How a Fan Favorite The Lord of the Rings Character Revolutionized the Film Industry (2024)

The use of motion capture technology to animate fully CGI characters is commonplace in modern films. From the Na'vi in Avatar: The Way of Water to Thanos and the Hulk in Avengers: Endgame, most modern blockbusters have made use of motion capture to some extent. In the grand scheme of film history, this is a relatively recent development. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was one of the first films to incorporate a CGI character -- namely the controversial Jar Jar Binks -- in a major role, but it was not until a few years later that the world learned the true capabilities of motion capture.

In 2002, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers properly introduced the character of Gollum after showing some obscured glimpses of him in the previous installment. The Two Towers pioneered certain aspects of motion capture, and it was largely responsible for the widespread adoption of the technology within the film industry. Director Peter Jackson did not originally plan to use motion capture for Gollum, but that all changed thanks to the unique and memorable performance of actor Andy Serkis, who brought one of the most important characters from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium to life.

Andy Serkis Nearly Turned Down the Role of Gollum

At first, Jackson only wanted a voice actor for Gollum. Serkis, who was best known as a stage actor at the time, was initially disinterested; he wanted to play a part in which his facial expressions and body movements could be seen. Further, he was only familiar with The Hobbit novel, in which Gollum was a minor character without much emotional depth. Serkis' wife, actress Lorraine Ashbourne, convinced him to read The Lord of the Rings before making his decision. Serkis ended up finding Gollum a fascinating character in The Lord of the Rings, so he decided to audition for the part despite his earlier reservations. This story was not unlike that of Viggo Mortensen, who would have turned down the role of Aragorn if not for his son convincing him otherwise.

Serkis used the sound of his cat, Diz, coughing up a hairball to inspire Gollum's now-iconic voice. Though he was only meant to provide a voice, he used his entire body and face during the audition. He felt that assuming an unnatural posture and making wild facial expressions was necessary to produce the guttural noises for which Gollum was named. Jackson thought that these movements were perfect for Gollum, so he not only hired Serkis but also asked him to be more than a voice actor. He wanted to imbue Gollum with more of Serkis' personality, which required bringing him on set to interact with the rest of the cast.

The Lord of the Rings Pioneered CGI Technology

• Serkis drank a mixture of honey, lemon juice, and ginger dubbed Gollum Juice to soothe his throat.
• Serkis also voiced the Witch-king of Angmar and some of the Uruk-hai.
• Serkis did a pickup shot at Peter Jackson's house just a few weeks before The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was released in theaters.

When it came time to act out Gollum's scenes in The Lord of the Rings, Serkis wore a gray bodysuit that left only his eyes and mouth exposed. Jackson's crew was not recording any motion capture data from Serkis at the time; he was only there to serve as a reference for the animators and give the other actors a human being to interact with. Serkis embraced his role with fervor. Most of the cast and crew were unsure what to make of Serkis, but this only drove him to prove himself. He eventually won his colleagues over, and it became clear that he needed to be an even bigger part of Gollum's character.

The artists adjusted Gollum's face to look more like Serkis'. Serkis then reenacted every Gollum scene by himself in a motion capture suit, doing his best to match the original footage that he shot alongside the other actors. They did not employ performance capture -- the use of motion capture for facial expressions -- so the animators needed to manipulate Gollum's face by hand, mimicking Serkis' performance. For the character of Gollum, Wētā Digital pioneered a technique known as subsurface scattering, which captured the way light spreads out through the skin. This gave Gollum a more realistic appearance than previous CGI characters. Jackson's team had little time to implement these changes, but they were worth it, as Gollum became one of the most iconic characters in not just the trilogy but popular culture as a whole.

Gollum Transformed Andy Serkis' Career

• The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences disqualified Serkis from winning any Academy Awards for The Lord of the Rings since he portrayed a CGI character.
• Andy Serkis founded Imaginarium Productions, a motion capture studio.
• Serkis has recorded audiobook versions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Gollum also stood out from other motion-captured characters in the role that he played in the story. Jar Jar, for example, was meant to be comic relief. Gollum, on the other hand, was a dramatic character whom the audience was supposed to take seriously. He had his comedic moments, but he could also be frightening and sympathetic. Gollum ran the full gamut of human emotion, so he felt just as real as the films' other characters. Serkis won several awards for his performance, and he launched motion capture into mainstream knowledge.

After The Lord of the Rings, Serkis and Jackson worked together on King Kong in 2005. This time, they used performance capture for Serkis' take on the titular ape. Serkis went on to play many other motion-captured characters, including Caesar in The Planet of the Apes series and Supreme Leader Snoke in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. He has become the face of the technology that he helped popularize. If not for Serkis going above and beyond in a voice audition in the early 2000s, the modern landscape of films would look very different.

The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings is a series of epic fantasy adventure films and television series based on J. R. R. Tolkien's novels. The films follow the adventures of humans, elves, dwarves, hobbits and more in Middle-earth.

Created by

J.R.R. Tolkien

First Film

The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring

Latest Film

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Upcoming Films

The Lord of The Rings: The War of The Rohirrim

First TV Show

The Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power

Latest TV Show

The Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power

First Episode Air Date

September 1, 2022

Cast

Elijah Wood , Viggo Mortensen , Orlando Bloom , Sean Astin , Billy Boyd , Dominic Monaghan , Sean Bean , Ian McKellen , Andy Serkis , Hugo Weaving , Liv Tyler , Miranda Otto , Cate Blanchett , John Rhys-Davies , Martin Freeman , Morfydd Clark , Ismael Cruz Cordova , Charlie Vickers , Richard Armitage

Character(s)

Gollum , Sauron

Video Game(s)

LEGO Lord of the Rings , Lord of the Rings Online , The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum , The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age , The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers , The Lord of the Rings: War in the North , The Lord Of The Rings: Battle For Middle-Earth , The Lord of The Rings: Battle For Middle-Earth 2 , The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Genre

Fantasy , Action-Adventure

Where to Stream

Max , Prime Video , Hulu

Summary

The Lord of the Rings is a long-running fantasy franchise created by J.R.R. Tolkien. The core series consists of four primary books: The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, the Two Towers, and The Return of the King, all of which have been adapted into films. The Lord of the Rings core franchise centers around Frodo Baggins, a living being known as a hobbit, and a group of heroes from the various kingdoms such as the kingdom of man, the kingdom of dwarves, and the kingdom of elves. Together with the great wizard Gandalf, the group will embark on a perilous quest across Middle Earth to take The One Ring to Mount Doom to destroy it, before it can corrupt anyone and return to the hands of the evil entity known as Sauron, hellbent on conquering all of Middle Earth. The original novel/prequel films, The Hobbit, stars Frodo's uncle Bilbo Baggins as he embarks on a quest from the comfort of his home and seeks the treasure of a dragon known as Smaug. Bilbo stumbles upon The One Ring on his quest, and finds himself amidst a great war. The most recent media for the franchise is the currently airing The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, airing exclusively on Prime Video.