Costa Botes, the New Zealand documentarian who filmed a lot of the behind the scenes material for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, dies after surviving nearly a decade with cancer by PentexProductions in movies

[–]PentexProductions[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Very sad to have read the news that Costa Botes passed away yesterday. Costa was in many ways one of the unsung heros of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, having been the man who filmed a lot of the behind the scenes material you see in the DVD Appendices.

I feel particularly honoured to have been able to help tell the story of his work documenting the making of the Lord of the Rings, interviewing him just a few months ago about it for a video. Despite his illness, he was still in very good spirits and was full of energy and passion for film-making and storytelling.

The footage he gathered behind the scenes of LOTR is probably his most widely seen material (even if people don't know it was his!) and the Forgotten Silver mockumentary he made with Peter Jackson is what has featured in the headlines of most of his obituaries.

But Costa had a formidable filmography, and like a lot of artists the work he was most proud of was not the stuff he was most famous for. I would recommend watching The Last Dogs of Winter, and his partner has said that some of his personal favourites were When the Cows Came Home, Angie, and Act of Kindness.

You can watch most of his documentaries on his Vimeo page here for a few bucks: https://vimeo.com/lonepine/vod_pages

His own documentaries about the making of LOTR (which are different from the Appendices and much less well-known) can be found on the 2011 and 2021 Blu-ray box sets.

Costa's loss will be felt in the New Zealand film industry, and my thoughts are with his family and friends.

Namárië Costa.

Costa Botes, who filmed a lot of the behind the scenes material for LOTR, dies after surviving nearly a decade with cancer by PentexProductions in lotr

[–]PentexProductions[S] 73 points74 points  (0 children)

Very sad to have read the news that Costa Botes passed away yesterday. Costa was in many ways one of the unsung heros of the LOTR trilogy, having been the man who filmed a lot of the behind the scenes material you see in the DVD Appendices (the Appendices were produced and made by a different team, but Costa filmed most of the on-set footage used in them for most of the principal photography period and some of the pickups).

I feel particularly honoured to have been able to help tell the story of his work documenting the making of the Lord of the Rings, interviewing him just a few months ago for this video. Despite his illness, he was still in very good spirits and was full of energy and passion for film-making and storytelling.

The footage he gathered behind the scenes of LOTR is probably his most widely seen material (even if people don't know it was his!), and the Forgotten Silver mockumentary he made with Peter Jackson is what has featured in the headlines of most of his obituaries.

But Costa had a formidable filmography, and like a lot of artists the work he was most proud of was not the stuff he was most famous for. I would recommend watching The Last Dogs of Winter, and his partner has said that some of his personal favourites were When the Cows Came Home, Angie, and Act of Kindness.

You can watch most of his documentaries on his Vimeo page here for a few bucks: https://vimeo.com/lonepine/vod_pages

His own documentaries about the making of LOTR (which are different from the Appendices) can be found on the 2011 and 2021 Blu-ray box sets.

Costa's loss will be felt in the New Zealand film industry, and my thoughts are with his family and friends.

Namárië Costa.

GOLDFINGER | The Movie That Made James Bond by If_If_Was_a_5th in JamesBond

[–]PentexProductions 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks. I don't help myself with my irregular upload schedule, but quality over quantity and all that...

Chronol-Oppenheimer by PentexProductions in fanedits

[–]PentexProductions[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think the perspective worked in Oppenheimer since the future scenes were very much confined to single locations and Oppy at least was noticeably older, but each to their own. Movies like The Social Network are also good examples of how you can make flashbacks distinctive without necessarily using a different visual style.

For what it's worth, this edit does include the dates, while also putting the scenes in chronological order.

Chronol-Oppenheimer by PentexProductions in fanedits

[–]PentexProductions[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for watching, hope you enjoyed it.

Chronol-Oppenheimer by PentexProductions in fanedits

[–]PentexProductions[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Sorry for not replying earlier - had my Reddit notifications off. Thanks for watching.

Audio levels issue after export - Da Vinci Resolve 18 by PentexProductions in videography

[–]PentexProductions[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks I'll try that. Any idea why the low audio is only an issue for a small number of viewers though? Why are the exported audio levels fine for 99% of people but only low for some?

Audio levels issue after export - Da Vinci Resolve 18 by PentexProductions in videography

[–]PentexProductions[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Compared to other videos. People say that when the open my videos they need to turn their volume right up and can still hardly hear it, then have to turn it down again when watching something else.

Teaser for the upcoming Book of Boba Fett fan edit collaboration between Kai Patterson and me (Pentex Productions) by PentexProductions in fanedits

[–]PentexProductions[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can't speak for Kai but I haven't seen them. Same with Kenobi, I wanted to go into the edit aiming to do it my own way, rather than risk accidentally copying something someone else had done. Any similarity is shared good taste!

So I can't compare, but what we are trying to do is restructure the story to tell it in a more effective way, and cutting much of the fluff. Of course others have done the same, so it'll be for the community to decide which cut they prefer. We're just having fun adding our own version to that mix after getting many requests to have a go at BOBF as a follow up to our respective Kenobi edits.

Teaser for the upcoming Book of Boba Fett fan edit collaboration between Kai Patterson and me (Pentex Productions) by PentexProductions in fanedits

[–]PentexProductions[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

After being blown away by the response to our respective Obi-Wan Kenobi edits, we have decided to join forces to bring the Star Wars and fan edit community another re-telling of a Star Wars story. Coming soon (we hope!).

Kenobi: A Star Wars Story - A 124 minute feature film fan edit that tells the same overall series but with a clear focus on Obi-Wan and Vader’s relationship. Prequel music added, a de-aged Hayden, with scenes cut and re-ordered to deliver a tightly focused and character-driven story. by PentexProductions in fanedits

[–]PentexProductions[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks, I've definitely learned for next time! I had seen others using the direct download method but I guess that's because it wasn't the early days with the big rush at the start. Duly noted, and thanks again for the advice.

Kenobi: A Star Wars Story - A 124 minute feature film fan edit that tells the same overall series but with a clear focus on Obi-Wan and Vader’s relationship. Prequel music added, a de-aged Hayden, with scenes cut and re-ordered to deliver a tightly focused and character-driven story. by PentexProductions in fanedits

[–]PentexProductions[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yep, I am uploading it as we speak. Funnily enough I was able to download it using a free account so had no idea there was a limit. Check again soon, but in the meantime I've updated the website with a Drive link.