The director of three new “warts-and-all” documentaries set to be released with the new editions of Lord of the Rings on DVD this autumn says he was not consulted over cuts made by studio New Line. Wellington film-maker Costa Botes was given full access to the set of Peter Jackson’s fantasy triptych and his work is said to take a more critical approach in comparison to the original documentaries that appeared with the films the first time they were released on DVD. He shot about 800 hours of footage, starting work a year before the cameras rolled with Jackson’s full blessing. Botes told New Zealand website Stuff that he is pleased the films are coming out, even though his deal with the studio means he will see no royalties from DVD sales, but is disappointed that he has not been consulted about cuts. [More]