New Zealand has done rather well out of having a few mountains, forests and a director called Peter Jackson. What was once a fairly quiet destination for international film production has become one of the places Hollywood knows it can turn to when a movie needs some seriously impressive scenery.
Of course, the landscape is the obvious attraction. New Zealand can give filmmakers green rolling hills, huge mountain ranges, forests, rivers, volcanic terrain and wide-open countryside, which means basically having several different film locations rolled into one country.
Then there is the local film industry. Wellington has become particularly important, with Wētā Workshop and Wētā Digital helping to build a production base capable of handling some very large projects.
From Middle-earth to Online Slot Games
The Lord of the Rings is still the big one, of course. Peter Jackson’s trilogy was filmed entirely in New Zealand, using more than 150 locations across the North and South Islands; Matamata became Hobbiton, Mount Sunday became Edoras and various parts of the country’s mountains, forests and volcanic landscapes stood in for Middle-earth.
And the influence didn’t stop when the credits rolled. New Zealand and Middle-earth have become so closely linked with the country’s identity that tourists have been known to complain about not seeing any hobbit holes on their travels.
Fantasy games regularly use the sort of landscapes New Zealand has become famous for, while online slot games have also borrowed plenty from the country’s scenery and fantasy connections. Mountain ranges, forests, mythical creatures and adventure themes are hardly difficult to find in the world of online slots.
It isn’t always a direct copy of New Zealand, of course. More often, it is the general look and feel that gets picked up. Give a designer dramatic mountains, mysterious forests and a bit of fantasy folklore and there is plenty to work with.
Avatar Brings Another Side
Avatar is another interesting part of the story. While James Cameron’s Avatar films weren’t simply shot across New Zealand in the way Lord of the Rings was, New Zealand’s effects industry has played a major role in bringing the world of Pandora to the screen.
That comes down largely to Wētā FX, which has worked on the visual effects for the Avatar films. So while the landscapes of New Zealand weren’t simply being passed off as Pandora, the country’s technical film expertise was right there behind some of the spectacular imagery.
And that matters because New Zealand’s reputation isn’t now based purely on having pretty scenery. It has the people, studios, effects companies and production knowledge to handle major international projects.
The Movie Business Keeps Growing
The Lord of the Rings effect has also lasted far beyond the original trilogy. Amazon’s The Rings of Power used 38 locations in the country and employed a large New Zealand production workforce while more recently, New Zealand has even been used for the live-action Legend of Zelda movie, with filming taking place around Queenstown at locations also associated with Lord of the Rings.
That tells you something about how the country has positioned itself. It isn’t just a one-film wonder.
New Zealand now has a reputation for big fantasy productions, spectacular locations and serious behind-the-camera expertise. And when a country can provide the scenery for Middle-earth, the technical skills behind Avatar and inspiration for everything from games to online slot games, it is hardly surprising that filmmakers keep coming back.
Thomas Miller is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Seat42F, covering television, movies and streaming entertainment. He launched Seat42F in 2007 and has spent nearly two decades covering the entertainment industry.
