WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.620 Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today, we are 00:00:02.620 --> 00:00:08.019 strapping ourselves in for a truly epic career 00:00:08.019 --> 00:00:11.380 trajectory, a path that starts in the trenches 00:00:11.380 --> 00:00:15.279 of low budget alien splatter fests in New Zealand. 00:00:15.419 --> 00:00:18.039 And somehow culminates in the mastery of Middle 00:00:18.039 --> 00:00:20.719 Earth, the conquest of Hollywood, and even the 00:00:20.719 --> 00:00:23.280 resurrection of history through groundbreaking 00:00:23.280 --> 00:00:26.260 technology. We are diving deep into the world 00:00:26.260 --> 00:00:28.379 of Sir Peter Jackson. It is. And I don't think 00:00:28.379 --> 00:00:30.640 this is an exaggeration. Arguably one of the 00:00:30.640 --> 00:00:32.960 most transformative careers in modern cinema. 00:00:33.020 --> 00:00:35.560 I mean, born on Halloween, October 31st, 1961 00:00:35.560 --> 00:00:38.280 in Wellington, New Zealand. Right. Jackson didn't 00:00:38.280 --> 00:00:40.200 just become a successful director. He essentially 00:00:40.200 --> 00:00:43.259 became an industrialist of imagination. An industrialist 00:00:43.259 --> 00:00:45.359 of imagination. I like that. And the numbers, 00:00:45.500 --> 00:00:48.100 well, they reflect that scale. He is currently 00:00:48.100 --> 00:00:50.299 the fourth highest grossing film director of 00:00:50.299 --> 00:00:52.399 all time. Of all time. With his films making. 00:00:53.049 --> 00:00:55.350 What is it? North of six and a half billion dollars 00:00:55.350 --> 00:00:57.950 worldwide. That is just astronomical money. But 00:00:57.950 --> 00:01:00.670 the story of how he built that empire is the 00:01:00.670 --> 00:01:03.229 real mission for us today. We have a mountain 00:01:03.229 --> 00:01:06.010 of material detailing his completely self -taught 00:01:06.010 --> 00:01:09.489 origins, how he moved from experimenting with 00:01:09.489 --> 00:01:12.909 pinholes for gunshots to creating photorealistic 00:01:12.909 --> 00:01:15.450 fantasy worlds. We'll look at how he and his 00:01:15.450 --> 00:01:18.109 core collaborators, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, 00:01:18.209 --> 00:01:21.680 didn't just master storytelling. They pioneered 00:01:21.680 --> 00:01:24.980 a whole technological infrastructure, WETA, which 00:01:24.980 --> 00:01:28.040 now influences everything from film to music 00:01:28.040 --> 00:01:30.459 preservation and even, and this is the bizarre 00:01:30.459 --> 00:01:33.599 part, bioscience. This deep dive is absolutely 00:01:33.599 --> 00:01:36.340 for you, the learner, who wants to understand 00:01:36.340 --> 00:01:39.219 the methodology behind that kind of genius. We're 00:01:39.219 --> 00:01:41.859 tracing his trial and error path, exploring the 00:01:41.859 --> 00:01:44.099 massive turning points. Like that deliberate... 00:01:44.519 --> 00:01:47.519 you know, successful pivot away from genre filmmaking 00:01:47.519 --> 00:01:50.319 in the mid -90s. That was a huge moment. Exactly. 00:01:50.519 --> 00:01:52.920 And we'll analyze those fascinating side ventures, 00:01:52.959 --> 00:01:54.700 whether it's his obsessive passion for World 00:01:54.700 --> 00:01:57.480 War I aviation or his investment in technology 00:01:57.480 --> 00:01:59.840 that is literally aiming to bring back extinct 00:01:59.840 --> 00:02:01.879 creatures. So we have to anchor this discussion 00:02:01.879 --> 00:02:03.680 with the key works that really define him. Of 00:02:03.680 --> 00:02:06.000 course. The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:08.580 saw Return of the King, win three personal Oscars 00:02:08.580 --> 00:02:11.120 for him alone. The Hobbit trilogy, the intensely 00:02:11.120 --> 00:02:14.729 dark drama Heavenly Creatures. And those truly 00:02:14.729 --> 00:02:17.250 immersive documentaries. They shall not grow 00:02:17.250 --> 00:02:20.250 old in the Beatles. Get back. He is a filmmaker 00:02:20.250 --> 00:02:23.150 who really defines modern blockbuster cinema. 00:02:23.430 --> 00:02:26.550 Okay, let's unpack this monumental journey, starting 00:02:26.550 --> 00:02:28.509 right at the beginning. Let's do it. So let's 00:02:28.509 --> 00:02:30.310 ground ourselves in Pickeroo Bay, Wellington. 00:02:30.710 --> 00:02:33.590 This is where Jackson was raised by English immigrant 00:02:33.590 --> 00:02:37.150 parents, Joan, who worked in a factory and is 00:02:37.150 --> 00:02:41.509 a housewife, and William, or Bill, a wages clerk. 00:02:41.900 --> 00:02:44.199 And the crucial identity marker here, the one 00:02:44.199 --> 00:02:46.819 that I think defines his entire technical approach. 00:02:47.060 --> 00:02:49.340 Is that he was entirely self -taught. Completely. 00:02:49.879 --> 00:02:52.319 That lack of formal training is absolutely central 00:02:52.319 --> 00:02:54.860 to understanding him. He wasn't trained in a 00:02:54.860 --> 00:02:56.439 school to follow some established procedure. 00:02:56.759 --> 00:02:59.439 He learned editing, visual effects, and makeup 00:02:59.439 --> 00:03:01.819 through sheer necessity. Endless experimentation. 00:03:02.180 --> 00:03:04.560 Endless experimentation and relentless trial 00:03:04.560 --> 00:03:07.159 and error. His initial resources were so limited, 00:03:07.180 --> 00:03:09.219 so he just had to invent solutions on the fly. 00:03:09.439 --> 00:03:12.340 And his early influences. They reveal a lot about 00:03:12.340 --> 00:03:14.819 his later work, too. They were incredibly eclectic. 00:03:14.819 --> 00:03:17.979 He loved the stop -motion magic of Ray Harryhausen. 00:03:18.300 --> 00:03:20.840 The detailed supermarination world of Thunderbirds 00:03:20.840 --> 00:03:24.500 and the subversive, just anarchic humor of Monty 00:03:24.500 --> 00:03:27.280 Python's Flying Circus. You can literally see 00:03:27.280 --> 00:03:30.219 that collision of technical ambition, these detailed 00:03:30.219 --> 00:03:32.960 worlds, and a really dark sense of humor throughout 00:03:32.960 --> 00:03:36.139 his entire career. But if you trace it back to 00:03:36.139 --> 00:03:39.219 a singular foundational inspiration, all the 00:03:39.219 --> 00:03:42.020 sources... They all point to one thing. 1933 00:03:42.020 --> 00:03:45.439 classic. King Kong. Of course. He cited it repeatedly 00:03:45.439 --> 00:03:47.819 as his favorite film, and we have evidence of 00:03:47.819 --> 00:03:50.439 his dedication from childhood. Around age nine, 00:03:50.580 --> 00:03:52.500 he was already attempting to remake it using 00:03:52.500 --> 00:03:55.300 his own, you know, crude stop -motion models. 00:03:55.599 --> 00:03:58.000 That early drive, it just shows his immediate 00:03:58.000 --> 00:03:59.919 connection to the technical side of filmmaking. 00:04:00.319 --> 00:04:03.259 He didn't just love the story. he loved the mechanism 00:04:03.259 --> 00:04:05.400 of making the impossible look real. That's it, 00:04:05.500 --> 00:04:07.919 exactly. And that experimentation continued through 00:04:07.919 --> 00:04:10.659 his early short films, even with next to nothing 00:04:10.659 --> 00:04:13.400 in terms of a budget. We're talking about early 00:04:13.400 --> 00:04:17.459 efforts, like the World War II epic, The Dwarf 00:04:17.459 --> 00:04:19.439 Patrol. The Dwarf Patrol, yeah. Where his first 00:04:19.439 --> 00:04:21.720 special effects simulating gun muzzle flashes 00:04:21.720 --> 00:04:25.000 was achieved by manually poking pinholes in the 00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:28.379 actual film strip. Incredible. And a James Bond 00:04:28.379 --> 00:04:31.879 spoof, Coldfinger. He was just constantly tinkering, 00:04:31.899 --> 00:04:34.019 even winning a special prize for the camera work 00:04:34.019 --> 00:04:36.680 in his 20 -minute short, The Valley. The ability 00:04:36.680 --> 00:04:39.180 to tinker, though, it required capital, even 00:04:39.180 --> 00:04:41.980 if it was just for film stock and a camera. And 00:04:41.980 --> 00:04:44.519 this brings us to a seven -year stretch of incredible 00:04:44.519 --> 00:04:48.000 personal dedication. Jackson left Capiti College 00:04:48.000 --> 00:04:51.709 at 16. And for seven years, he worked full time 00:04:51.709 --> 00:04:54.029 as a photo engraver for the Evening Post newspaper 00:04:54.029 --> 00:04:56.149 in Wellington. And the sources really emphasize 00:04:56.149 --> 00:04:58.949 this. He lived at home during that entire period 00:04:58.949 --> 00:05:02.589 specifically to save money. Every cent. All to 00:05:02.589 --> 00:05:05.399 buy a proper 16 millimeter camera. Think about 00:05:05.399 --> 00:05:07.819 that commitment, seven years of grinding, day 00:05:07.819 --> 00:05:10.100 in, day out work, just to fund his own education 00:05:10.100 --> 00:05:12.699 through the acquisition of tools. That financial 00:05:12.699 --> 00:05:14.939 sacrifice was really the critical gateway to 00:05:14.939 --> 00:05:17.240 his early filmmaking. And it's also during this 00:05:17.240 --> 00:05:19.800 newspaper phase that he discovered J .R .R. Tolkien's 00:05:19.800 --> 00:05:22.579 work. Specifically after watching Ralph Bakshi's 00:05:22.579 --> 00:05:25.579 1978 animated Lord of the Rings adaptation. Right. 00:05:25.620 --> 00:05:27.540 So the seed of Middle Earth was planted, but 00:05:27.540 --> 00:05:30.839 before the elves came the aliens. And his career's 00:05:30.839 --> 00:05:34.839 first true defining phase. The splatstick era. 00:05:35.019 --> 00:05:39.800 Yes. From 1987 to 1992, we get the infamous splatstick 00:05:39.800 --> 00:05:41.779 era. For you listeners who haven't encountered 00:05:41.779 --> 00:05:45.060 the term, it's, what is it? It's essentially 00:05:45.060 --> 00:05:48.199 a marriage of highly graphic gore and practical 00:05:48.199 --> 00:05:51.480 effects, that's the splatter, combined with farce, 00:05:51.480 --> 00:05:54.519 absurdity, and speed, the slapstick. So comedy 00:05:54.519 --> 00:05:57.160 that relies on excessive, often just absurd, 00:05:57.319 --> 00:06:00.939 violence. And his first feature, Bad Taste, is 00:06:00.939 --> 00:06:02.959 the perfect example. Bad Taste is legendary. 00:06:03.709 --> 00:06:05.769 Precisely because of its anarchic, decentralized 00:06:05.769 --> 00:06:08.550 production. It was a chaotic splatter comedy 00:06:08.550 --> 00:06:11.029 about aliens who come to New Zealand to turn 00:06:11.029 --> 00:06:13.089 humans into food. And it wasn't shot in a few 00:06:13.089 --> 00:06:15.110 weeks. It took years to complete. Jackson was 00:06:15.110 --> 00:06:17.449 working his day job full time and shooting primarily 00:06:17.449 --> 00:06:20.050 on weekends. And he relied entirely on his friends. 00:06:20.269 --> 00:06:22.689 People working for free often roped into acting, 00:06:22.870 --> 00:06:25.629 effects, production duties with absolutely no 00:06:25.629 --> 00:06:27.810 prior experience. And Jackson was right in the 00:06:27.810 --> 00:06:29.529 middle of the chaos. He played two acting roles 00:06:29.529 --> 00:06:32.069 himself, Derek and Robert, which famously resulted 00:06:32.069 --> 00:06:34.120 in that cliffside. fight where he battled himself 00:06:34.120 --> 00:06:36.220 through clever editing. The whole project was 00:06:36.220 --> 00:06:38.399 just running on fumes until the New Zealand Film 00:06:38.399 --> 00:06:41.120 Commission stepped in. And that NZFC intervention 00:06:41.120 --> 00:06:44.720 is so crucial. Jim Booth, the executive director 00:06:44.720 --> 00:06:47.500 at the time, was somehow convinced of Jackson's 00:06:47.500 --> 00:06:50.420 raw ability, even if the film was completely 00:06:50.420 --> 00:06:53.259 bizarre. And he injected the necessary finance 00:06:53.259 --> 00:06:55.959 to finish the project. Booth later left the commission 00:06:55.959 --> 00:06:59.040 to become Jackson's producer. Which speaks volumes, 00:06:59.220 --> 00:07:01.540 doesn't it? Yeah. About the palpable potential 00:07:01.540 --> 00:07:04.060 Jackson displayed, even when he was covered in 00:07:04.060 --> 00:07:07.060 fake alien vomit. Absolutely. What's also essential 00:07:07.060 --> 00:07:09.480 in this period is the start of the collaboration 00:07:09.480 --> 00:07:12.459 that would define the rest of his career. Fran 00:07:12.459 --> 00:07:15.860 Walsh. His life partner. Their creative relationship 00:07:15.860 --> 00:07:19.259 began right here. solidifying with Meet the Feebles 00:07:19.259 --> 00:07:21.980 in 1989. She's been his co -writer ever since 00:07:21.980 --> 00:07:23.920 and his producer since The Fellowship of the 00:07:23.920 --> 00:07:26.079 Ring. And the sources confirm that this writing 00:07:26.079 --> 00:07:28.959 collaboration initially included Stephen Sinclair 00:07:28.959 --> 00:07:32.279 and Danny Mulheron as they brainstormed projects, 00:07:32.579 --> 00:07:35.420 including, what was it, an unmade sequel to A 00:07:35.420 --> 00:07:36.959 Nightmare on Elm Street. Yeah, that's right. 00:07:37.079 --> 00:07:39.079 But the next project they tackled together was 00:07:39.079 --> 00:07:43.629 Meet the Feebles. Ah, Meet the Feebles. It's 00:07:43.629 --> 00:07:47.430 a dark black satire, a savage puppet film that 00:07:47.430 --> 00:07:49.990 essentially deconstructs The Muppet Show. By 00:07:49.990 --> 00:07:52.750 turning it into a hyper -violent, drug -fueled, 00:07:52.750 --> 00:07:55.970 sexually explicit backstage comedy, Jackson himself 00:07:55.970 --> 00:07:59.089 noted that it had a quality of humor that alienates 00:07:59.089 --> 00:08:00.790 a lot of people. I can imagine. It sounds like 00:08:00.790 --> 00:08:02.750 a tough, low -budget shoot that went weeks over 00:08:02.750 --> 00:08:04.910 schedule. It was. It's the kind of film that 00:08:04.910 --> 00:08:08.250 only a group of young, fearless filmmakers with 00:08:08.250 --> 00:08:11.310 absolute creative freedom could produce. Absolutely. 00:08:11.370 --> 00:08:14.089 And they follow that up with perhaps the zenith 00:08:14.089 --> 00:08:17.180 of the splatter phase, Braindead in 1992. Known 00:08:17.180 --> 00:08:19.899 internationally as Dead Alive, this was the ultimate 00:08:19.899 --> 00:08:22.939 zombie comedy, renowned for its extreme gore. 00:08:23.120 --> 00:08:25.240 It holds records, doesn't it, for being one of 00:08:25.240 --> 00:08:27.639 the goriest films ever made? It does. It underwent 00:08:27.639 --> 00:08:29.860 extensive rewrites with Walsh, but despite the 00:08:29.860 --> 00:08:32.080 chaotic content, it secured him serious credibility 00:08:32.080 --> 00:08:34.740 in New Zealand, winning the NZ Film and TV Awards 00:08:34.740 --> 00:08:37.340 for Best Director and Best Screenplay. So the 00:08:37.340 --> 00:08:39.639 splatter phase was messy, but it functioned as 00:08:39.639 --> 00:08:41.799 Jackson's film school. It taught him to direct, 00:08:41.960 --> 00:08:44.519 edit, manage effects, and create spectacle on 00:08:44.519 --> 00:08:47.129 a shoestring budget. And the period immediately 00:08:47.129 --> 00:08:50.210 following Braindead represents the most decisive 00:08:50.210 --> 00:08:54.129 strategic pivot in Jackson's entire career. He 00:08:54.129 --> 00:08:56.590 didn't just keep churning out genre horror. No, 00:08:56.610 --> 00:08:59.110 he deliberately shifted to disciplined, critically 00:08:59.110 --> 00:09:02.409 sensitive drama with heavenly creatures in 1994. 00:09:02.909 --> 00:09:04.570 And this was the move that forced the mainstream 00:09:04.570 --> 00:09:07.450 critical community to finally take him seriously. 00:09:07.789 --> 00:09:10.490 And we have to credit Fran Walsh again for this 00:09:10.490 --> 00:09:12.950 change in direction. The material suggests it 00:09:12.950 --> 00:09:15.220 was her persuasion that led him to adapt. the 00:09:15.220 --> 00:09:17.960 real -life, incredibly disturbing Parker Hall 00:09:17.960 --> 00:09:21.220 murder case from 1950s Christchurch. Jackson 00:09:21.220 --> 00:09:23.539 stated it pretty clearly. He said the film only 00:09:23.539 --> 00:09:25.919 got made because of her deep enthusiasm for the 00:09:25.919 --> 00:09:28.519 subject matter. It was a shocking true story 00:09:28.519 --> 00:09:31.019 of adolescent delusion and violence. Two teenage 00:09:31.019 --> 00:09:32.919 girls murdering one of their mothers to prevent 00:09:32.919 --> 00:09:35.330 being separated. Creatively, it was a massive 00:09:35.330 --> 00:09:38.090 risk, moving away from puppets and zombies to 00:09:38.090 --> 00:09:40.070 this nuanced psychological horror. And it paid 00:09:40.070 --> 00:09:42.350 off handsomely, both artistically and commercially. 00:09:42.590 --> 00:09:45.490 It launched two major careers. Melanie Linsky 00:09:45.490 --> 00:09:47.769 and Kate Winslet starred as Parker and Holm in 00:09:47.769 --> 00:09:50.389 their screen debuts. The film's success wasn't 00:09:50.389 --> 00:09:52.889 just confined to the screen either. Its high 00:09:52.889 --> 00:09:56.029 profile led the New Zealand media to track down 00:09:56.029 --> 00:09:58.580 the real life. Julie at home. Who had completely 00:09:58.580 --> 00:10:00.740 reinvented herself as the highly successful, 00:10:01.139 --> 00:10:04.240 respectable mystery author Anne Perry. Incredible. 00:10:04.379 --> 00:10:07.480 The film's critical acclaim was immediate. It 00:10:07.480 --> 00:10:10.080 earned Jackson and Walsh an Academy Award nomination 00:10:10.080 --> 00:10:12.700 for Best Original Screenplay. Which is a huge 00:10:12.700 --> 00:10:14.539 step for someone who had just directed a film 00:10:14.539 --> 00:10:18.000 involving a lawnmower massacring zombies. And 00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:21.000 it also appeared on numerous prominent 1994 Top 00:10:21.000 --> 00:10:23.600 Ten lists, signaling that Hollywood could no 00:10:23.600 --> 00:10:26.639 longer ignore him. But before Jackson fully committed 00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:29.480 to Hollywood, he took one more fascinating detour 00:10:29.480 --> 00:10:32.299 that played with his own relationship to cinema 00:10:32.299 --> 00:10:34.639 and reality. The mockumentary Forgotten Silver 00:10:34.639 --> 00:10:38.399 in 1995, co -directed with Costa Boats. This 00:10:38.399 --> 00:10:41.149 is a remarkable piece of meta -filmmaking. It 00:10:41.149 --> 00:10:43.110 chronicled the fictional story of a forgotten 00:10:43.110 --> 00:10:45.470 New Zealand film pioneer named Colin McKenzie. 00:10:45.590 --> 00:10:48.110 Who was supposedly the real inventor of color 00:10:48.110 --> 00:10:50.889 film and talkies only to be, you know, erased 00:10:50.889 --> 00:10:53.629 from history. And Jackson and Boats made it so 00:10:53.629 --> 00:10:56.429 convincing that many viewers genuinely believed 00:10:56.429 --> 00:10:59.169 they had uncovered a great lost cinematic hero. 00:10:59.529 --> 00:11:01.809 I remember the uproar. The sources note that 00:11:01.809 --> 00:11:04.110 many viewers were outright outraged when they 00:11:04.110 --> 00:11:07.009 discovered the entire story was fictional. It 00:11:07.009 --> 00:11:09.710 demonstrates not only his filmmaking skill, but 00:11:09.710 --> 00:11:12.190 his savvy understanding of New Zealand's national 00:11:12.190 --> 00:11:15.710 identity. This idea that the country's innovators 00:11:15.710 --> 00:11:18.629 are often forgotten by the wider world. So, having 00:11:18.629 --> 00:11:20.830 proven he could master drama and deceive the 00:11:20.830 --> 00:11:23.409 masses, he took the leap into the American studio 00:11:23.409 --> 00:11:26.389 system with The Frighteners in 1996. His first 00:11:26.389 --> 00:11:28.610 big -budget Hollywood film. Starring Michael 00:11:28.610 --> 00:11:30.830 J. Fox. But even though he took Hollywood money, 00:11:31.070 --> 00:11:33.990 Jackson made a critical stand. He insisted on 00:11:33.990 --> 00:11:36.490 shooting the entire comedy horror film in New 00:11:36.490 --> 00:11:38.570 Zealand. Even though the story was set in North 00:11:38.570 --> 00:11:40.809 America. Right. And that commitment to keeping 00:11:40.809 --> 00:11:43.350 his industry local was a defining trait he carried 00:11:43.350 --> 00:11:45.669 into the next phase. However, the film. Yeah. 00:11:45.750 --> 00:11:48.710 It faced severe headwinds. Commercially, it was 00:11:48.710 --> 00:11:51.870 considered a failure. And critically, it received 00:11:51.870 --> 00:11:55.289 mixed reviews. Roger Ebert, a historically important 00:11:55.289 --> 00:11:58.250 film critic, was notably harsh. He described 00:11:58.250 --> 00:12:01.049 it as a film that looks more like a demo reel 00:12:01.049 --> 00:12:04.330 than a movie, suggesting the technology overshadowed 00:12:04.330 --> 00:12:07.629 the storytelling. Ouch. And the aftermath of 00:12:07.629 --> 00:12:10.350 that failure was difficult. Jackson even launched 00:12:10.350 --> 00:12:12.649 legal proceedings against the New Zealand Listener 00:12:12.649 --> 00:12:15.389 magazine over a scathing review claiming the 00:12:15.389 --> 00:12:18.049 film was built from the Rubble of other people's 00:12:18.049 --> 00:12:20.409 movies. Though he later dropped the case. More 00:12:20.409 --> 00:12:22.669 significantly, though, the film's poor performance 00:12:22.669 --> 00:12:25.309 had immediate business repercussions. Yes, and 00:12:25.309 --> 00:12:27.350 this is where the King Kong connection reappears, 00:12:27.350 --> 00:12:29.809 isn't it? It is. Universal Studios, initially 00:12:29.809 --> 00:12:32.230 planning to bankroll Jackson's long -desired 00:12:32.230 --> 00:12:34.789 remake of King Kong, they shelved the project. 00:12:35.110 --> 00:12:37.450 They were afraid of competition from other giant 00:12:37.450 --> 00:12:40.190 monster movies already in production, like Mighty 00:12:40.190 --> 00:12:43.529 Joe Young. And Godzilla. It was a bitter disappointment 00:12:43.529 --> 00:12:45.970 for Jackson, but it proved to be a critical turning 00:12:45.970 --> 00:12:49.730 point that necessitated, well, control. And necessity 00:12:49.730 --> 00:12:53.830 is the mother of invention, right? This period 00:12:53.830 --> 00:12:56.710 of commercial disappointment and shelved projects 00:12:56.710 --> 00:13:00.029 directly fostered the rapid growth of what would 00:13:00.029 --> 00:13:03.100 become his greatest asset. Right. Exactly. He 00:13:03.100 --> 00:13:04.840 couldn't rely on Hollywood Studios to always 00:13:04.840 --> 00:13:07.100 fund his vision, so he started building the ecosystem 00:13:07.100 --> 00:13:10.019 to do it himself. Yeah. Weta Workshop originally 00:13:10.019 --> 00:13:12.500 started with collaborators like George Port on 00:13:12.500 --> 00:13:14.940 Heavenly Creatures. It just exploded during the 00:13:14.940 --> 00:13:16.980 Frighteners production. Right. Led by Richard 00:13:16.980 --> 00:13:20.299 Taylor, Weta expanded rapidly, encompassing digital 00:13:20.299 --> 00:13:23.720 and physical effects, makeup, costumes. By keeping 00:13:23.720 --> 00:13:26.460 this capacity in -house and in New Zealand, Jackson 00:13:26.460 --> 00:13:29.509 gained unprecedented artistic control. And this 00:13:29.509 --> 00:13:32.309 desire for control was clearly fueling his public 00:13:32.309 --> 00:13:34.070 conflicts at the time, particularly with the 00:13:34.070 --> 00:13:36.169 New Zealand Film Commission. The very organization 00:13:36.169 --> 00:13:38.889 that helped finish Bad Taste. Right. This was 00:13:38.889 --> 00:13:41.309 a genuine public industry conflict. The tension 00:13:41.309 --> 00:13:43.509 dated back to budgetary issues with Meet the 00:13:43.509 --> 00:13:47.230 Feebles. In 1997, Jackson published a significant 00:13:47.230 --> 00:13:50.289 critique. He criticized the inconsistent decision 00:13:50.289 --> 00:13:52.940 making by inexperienced board members. He was 00:13:52.940 --> 00:13:55.679 arguing their lack of industry experience was 00:13:55.679 --> 00:13:58.200 holding back New Zealand cinema. It wasn't just 00:13:58.200 --> 00:14:00.580 a complaint. It was a demand for institutional 00:14:00.580 --> 00:14:03.840 change, showing his willingness to fight bureaucratic 00:14:03.840 --> 00:14:06.500 systems to protect his vision and the local industry. 00:14:06.779 --> 00:14:11.039 This really sets the stage for the massive, audacious 00:14:11.039 --> 00:14:13.399 gamble he was about to take. The failure of the 00:14:13.399 --> 00:14:15.379 Frighteners and the subsequent shelving of King 00:14:15.379 --> 00:14:17.600 Kong, those moments of rejection and frustration, 00:14:17.919 --> 00:14:21.259 were so swiftly overcome. when Jackson achieved 00:14:21.259 --> 00:14:23.419 the deal that would define the 21st century. 00:14:23.710 --> 00:14:26.769 Securing the rights to film J .R .R. Tolkien's 00:14:26.769 --> 00:14:30.230 epic in 1997. It was a monumental pivot back 00:14:30.230 --> 00:14:32.870 to ambition. Jackson acquired the rights after 00:14:32.870 --> 00:14:35.289 meeting with producer Saul Zantz. But what's 00:14:35.289 --> 00:14:37.769 fascinating and often forgotten is that this 00:14:37.769 --> 00:14:40.110 entire endeavor almost looked completely different. 00:14:40.289 --> 00:14:42.389 The original plan with Miramax was to produce 00:14:42.389 --> 00:14:45.590 just two films. And then Miramax applied enormous 00:14:45.590 --> 00:14:47.730 pressure on Jackson to condense the entirety 00:14:47.730 --> 00:14:50.169 of The Lord of the Rings, this massive, dense 00:14:50.169 --> 00:14:53.059 epic, into a single compressed film. It must 00:14:53.059 --> 00:14:55.379 have been an intolerable compromise for a filmmaker 00:14:55.379 --> 00:14:58.340 who had dedicated his career to realizing complex, 00:14:58.480 --> 00:15:02.139 detailed worlds. It was. Jackson, alongside Walsh 00:15:02.139 --> 00:15:04.399 and Boyens, had already begun intensive work 00:15:04.399 --> 00:15:06.700 on the two -film script. But the single -film 00:15:06.700 --> 00:15:09.940 compromise was creatively impossible. And this 00:15:09.940 --> 00:15:12.480 pressure led to a high -stakes, last -minute 00:15:12.480 --> 00:15:14.860 deal where he managed to move the project to 00:15:14.860 --> 00:15:17.879 New Line Cinema. And crucially, New Line insisted 00:15:17.879 --> 00:15:20.799 not on one film but a full trilogy, providing 00:15:20.799 --> 00:15:22.960 the scale and scope that that Tolkien's work 00:15:22.960 --> 00:15:25.639 truly demanded. New Line's faith was historic. 00:15:25.960 --> 00:15:28.179 The scale of the resulting production was just 00:15:28.179 --> 00:15:32.450 unprecedented. Principal photography. ran continuously 00:15:32.450 --> 00:15:36.830 for 14 months. From October 1999 to December 00:15:36.830 --> 00:15:40.110 2000, a massive undertaking that required extensive 00:15:40.110 --> 00:15:43.110 location filming all across New Zealand, effectively 00:15:43.110 --> 00:15:45.389 transforming the country into Middle Earth. And 00:15:45.389 --> 00:15:47.210 we should pause for a personal detail that really 00:15:47.210 --> 00:15:49.570 highlights the intensity of this period. The 00:15:49.570 --> 00:15:52.090 sources note that Jackson's mother, Joan, passed 00:15:52.090 --> 00:15:54.210 away just three days before the release of the 00:15:54.210 --> 00:15:56.629 first film, The Fellowship of the Ring. A special 00:15:56.629 --> 00:15:58.490 showing of the film was held after her funeral. 00:15:58.940 --> 00:16:00.460 It just reminds you of the profound personal 00:16:00.460 --> 00:16:02.679 sacrifice involved in such a massive creative 00:16:02.679 --> 00:16:06.340 endeavor. The success, once they started rolling 00:16:06.340 --> 00:16:09.460 out, was staggering. The trilogy became a global 00:16:09.460 --> 00:16:12.220 cultural event, culminating in the historic Oscar 00:16:12.220 --> 00:16:15.200 domination for The Return of the King in 2003. 00:16:15.960 --> 00:16:18.860 Domination is the right word. It achieved a historic 00:16:18.860 --> 00:16:22.240 tie for the most Academy Awards won by a single 00:16:22.240 --> 00:16:25.259 film, sweeping all 11 categories it was nominated 00:16:25.259 --> 00:16:28.440 for. Including Best Picture, Best Director, and 00:16:28.440 --> 00:16:30.600 Best Adapted Screenplay, which he shared with 00:16:30.600 --> 00:16:33.080 Walsh and Boyens. And this wasn't just a win 00:16:33.080 --> 00:16:35.519 for Jackson. It was a revolutionary moment for 00:16:35.519 --> 00:16:37.659 Hollywood, wasn't it? Oh, completely. It was 00:16:37.659 --> 00:16:39.840 the first time a fantasy film genre piece had 00:16:39.840 --> 00:16:43.000 ever won Best Picture. It also marked only the 00:16:43.000 --> 00:16:45.960 second time a sequel had won the top award following 00:16:45.960 --> 00:16:49.000 The Godfather Part. So Jackson's films were collectively 00:16:49.000 --> 00:16:51.799 the most awarded films at three separate Academy 00:16:51.799 --> 00:16:54.360 Award ceremonies in the early 2000s. It just 00:16:54.360 --> 00:16:56.720 cemented his status as a modern master of the 00:16:56.720 --> 00:16:59.059 blockbuster. And with Fantasy Conquered, Jackson 00:16:59.059 --> 00:17:01.679 finally returned to his first love. Universal 00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:03.940 Studios, having burned him previously, signed 00:17:03.940 --> 00:17:06.779 Jackson a second time to remake the 1933 classic 00:17:06.779 --> 00:17:10.460 King Kong in 2005. This was Jackson realizing 00:17:10.460 --> 00:17:13.359 his childhood obsession on a massive state -of 00:17:13.359 --> 00:17:15.839 -the -art scale. The film was released to critical 00:17:15.839 --> 00:17:18.559 claim and generated strong commercial returns. 00:17:18.619 --> 00:17:24.039 Grossing about U .S. $562 million worldwide. 00:17:24.480 --> 00:17:27.359 It wasn't just a film either. He fully embraced 00:17:27.359 --> 00:17:30.200 the medium, collaborating with Ubisoft on a critically 00:17:30.200 --> 00:17:32.640 and commercially successful video game adaptation 00:17:32.640 --> 00:17:35.819 using the same motion capture technology developed 00:17:35.819 --> 00:17:38.460 for Gollum. Following these gargantuan epics, 00:17:38.519 --> 00:17:41.819 Jackson shifted gears again in 2009 with The 00:17:41.819 --> 00:17:44.740 Lovely Bones. An adaptation of Alice Siebold's 00:17:44.740 --> 00:17:47.099 best -selling novel, Jackson described this project 00:17:47.099 --> 00:17:49.460 as a welcome relief from the high -pressure demands 00:17:49.460 --> 00:17:52.019 of blockbuster production. But it still carried 00:17:52.019 --> 00:17:55.039 the dark DNA of his earlier non -genre work like 00:17:55.039 --> 00:17:57.819 Heavenly Creed. dealing with murder, the afterlife, 00:17:58.059 --> 00:18:00.160 and fantasy elements. But the results were mixed. 00:18:00.400 --> 00:18:02.559 Reviews were lukewarm, the box office returns 00:18:02.559 --> 00:18:04.519 were middling, though it did secure a Stanley 00:18:04.519 --> 00:18:06.839 Tucci and Academy Award nomination for supporting 00:18:06.839 --> 00:18:09.500 actor. Failures or mixed results like this, they're 00:18:09.500 --> 00:18:11.619 often insightful, right? They show the limits 00:18:11.619 --> 00:18:14.039 of applying a blockbuster aesthetic to an intimate 00:18:14.039 --> 00:18:16.660 emotional story. Following The Lovely Bones, 00:18:16.799 --> 00:18:19.599 Jackson entered a significant collaboration with 00:18:19.599 --> 00:18:21.960 Steven Spielberg on The Adventures of Tintin, 00:18:22.039 --> 00:18:25.059 The Secret of the Unicorn in 2011. And Jackson 00:18:25.059 --> 00:18:27.539 co -wrote and produced while Spielberg directed. 00:18:28.089 --> 00:18:30.329 This partnership was founded entirely on the 00:18:30.329 --> 00:18:33.170 technological prowess of Weta. Jackson didn't 00:18:33.170 --> 00:18:35.349 just produce, he helped Spielberg direct the 00:18:35.349 --> 00:18:38.210 film using performance capture technology, similar 00:18:38.210 --> 00:18:40.970 to what was refined for Gollum. Spielberg wanted 00:18:40.970 --> 00:18:44.130 Jackson involved specifically because of Weta 00:18:44.130 --> 00:18:47.390 Digital's expertise in translating human actors 00:18:47.390 --> 00:18:50.880 into photorealistic animated characters. And 00:18:50.880 --> 00:18:53.180 the intention was for Jackson to direct the sequel, 00:18:53.359 --> 00:18:55.920 with Spielberg producing a reversal of roles. 00:18:56.119 --> 00:18:57.859 But that sequel has been perpetually delayed 00:18:57.859 --> 00:19:00.559 since 2011, while Spielberg has confirmed they 00:19:00.559 --> 00:19:02.539 know which two of Hergé's books they plan to 00:19:02.539 --> 00:19:04.880 combine. Jackson has cited focusing on smaller 00:19:04.880 --> 00:19:07.079 New Zealand projects and, of course, the complexity 00:19:07.079 --> 00:19:09.099 of The Hobbit as reasons for the postponement. 00:19:09.440 --> 00:19:11.880 It's a high -profile, pending project that seems 00:19:11.880 --> 00:19:14.359 forever stuck in development hell. Speaking of 00:19:14.359 --> 00:19:16.680 complexity, we have to address the troubled production 00:19:16.680 --> 00:19:19.500 of The Hobbit trilogy, which ran from 2012 to 00:19:19.500 --> 00:19:22.720 2014. If LOTR was a triumph of collaboration, 00:19:23.539 --> 00:19:26.059 The Hobbit was a story of corporate friction 00:19:26.059 --> 00:19:29.119 and artistic commitment under pressure. It had 00:19:29.119 --> 00:19:32.180 an extremely checkered history. Rooted in old 00:19:32.180 --> 00:19:35.759 grudges. Initially, Jackson was completely barred 00:19:35.759 --> 00:19:38.240 from involvement due to his previous legal dispute 00:19:38.240 --> 00:19:40.759 with New Line Cinema. Right, concerning the Fellowship 00:19:40.759 --> 00:19:43.539 of the Ring Profits. This is where Robert Shea, 00:19:43.539 --> 00:19:45.599 the New Line head, made that famous statement 00:19:45.599 --> 00:19:48.380 that Jackson will never make any movie with New 00:19:48.380 --> 00:19:50.460 Line Cinema again while I'm still working at 00:19:50.460 --> 00:19:52.740 the company. Which prompted an industry boycott 00:19:52.740 --> 00:19:55.720 call. That deep -seated corporate friction eventually 00:19:55.720 --> 00:19:59.059 subsided and Jackson returned. initially just 00:19:59.059 --> 00:20:01.920 as producer for two prequels, with Guillermo 00:20:01.920 --> 00:20:04.660 del Toro set to direct. But del Toro eventually 00:20:04.660 --> 00:20:06.779 dropped out due to years of production delays, 00:20:07.099 --> 00:20:09.539 leaving the project rudderless just before shooting. 00:20:09.720 --> 00:20:12.200 And Jackson, despite publicly stating he was 00:20:12.200 --> 00:20:14.299 reluctant to step back into the director's chair 00:20:14.299 --> 00:20:16.960 for such a demanding project, he felt compelled 00:20:16.960 --> 00:20:19.400 to take over. And this is the moment where critics 00:20:19.400 --> 00:20:22.279 often raise their eyebrows. Jackson took a single, 00:20:22.420 --> 00:20:24.859 relatively short children's book and expanded 00:20:24.859 --> 00:20:27.079 the planned two films into a three -part trilogy. 00:20:27.440 --> 00:20:30.319 That decision generated huge commercial success, 00:20:30.579 --> 00:20:34.799 but also significant artistic critique. To justify 00:20:34.799 --> 00:20:37.470 the length, Jackson and his co -writers incorporated 00:20:37.470 --> 00:20:39.690 extensive material from the Lord of the Rings 00:20:39.690 --> 00:20:41.789 appendices. And the central critique focused 00:20:41.789 --> 00:20:45.009 on pacing. The question was, was stretching the 00:20:45.009 --> 00:20:48.029 story purely a commercial decision? It's a complex 00:20:48.029 --> 00:20:51.089 analysis. Commercially, yes, it maximized profit 00:20:51.089 --> 00:20:52.750 and kept the Middle Earth industrial complex 00:20:52.750 --> 00:20:55.549 running. Artistically, though, Jackson and Walsh 00:20:55.549 --> 00:20:57.569 argued that incorporating the appendices allowed 00:20:57.569 --> 00:21:00.210 them to bridge the gap between The Hobbit and 00:21:00.210 --> 00:21:02.839 the seriousness of L .O .T .R. But ultimately, 00:21:03.039 --> 00:21:05.420 critics and many fans felt the narrative suffered 00:21:05.420 --> 00:21:08.299 from bloat. Regardless, his willingness to return 00:21:08.299 --> 00:21:10.980 confirmed his absolute control over the entire 00:21:10.980 --> 00:21:14.039 cinematic universe, securing his position at 00:21:14.039 --> 00:21:16.220 the center of the franchise. Having mastered 00:21:16.220 --> 00:21:19.279 fiction, Jackson executed arguably the most surprising 00:21:19.279 --> 00:21:22.140 pivot of his career, applying WIDA's sophisticated 00:21:22.140 --> 00:21:25.200 technology not to fantasy, but to historical 00:21:25.200 --> 00:21:27.940 reality through documentaries. This begins with 00:21:27.940 --> 00:21:30.460 his World War I restoration project. They shall 00:21:30.460 --> 00:21:33.900 not grow old in 2018. This was Jackson leveraging 00:21:33.900 --> 00:21:37.299 WIDA's technology for history. He took original, 00:21:37.359 --> 00:21:39.859 damaged, often unseen footage from the Imperial 00:21:39.859 --> 00:21:43.059 War Museums. And his personal passion for WWI 00:21:43.059 --> 00:21:46.099 aviation fed directly into the historical accuracy 00:21:46.099 --> 00:21:48.200 and respect for the material. The techniques 00:21:48.200 --> 00:21:50.450 they applied were revolutionary. They didn't 00:21:50.450 --> 00:21:52.750 just splice the footage together. Jackson's team 00:21:52.750 --> 00:21:56.049 employed complex, modern techniques to colorize 00:21:56.049 --> 00:21:58.430 the black and white film, convert the frame rate, 00:21:58.529 --> 00:22:01.470 sharpen the image, and even convert it to stereoscopic 00:22:01.470 --> 00:22:04.069 3D. But the most moving piece of restoration 00:22:04.069 --> 00:22:07.210 was the audio. Absolutely. The original footage 00:22:07.210 --> 00:22:10.349 was silent or contained only ambient noise. Jackson 00:22:10.349 --> 00:22:12.609 hired forensic lip readers to determine exactly 00:22:12.609 --> 00:22:14.470 what the soldiers were saying in the footage. 00:22:14.690 --> 00:22:17.150 And then they dubbed in realistic regional accents 00:22:17.150 --> 00:22:20.069 synchronized to the lip movements. This act brought 00:22:20.069 --> 00:22:21.950 the soldiers back to life in an almost hyper 00:22:21.950 --> 00:22:24.819 real way. The critical response reflected that 00:22:24.819 --> 00:22:27.400 immersive experience. Critics called the effect 00:22:27.400 --> 00:22:30.119 electrifying, noting that the soldiers, who were 00:22:30.119 --> 00:22:32.559 previously just ghosts in grainy, sped -up footage, 00:22:32.740 --> 00:22:35.799 were returned to an eerie, hyper -real kind of 00:22:35.799 --> 00:22:38.619 life. And while the film was technically ineligible 00:22:38.619 --> 00:22:41.019 for the Academy Awards due to its unique release 00:22:41.019 --> 00:22:43.940 and funding structure, it earned a BAFTA nomination 00:22:43.940 --> 00:22:47.069 for Best Documentary. This technological framework 00:22:47.069 --> 00:22:49.670 restoring and enhancing old, difficult source 00:22:49.670 --> 00:22:53.009 material was instantly recognizable when he tackled 00:22:53.009 --> 00:22:56.670 his next massive project, The Beatles. Get back 00:22:56.670 --> 00:22:59.309 in 2021. This documentary focused on the making 00:22:59.309 --> 00:23:02.450 of Let It Be. an album famously associated with 00:23:02.450 --> 00:23:04.950 the band's painful breakup. And Jackson was granted 00:23:04.950 --> 00:23:08.049 access to an incredible 55 hours of never -before 00:23:08.049 --> 00:23:11.269 -seen footage and 140 hours of audio. He used 00:23:11.269 --> 00:23:13.150 the same restoration techniques developed for 00:23:13.150 --> 00:23:15.990 WWI to transform the visual quality. His goal 00:23:15.990 --> 00:23:18.250 was specific, wasn't it? To challenge the prevailing 00:23:18.250 --> 00:23:20.490 narrative that this period was one of unrelenting 00:23:20.490 --> 00:23:23.359 conflict. Exactly. By restoring the footage, 00:23:23.500 --> 00:23:25.839 he aimed to show a new side, the camaraderie, 00:23:25.859 --> 00:23:27.740 the silliness, and the creative collaboration 00:23:27.740 --> 00:23:30.079 that was often overshadowed by the breakup narrative. 00:23:30.420 --> 00:23:32.319 The scope of the project demanded a three -part 00:23:32.319 --> 00:23:34.900 series release on Disney Plus MoMA. It featured 00:23:34.900 --> 00:23:37.960 the full 42 -minute final rooftop concert, and 00:23:37.960 --> 00:23:40.940 the critical consensus was immense. It won five 00:23:40.940 --> 00:23:43.539 Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding 00:23:43.539 --> 00:23:46.099 Documentary or Nonfiction Series, and personally 00:23:46.099 --> 00:23:49.119 for Jackson, Outstanding Directing. But here's 00:23:49.119 --> 00:23:51.420 where Jackson's technological ingenuity moves 00:23:51.420 --> 00:23:54.539 beyond cinema and physically alters music history. 00:23:54.720 --> 00:23:57.779 The audio demixing technology, developed specifically 00:23:57.779 --> 00:24:00.279 by the Weta team for Get Back, it allowed them 00:24:00.279 --> 00:24:03.160 to take a single combined audio track vocals, 00:24:03.519 --> 00:24:07.259 drums, guitars, and isolate each instrument or 00:24:07.259 --> 00:24:10.220 vocal performance. So explain that demixing process 00:24:10.220 --> 00:24:12.740 for us. Why was this such a groundbreaking technical 00:24:12.740 --> 00:24:15.660 feat, especially in audio restoration? Well, 00:24:15.700 --> 00:24:18.329 think of it this way. Historically, once instruments 00:24:18.329 --> 00:24:20.829 and vocals were mixed down onto a single tape 00:24:20.829 --> 00:24:22.809 track, they were permanently glued together. 00:24:23.289 --> 00:24:25.849 Trying to separate John Lennon's voice from the 00:24:25.849 --> 00:24:28.630 piano bleed on an old demo was nearly impossible 00:24:28.630 --> 00:24:31.490 without severe degradation. So we as machine 00:24:31.490 --> 00:24:34.069 learning and AI algorithms learn to recognize 00:24:34.069 --> 00:24:37.460 specific sonic signatures. Right. Lennon's voice, 00:24:37.619 --> 00:24:39.920 a specific drum kit, and they could essentially 00:24:39.920 --> 00:24:42.460 unglue the elements, allowing them to isolate 00:24:42.460 --> 00:24:44.640 vocals or drums from the background noise and 00:24:44.640 --> 00:24:47.259 each other with unprecedented clarity. That is 00:24:47.259 --> 00:24:49.740 truly revolutionary. And that technology immediately 00:24:49.740 --> 00:24:52.319 found commercial application. It was used to 00:24:52.319 --> 00:24:54.940 improve the audio quality of the revolver. Special 00:24:54.940 --> 00:24:58.319 edition reissue in 2022. And most famously, that 00:24:58.319 --> 00:25:01.319 demixing technology was the crucial key to salvaging 00:25:01.319 --> 00:25:03.779 and completing Now and Then, dubbed The Last 00:25:03.779 --> 00:25:07.240 Beatles Song, released in 2023. They took a raw, 00:25:07.440 --> 00:25:12.059 noisy 1977 demo tape by John Lennon, isolated 00:25:12.059 --> 00:25:15.339 his vocal track using the demixing process, combined 00:25:15.339 --> 00:25:18.119 it with recordings made in 1995, and then added 00:25:18.119 --> 00:25:20.940 new input from McCartney and Starr. Without Jackson's 00:25:20.940 --> 00:25:23.660 technology, that song would have remained unusable 00:25:23.660 --> 00:25:25.779 due to the poor quality of the vocal isolation. 00:25:26.099 --> 00:25:28.799 It's that simple. Jackson also directed the accompanying 00:25:28.799 --> 00:25:31.240 music video for Now and Then, which mixed new 00:25:31.240 --> 00:25:33.180 footage of McCartney and Starr with carefully 00:25:33.180 --> 00:25:35.640 restored old footage to visually include all 00:25:35.640 --> 00:25:38.190 four Beatles. This integration received a mixed 00:25:38.190 --> 00:25:41.029 response. While emotionally powerful, some critics 00:25:41.029 --> 00:25:43.009 and viewers found the visual integration of the 00:25:43.009 --> 00:25:45.069 deceased members into recent footage slightly 00:25:45.069 --> 00:25:48.269 uncanny or jarring. Right. Jackson himself noted 00:25:48.269 --> 00:25:50.869 he was initially very reluctant to direct the 00:25:50.869 --> 00:25:53.490 video but was persuaded by the infectious enthusiasm 00:25:53.490 --> 00:25:56.369 of the surviving members. And this period of 00:25:56.369 --> 00:25:58.890 intense technological development also coincided 00:25:58.890 --> 00:26:00.769 with a massive shift in his financial status. 00:26:00.950 --> 00:26:02.930 Jackson became a certified billionaire in 2021. 00:26:03.250 --> 00:26:06.470 That massive valuation was achieved when he sold 00:26:06.470 --> 00:26:09.670 Weta. Specifically, the digital division WIDA 00:26:09.670 --> 00:26:12.650 Digital to Unity Technologies, a leading interactive 00:26:12.650 --> 00:26:15.970 3D gaming business. This sale highlighted that 00:26:15.970 --> 00:26:18.150 Jackson hadn't just built a film studio asset. 00:26:18.390 --> 00:26:20.930 He had built a globally significant technology 00:26:20.930 --> 00:26:23.710 company. The result placed him and Fran Walsh, 00:26:23.710 --> 00:26:26.049 his partner and co -owner, very high on the NBR 00:26:26.049 --> 00:26:29.170 rich list in 2025 with an estimated net worth 00:26:29.170 --> 00:26:32.529 of around $2 .6 billion. It confirms Jackson's 00:26:32.529 --> 00:26:35.009 status as a technological entrepreneur as much 00:26:35.009 --> 00:26:37.880 as a filmmaker. And outside of cinema, his diverse 00:26:37.880 --> 00:26:40.240 business and personal interests are just as compelling. 00:26:40.359 --> 00:26:42.440 Starting with that lifelong obsession that fed 00:26:42.440 --> 00:26:46.220 into They Shall Not Grow Old, World War I Aviation. 00:26:46.730 --> 00:26:48.710 He is an absolute fanatic. His interest is so 00:26:48.710 --> 00:26:50.849 deep that he actually owns an aircraft restoration 00:26:50.849 --> 00:26:53.569 and manufacturing company, the Vintage Aviator. 00:26:53.650 --> 00:26:55.950 Which is dedicated to the painstaking restoration 00:26:55.950 --> 00:26:59.569 and recreation of WWI and WWI fighter planes. 00:26:59.809 --> 00:27:03.490 He personally owns a collection of over 40 airworthy 00:27:03.490 --> 00:27:07.029 WWI era warbirds. A collection of historical 00:27:07.029 --> 00:27:09.619 artifacts you can actually fly. He also chairs 00:27:09.619 --> 00:27:13.099 the 1418 Aviation Heritage Trust and has been 00:27:13.099 --> 00:27:15.640 generous with his collection, notably donating 00:27:15.640 --> 00:27:18.339 replica aircraft for the over -the -front multimedia 00:27:18.339 --> 00:27:21.200 display at the Australian War Memorial. He also 00:27:21.200 --> 00:27:23.740 previously owned Waynut Wings, a scale modeling 00:27:23.740 --> 00:27:26.359 company specializing in WWI subjects. Which, 00:27:26.559 --> 00:27:29.099 while it closed in 2020, just underscores the 00:27:29.099 --> 00:27:32.160 depth of his detailed passion for this era. His 00:27:32.160 --> 00:27:34.420 interests stretch much further than history and 00:27:34.420 --> 00:27:37.140 aviation, though. He purchased and saved Bats 00:27:37.140 --> 00:27:39.559 Theatre in Wellington. from demolition in 2011, 00:27:39.839 --> 00:27:42.000 showing a commitment to local arts infrastructure. 00:27:42.700 --> 00:27:44.519 And then there's the science aspect, where his 00:27:44.519 --> 00:27:46.980 capital supports genuinely ambitious, disruptive 00:27:46.980 --> 00:27:48.759 goals. You're talking about his investment in 00:27:48.759 --> 00:27:51.660 colossal biosciences. Exactly. Jackson invested 00:27:51.660 --> 00:27:54.140 in this bioscience company, which has the specific, 00:27:54.279 --> 00:27:57.220 ambitious aim of de -extinction. Bringing back 00:27:57.220 --> 00:27:59.559 extinct creatures, most famously the woolly mammoth. 00:27:59.619 --> 00:28:02.099 It showcases his willingness to put serious capital 00:28:02.099 --> 00:28:04.619 behind technology that pushes boundaries, whether 00:28:04.619 --> 00:28:07.359 it's visual effects, audio restoration, or genetic 00:28:07.359 --> 00:28:10.500 science. He's always funding the next disruptive 00:28:10.500 --> 00:28:13.019 innovation. It's clear that his influence is 00:28:13.019 --> 00:28:15.579 not limited to the silver screen. We should also 00:28:15.579 --> 00:28:17.940 touch on the more idiosyncratic details of his 00:28:17.940 --> 00:28:20.619 collection, like owning the main driving chitty 00:28:20.619 --> 00:28:23.319 -chitty bang -bang car built for the film. And 00:28:23.319 --> 00:28:26.079 he's not afraid to use his clout locally. The 00:28:26.079 --> 00:28:27.799 sources point to his involvement in Wellington 00:28:27.799 --> 00:28:30.900 local politics in 2019, where he supported a 00:28:30.900 --> 00:28:34.069 mayoral candidate with $30 ,000 in funding. And 00:28:34.069 --> 00:28:36.049 this support reportedly influenced the election 00:28:36.049 --> 00:28:39.490 result by a tiny margin of just 62 votes, stemming 00:28:39.490 --> 00:28:41.450 primarily from a long running property development 00:28:41.450 --> 00:28:44.210 dispute at Shelly Bay. It's a remarkable demonstration 00:28:44.210 --> 00:28:47.509 of his desire to shape the physical as well as 00:28:47.509 --> 00:28:50.089 the creative environment around him. To understand 00:28:50.089 --> 00:28:52.509 Jackson's massive output, we have to look closely 00:28:52.509 --> 00:28:55.450 at the man directing his methodology, his collaborators 00:28:55.450 --> 00:28:58.769 and his reputation for being an intense perfectionist. 00:28:59.079 --> 00:29:01.599 That label is well -earned. Jackson is known 00:29:01.599 --> 00:29:03.920 for his almost compulsive attention to detail, 00:29:04.160 --> 00:29:06.559 which is often paired with a macabre sense of 00:29:06.559 --> 00:29:09.480 humor and a general playfulness. The bad taste 00:29:09.480 --> 00:29:11.720 sensibilities are still lingering. Oh, absolutely. 00:29:12.160 --> 00:29:15.720 But that perfectionism translated directly into 00:29:15.720 --> 00:29:19.079 long, demanding hours on set, particularly during 00:29:19.079 --> 00:29:22.259 the LOTR era. We have those incredible anecdotes 00:29:22.259 --> 00:29:24.880 from legendary actors like Christopher Lee and 00:29:24.880 --> 00:29:27.819 Ina McKellen, who spoke about his habit of demanding 00:29:27.819 --> 00:29:36.960 new Often asking for one more for luck. And this 00:29:36.960 --> 00:29:43.839 is directly tied to a signature Jackson trademark, 00:29:44.119 --> 00:29:46.720 his insistence on coverage. For you listeners 00:29:46.720 --> 00:29:48.900 who might not be familiar with the term, coverage 00:29:48.900 --> 00:29:51.519 means shooting a scene from virtually every angle 00:29:51.519 --> 00:29:53.720 imaginable. Ride shots, medium shots, closest 00:29:53.720 --> 00:29:56.160 from the left, closest from the right. High angles, 00:29:56.339 --> 00:29:59.490 low angles. He does this to maximize his editing 00:29:59.490 --> 00:30:01.769 options in post -production, sometimes spending 00:30:01.769 --> 00:30:04.589 days capturing a single short scene, but ensuring 00:30:04.589 --> 00:30:07.109 he has every possible permutation available in 00:30:07.109 --> 00:30:09.569 the editing room. And visually, this manifests 00:30:09.569 --> 00:30:13.789 in specific, recognizable trademarks. that wide 00:30:13.789 --> 00:30:17.150 array of multiple camera angles, and his unique 00:30:17.150 --> 00:30:19.829 use of wide -angle lenses for close -ups on actors' 00:30:19.970 --> 00:30:23.150 faces. Right. A wide -angle lens typically distorts 00:30:23.150 --> 00:30:25.470 perspective slightly, often making the face look 00:30:25.470 --> 00:30:27.990 more imposing or intense, drawing the viewer 00:30:27.990 --> 00:30:30.150 deeper into the emotional space of the character. 00:30:30.390 --> 00:30:32.930 He was also, throughout his career, a significant 00:30:32.930 --> 00:30:35.549 early adopter of computer enhancement technology, 00:30:35.910 --> 00:30:39.630 even before LOTR. He began utilizing and providing 00:30:39.630 --> 00:30:42.849 digital special effects to Hollywood films. Establishing 00:30:42.849 --> 00:30:45.170 Waita's reputation long before The Ring came 00:30:45.170 --> 00:30:48.109 into play. His self -taught trial and error mentality 00:30:48.109 --> 00:30:50.829 made him uniquely receptive to new disruptive 00:30:50.829 --> 00:30:53.029 technologies. He has also definitely adopted 00:30:53.029 --> 00:30:55.630 the Alfred Hitchcock tradition. He is a true 00:30:55.630 --> 00:30:58.109 cameo king. He appears in most of the films he 00:30:58.109 --> 00:31:00.829 directs, and even in some he only produces. And 00:31:00.829 --> 00:31:02.930 these cameos are more than just quick background 00:31:02.930 --> 00:31:06.539 shots. They are specific, fun details. Beyond 00:31:06.539 --> 00:31:09.740 his two lead roles in Bad Taste, he was the mortician's 00:31:09.740 --> 00:31:12.180 assistant in Braindead. In Heavenly Creatures, 00:31:12.240 --> 00:31:15.420 he was the tramp kissed by Juliet Holm, a jarring 00:31:15.420 --> 00:31:18.359 bit of levity in an otherwise intense film. The 00:31:18.359 --> 00:31:20.480 Lord of the Rings cameos are perhaps the most 00:31:20.480 --> 00:31:23.259 famous. He is the carrot -chomping citizen of 00:31:23.259 --> 00:31:25.559 Bree in Fellowship of the Ring. And in The Two 00:31:25.559 --> 00:31:27.660 Towers, he's one of the spear -throwing defenders 00:31:27.660 --> 00:31:30.480 of Helm's Deep. In Return of the King, he ramps 00:31:30.480 --> 00:31:33.430 up the detail. He played the bosun of a corsair 00:31:33.430 --> 00:31:35.910 ship who was accidentally killed by Legolas in 00:31:35.910 --> 00:31:38.269 the extended version. A character so memorable 00:31:38.269 --> 00:31:40.369 in his brief appearance that an action figure 00:31:40.369 --> 00:31:42.329 was actually made of him. And then there's the 00:31:42.329 --> 00:31:45.549 bizarre practical detail that his own hand stood 00:31:45.549 --> 00:31:48.210 in for Sean Astin's hands when Sam was being 00:31:48.210 --> 00:31:51.769 wrapped in cobweb by Shelob due to Astin's temporary 00:31:51.769 --> 00:31:55.000 absence from the set. He even inserted a clever 00:31:55.000 --> 00:31:57.480 meta reference into his most beloved project. 00:31:57.759 --> 00:32:01.160 In his 2005 King Kong remake, he appeared as 00:32:01.160 --> 00:32:03.779 a biplane gunner attacking Kong. Which was a 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:07.069 direct, respectful reprise. of the cameo made 00:32:07.069 --> 00:32:10.109 by the original 1933 film's director, Marion 00:32:10.109 --> 00:32:12.289 C. Cooper. And it really is a family business. 00:32:12.509 --> 00:32:14.710 His partner, Fran Walsh, and both their children, 00:32:14.950 --> 00:32:17.369 Billy and Katie, have made consistent cameos 00:32:17.369 --> 00:32:19.670 throughout his major filmography since the mid 00:32:19.670 --> 00:32:22.369 -90s. From The Frighteners right through The 00:32:22.369 --> 00:32:25.329 Hobbit trilogy. Even the portraits of Bilbo's 00:32:25.329 --> 00:32:27.890 parents, Bungo Baggins and Bella Donna Took, 00:32:28.109 --> 00:32:30.450 seen at the end of the Battle of the Five Armies, 00:32:30.529 --> 00:32:33.009 were painted in the likeness of Jackson and Walsh. 00:32:33.109 --> 00:32:35.690 Which brings us back to Fran Walsh. We've mentioned 00:32:35.690 --> 00:32:37.910 her numerous times, but we have to reinforce 00:32:37.910 --> 00:32:40.609 her importance. She is far more than a partner. 00:32:40.730 --> 00:32:43.329 She is the creative co -pilot and the thematic 00:32:43.329 --> 00:32:46.130 anchor of his entire career. Absolutely. She 00:32:46.130 --> 00:32:49.329 has been his partner since 1987 and is an essential 00:32:49.329 --> 00:32:52.279 collaborator. A co -writer, producer, and lyricist 00:32:52.279 --> 00:32:55.000 on every film since Meet the Feebles, their work 00:32:55.000 --> 00:32:57.220 is inseparable. Her contributions were formally 00:32:57.220 --> 00:32:59.119 recognized when she shared the three Academy 00:32:59.119 --> 00:33:01.619 Awards Jackson won for The Return of the King. 00:33:01.779 --> 00:33:04.339 Best picture, best adapted screenplay, and even 00:33:04.339 --> 00:33:07.109 best original song for Into the West. In total, 00:33:07.210 --> 00:33:10.309 she has received seven Oscar nominations, making 00:33:10.309 --> 00:33:13.089 her one of the most essential and sometimes undercredited 00:33:13.089 --> 00:33:15.930 figures in modern blockbuster cinema. She often 00:33:15.930 --> 00:33:18.430 brings the necessary emotional gravity and grounded 00:33:18.430 --> 00:33:21.450 sensibility to Jackson's otherwise technologically 00:33:21.450 --> 00:33:24.309 maximalist ambitions, pushing him toward projects 00:33:24.309 --> 00:33:26.750 like Heavenly Creatures and grounding the emotional 00:33:26.750 --> 00:33:30.579 intensity of LOTR. So, looking back... Sir Peter 00:33:30.579 --> 00:33:33.039 Jackson's career trajectory is truly monumental. 00:33:33.420 --> 00:33:36.140 He navigated the difficult transition from self 00:33:36.140 --> 00:33:39.880 -taught splatter king to mainstream respectability 00:33:39.880 --> 00:33:42.119 with heavenly creatures. He used that success 00:33:42.119 --> 00:33:45.160 to establish Weta, not just a studio, but an 00:33:45.160 --> 00:33:48.420 unparalleled visual effects powerhouse. He conquered 00:33:48.420 --> 00:33:51.900 Hollywood with LOTR, winning 11 Oscars and redefining 00:33:51.900 --> 00:33:54.400 the fantasy genre. And in his later career, he 00:33:54.400 --> 00:33:56.740 achieved a new level of versatility, pivoting 00:33:56.740 --> 00:33:58.920 to historically accurate documentaries and musical 00:33:58.920 --> 00:34:01.599 preservation, demonstrating that Weta's restoration 00:34:01.599 --> 00:34:04.019 technology is now a globally important asset. 00:34:04.480 --> 00:34:06.640 Capable of giving new life to history, music, 00:34:06.720 --> 00:34:09.699 and even potentially extinct creatures, his national 00:34:09.699 --> 00:34:13.099 honors reflect this standing. Indeed. His official 00:34:13.099 --> 00:34:15.539 standing is secured both nationally and internationally. 00:34:16.039 --> 00:34:18.699 He was knighted as a Knight Companion of the 00:34:18.699 --> 00:34:21.219 New Zealand Order of Merit in 2010. And received 00:34:21.219 --> 00:34:23.599 New Zealand's highest civilian honor in 2012 00:34:23.599 --> 00:34:26.099 as an additional member of the Order of New Zealand. 00:34:26.219 --> 00:34:28.079 And his involvement with Middle Earth is far 00:34:28.079 --> 00:34:31.860 from over. Warner Bros. Discovery recently confirmed 00:34:31.860 --> 00:34:34.199 that Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens 00:34:34.199 --> 00:34:36.659 will produce a new Lord of the Rings film, The 00:34:36.659 --> 00:34:39.300 Lord of the Rings, The Hunt for Gollum, set for 00:34:39.300 --> 00:34:41.739 release in 2027. With Andy Serkis directing. 00:34:41.980 --> 00:34:43.900 And Wellington is confirmed as the production 00:34:43.900 --> 00:34:46.320 hub, confirming that Jackson remains the central 00:34:46.320 --> 00:34:48.460 creative and industrial force of that franchise. 00:34:48.940 --> 00:34:51.280 So we've tracked Jackson's journey from a young 00:34:51.280 --> 00:34:54.119 boy obsessed with stop -motion King Kong to a 00:34:54.119 --> 00:34:57.099 technology billionaire who can literally restore 00:34:57.099 --> 00:34:59.559 the Beatles' final music. We know his lifelong 00:34:59.559 --> 00:35:02.639 passion. for King Kong and WWI aviation, and 00:35:02.639 --> 00:35:05.380 we know he is deeply invested in colossal biosciences, 00:35:05.460 --> 00:35:07.840 aiming to bring back the woolly mammoth. This 00:35:07.840 --> 00:35:10.059 raises the final fascinating question for you, 00:35:10.099 --> 00:35:12.739 the listener. We've seen Jackson transition from 00:35:12.739 --> 00:35:15.900 low -budget horror to high -fantasy epics and 00:35:15.900 --> 00:35:18.440 then to intense forensic historical restoration. 00:35:19.119 --> 00:35:21.639 Knowing his unique blend of technological mastery, 00:35:22.000 --> 00:35:25.519 cinematic ambition, and obsessive detail, and 00:35:25.519 --> 00:35:27.639 given that he's already investing heavily in 00:35:27.639 --> 00:35:30.139 life sciences and aviation history, what new 00:35:30.139 --> 00:35:32.639 field of reality or fiction will his particular 00:35:32.639 --> 00:35:34.960 brand of visionary expertise choose to conquer 00:35:34.960 --> 00:35:38.099 next? What unexplored corner of the world is 00:35:38.099 --> 00:35:39.619 waiting for the Peter Jackson treatment?