Made In Hollywood

In Wellington's outdoor filming location, the Minas Tirith rooftop square, which had taken three months to build, looked exceptionally noble and sacred under the surrounding blue backdrop. Hundreds of actors, made up and ready, walked onto the set in coordinated lines under the direction of several assistant directors, preparing to welcome the king's return.

Duke stood on an elevator platform, holding a loudspeaker and methodically directing the entire crew's operations.

"Amanda, adjust the crane and recording equipment again!"

The filming used live sound recording, with a crane that would constantly follow Viggo Mortensen, who played Aragorn.

Duke then turned to John Schwartzman. "John, you control the main camera. Your target is Aragorn! Ben, your second camera on the crane will capture panoramic shots as per our plan! Terry, your third camera, focus on the front-row actors! Gwyl, your fourth camera will focus on the Hobbits."

The director's monitor was also set up on the elevator platform. Duke checked the test shots from each camera, made a few minor adjustments, and gave John Schwartzman an 'OK' gesture before aiming the loudspeaker at the props department.

"Bill, how's the preparation of the petals?"

Bill, who was checking the White Tree props, shouted back, "Everything is ready."

The bloodline of Isildur returns to Gondor, and the king enters the White City. The withered White Tree will bloom again, and petals will fall to the ground.

While this scene was massive and required a large number of actors, it was the least of Duke's worries. Except for the people in the front rows, CGI would be used to fill in the background, and the cast had already rehearsed without makeup multiple times before today's shoot.

"Props department ready..."

"Lighting ready..."

"Set ready..."

"Cameras ready..."

"Actors ready..."

Each department reported in, and Duke waved his arm toward the bottom. The script supervisor brought the clapboard to the main camera.

"The Lord of the Rings, final shot, now starting filming!"

The long crane quickly moved, and the first camera, hanging below, captured each scene from a distance and gradually zoomed in on Aragorn in front of the palace.

Viggo Mortensen finally removed his ragged costume and donned the ancient, splendid armor, standing with his back to the camera.

Due to the close-combat nature of his fighting style, Aragorn's costume had rarely been washed during filming. Mortensen endured much discomfort compared to Orlando Bloom, who always played the suave, cool character.

However, the king's return would finally bring Aragorn a departure from his rough life, transforming into a high, rich, and handsome man, marrying the beautiful, wealthy princess.

Bright lights illuminated Mortensen and Ian McKellen, and Middle-Earth dispelled the gloom and darkness, ushering in light and peace.

The tall Ian McKellen placed a crown on Mortensen's head, following yesterday's rehearsal.

The King had returned!

Mortensen climbed to the top of the stairs, holding Andúril, the sword reforged from the shards of Narsil. He spoke briefly and sang the praises of his ancestors in Quenya.

"Across the seas, I have come to Middle-Earth..."

As Mortensen hummed, countless white petals fell from the crane above, seemingly welcoming the return of the king.

"And my descendants will dwell here forever..."

This scene would be re-recorded with music and sound effects in post-production. Duke filmed this way to help Mortensen fully embody Aragorn's character. He descended the stairs, walking through the line of actors, while Terry's third camera captured important roles.

The main characters who participated in the War of the Ring and survived appeared one by one on Duke's monitor.

Gandalf, Gimli, Faramir, Eowyn, Eomer, Elrond, and Arwen.

The countless rehearsals without makeup clearly paid off, and this long shot was nearly perfect. It wasn't until Aragorn reached the four Hobbits that Duke called, "Stop!"

"Reset the set!" he shouted into the loudspeaker.

In the earlier filming, the Hobbits had only been background figures, with dwarf stand-ins used. Now that they were shooting close-ups of the actual actors, Elijah Wood and Billy Boyd needed to be swapped in. However, their height differences posed a challenge, so platforms had to be added around the other actors to emphasize the Hobbits' roughly four-foot stature.

The platforms, which had been prepared in advance, were quickly brought in and installed, and the filming resumed.

Viggo Mortensen, holding hands with Alessandra Ambrosio, walked up to Elijah Wood and the others. The four Hobbits bent to salute but were stopped by Aragorn.

"My friends, you do not need to bow to anyone..."

Saying this, Viggo Mortensen knelt, followed closely by Alessandra Ambrosio, and then all the actors did the same...

Duke, glancing from the monitor, let out a soft breath. Fourteen months of shooting had finally reached a significant milestone.

The end? Post-production was far from complete, and the road to box office success hadn't even begun. This was just the end of filming!

"Cut!"

While his mind raced with thoughts, Duke didn't hesitate to stop the entire crew. People slowly stood up from the set. Some were relaxed, others confused, some sighed, and some reflected on the long journey of filming.

Although Titanic took four years to make, the actual filming time wasn't long. But a movie like The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which spent 14 months filming, was rare not only in Hollywood but also worldwide.

Duke sighed deeply, raised his loudspeaker, "No matter how magical the journey, it has an end. I announce that The Lord of the Rings has officially wrapped!"

As the elevator platform slowly descended, Duke was immediately surrounded by over ten key actors.

Billy Boyd, always the lively one, was the first to hug Duke, joking, "Although I'm not sure if the film will succeed, this will always be my fondest memory. Duke, I really don't want to say goodbye."

"We'll meet again, Billy," Duke patted him firmly on the shoulder. "Don't forget, you need to record a theme song for me."

After several revisions by Billy Boyd, Duke had decided to use his song "The Last Goodbye" as the promotional and theme song for the conclusion of the trilogy!

If the series sparked strong reactions, when The Return of the King was promoted, this song would undoubtedly stir many people's emotions.

Even in this emotionally charged farewell, Duke thought of these commercial elements. God would forgive him, for as a director bearing a $350 million production cost and with the final trilogy's total investment exceeding $500 million, if he didn't consider such things, he wouldn't be a qualified commercial film director.

For instance, when the actors hugged him one by one, the camera controlled by Ben Watts continued faithfully recording each moment.

These would also make great promotional materials.

Regardless of the internal dynamics, a crew full of friendship and love was what the public wanted to imagine and expect.

Soon, more people came to hug Duke, and he said goodbye to each one.

"Viggo, you are the most dedicated actor I've ever seen."

After a heartfelt hug with Viggo Mortensen, Duke had a commemorative item sent: the King's Sword – Andúril!

"Orlando, you'll be the world's most handsome archer!"

To Orlando Bloom, he gifted the short bow used by Legolas, whose bowstring was blessed by Galadriel's hair.

Elijah Wood received a golden chain with the One Ring attached, different from the one he had worn. It was inscribed with the Black Speech of Mordor—The One Ring, Ruler of the Rings!

"Elijah, you can wear it to bed every night; you'll have sweet dreams."

Duke rarely cracked a joke, but the commemorative items, especially the One Ring given to Elijah Wood, would be important movie memorabilia in the future.

"I can't believe my elven journey is ending so soon!"

With grace and elegance, Alessandra Ambrosio approached Duke, looking at her beautiful Elven gown. "I really don't want to take it off."

"You can keep them."

Duke pointed to her attire and accessories. "They're yours now."

As they spoke, someone handed over Arwen's velvet gown to Alessandra Ambrosio's assistant.

"Colleen, kiss him!"

A voice shouted from behind, and Ambrosio hung her arms around Duke's neck, kissing him on the lips.

This was probably the most amusing moment of the farewell ceremony. The audience erupted into applause, which was just as loud as when Aragorn held hands with Arwen in the big reunion scene.

"I see the light fading as dusk sets in,

I hear the wind rise with sighs,

When snow feathers fall and cover my old friend's body,

I softly say this final farewell..."

Once the applause died down, Billy Boyd's voice began to sing.

"I've traveled the world,

Tasted all the pain,

No regrets, though never forgotten,

Who will walk with me through hardship...

Though we've walked together, the time for parting has come."

After the simple farewell ceremony, the members of the Fellowship of the Ring went to a tattoo shop to get the number "nine" inked on their wrists to commemorate this unique journey. But the crew had reached the point of disbanding.

Including Duke, most people would take a break before returning to their normal Hollywood lives.

Duke planned to vacation with Alessandra Ambrosio in Fiji before heading back to Los Angeles with the Weta Workshop's visual effects team to officially begin post-production on The Lord of the Rings trilogy!

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