I just knew I had to get it. Gollum was my favorite character back when I read Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" and, seeing the movies, I was amazed at how well his complexity was captured in a CG (computer-generated) character. Yet, until I watched the bonus features on the extended version of the DVD for "The Two Towers," I'd had no idea how much Andy Serkis had put into this role. I, like most people, assumed he'd merely done the voice. So I was thoroughly impressed upon seeing how hard Serkis has worked, and gained an immense respect for him. This book, written by Serkis himself, takes us even further into the creation of the most impressive CG character ever created to date. Writing in chronological order, Serkis takes us through his entire experience with the making of the movie trilogy. When he was first offered what was initially described as a three-week job doing the voice for Gollum, he was unimpressed. He hadn't even read the books. But when Serkis's girlfriend (now wife) heard about the offer, her response was "Oh Andy, you've GOT to go for it!" (pg. 3). And thus the journey began. After doing a little background reading, he began to prepare for his audition, but was at a loss for what Gollum's voice should sound like. In a strange twist of fate, his hairball-afflicted cat, Diz, provided the answer. But Serkis found that he could only do the voice properly if he actually crouched down and physically acted out his role as Gollum. Unknown to him at the time, what started out as a techinique to help the actor get into character would ultimately redefine the entire role. It is usually assumed by newcomers to the movies that Serkis only provided Gollum's voice, and that the rest was entirely CG-driven. What one sees in the movie IS entirely computer-generated, but Gollum's movement throughout the films is copied almost entirely from Serkis's own physical acting. Even his facial expressions were used. "In fact," Serkis says, "more actor hours were spent working on Gollum than on any conventional screen character" (pg. 110). He actually had to perform each of Gollum's scenes twice - once with Elijah Wood (Frodo) and Sean Astin (Sam) to provide them with something other than thin air to act against, and again on his own, wearing a special motion-capture suit (often with numerous takes and retakes for each version). The data collected from the motion-capture takes was then given to animators from Weta Digital as a basis for Gollum's movement. In addition to all his "hidden" work, Serkis does have some actual screen time - in the scene where young Smeagol murders his cousin Deagol to get the Ring. This scene, not in the original script, also meant that the CG Gollum's face had to be drastically redesigned. Gollum had to look like something that could reasonably have evolved from Smeagol, and in this case Smeagol looked like Andy Serkis. Thus the original conception of Gollum (which can be seen briefly in "The Fellowship of the Ring") was greatly altered, given more Andy-like features. Not only does Serkis reflect on what went into the actual creation of Gollum, but he also shares with us the overall picture of his life during the years he spent working on "The Lord of the Rings." His son, Sonny, was born during the film's production. In 2002 Serkis married long-time girlfriend and mother to his two children, Lorraine Ashbourne. He also takes us along on his numerous New Zealand side trips, hiking, camping, and even river-kayaking. He tells us about the birthdays that were celebrated during this time - both his own and those of his daughter, Ruby. In one place he has included a poem he wrote to Ruby during a period when he was separated from his family. Serkis (himself originally from the Middle-East) even reflects on his reactions to the events of 11 Sept. 2001 and the subsequent "war on terrorism." The book also contains numerous other goodies. There are over one hundred full-color images, including concept art, production photos, and movie stills. We can also read inset comments (ranging in length from one paragraph to a couple of pages) from others involved in Gollum's creation, among them director Peter Jackson, co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, and various Weta Digital artists. One fun little feature is the "flip-book" like images of Gollum: on the top, outer corner of each page is a small picture of Gollum's face with a different expression; if you flip rapidly through all the pages, you can see a kind of little "mini-movie" of him. My ONLY criticism of the book is that I wish the pictures had captions. In cases where Serkis is talking about, say, several different pieces of concept art, and only one or two are pictured, it is not always apparent which is which. This book is an absolute must-read for any Gollum fan. It's a fairly quick read (I finished it in a few hours), but provides an amazing wealth of information. Serkis's writing is very reader-friendly, and his frequent self-deprecating humor adds a wonderful comic quality to some of his experiences (he describes himself as "a man in a gimp suit, with a face that makes Jim Carrey's look relaxed" (pg. 26).). The whole work is a tremendous look into the leading edge of CGI technoglogy, and also offers some great insights into the story of "The Lord of the Rings" and the character of Gollum in particular. I just can't recommend it hightly enough. Definitely get a copy for yourself, and consider it as a gift for any Gollum-loving friend. In a word, it's precious.
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Summary: This Book is "Preciousss"
Review: You'd think it'd be enough to simply write about his experience as an actor, but Andy Serkis goes leaps and bounds further with this book. It incorporates details of his family and theater life that took place during the creation of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, as well as magnificent complementing photographs (of him in daily life, of him making the movies, and of scenes from the movies, including The Return of the King), and comments from the rest of the crew on the making of Gollum and on Andy's performance. I'd recommend this book to everyone. The reading level is light, the book is a fast read, and I did not want to put it down. It is extremely enjoyable reading. Any fan of film or acting will get something out of it.
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