If you’ve watched The Lord of The Rings Trilogy, then you might be wondering, where were The Lord of the Rings movies filmed. Follow this article till the very end, as today we are going to discuss the awesome filming locations of this legendary film series.
The LOTR film series released the first installment, The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring in the summer of 2001. Other sequels from the trilogy which followed, were released back to back, with a year’s gap in between. These fantasy adventure films were inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s fictional adventure novel, published during the 1950s.
Fran Walsh along with Philippa Boyens further worked on the script and further developed the screenplay for the movie. Whereas, infamous filmmaker, Peter Jackson directed the first installment of the Trilogy.
The makers of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy were highly satisfied with the commercial performance of the first action-adventure movie. As it managed to collect $897 million at the box office against the shooting budget of $93 million. However, the sequels which were released in the later years didn’t gross as much. Over the years The Lord of the Rings Trilogy won numerous prestigious awards including a number of Oscars.
Now, let’s discuss where were The Lord of the Rings movies filmed and check out the astounding shooting locations.
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Where Were The Lord Of The Rings Movies Filmed? Let’s Know These Fantasy Adventure Flicks Closely!
The makers of The Lord Of The Rings film series decided to shoot the film in and around various beautiful locations in New Zealand, during the initial stages of pre-production. Thus after the script was adjusted and the cast members were selected, the makers arranged a meeting to discuss the filming locations.
The production members took a considerable amount of time to scout the shooting locations in various parts of New Zealand. The makers then decided to shoot in the northern as well as the southern part of this beautiful Oceania country.
Although, it’s important to mention that, the first installment of the movie, The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, took the longest to shoot. The production members took almost four long years to complete the shooting. Yet, the sequels which were released in the years that followed took much less time to get filmed.
This was large because of the common filming locations from the first installment, which were also used to capture the majority of the sequences of the sequels.
So, right now we are going to check out the common shooting locations in New Zealand, which were used in all three parts of the film series. Plus, we’d also talk about a few pivotal locations which were specifically used in certain parts of the film series, exclusively.
Now, without further ado, let’s find out, where were The Lord of the Rings movies filmed.
Wellington | New Zealand
The opening sequence of the movie where we see the forest near Bree in the first installment of the trilogy was actually filmed in the Wellington region of New Zealand. The production members specifically used the city of Upper Hutt, in order to capture the opening outdoor sequences of the movie.
The filming crew then moved to a sparsely populated area near the Kaitoke Regional Park and captured the sequences of the fictional Rivendell Valley shown in the film series. Interestingly enough, the scenes of the enchanted River Anduin which appears in almost all three parts were also filmed in the same region.
Other pivotal sequences of the film series were filmed around South Wairarapa District and Greytown which are also an integral part of the Wellington region.
Southland | New Zealand
The majority of the sequences of the film series, which exclusively appear in certain installments, were captured in the Southland Region of New Zealand. The production members traveled to the region of Otago and captured some outstanding sequences near Queenstown.
The scenes depicting the magical place of Amon Hen in the film series were filmed near Lake Wakatipu, which is located in Queenstown. A number of filmmakers from around the world travel to this place each year, to capture some picturesque background for their movies.
Other important scenes showcasing the Ford of Bruinen were filmed around the Arrowtown Recreational Reserve, situated near the southeastern region of Otago. The production members also filmed the breathtaking scenes of the Rivendell waterfalls in the Southland region of New Zealand.
Other Filming Locations | New Zealand
As you already know, the story of The Lord of the Rings films is set in a fictional world. So in order to depict the mesmerizing scenes of the fictional places, the production members had to use CGI and VFX.
In all three installments of The Lord of the Rings film series, the Camperdown Studios located at Camperdown Road, Miramar was used to capture most of the interior sequences. The outdoor sequences too were morphed inside this well-equipped studio.
A huge chunk of the production budget was spent on doing so, but the scenes came out absolutely amazing and made the overall experience of the film series totally amazing.
Now, we’ve discussed a number of pivotal locations which were used for all three installments of the legendary The Lord of the Rings trilogy. But, if you’re intrigued to visit the locations in person and get first-hand experience, then you should check out Tasman Region, Glenorchy, and Tongariro National Park.
The above-mentioned places in New Zealand will surely make your next trip to this beautiful Oceania country memorable and worthwhile. Now, while you jot down the names of these places and add them to your bucket list. You can take a break and also look up Avatar: The Way of Water, King Kong, The Power of the Dog, and Our Flag Means Death which were also filmed in New Zealand
Final Words
Ok friends, I hope now you finally know where were The Lord of the Rings movies filmed. If you enjoyed the read do let us know in the comments section below. Plus, if you’re intrigued to read similar pieces, then you can certainly check out other amazing articles on Viebly.
