<P> Principal photography for all three films was conducted concurrently in many locations within New Zealand 's conservation areas and national parks . Filming took place between 11 October 1999 and 22 December 2000 , a period of 438 days . Pick - up shoots were conducted annually from 2001 to 2003 . The series was shot at over 150 different locations , with seven different units shooting , as well as soundstages around Wellington and Queenstown . Along with Jackson directing the whole production , other unit directors included John Mahaffie , Geoff Murphy , Fran Walsh , Barrie Osbourne , Rick Porras , and any other assistant director , producer , or writer available . Jackson monitored these units with live satellite feeds , and with the added pressure of constant script re-writes and the multiple units interpreting his envisioned result , he only got around four hours of sleep a night . Due to the remoteness of some of the locations , the crew would also bring survival kits in case helicopters could not reach the location to bring them home in time . The New Zealand Department of Conservation was criticised for approving the filming within national parks without adequate consideration of the adverse environmental effects and without public notification . The adverse effects of filming battle scenes in Tongariro National Park meant that the park later required restoration work . </P>
<P> Principal photography for all three films was conducted concurrently in many locations within New Zealand 's conservation areas and national parks . Filming took place between 11 October 1999 and 22 December 2000 , a period of 438 days . Pick - up shoots were conducted annually from 2001 to 2003 . The series was shot at over 150 different locations , with seven different units shooting , as well as soundstages around Wellington and Queenstown . Along with Jackson directing the whole production , other unit directors included John Mahaffie , Geoff Murphy , Fran Walsh , Barrie Osbourne , Rick Porras , and any other assistant director , producer , or writer available . Jackson monitored these units with live satellite feeds , and with the added pressure of constant script re-writes and the multiple units interpreting his envisioned result , he only got around four hours of sleep a night . Due to the remoteness of some of the locations , the crew would also bring survival kits in case helicopters could not reach the location to bring them home in time . The New Zealand Department of Conservation was criticised for approving the filming within national parks without adequate consideration of the adverse environmental effects and without public notification . The adverse effects of filming battle scenes in Tongariro National Park meant that the park later required restoration work . </P>
where were the lord of the rings movies filmed
where were the lord of the rings movies filmed
New Zealand
New Zealand