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THE MIDDLE EARTH SAGA  Key Art Campaigns

Fourteen years... three agencies... two studios... one saga. No franchise has dominated my career in advertising like Peter Jackson’s “Middle Earth” films. 

 

Commencing with The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring and culminating with The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, I designed one sheets, wrote trailers and/or provided creative direction for each of the saga’s six installments.

 

One leg of the journey took me to New Zealand as part of the team working with Jackson and producer Fran Walsh to ensure their vision was faithfully reflected in the campaign materials. It was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, the scope of which is summed up by a line I wrote for the crew t-shirts: "Are We There Yet, Gandalf?"  

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Above Left: Concept Thumbnail by Rob McFarlane

Above Center: Presentation Sketch by Andrew Burward-Hoy

Above Right: Special Shoot Photography

 

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

New Line Cinema / 2001

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My original thumbnail

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My original thumbnail

Above: Final "Frodo" Teaser One Sheets

 

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

New Line Cinema / 2001

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Above Left: Concept Thumbnail by Rob McFarlane

Above Right: Final "Argonath" Teaser One Sheet

 

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

New Line Cinema / 2001

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Above Left: Concept Thumbnail by Rob McFarlane

Above Right: Final "Aragon" Teaser One Sheet

 

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

New Line Cinema / 2003

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In addition to my Print work on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I also contributed copy to the award-winning AV campaigns. Click on the image above to see the theatrical trailer for Return of the King.

Left: Theatrical Trailer Script by Rob McFarlane

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

New Line Cinema / 2003

One of the first thumbnails I drew for the original Fellowship of the Ring depicted Frodo leaving the safety of his Hobbit hole for the perilous trek to Mordor (see below). The filmmakers liked the idea but were concerned that 2001 movie audiences weren’t familiar enough with Hobbits and their environs to appreciate the dramatic context. 

What a difference 12 years can make: by the time of The Hobbit trilogy, Hobbits and their signature round doorways had achieved iconic status. What goes around comes around. 

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Above: Concept Thumbnail by Rob McFarlane

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

New Line Cinema / 2001

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Above: Illustration by Bill Garland

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Warner Brothers / New Line / MGM

 

2012

Above: Illustration by Bill Garland

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

New Line Cinema / 2001

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Above: Final Digital Teaser One Sheet

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Warner Brothers / New Line / MGM

 

2012

In 2012, I co-founded The Bulldog Agency, where my partners and I continued creating art on behalf of the Hobbit trilogy. . .

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Above: Final "Bilbo" Teaser One Sheet

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Warner Brothers / New Line / MGM

 

2012

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Above: Final "Gandalf" Teaser One Sheet

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Warner Brothers / New Line / MGM

 

2012

Above: International Character One Sheet Series

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Warner Brothers / New Line / MGM

 

2013

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Unless otherwise noted, the work shown on these pages was either created by Rob McFarlane or produced under his creative direction.

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