After spending 15 years bringing J.R.R. Tolkien's vision to the big screen in New Zealand, "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson celebrated the last shot of the final film in "The Hobbit" trilogy, "There and Back Again," by cuddling with his cat, Mr. Smudge.
"1.14am. Back with Mr Smudge," Jackson wrote on his Facebook page on Friday morning. "A long day. A great day. Thank you all for being part of it! Now for some sleep!"
The Oscar-winning filmmaker has been making good use of social media since returning to Middle-earth to direct "The Hobbit" trilogy.
Much to fans' delight, Jackson has regularly released video production diaries, behind-the-scenes set photos, and even creative viral videos with the stars of his beloved franchise.
Three weeks ago, he celebrated Orlando Bloom's final day on set as Legolas with a self-parody of a fan-made YouTube video that remixes the actor delivering the line, "They're taking the Hobbits to Isengard." That video has over 8 million views.
In another delightful embrace of his passionate following, Jackson uploaded a video titled, "Happy Elves," which features Bloom, Lee Pace and Evangeline Lilly reacting to two fans.
With his videos regularly attracting over 500,000 viewers, and his photos garnering thousands upon thousands of "likes," while hundreds more choose to share them across other social-media platforms, it's fair to say that Jackson has mastered the medium. With "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" grossing over $1 billion worldwide, there's plenty of proof that the self-marketing strategy is paying off, too.
Jackson continued sharing the experience of making his cinematic babies up until the end on Thursday evening. He took to Facebook to share "the last shot" of his final Tolkien adaptation, "The Hobbit: There and Back Again."
"10.32 pm. 4 or 5 takes so far," Jackson wrote with the picture (right). "No, wait … Done! While I was typing this, we shot more takes and finished! Richard was fantastic. Splinter almost done. Minutes away. Smiles and happiness… And sadness. Yikes, very sad."
See video: 'The Hobbit' Director Peter Jackson Gives Fans a Studio Tour
Before sharing his joy of being reunited with Mr. Smudge, Jackson also reiterated just how much of his life was spent working six "Hobbit" movies.
"1.08 am. A 20 hour day … 15 years of Tolkien … 771 days of shooting," Jackson wrote. "… And we arrive home exhausted, to a house full of teenagers! It's going to be a long night!"
