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That shot of Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli running across a field probably also cost a fortune.
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Actors’ pay rates, which for these well-known actors would be fairly high. (Multiply this by several times if you want to do multiple takes.)
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Costumes, makeup, hairdressing, backup costumes in case something breaks.
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It’s an airborne shot, so you’ll need a helicopter or high-end drone and a pilot for it.
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Camera purchase/rental.
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Paying for the composer of the musical score.
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Previous location scouting trip all over NZ.
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Possibly had to pay someone money in order to get permission to film here.
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Director and other associated film crew’s pay rates.
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Transportation and support crew; catering; medical on standby; etc.
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And for each of the above, add transportation to NZ, or factor in paying premium prices to find a local option.
Overall, probably still a cheaper shot than the CGI shot. (Especially since some of these expenses would be shared with every other shot in the movie.) But still, I’m sure this was not a cheap shot to produce, actually. And it still cost ‘a fortune’ to make that shot.
helicopter or high-end drone
Given that the LOTR films were made in the early 2000s, I believe only one of these options would have been available.
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This is why I don’t give a shit about superhero movies.
There’s a certain something that’s just missing. It’s also why old school action movies were some of the best, they didn’t have CGI, so had to do it for real.
Modern action scenes just completely fail to understand violence and impact.
80s slug fests are infinitely better than modern action scenes that feature more cuts than a diced onion.
The OG gone in 60 seconds was a masterpiece, and it’s mostly because all the driving and all the stunts are real.
The editing and sound was also brilliant.
Wasn’t the entire point of CGI that it’s easier and thus cheaper than practical effects, shooting on location etc.? I wonder how instead, it became this weird mix of absurd budgets, lame CGI and lame scripts at some point.
No, that wasn’t the point. It’s just another tool, not a wholesale replacement.
I don’t really like CGI. You would think it would make everything feel more immersive but it make things seem fake to me? Idk, it’s the same for videos game graphics these days for me. I’d rather play a fun game with 98-04 graphics. I wonder if it has to do with ADHD.
Yeah, lord of the rings hardly had any CGI.
If you ignore gollum, and the fell beasts, and the trolls, and the thousands-strong armies, and…
Stop hating on CGI. It’s not CGI that makes films bad.
CGI is a tool, not a replacement for good composition, is the point.
