*Chapter 226: Be Even More Imposing*

Arriving in New Zealand, Richard continued filming with the crew.

The plot had moved into the third film, with Frodo, Sam, and Gollum continuing their journey to Mount Doom, while Aragorn, Gandalf, Legolas, and Gimli went to various battlefields to fight against Sauron and the Orcs, working together to defend Middle-earth.

When Sauron's army besieged Minas Tirith, the capital of Gondor, Aragorn took the reforged sword Narsil to the Paths of the Dead, hoping to enlist the aid of the army of the dead.

This army was originally a group of humans who lived near the White Mountains, known as the Men of the Mountain.

Initially, they worshipped the Dark Lord Sauron, but after the Kingdom of Gondor was established, their king pledged allegiance to Gondor's King Isildur and vowed to fight against Sauron.

However, when the time for war came, this army refused Isildur's summons, breaking their oath.

Isildur cursed them: if they did not fulfill their promise, their souls would never find peace until they were summoned again in the final days.

The Men of the Mountain fled into the hills, and as time passed, they became undead due to Isildur's curse, their souls unable to find rest, lying dormant in the Paths of the Dead.

Only by accepting the call of Isildur's heir and aiding him against Sauron's forces could their souls find peace.

Aragorn, being Isildur's heir, arrived at the Paths of the Dead at this critical moment, carrying the reforged sword.

This sequence, which involved a lot of special effects, was shot in the Weta Digital studio.

The actors present for this scene included Richard, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, who played the dwarf Gimli, and an actor made up as the King of the Dead, his body painted in a glowing green to facilitate post-production.

“Scene 252, take 3, action!”

The clapperboard snapped, and the various departments of the crew began to move.

“Who enters my domain?” the King of the Dead's spirit asked. His voice was synthesized with a voice changer, making it sound strange.

“One who will hold you to your oath,” Aragorn said, holding a torch.

“The dead do not suffer the living to pass,” said the King of the Dead.

“You will suffer me,” Aragorn replied confidently.

“Hahaha~” The King of the Dead laughed loudly.

Aragorn looked around nervously, seeing countless ghostly figures appearing.

“The way is shut. It was made by those who are dead, and the dead keep it. The way is shut. Now you must die,” the King of the Dead declared.

“I summon you to fulfill your oath,” Aragorn said calmly.

“None but the King of Gondor may command me,” the King of the Dead replied.

Aragorn raised the reforged sword, staring intently at the King. The King of the Dead roared in anger and struck with his sword, but Aragorn parried the blow.

“The sword was broken,” the King of the Dead said.

Aragorn reached out and grabbed the King's throat.

“It has been remade,” he said, pushing the King aside and turning to the surrounding spirits. “Fight for us and regain your honor!”

“What say you?!”

Aragorn held the sword high, pointing at the spirits around him. “I am Isildur’s heir. Fight for me, and your oath will be fulfilled. Answer me!!”

“Cut!”

“Let’s run through that again, following the same movements. Richard, you can be a bit more imposing, like you were during the siege scene. Show the aura of a king,” Director Jackson called out.

“Got it!”

Richard sheathed the sword and returned to his starting position. This scene was challenging because, in the moment, there were only a few people on set, but he had to act as if he were surrounded by countless spirits.

This type of scene tested the actor’s ability not just in performance but also in delivering lines, exuding presence, and using expressions and movements to perfection, almost like performing a one-man show on stage.

Before filming, Richard and Orlando had rehearsed with the others for three days, perfecting every line, every action, and every expression to ensure precision.

In terms of projecting an imposing presence, Richard still found it challenging to consistently deliver a commanding performance. The quality of one's presence is difficult to control—it requires continuous attempts, constant self-motivation, or being pushed by the director to achieve the desired effect.

Previously, Richard had thought his acting skills were pretty good, but when it came to actually using them, he realized he needed to keep learning and accumulating experience to perform more nuanced scenes.

For the scene in the Paths of the Dead, they shot six takes, and it wasn't until the final take that Richard fully unleashed his potential, prompting Director Jackson to nod in satisfaction.

"Well done!"

"Next scene!"

In the following scene, Aragorn leads the army of the dead to defeat the Corsairs on the Anduin River at Pelargir. They then sail the Corsair ships to the Pelennor Fields, where they decimate the Orc and Oliphaunt armies besieging Minas Tirith.

This scene was primarily filmed in Canterbury Plains, in the southern part of New Zealand. It was a massive production that the crew had been preparing for six months, featuring walls, gates, siege engines, Oliphaunt models, and a detailed model of the top of Minas Tirith.

All of these elements were designed based on descriptions from the book, with input from the crew's designers and fans of "The Lord of the Rings," transforming fiction into reality.

"Fans sure are passionate."

Outside the city walls, Richard watched the many crew members bustling around the set, among whom were hundreds of "Lord of the Rings" fans who volunteered their labor. Some worked as extras, while others helped with props, set design, or logistics.

There were also many scenes involving cavalry battles, with local fans bringing their own horses. Most of these volunteers were women, who were unrecognizable due to their helmets and makeup.

The fans' goal was to help the crew faithfully recreate the landscapes and battlefields of Middle-earth as described in the books.

Despite the $280 million budget for the three films, the scale of the scenes surpassed that of previous fantasy war films, largely thanks to the contributions of "Lord of the Rings" fans.

In fact, within the crew, from the producers to the director, actors, art directors, and makeup artists, most were fans of "The Lord of the Rings."

Director Jackson, of course, had been a fan since childhood, dreaming of turning "The Lord of the Rings" into a major film ever since he watched the animated version.

Richard was naturally a fan as well, and so were the others. In the crew, it was almost embarrassing not to be a fan.

"Attention, everyone! We're about to break down the gates!"

"Everyone, get ready! We're about to break down the gates!"

Out on the plains, several crew members sat in cars, shouting into megaphones.

Thousands of Orcs began moving. These "Orcs" were soldiers from the New Zealand army, wearing ugly leather armor, wielding various strange weapons, and wearing plastic masks. The crew had made over 10,000 of these masks in more than 600 different styles, ensuring that almost none of them looked the same on camera.

The filming began.

"Grond! Grond! Grond! Grond!"

A large group of Orcs chanted as they pushed a ten-meter-tall battering ram towards the gate. The battering ram was shaped like a dragon's head and was even set ablaze.

"What a spectacle!" Orlando said, holding his bow.

"Indeed. Those designers are truly talented to have come up with something like this," said John Rhys-Davies, who played the dwarf.

Richard smiled. The three of them had finished their scenes and had come to watch the siege, planning to head back to rest once the gate was breached.

However, after half an hour of the fire-breathing dragon battering ram striking the gate repeatedly, it still hadn't broken through.

Then the director called for a pause in filming because the designers had made the gate too sturdy, and the dragon-shaped battering ram, despite its fierce appearance, wasn't strong enough to break it.

With no other option, the crew had to pause the siege scene and replace the gate with a prop that could be broken down.

"John, get Richard and the others ready to film their scene next," Director Jackson called out.

"Got it!"

Without needing the assistant director to fetch them, Richard and the others walked onto the set, still in full costume. The next scene involved Aragorn leading the army of the dead in sweeping through the battlefield.

"Charge!!"

Richard raised his sword and shouted, sprinting forward.

"Charge!"

Behind him, the Elven Prince, the Dwarf Prince, and countless ghostly soldiers followed him into battle.

(End of chapter)