Reeling into more movie magic

By KATHERINE HOBY

You're not in Patumahoe now, Richard Taylor.

The double-Oscar winning special effects wizard arrived back in New Zealand yesterday, proud of his achievements but still modest about his journey from being "a kid on a tractor on dad's farm" to picking up Oscar glory.

A giant Oscar statue watched over Taylor's arrival, as he was greeted by relatives.

Sister Liz brought along a bottle of bubbly to toast her brother's success.

"Cheers to New Zealand," Taylor said, holding up his glass. "It's good to be home and it's a very good day for New Zealand film-making."

While he was happy to show off "the twins" - his statuettes for best make-up and best visual effects - Taylor said no awards were won by individuals.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring picked up four Academy Awards - for make-up, visual effects, cinematography and the score.

Taylor is the head of Weta, the company that provided the special effects for the movie.

He said he loved the project, and that the awards and accolades were a bonus.

"I started off just wanting to do the best job I could do but to get this sort of recognition from peers is fantastic."

Taylor said he had enjoyed meeting and mingling with some of his peers, something he had not been able to do before.

But he did not think Oscar glory would go to his head.

"We will continue to go on in our own quiet way," he said.

"I want to celebrate this with the people who made it possible and then go on and create more magic on the screen."

He said a telephone call woke him at 8am the day after the Oscars ceremony. It was from someone - Taylor won't reveal who - calling to discuss his work and future opportunities.

Taylor said the Oscars refocused attention on New Zealand.

"It shows that we're not only an extremely beautiful country but very technically capable, too."

His mother, Jean, enjoyed accompanying her son to the awards ceremony. She was shocked to see the celebrities were "real people".

One of the parties she attended was a real mix of people.

"It had everyone from Farrah Fawcett to Salman Rushdie!"

Taylor's sister Liz said her brother knew what he was going to do from an early age.

"I remember when he was eight he would use Sellotape and paint to give me fake injuries. Then I'd go running to mum saying, 'I'm bleeding, I'm bleeding.'

"She believed me - at least the first time. So his talent showed through even then."

Earlier this week director Peter Jackson returned to New Zealand and described the experience as "like being an extra in someone else's movie".

"You're going along for the ride, really. I was able to look at things from a slightly disembodied point of view, to watch all the celebrities and soak it all in ...

"I didn't think I'd win, but I thought our team would, so it was really exciting."

The Oscar wins had emphasised the high standards of New Zealand's special effects work

The effects, Jackson said, were the equal of, if not better than, anywhere else in the world.

He said he felt a special thrill for Taylor.

"Few people know how hard Richard worked.

"He worked tirelessly, with unflagging enthusiasm. I never saw him angry or disappointed ... I never saw him look as if he'd rather be working somewhere else."

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the second part of the trilogy, will be released in December.

Gandalf the Wizard returns in all-white (including flowing white hair) after seemingly being killed in the first film by Balrog, the ancient evil which haunts the elvish mines.

The war for Middle-earth continues and one scene shows thousands of evil Orcs scaling the walls of a castle. The beastly Gollum is ever-present ...

Oscar nominees and winners (full list)

nzherald.co.nz/oscars