He began his work in the entertainment industry with the
New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation. He moved to editorial as a trainee editor and began cutting newsreels, current affairs, documentaries, and dramas. Selkirk has a
longstanding collaboration with director Peter Jackson. He worked as the editor, sound editor, and postproduction supervisor for Jackson's films
Bad Taste,
Meet the Feebles, and
Heavenly Creatures. Selkirk was both associate producer and editor for Jackson's
Braindead in 1992, and became a full producer (and editor) on
The Frighteners. Like Jackson, Selkirk has continued to live and work in New Zealand despite the international success of his work. In addition to his work as a producer on the
Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Selkirk worked as the supervising editor for the first two films
The Fellowship of the Ring and
The Two Towers.
John Gilbert and
Michael Horton were nominated for the
Academy Award for
Best Film Editing for those films. Selkirk had once thought he would edit all three films himself; in the end, he edited only the third film. In an interview Daniel Restuccio, he commented wryly, "I always liked that script best." Selkirk has been elected as a member of the
American Cinema Editors. He was married to the late Ann Selkirk. He and Ann are partial owners of The Roxy Cinema in Miramar, Wellington, New Zealand. == Selected filmography ==