It is said that
imitation is flattery. It is the nature of creation. Art inspires
art, music inspires music, and so forth. In the film industry
directorial styles have inspired new film makers for decades. Each
year new movies debut with reminiscent qualities from by gone eras.
Imitation is a common hobby among fanatics of large franchises films
and TV series. Star Wars, Star Trek and the Marvel and DC universe
have all inspired cosplay performance art. Yet a fan made film is on
a completely different level. It's an obsessive beast that knows no
rival. Most are short, with a handful of stand outs. They are passion
projects, made with small budgets, and some with no money at all.
They are made by those whose fan level are extreme. It is the
ultimate street cred. “I could make a better film,” many fans
argue while walking out of a movie theater after the latest money
grab franchise disappointment. And some do. That is the heart of a
fan film. They can not be made for profit. All thoughts of money are
removed from the creative development. The ultimate clean slate. No
executive producer meddling. No budget cuts. Just an idea, and the
rabid passion to make it a reality.
The stories of
Tolkien lore span several millenniums. Much of these tales were hinted
at in the Lord of the Rings appendices. The success of Peter
Jackson’s Rings trilogy put a spot light on the fantasy
novels. Previously only an animated feature, Jackson shot all three
films at once in a span of 18 months, and released them in three
consecutive years. Many of the vast stories from Tolkien’s history
are mentioned in passing, and made for great additions on the
extended home release. One scene in particular is included in the
extended edition for The Two Towers. The scene involves
Aragorn revealing he is 87 years old, and he is one of the remaining
Dunedain Rangers. The Dunedain’s lives were typically three times
longer than that of a normal man. Born of Hope explores the
days before Aragorn, and follows his father, Arathorn and the
Dunedain’s mission to rid the spread of orcs and goblins who have
been popping up across the lands of Middle Earth.
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| Kate Madison on the set of Born of Hope |
The idea for Born
of Hope started in 2003 when director/ producer/ actress Kate
Madison set her sites on making a film for the Tolkien Fan Film
Exhibition. A script was drafted by Paula DiSante based on Tolkien’s
appendices, and Madison started location scouting. What started out
small quickly grew to a much larger project than intended, one that
would need money to achieve. Madison made the decision to drain her
savings account to fund the film. £8000 pounds to be exact (around
$10,500 US). Test shots were filmed in 2006, and from there a trailer
was generated and posted on a crowd source funding site, which
generated an additional £17,000 pounds ($22,000 US). Filming began in
2008, with the goal to have the film completed for Ring*Con 2009. All
in all it took Madison 6 years to make Born of Hope, and took
a team effort of 400 cast and crew members, many who set up tents to
sleep on location. With all of the money going into production, all
the actors and production crew donated their time and worked without
financial compensation. It is a unique aspect in fan film making,
especially in an era where so many look at box office numbers to
judge a films success. Without a profit as motivation, Madison set
her sites are making the best film possible. Luckily for Tolkien
fans, her efforts were not in vain.
Born of Hope
borrows a lot from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings
trilogy, yet it is important not to use the influence as a standard
for comparison for this film. That being said, Hope does a
good job exploring another branch of Tolkien’s vast story. Most of
the film was shot at the West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village, an open air
historical village in Suffolk, England. Additional shots were filmed
in Epping Forest, an ancient woodland in Sussex, and the Snowdonia
mountain region, which is home to the highest peaks in the United
Kingdom outside of Scotland. The locations work well within the story,
helping incorporate Tolkien’s ancient fantasy realm.
Hope is
set in the Third Age, the same timeline as the Rings of Power, which
concludes when Gandalf and the Elves leave for the Grey Havens after
the destruction of the One Ring. Hope occurs before the
events of The Hobbit or LOTRs. As Sauron slowly regains
his power, he has sent out orcs in his command to seek out and
destroy all remaining bloodlines of Elendil (the first King of
Gondor, father to Isildur, and the last owner of the Narsil Sword,
which was broken into shards fighting Sauron during the Battle of
Dargorlad – Depicted in the prolouge to The Fellowship of the
Ring). The film follows Arathorn, played by Christopher Dane, who
is head of the last band of Dunedain Rangers. As Sauron’s armies
continue to invade the lands of Middle Earth, the Dunedain struggle
to keep peace across the land. One such battle leads to a prosperous
chance encounter when Arathorn meets Gilraen, which leads to romance
and marriage. Hope works as a great companion film to the Lord
of the Rings, in particular Aragorn’s storyline. Many would be
questions are answered in Hope, all incorporated from
Tolkien’s appendices.
"When I was looking for a story to do I found those few paragraphs and the idea of a film about Aragorn's parents and where he came from seemed a great idea," Madison said in an interview. "Aragorn is such an important character in The Lord of the Rings but we know hardly anything about him until he turns up in The Prancing Pony in The Fellowship of the Ring." In terms of a fan made film, Hope is top
notch. A lot of heart went into the making of this film. On top of
production and director duties, Madison also played the character
Elgarain, and ranger friend of Arathorn. Christopher Dane also got
involved with making Hope, contributing to the script and
tackling the editing duties of the film. Fellow film maker Chris
Bouchard, who made the fan film The Hunt For Gollum, also lent
his services as camera operator and effects artist.
Born of Hope
debuted at Ring*Con 2009 in Germany. It was well received by fans and
critics alike, with many reviews claiming it was far superior than
most fan made productions. Despite a budget of £25,000 pounds (around $32,600
US), Hope displays few signs of being a low budget film. With a captivating story, impressive cast, and a lot of determination and
sacrifice, Born of Hope surpassed expectations and is
considered one of the most impressive fan made films ever made. It's
available to watch for free on YouTube.
Lee L. Lind