Chris Bouchard creates an astonishing new chapter in the Lord of the Rings saga

Look at the trailer for Chris Bouchard’s online movie The Hunt for Gollum and it may come as a surprise that this short film is a not-for-profit fan flick made by an enthusiastic group of young filmmakers. With outstanding visual effects, make-up and even its own soundtrack, the film sets a new bar for the often dreadful fan films sometimes found online.

Of all The Lord Of The Rings characters and storylines, what made Gollum special enough to make a fan film about?
I chose this story, partly because it was simple enough to do on a really low budget (few actors, easy locations) but also because Aragorn is one of my favourite characters and this was originally intended to be his story. I was even going to call it Strider, but then Gollum came into it and he’s such a fun character that we had to give him a bigger part. For me, Gollum is such an interesting, twisted, dark character, but also he gives us a chance to have a bit of fun thanks to his humorous side.

How similar is this movie to Peter Jackson’s style of directing? Or did you put your own stamp on it?
I was really inspired by the behind-the-scenes clips of Peter Jackson directing, although in the end this project was so different in terms of budget and scale that we had to do everything our own way. I do think of it as not only a homage but also a fan-made extension to his films. I made it like that purely because I am a fan and that’s what I wanted to watch myself. So we went for a similar style in terms of costumes, props, visuals, etc.

You didn’t make The Hunt For Gollum for profit, so why did you start the project?
This film has cost all of us to make, but firstly it’s been a lot of fun (a dream) to make. Secondly it’s been a learning experience – like film school for me, and thirdly there is the hope that this might help us get funding for future films. It’s incredibly hard to find investors in the credit crunch, especially when films are such high-risk prospects. Ultimately it was about trying to make something that people would actually see, and that is satisfying if you’re pouring your heart and soul into a project.

How hard was it to find enthusiastic crew and cast members for the movie?
It was easier due to the popularity of LOTR of course, but we were asking people to work really hard from sunrise till sunset for nothing but a few sandwiches. Luckily it was a fun atmosphere on set, and everyone pitched in to get the film made. Many of the cast and crew are supremely talented costume makers, artists, etc and they enjoyed the opportunity to work on something ambitious.

You have established yourself now as a low-budget filmmaker. Is it your aspiration to become one of Hollywood’s household names?
My hope and dream is simply to get paid to make films full time, but we’ll see if that happens.

You also composed the music for Star Wars: Revelations, another sci-fi fan film. Is this something you want to go further with or do you see this more as some sort of side project?
I started out thinking that music was for me, but quickly realized that it was too specialized and I didn’t have the musical training to do it full time. For the time being I’m going to stick with filmmaking. I can’t face staring at a keyboard trying to think of a tune. The composers on The Hunt for Gollum, Adam Langston and Andy Skrabutenas, did an amazing job and have a musical skill I will never have.

The Hunt for Gollum is available to download at www.thehuntforgollum.com and has already received rave reviews. Director and Executive Producer Chris Bouchard talks about his ‘precious’ experience.