When local Cochraninte and Hollywood stunt coordinator Steven McMichael heard the Cochrane Movie House would be holding a red carpet event Dec. 12 for The Hobbit, a film he choreographed fight scenes for, it was a no-brainer that he’d be there to see years of work come together.
“The first Hobbit got me invited to the New York premier, it was different,” said McMichael about the massive spectacle made of red carpet premiers. “Cochrane is such a great family oriented place… to be able to premier here at home and to not have to travel, it’s a thousand per cent better.”
The Hobbit novel has sold over 100 million copies in the 76 years since it was written, its by-product, Lord of the Rings, has sold more than 150 million copies, and with the completion of the second of three Hobbit films, the franchise is still carrying momentum nearly 80-years later.
McMichael took time prior to the advanced screening to answer questions from fans, as well as giving behind the scenes insight into what making a big-budget flick is all about, including some of the bumps and bruises that come along with the job.
The Cochrane stunt man admitted that, while he’s had his share of scrape-ups and bumps, the drama of The Hobbit was left to the scripted actors.
“Being a stunt performer… you understand what you’re entering into,” McMichael said, having broken his neck on a previous film in 2005.
Seeing a final cut isn’t something new to the former U.S. Marine, but the bruises and welts all melt away when McMichael finally gets to see the product of two-plus years of hard work.
“You see the two years you spent away from your family, you see the hard work everyone put into it, it’s the unsung heros that make these films come together,” he said. “The black ops (night crews) would come in and completely transform the stage. You’d come in (the next day) and the whole set would be different.”
Directed by Peter Jackson, The Hobbit, in three parts, features some intense battle scenes, stunning rescues and arrow-slinging galore, but behind every fight is the work of a Cochrane dad and his crew of talented stunt doubles.
