Forgotten '80s Horror Film Mastered LOTR VFX Trick 14 Years Before Trilogy
VFX artists are singing the praises of 1987 horror movie The Gate for its pioneering use of a special effect that was later seen in The Lord of the Rings trilogy The film, which follows two young boys as they inadvertently unleash an otherworldly entity from a massive hole in their backyard, was well-received upon its initial release but has since faded somewhat from mainstream cultural memory
VFX artists have lauded The Gate, a horror film from 1987, for employing a technique that was used in The Lord of the Rings movies 14 years later. The movie is centered around two young boys who accidentally set free an evil supernatural being from a massive hole in their backyard. Although it received critical acclaim upon its release, it has not achieved the same cult following as other classics from its era. Recently, Corridor Crew released a video featuring VFX artists reacting to The Gate and its visuals, highlighting a particular element that bears resemblance to The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
When examining The Gate from the 0:45 mark, VFX artists Niko, Wren, and Sam delve into the implementation of forced perspective in the movie to give the impression that masses of diminutive, malevolent creatures are actually small in size. This same filmmaking technique was also utilized in The Lord of the Rings to depict Hobbit characters as shorter than the other characters on screen.
How The Lord Of The Rings VFX Have Stood The Test Of Time.
Forced perspective was initially utilized in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring to create the illusion that Frodo Baggins and other Hobbits were smaller in comparison to Gandalf. This technique was crucial in accurately portraying J.R.R. Tolkien's original depiction of Middle-earth in the film adaptation. Although similar VFX had been employed in previous movies like The Gate, the use of forced perspective in The Lord of the Rings was still considered a groundbreaking and unique aspect of filmmaking at the time.
However, despite the groundbreaking VFX used in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, not all of them have aged well. VFX supervisor Eric Saindon acknowledges that there are flaws in the portrayal of Gollum, particularly in light of the advancements in computer-generated imagery since the films' release. However, even with these flaws, the impressive nature of the films still stands out over two decades later.
Interestingly, The Lord of the Rings trilogy's use of forced perspective, while impressive, was not a completely new technique. The Gate had already perfected this VFX method before Jackson and his team utilized it in their films. This demonstrates how filmmakers often build on past techniques to improve upon them, and highlights the importance of acknowledging the contributions of those who came before us. Without The Gate's pioneering use of forced perspective, The Lord of the Rings' depiction of this technique may not have been as polished.
