Director Research and Case Study - Peter Jackson

The director that I chose for my Case Study is Peter Jackson, the director, writer and producer of the world renowned franchise Lord of the Rings (2001-2003) and The Hobbit (2012-2014). He was born in New Zealand on 31 October 1961 and is a Film Director, Screen-Writer, Film Producer and Actor. He also directed the 2005 remake of King Kong and he produced District 9, The Adventures of TinTin: The Secret of the Unicorn. He has also dabbled in the areas of comedic horror with Bad Taste (1987) and Braindead (1992). He has been awarded 3 Academy Awards, a Golden Globe, 3 Saturn Awards and 3 BAFTA's. His production company is called Wingnut Films. He also has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 

From a young age Jackson was a massive film fan and drew inspiration from television series like Thunderbirds and Monty Python. He used to make short films with his friends, even attempting to make a stop-go animation remake of his favourite film King Kong. He practically taught himself editing, special effects and make-up through trial and error. He watched the animated part-adaptation of The Lord Of The Rings as a child, obviously sparking the idea for a full cinematic adaptation from an early age.

Jackson's most famous cinematic creation was his adaptation of the Lord of the Rings trilogy (written by J.R.R Tolkien). He won the rights to it in 1997 after meeting a producer named Saul Zaentz. Originally the film was to be produced by Miramax, who wanted two films but after being pushed into cramming the whole trilogy of books into a singular movie, Jackson singed a last minute deal with New Line Cinema to create a whole trilogy. Most of the filming was done in the outside of New Zealand, with the set for The Shire still being able to be visited today. Jackson was always given enough time to refine the films to their maximum potential. The third film in the trilogy, Return Of The King, is by far the most successful, winning 11 Oscars, including best picture and director.