Michael
July 28th,2005, 07:52 PM
The Hobbit has been made! By a young film-maker!
Not a bad 'Hobbit'
18-year-old makes movie version of Tolkien classic
VALPARAISO | "You can't pull this off," Andrew Jones said to Zachary Gibson, when Gibson asked him to take part in a movie version of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit."
Jones, a huge Tolkien fan, told Gibson, "You can't make those costumes. You can't film this. You don't have the money."
With a video camera he got for his 16th birthday and $2,000 of his own money, Gibson proved Jones wrong. It took him two years, but the 18-year-old managed to bring Tolkien's classic to the big screen -- or rather to DVD. By doing so, Gibson, a film fanatic, learned all facets of the moving-making process.
"It was a lot more work than I thought it would be," he said.
After spending four months writing the script from the lengthy text, Gibson cast the film by recruiting from his friends and family, along with open calls. At 6-feet-5-inches, Jones made the perfect Gandalf, the all-knowing wizard. For Biblo Baggins, the title character, Gibson chose one of his six younger siblings.
"I like working near my brother," 9-year-old Brian Gibson said. "He first gave me some papers and then he just decided to tell me the lines."
In his search for costumes and props, Gibson scoured the second-hand retail stores and perused curbs on garbage day. For scenery, he used both outside locations and constructed elaborate sets in his basement.
"There was always something being spray-painted," his mother, Linda, said with a laugh. "There were times I was kinda like, 'I want my house back.'"
The cast and crew of nearly 100 did most of the filming last summer, spending one day a week shooting for about four months. Working with a cast of his peers posed a few hurdles for Gibson.
"There were a couple of turned up noses at some of the sets," Gibson said. "But overall, (the cast members) were all great."
Gibson's challenges continued through post-production, when he had to make some of Tolkien's fantasy characters come alive on screen.
"The special effects were kind of scary," he said. "You write something and you're like, 'How am I going to do this?'"
Like everything else, Gibson pulled it off with his imagination and resourcefulness. He used green screens, small-scale models and some creative editing.
At a premiere party with 240 people earlier this month, Gibson, who is bound for a film program at Bethel College in Mishawaka, won over his critics.
"I was really blown away," Jones said.
Not a bad 'Hobbit'
18-year-old makes movie version of Tolkien classic
VALPARAISO | "You can't pull this off," Andrew Jones said to Zachary Gibson, when Gibson asked him to take part in a movie version of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit."
Jones, a huge Tolkien fan, told Gibson, "You can't make those costumes. You can't film this. You don't have the money."
With a video camera he got for his 16th birthday and $2,000 of his own money, Gibson proved Jones wrong. It took him two years, but the 18-year-old managed to bring Tolkien's classic to the big screen -- or rather to DVD. By doing so, Gibson, a film fanatic, learned all facets of the moving-making process.
"It was a lot more work than I thought it would be," he said.
After spending four months writing the script from the lengthy text, Gibson cast the film by recruiting from his friends and family, along with open calls. At 6-feet-5-inches, Jones made the perfect Gandalf, the all-knowing wizard. For Biblo Baggins, the title character, Gibson chose one of his six younger siblings.
"I like working near my brother," 9-year-old Brian Gibson said. "He first gave me some papers and then he just decided to tell me the lines."
In his search for costumes and props, Gibson scoured the second-hand retail stores and perused curbs on garbage day. For scenery, he used both outside locations and constructed elaborate sets in his basement.
"There was always something being spray-painted," his mother, Linda, said with a laugh. "There were times I was kinda like, 'I want my house back.'"
The cast and crew of nearly 100 did most of the filming last summer, spending one day a week shooting for about four months. Working with a cast of his peers posed a few hurdles for Gibson.
"There were a couple of turned up noses at some of the sets," Gibson said. "But overall, (the cast members) were all great."
Gibson's challenges continued through post-production, when he had to make some of Tolkien's fantasy characters come alive on screen.
"The special effects were kind of scary," he said. "You write something and you're like, 'How am I going to do this?'"
Like everything else, Gibson pulled it off with his imagination and resourcefulness. He used green screens, small-scale models and some creative editing.
At a premiere party with 240 people earlier this month, Gibson, who is bound for a film program at Bethel College in Mishawaka, won over his critics.
"I was really blown away," Jones said.