Forgotten Silver
Forgotten Silver is a 1995 New Zealand mockumentary television film co-directed and co-written by Peter Jackson and Costa Botes, which presents a fabricated documentary on the life and career of the fictional pioneering filmmaker Colin McKenzie, born in 1888 in rural New Zealand.[1][2][3] The film chronicles McKenzie's alleged innovations in early cinema, including the development of color film processes using egg whites and flax, pioneering sound synchronization, and advanced techniques such as tracking shots and close-ups, all while depicting his struggles to complete an epic biblical production titled Salome on New Zealand's West Coast, funded by unconventional sources like Soviet Russia and organized crime.[3][1] It employs recreated archival footage, faux expert interviews with figures like actor Sam Neill and critic Leonard Maltin, and a convincing narrative style to blur the lines between fact and fiction, running for approximately 53 minutes.[2][4] Originally aired on New Zealand television in 1995, Forgotten Silver initially deceived many viewers into believing McKenzie was a real historical figure, sparking widespread public discussion and media coverage about New Zealand's overlooked cinematic heritage.[3][1] The mockumentary was later screened at the Venice Film Festival, where it received a special critics' prize for its ingenuity.[1] Critically acclaimed for its technical prowess and satirical commentary on national identity in the arts, it holds a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 10 reviews, with critics praising its effective use of fabricated elements to create an emotionally resonant hoax.[4] On IMDb, it has a user rating of 7.4 out of 10 from over 6,500 votes, reflecting its enduring appeal as a clever exercise in filmmaking deception.[2] Produced by WingNut Films with cinematography by Alun Bollinger and others, the project exemplifies Jackson's early experimentation with documentary-style storytelling before his rise to global fame.[3]Production
Development
The concept for Forgotten Silver originated with filmmaker Costa Botes in 1990, when he sketched out the main sequences and narrative threads for a mockumentary about a fictional pioneering New Zealand cinematographer, Colin McKenzie.[5] Botes pitched the idea to Peter Jackson in 1991, leading to a collaboration where the two refined the story as an initial amusing diversion, transposing elements from a real-life newspaper account of film historians discovering a buried Cecil B. DeMille set in California to a New Zealand context.[5][6] The project gained momentum following the critical success of Jackson's 1994 feature Heavenly Creatures, which elevated his profile and provided access to the advanced special effects capabilities of Weta Workshop.[5] Jackson and Botes co-wrote and co-directed the film, with Jackson focusing on shooting the recreated historical scenes in approximately two weeks, while Botes handled the contemporary documentary-style footage.[6] Production overlapped with Jackson's work on The Frighteners (1996), creating scheduling challenges that tested the team's resourcefulness.[5][6] Funding was secured through the New Zealand Film Commission and New Zealand on Air, supplemented by TVNZ and sponsor Montana, despite the funding call prioritizing contemporary dramas; the proposal was submitted as a satirical historical documentary with a budget of around NZ$600,000.[5][7][6] The development emphasized meticulous fabrication, including building sets from scratch and using chemical treatments on modern footage to simulate aged nitrate film, ensuring the hoax's deceptive authenticity.[6]Filming Techniques
The production of Forgotten Silver employed a combination of modern filming equipment and deliberate post-shooting manipulations to fabricate the appearance of early 20th-century archival footage, creating a seamless illusion of historical authenticity. Directed by Peter Jackson and Costa Botes, the film utilized contemporary 35mm cameras to shoot the recreated scenes, which were then artificially degraded to mimic the wear of nitrate-based film from the 1910s and 1920s. Cinematographers Alun Bollinger and Gerry Vasbenter handled the principal photography, focusing on period-appropriate compositions such as static shots and shallow depths of field to evoke early cinema aesthetics.[8][6] To age the footage, the filmmakers applied physical and chemical treatments post-filming, including staining prints with chemicals, scratching surfaces, and dragging reels across floors or through sandpaper to simulate scratches, dust, and emulsion damage typical of century-old stock. They also introduced intentional unsteadiness during projection and varied exposure levels to replicate flickering and inconsistent lighting found in vintage films. Jackson emphasized studying actual old movies to match details like grain size and contrast ratios, ensuring the faked reels blended convincingly with any real historical clips incorporated. These techniques extended to building practical sets for dramatic reconstructions, such as makeshift studios and outdoor locations, enhanced sparingly with digital compositing for elements like crowd scenes or optical illusions.[6][9] The documentary portions, directed primarily by Botes, adopted standard observational techniques to heighten verisimilitude, including handheld camera work for interviews and natural lighting to avoid a polished look. Talking-head segments featured real participants like actors Sam Neill and Leonard Maltin, filmed in unadorned settings to suggest spontaneous expert testimony. Voice-over narration by Jeffrey Thomas was recorded in a measured, authoritative style reminiscent of David Attenborough, overlaid on the edited timeline to guide the narrative flow. Editors Eric de Beus and Michael Horton integrated these elements with subtle jump cuts and archival-style intertitles, avoiding overt transitions to maintain the hoax's immersive quality.[8][7] Overall, the filming approach prioritized restraint in special effects, relying more on analog degradation than CGI—limited to minor enhancements for scale or integration—allowing the film's conceptual prank to succeed through perceptual realism rather than overt spectacle. This methodology not only fooled initial audiences but also highlighted Jackson's early expertise in blending fiction with documentary form.[6][9]Post-Production
In post-production, the filmmakers focused on transforming newly shot material into convincing replicas of early 20th-century nitrate film stock to support the mockumentary's premise of rediscovered historical footage. They employed physical distressing techniques on the developed film, including staining with chemicals, manual scratching, and abrading with sandpaper, while also dragging reels across rough surfaces to simulate decades of decay and mishandling. These methods were informed by close study of authentic vintage films to replicate specific characteristics such as grain size, contrast levels, and flickering instability. As co-director Costa Botes later described the process, "We used chemicals to stain it and we scratched it. We dragged it across the floor and through sandpaper and made it unsteady in the camera and played around with fluctuating the exposure all the time during the shots," though the chemical and mechanical treatments occurred primarily after shooting to achieve the desired aged appearance.[6] Digital enhancements at Weta Workshop, Peter Jackson's effects company, further augmented the illusion by integrating computer-generated imagery (CGI) into select sequences, such as recreating purported innovations like McKenzie's tracking shots or the fabricated Salome dance film. This "computer trickery" allowed for seamless blending of staged sets—built to mimic period environments—with the distressed footage, ensuring visual continuity across the 53-minute runtime. Existing archival clips, including newsreel footage of Joseph Stalin, were incorporated and similarly processed to match the artificial patina, enhancing the documentary's faux-historical texture without revealing the fabrication.[6][5] Editing, handled by Eric de Beus and Mike Horton, emphasized a non-linear structure that mimicked investigative documentaries, intercutting "discovered" reels with contemporary interviews and voice-over narration to build narrative credibility. Original score elements, composed by Dave Donaldson, Steve Roche, and Janet Roddick, underscored the dramatic reveals with subtle, period-evoking motifs, avoiding modern anachronisms. These post-production choices collectively deceived viewers by prioritizing verisimilitude, contributing to the film's initial success as a hoax when broadcast on New Zealand television in 1995.[10][7]Cast and Characters
Fictional Roles
In Forgotten Silver, the fictional roles center on the fabricated biography of early 20th-century New Zealand filmmaker Colin McKenzie and his immediate circle, brought to life through actors in staged interviews, recreated footage, and mock archival scenes to perpetuate the hoax. These portrayals blend historical verisimilitude with inventive storytelling, emphasizing McKenzie's supposed innovations in cinema while humanizing his personal struggles. Thomas Robins portrays Colin McKenzie, the film's titular pioneer, depicted as a self-taught inventor from rural New Zealand who allegedly developed sound film, color processes, and tracking shots decades before their recognized invention. Robins appears in recreated early footage showing McKenzie as a young man experimenting with cameras and directing ambitious projects like a silent adaptation of Salome.[11] Beatrice Ashton plays Hannah McKenzie, Colin's devoted wife, who is shown in interviews recounting their life together, including financial hardships and her role in preserving his work after his death. Her character underscores the personal sacrifices behind McKenzie's artistic pursuits.[2][12] Richard Shirtcliffe embodies Brooke McKenzie, Colin's brother and collaborator, featured in discussions of their joint experiments and the family's migration to Hollywood. Shirtcliffe also appears in dual roles, including as Narraboth in the recreated Salome footage, highlighting the collaborative dynamics within the McKenzie household.[13] Peter Corrigan depicts Stan "the Man" Wilson, a fictional Hollywood contact and ally who aids McKenzie during his American ventures, portrayed as a boisterous industry figure in interview segments that add levity and authenticity to the narrative.[2][14] Sarah McLeod portrays May Belle (also credited as Salome in some contexts), a supporting character in the mock historical scenes, contributing to the film's layered depiction of McKenzie's lost productions through her uncredited appearances in period recreations.[2]| Actor | Role | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas Robins | Colin McKenzie / John the Baptist | Central fictional filmmaker and director in recreated footage. |
| Beatrice Ashton | Hannah McKenzie | Colin's wife, featured in family interviews. |
| Richard Shirtcliffe | Brooke McKenzie / Narraboth | Colin's brother and film collaborator. |
| Peter Corrigan | Stan "the Man" Wilson | Hollywood ally in interview segments. |
| Sarah McLeod | May Belle / Salome | Supporting role in historical recreations. |