Ever since he first began to try his hand at using stop motion techniques to recreate his favourite film King Kong at just nine years of age, it was clear that Peter Jackson had the potential to offer something special to the world of cinema. Shooting spoofs and shorts with a Super 8 in his hometown of Pukerua Bay, New Zealand, the enthusiastic young film-maker”s talent was quickly recognised by his elders, but even the most thoroughly impressed of his supporters might have struggled to comprehend the the success the young boy would go on to achieve in later life…

Far from diving straight into the sprawling epic blockbuster titles for which he is now widely known, Jackson spent a great many years as a relative unknown, albeit a relative unknown with a cult following and a good profile in the industry. Between the ages of 16 and 23, Peter had scrimped and saved whilst working as a photo-engraver to be able to afford the film equipment necessary to pursue his dream. Rewarded with a 16mm camera, he set out on his film career proper.

These early days have come to be referred to as “The Splatter Period”, a phase in which Jackson developed a knack for creating gory scenes complete with extra-terrestrial visits, blood, guts and  dark humour, all of which combined to great effect in his debut feature Bad Taste, which was completed in 1987.  It marked the start of a long period of great creativity and relative obscurity for the director, featuring puppets, zombies and a couple of big nominations at ceremonies including the Academy Awards for 1994″s Heavenly Creatures.

This was the springboard for Jackson”s leap into Hollywood stardom, with the characters from his films making the leap from simply being talking points in the movie buff community to being the kind of figures you”d see parodied on big sketch shows, referenced in the mainstream media or festooned across and casino games.

Jackson began work on the Lord of the Rings trilogy in 1997. By the time the last of the series had screened in 2003, Jackson was hot property. The films were lush, moving and exciting, making fantastic use of the inspiring scenery of the director”s home country. Since then, Jackson has thought big, realising his childhood dream of remaking King Kong, producing the immense District 9, directing the “Hobbit” series of films and cementing his place as one of the modern greats.

It”s been a long journey for Peter Jackson, but perhaps not an unexpected one. It seems clear that from a very age, he”s always been thinking big.You get the impression that whatever comes next must be a project of mind-blowing proportions….

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