Zhangjiajie Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area was listed as a World Natural Heritage Site in 1992. It consists mainly of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Suoxiyu Nature Reserve, and Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve.
Annie Burton led the second unit team to this location. Although they had already traveled across many parts of China, Zhangjiajie's breathtaking landscape still left them in awe.
"This place is simply a masterpiece of God," Annie Burton exclaimed.
Cameraman Kretsch jokingly replied, "I heard that Chinese people don't believe in God. So, God probably had nothing to do with this place."
"What do Chinese people believe in, then?" Annie Burton asked curiously.
Kretsch shook his head. "I'm not sure. You might have to ask the director—he's an expert on China."
Annie Burton shrugged, not forgetting her mission here. With the help of local guides, she began scouting locations. Many of the most beautiful spots were difficult to access, unreachable by car or foot.
So, after discussing with Kretsch, she decided to rent a helicopter to capture aerial shots.
At this time, civilian helicopters were rare in China. The one they used had been flown in from Jinling and was reportedly affiliated with the local military district. They had simply lent it to the film crew for shooting.
The military even assigned personnel to assist the crew, so lending out a helicopter or two was no big deal.
Beyond the mountains and rivers of Zhangjiajie, Annie Burton also went to Jiutian Cave, Huanglong Cave, and Longwang Cave to shoot additional footage. She had already filmed many similar karst caves in Guangxi and Guizhou, but Zhangjiajie's caves stood out for their sheer grandeur.
Jiutian Cave, in particular, was considered the largest cave in Asia.
Named after its nine skylights that connect it to the surface, Jiutian Cave has three levels and spans a total area of 2.5 million square meters.
It was first discovered in 1987 by cave exploration adventurer Wang Hairan and officially opened to the public in 1988. It was designated as a provincial scenic area and became an international cave exploration site as a member of the International Union of Speleology.
Despite being discovered early, these caves have undergone minimal human development, preserving their original natural beauty to the greatest extent.
These cave shots would serve as the visual reference for the Mines of Moria in the film. They would later be enhanced with CGI.
In simple terms, Annie Burton's team pre-filmed establishing shots of these locations, while Gilbert's main unit would shoot the actors' performances. Later, the two sets of footage would be seamlessly merged in post-production.
However, some scenes required the Fellowship of the Ring to travel to various locations for on-site filming.
While Gilbert was busy shooting major scenes in the studio, the Fellowship actors traveled with the second unit across China's scenic sites.
Perhaps the most remarkable location was Jiuzhaigou.
Gilbert had chosen Jiuzhaigou as the setting for Rivendell. The elven residences would be created with special effects and shot in a studio, but much of the natural scenery was filmed on location.
As Kretsch put it, "These shots don't need any modifications. Just put them in, and people will believe Rivendell is a real place where elves exist."
The crew captured all these stunning landscapes on film.
However, to control the runtime, Gilbert couldn't include every shot in the theatrical cut. His plan was to keep each The Lord of the Rings film around three hours long.
Even at three hours per film, this was still a rarity in cinema history.
Gilbert also adopted Peter Jackson's approach—releasing an extended director's cut on DVD for additional revenue.
The DVD edition would include behind-the-scenes footage, allowing fans to see how this epic masterpiece was transformed from text to film.
Speaking of Peter Jackson, ever since the Lord of the Rings crew failed to reach an agreement with New Zealand, he had felt embarrassed to meet Gilbert.
But when news of the film's production spread, Peter Jackson couldn't resist any longer. He personally traveled to China to visit the set.
"Director Gilbert, the work you've done is unparalleled. The way you're bringing The Lord of the Rings to life is exactly as I imagined. Knowing that this epic is in your hands, I feel at ease."
It was clear that Peter Jackson felt a sense of loss. He was a true fan of The Lord of the Rings.
Not being able to personally adapt this grand story for the big screen left him with deep regret.
Jackson, who had struggled to make successful films outside the Lord of the Rings franchise, had directed several movies that didn't perform well. His directing career had been rocky.
Rumor had it that he was now trying to convince Universal Pictures to greenlight a King Kong remake, though it was uncertain whether Universal would agree.
Curious about the adaptation process, Peter Jackson asked, "How did you approach the script adaptation?"
Since the project was highly confidential, only core members knew what The Lord of the Rings actually looked like in production.
Even high-level executives at Disney and Warner Bros., thousands of miles away, had no idea about the film's progress—only that money was being spent at an astonishing rate.
Gilbert replied, "When I was eighteen, I read The Lord of the Rings for the first time, and I absolutely loved the series…"
I always thought that someone would turn it into a movie, and I would love to see it."
"I felt the same way. But this novel is incredibly difficult to adapt, and no one was willing to take on such a risky project. Fortunately, we have you," Peter Jackson said with relief.
"The power of the words in this book is so strong that I couldn't imagine how to bring the world in the book to life on screen."
"If you don't mind, let's chat over some tea," Gilbert suggested.
"Sounds good," Peter Jackson agreed, and the two of them entered the director's tent, where Anna served them tea.
After working as Gilbert's assistant for over two months, Xu Qing had accepted a new acting job and resigned from her position.
As a film fan, Xu Qing had satisfied her inner fan by working for Gilbert, but she had her own career to focus on. So, Anna resumed her work as his assistant.
In reality, Gilbert's Melon Studio had many affairs that Anna managed. Besides being Gilbert's assistant, she was also a senior executive at the studio, helping him handle a great deal of work.
"Thanks for your hard work," Gilbert nodded at Anna.
Once Anna left, Gilbert and Peter Jackson had an open and pleasant conversation.
Gilbert discussed the script development and the extensive preparations for The Lord of the Rings.
The reason Gilbert was willing to share these details with Peter Jackson was that, in his previous life, Peter Jackson had been the director of this film.
To be honest, Gilbert was not a Lord of the Rings superfan.
Although, when preparing for The Lord of the Rings project, he had read The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion, his main reference for the adaptation was still Peter Jackson's version of The Lord of the Rings.
Though Peter Jackson had not been deeply involved in this version of The Lord of the Rings, as a devoted fan of the books, he undoubtedly had valuable insights. Gilbert gained a lot from their conversation.
When the topic turned to filming all three movies at once, Gilbert admitted, "Shooting a trilogy back-to-back is a highly risky endeavor.
When you're filming three movies in a row, there will inevitably be times when things get out of control."
"So how do you manage these challenges?" Peter Jackson asked.
"These three films must be meticulously and thoroughly planned," Gilbert responded. "We try to anticipate every detail and minimize the chances of making mistakes.
We knew from the start that the schedule would be extremely tight, so we prepared for a grueling shoot."
Peter Jackson nodded. "I can imagine the immense workload. This is a film far more complex than Titanic. You've done something incredible."
Gilbert joked, "Fox once wanted me to take over Titanic. At the time, I thought I couldn't do it.
But now, after The Lord of the Rings, I feel like there's nothing I can't do."
After exchanging ideas in depth, Gilbert took Peter Jackson on a tour of the set, including the props department.
"China has many renowned swordsmiths who still preserve traditional forging techniques," Gilbert said, showing Peter Jackson the armory, which contained many finely crafted swords, armor, and other weapons.
"Our team hired many of these experts to custom-make swords and armor based on our designs. These intricately designed weapons and armor are real and fully wearable."
Gilbert picked up a weapon and demonstrated it to Peter Jackson.
"What's this?" Peter Jackson asked, pointing at a particularly exquisite piece of armor with curiosity.
"This is Arwen's custom-made armor, tailored to Anne Hathaway's measurements," Gilbert replied.
"You mean Arwen will have a lot of action scenes?"
"Smart guess." Gilbert snapped his fingers. "In the original novel, Aragorn and Arwen's story is deeply touching, but Arwen's ending is bittersweet.
I want this elven princess to play a more significant role. She deserves more screen time."
In fact, this was one of the changes Gilbert had made compared to the original Lord of the Rings films. He added a substantial number of action sequences, including horseback scenes, giving Arwen a more prominent role.
In both The Fellowship of the Ring and The Riders of the Two Towers, Princess Arwen would become a formidable warrior.
Alongside Legolas, she would be one of the film's two major visual standouts, continuously drawing audience attention and adding extra appeal to the movie.
The design and creation of these weapons, props, and armor had taken the production team over a year.
However, if Gilbert was dissatisfied during filming, the art department would make modifications on demand.
Overall, Gilbert was very pleased with the work.
He told production designer Serlina Heffey, "You've done an incredible job. With the success of this movie, your work will be remembered in film history."
Peter Jackson spent a week in China, thoroughly exploring The Lord of the Rings production.
Gilbert even allowed him to direct two scenes, fulfilling his inner fan's dream.
After achieving this, Peter Jackson left feeling reassured.
However, this summer, the filming of The Lord of the Rings was destined to be neither easy nor quiet.
Whenever there was a little downtime, Naomi Watts would visit the set with Jennifer Connelly, who had just wrapped up Mulholland Drive.
"Is this a mammoth's trunk?" Jennifer asked curiously, touching the massive prop. She found it hard to imagine how such a heavy piece had been made.
"Yes," Gilbert nodded and called out to the props team, "Be careful and stay safe."
The props team was using a crane to hoist the trunk and attach it to the giant mammoth model.
This model was a full-scale, life-sized creature. A camera assistant was filming the process—perfect behind-the-scenes footage for later promotions.
Naomi Watts was amazed. "This mammoth looks almost alive! The props team did an incredible job."
"It's a shame it's not real," Gilbert said wistfully.
"If it were real, we'd be seeing these magnificent creatures in zoos instead of just in movies," Naomi Watts replied.
This mammoth model was just one of many. In addition to CGI, the production had created mammoths of various sizes for different filming needs.
These were essential elements that couldn't be skipped.
After inspecting the giant mammoth model, Naomi Watts and Jennifer Connelly followed Gilbert deeper into the set.
"The media is in an uproar right now. It's getting really intense," Naomi Watts remarked.
"Yeah, I heard The Lord of the Rings fans staged a massive protest outside Melon Studio. Doug Walter even got beaten up on his way home," Jennifer Connelly added.
Gilbert rubbed his forehead. "Poor Doug. Is he okay?"
"He's fine. The police caught the attacker, and Walter has increased his security, so there shouldn't be any more trouble," Naomi Watts reassured him.
"That's good." Gilbert sighed. Doug Walter had taken the hit for him.
Doug hadn't mentioned it during their calls, likely not wanting to distract Gilbert or affect the crew's morale.
But such worries were unnecessary. Gilbert wouldn't panic over this. The one who should be nervous was Peter Jackson. Unlike Gilbert, he didn't have the advantage of knowing how things would turn out.
For Gilbert, the film's success was guaranteed. All he had to do was focus on doing his job well.
The crew, influenced by Gilbert's optimism and fueled by his long track record of success, was highly motivated and full of confidence.
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