The Hobbit Trilogy Discussion Thread

[Duffy12]

Here is a bit more info regarding the film speed at slashfilm.com-



‘The Hobbit’ Shooting With Technology That James Cameron Called “The Future of Cinema”


Posted on Thursday, April 7th, 2011 by Peter Sciretta


Last week at CinemaCon, James Cameron gave a big presentation called “A Demonstration and Exclusive Look at The Future of Cinema”. You might remember reading about it here on /Film.

At the demonstration, Cameron noted that not only will he shoot Avatar 2 with this new technology, but George Lucas and Peter Jackson were also in support of the changes, and that Jackson had even explored shooting The Hobbit at high speeds. Cameron had heard that Jackson suffered illness before he could complete the tests and convince studio brass to make it happen. But it seems that Cameron heard wrong….



The basic gist is this: Cameron proposes that future movies should be shot and projected at either 48 or 60 frames per second. All of the digital film cameras are able to shoot at that speed, and all of the second generation digital cinema projectors (2010 on) should be able to project at that speed with a software upgrade. The result is a lot smoother movement, less of the strobing effect, which gives the impression of an enhanced resolution. And of course, the higher frame rate will help with the discomfort some experience with 3D. The footage I screened during Cameron’s presentation, shot/screend at 48 frames a second in 3D, looked incredible. The best way to describe it, is to quote Cameron: “If watching a 3D movie is like looking through a window, then [with this] we’ve taken the glass out of the window and we’re staring at reality.”



Our friends at Marketsaw have learned that Jackson is shooting The Hobbit in 47.96 frames per second with the previously reported 30 RED Epic cameras.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that the film will be distributed in 48fps.Who knows if New Line/Warner Bros is going to pay to have the visual effects rendered at 48 frames per second (While some claim it would double the price of rendering, Cameron argued during the presentation that smart pipeline software could choose which motion heavy footage would require the extra rendered frames, resulting in only a 10% increase in price). And if the studio is on board, then movie theaters would need to make sure their equipment is upgraded for 48fps presentation.

This would all need to happen before December 19th 2012. While I’m pretty sure Cameron will convince Fox and theater owners to upgrade before the release of Avatar 2, which is still a few years away. The good news is that even if The Hobbit doesn’t get a high speed release, it will be future proofed for a future release when the tech is widely available (which includes home video release, where the ability to play 48fps video is already a reality).



http://www.slashfilm.com/the-hobbit-...ntent=FaceBook



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[Grand Bob]

Originally Posted by Kryptonic

With an adaptation, as long as they capture the spirit of the novel and its themes and concepts, then the narrative and story departures matter little. Jackson accomplished this with LOTR, so I don't see why he won't here.

But this isn't just a novel, it is a classic. Also, the plot isn't anywhere near the complexity of LotR - it is fairly straightforward. If Jackson is the Tolkien fan he claims to be, there will be no major deviations.

[Duffy12]

I am sure some of us Tolkien geeks will be interested in this from McKellen's Hobbit Blog-



31 March 2011: Gandalf is tested


"With Bilbo already filming, this was final proof that The Hobbit is well and truly underway.

The wizard still had to be tested. So, done up as Gandalf, I’m placed on a floor-mark and asked to walk toward the camera slowly, turning this way and that like a slo-mo model, so everyone can judge from her/his specialist point of view. Everyone includes the director Peter Jackson, who attends, without fuss, to every detail; his fellow-producers and screenplay-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens; make-up chief Peter King; Richard Taylor (with an eye to WETA's sculpted nose); Ann Maskrey, the costume designer.

The original costume I wore in LOTR hangs rather mournfully on a stand by the camera. I can’t wear it in The Hobbit, because it has been noted “of historic status.” Ann has made two changes which few may notice but please me because they revert to Tolkien’s introduction in Fellowship of the Ring, where he mentions a silver scarf and black boots. In the film, a scarf appeared just once, tied to Gandalf's cart at Hobbiton but oddly not thereafter. I now have a substantial, magic-looking silvery scarf to wear and act with and perhaps find some part of its own to play. I've already twisted it into a stylish turban. And, as per JRR Tolkien, below the familiar gown, a new pair of black boots may be spied. They will not look new of course. They are riding boots, the sort that can be pulled on in a hurry. Gandalf is often in a hurry. His previous boots were laced and needed Emma to get on and off. Not good for a wizard on the run. And they were grey not black.

All are nearly content — yet still the nose is not as it was or as it should be, all agree. Why? A book is consulted. A glorious book. I have it at home, with other LOTR treasures, the farewell present from Philippa and the Jackson’s ten years ago. It has 100 photographs, iconic and mischievous, a family album of people rather than places. Gandalf's nose features in a couple of full-page close-ups. What’s different to the way I look now?

Overnight at WETA, close to his Oscars, Richard, who is confident he knows the answer, models a new nose on the plaster cast of my face. It's a little longer on the bridge, less bulbous by the nostrils. Later in the day, Rick sticks it on while I snooze. One glance at the beak in the mirror and off we confidently go to show Peter, who's filming in a cave; Fran and Philippa too. Again the album is consulted. Smiles all round.

31 March
Miramar

A well-wisher on my Facebook page asks what difference it will make, acting in front of a 3D camera for the first time.
Answer: I’ll let you know, when I know."



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http://www.mckellen.com/cinema/hobbit-movie/110331.htm

[Taipan]

Thanks for all of the updated info Duffy. It's nice to read the tid-bits in one area.

[MCT]

I still can't believe this is really happening. Holy crap. We're gonna get a Hobbit live action adaptation in a year or so!!

[My_Two_Cents]

Originally Posted by frogmort

I am one of those.

As am I.

It's ridiculous to think that narrative and story departure mean little as long as the "spirit of the novel" is captured. I suppose it's easy for someone not intimately familiar with the novel to make statements like this, but for those of us who have loved these stories for years/decades, the comment by Serkis is not welcome news.

[Duffy12]

Hobbit in 5 from theonering.net-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUVrvS6For8&feature=player_embedded

[Grand Bob]

Originally Posted by Duffy12

Hobbit in 5 from theonering.net-

Interesting, and it raises several questions as to what threads the production is exploring. For example, in the book,

[Show spoiler] Bilbo and the dwarves' "plans were improved with the best advice" from the elves at Rivendell. From the clip and press releases, we know that Lindir (Figwit) is involved at Rivendell, but what about Elrond's councillors, such as Erestor? The High Elves were very important in the Middle-earth scheme of things, as they "perceive and dwell at once both in this world and the other side without the aid of rings", but will Galadriel be the only representative in a total of five movies?

With two movies to explore that era in more detail, will Jackson show us how

[Show spoiler] the dwarf rings became the foundation of their hoards, including the one in this story (since Thrain is in the cast)?

Also, if details related to the core story are revealed (in the video the White Council is again cited), will the movie reveal that

[Show spoiler] "Sauron forsook his bodily shape and fled like a ghost to waste places until he rested in Mirkwood and took shape again in the darkness" ?

If so there will be trade-offs. The Middle-earth saga and relationships between LotR and The Hobbit will be revealed in greater detail. On the other hand, the story will lose some of the simplicity that is thematic to the novel. I am also glad to hear that Howard Shore is writing the score. With the information that has been released thus far, I am encouraged by the effort of the production team.

[radagast]

Originally Posted by Grand Bob

Interesting, and it raises several questions as to what threads the production is exploring. For example, in the book,

[Show spoiler] Bilbo and the dwarves' "plans were improved with the best advice" from the elves at Rivendell. From the clip and press releases, we know that Lindir (Figwit) is involved at Rivendell, but what about Elrond's councillors, such as Erestor? The High Elves were very important in the Middle-earth scheme of things, as they "perceive and dwell at once both in this world and the other side without the aid of rings", but will Galadriel be the only representative in a total of five movies?

With two movies to explore that era in more detail, will Jackson show us how

[Show spoiler] the dwarf rings became the foundation of their hoards, including the one in this story (since Thrain is in the cast)?

Also, if details related to the core story are revealed (in the video the White Council is again cited), will the movie reveal that

[Show spoiler] "Sauron forsook his bodily shape and fled like a ghost to waste places until he rested in Mirkwood and took shape again in the darkness" ?

If so there will be trade-offs. The Middle-earth saga and relationships between LotR and The Hobbit will be revealed in greater detail. On the other hand, the story will lose some of the simplicity that is thematic to the novel. I am also glad to hear that Howard Shore is writing the score. With the information that has been released thus far, I am encouraged by the effort of the production team.

As you know, Grand Bob, there are many here (I'm not one of them) who will be satisfied with PJ just getting the "spirit" of the story and it's "themes". Many will feel it's unnecessary to "slavishly" copy the good professor's story. The rich foundation of the legend in the books are not needed for a movie. We will probably be treated to a 45 minute depiction of the battle in Dale with Smaug and another hour or so, with the battle of 5 armies.

[Grand Bob]

Originally Posted by radagast

The rich foundation of the legend in the books are not needed for a movie. We will probably be treated to a 45 minute depiction of the battle in Dale with Smaug and another hour or so, with the battle of 5 armies.

That could be a problem. The Battle of Helm's Deep in The Two Towers occupied a chapter in the book but was the centerpiece of the movie. The images of women and children from Edoras cringing together in a cave (they didn't go there) will forever be etched into the minds of the movie-going public. Now that Jackson has shown he can convincingly depict the horror or war, perhaps this time we'll still see some cool battle scenes, but also more of "the story" in the story.

[Member-115369]

Originally Posted by Grand Bob

If so there will be trade-offs. The Middle-earth saga and relationships between LotR and The Hobbit will be revealed in greater detail. On the other hand, the story will lose some of the simplicity that is thematic to the novel.

That's what I've hoped for all along. I love LOTR for it's complexity, and never much cared for The Hobbit due to it's simplicity as a children's book.

So I'll be very pleased if Jackson fleshes more things out and makes it a proper prequel to LOTR, rather than a loosely related children's prelude to it with only Bilbo finding the ring being directly related to the main events of LOTR with the other central stuff like expelling Sauron from Mirkwood taking place off page.

But that's just me, and as you all know from our prior debates, I see movies and books as separate entities and don't much care how faithful a movie is to the source material as I just care about getting a movie I enjoy.

[My_Two_Cents]

Originally Posted by Grand Bob

Interesting, and it raises several questions as to what threads the production is exploring. For example, in the book,

[Show spoiler] Bilbo and the dwarves' "plans were improved with the best advice" from the elves at Rivendell. From the clip and press releases, we know that Lindir (Figwit) is involved at Rivendell, but what about Elrond's councillors, such as Erestor? The High Elves were very important in the Middle-earth scheme of things, as they "perceive and dwell at once both in this world and the other side without the aid of rings", but will Galadriel be the only representative in a total of five movies?

With two movies to explore that era in more detail, will Jackson show us how

[Show spoiler] the dwarf rings became the foundation of their hoards, including the one in this story (since Thrain is in the cast)?

Also, if details related to the core story are revealed (in the video the White Council is again cited), will the movie reveal that

[Show spoiler] "Sauron forsook his bodily shape and fled like a ghost to waste places until he rested in Mirkwood and took shape again in the darkness" ?

If so there will be trade-offs. The Middle-earth saga and relationships between LotR and The Hobbit will be revealed in greater detail. On the other hand, the story will lose some of the simplicity that is thematic to the novel. I am also glad to hear that Howard Shore is writing the score. With the information that has been released thus far, I am encouraged by the effort of the production team.

Unfortunately, the "average" moviegoer will neither understand nor care about any of the vast histories and relationships like the true fans of Tolkien would. For this reason, I expect Jackson to keep to the story, while adding "enhancements" that appeal to the uneducated masses but will make fans cringe. He may show some simplistic backstory information, but it will most likely only touch the surface and will be presented in a manner such that an 8 year old would understand.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by radagast

How do you capture the "spirit of the novel and its themes" if you deviate too far from the original story? That is a contradiction. The departures from the story changes the concepts and themes. For example: One of the themes and concepts is loyalty: Merry and Pippin were fully aware that Frodo was struggling with confusion and fear about leaving the Shire with the Ring. They wouldn't let Frodo face the journey alone and got Sam to keep an eye on Frodo and spy for them. That loyalty that Merry and Pippin had towards Frodo was diminished significantly by having the two of them accidently run into Frodo and Sam after stealing food from a farmer. A faithful adaptation doesn't go that far astray.

I'm not sure their loyalty is 'diminished', but Merry and Pippin are certainly 'altered' -- in Tolkien's book, they're acting like a gaggle of hens, gossiping behind his back and paying more attention to his business than their own (most un-Hobbit like, if you ask me). They show up in the novel almost like an intervention. Peronsally, if I had friends like that, they wouldn't be friends for long.

In the film, they are acting like scamps, see Frodo in dire trouble, and they instantly, without question, come to his aid.

MERRY
That rider was after something - or someone.

FRODO
I have to get to Bree!

MERRY
(understanding)
Right.

(pause)

MERRY (CONT.)
Buckleberry Ferry. Follow me!

Boom. Right there in the clutch. No damn nattering, second-guessing, questioning. Just there for you, in a heartbeat.

No, their loyalty isn't diminished at all, just the pages of explanations.

[Grand Bob]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

In the film, they are acting like scamps, see Frodo in dire trouble, and they instantly, without question, come to his aid.

Boom. Right there in the clutch. No damn nattering, second-guessing, questioning. Just there for you, in a heartbeat.

No, their loyalty isn't diminished at all, just the pages of explanations.

So, there was no "conspiracy unmasked"? Just Hobbits meeting by colliding in a cornfield - a clever plot twist! We'll just hope that Bilbo doesn't meet the dwarves in the same way.

[Witch King of Angmar]

Tolkien fans are so annoying.

[threefiftyrocket]

Originally Posted by Witch King of Angmar

Tolkien fans are so annoying.

yeah, damn Robert Plant I HATED how he referenced Tolkien and LotR in so many of his songs... so annoying

[radagast]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

I'm not sure their loyalty is 'diminished', but Merry and Pippin are certainly 'altered' -- in Tolkien's book, they're acting like a gaggle of hens, gossiping behind his back and paying more attention to his business than their own (most un-Hobbit like, if you ask me). They show up in the novel almost like an intervention. Peronsally, if I had friends like that, they wouldn't be friends for long.

Boom. Right there in the clutch. No damn nattering, second-guessing, questioning. Just there for you, in a heartbeat.

No, their loyalty isn't diminished at all, just the pages of explanations.

I don't think the "conspiracy" they had to watch Frodo is equal to having a couple of thieves run into Frodo and Sam, then think of a way to help them escape. For all Merry and Pippin knew, Frodo could have been running away from justice. The book however, had so much more depth in depicting the closeness Merry and Pippin had to Frodo. And it did not take pages and pages to do it.

Originally Posted by Witch King of Angmar

Tolkien fans are so annoying.

Yes we are! Have you read the story written by a Russian, where he tells the LOTR story from Mordor's point of view? I think it would be right up your alley.

Originally Posted by Grand Bob

So, there was no "conspiracy unmasked"? Just Hobbits meeting by colliding in a cornfield - a clever plot twist! We'll just hope that Bilbo doesn't meet the dwarves in the same way.

And I have to tell you I groaned when the script had one of them mention one of the chapter names, out of context:

"It's a shortcut; A shortcut to mushrooms".

[Duffy12]

Originally Posted by threefiftyrocket

yeah, damn Robert Plant I HATED how he referenced Tolkien and LotR in so many of his songs... so annoying

"So I'm packing my bags for the Misty Mountains..."



Anyhoo...


From Peter Jackson’s official facebook page:

Peter Jackson
"Hi everyone. Watch this space... My first video post from the set of THE HOBBIT will be landing here soon!"
23 hours ago



http://www.facebook.com/pages/Peter-...481557?sk=wall

[Duffy12]

Claire the mare is sold to Hobbit movie makers





Tuesday, 05 April 2011
By Samantha Motion

AN Eastern Bay 11-year-old has broken into the tough Wellywood film industry with a role in upcoming Peter Jackson two-part movie The Hobbit.
Claire, a 16-hand part Clydesdale grey mare, was purchased from Whakatane equestrian enthusiast Rachel Learmond by the movie’s head animal wrangler Steve Old last week.
When he first phoned having seen Claire for sale on the TradeMe website, Miss Learmond thought it was a scam or a joke. “They rang up and it was like ‘yeah right’. Now I just think it’s really funny.”
Mr Old visited Whakatane on Tuesday to assess Claire and purchased her the next day, despite some diva-like behaviour from Claire who refused to move when he first started riding her.
He told Miss Learmond that Claire could be used in a scene featuring elves, and had to be able to be ridden one-handed so the actors could carry swords while riding.
“They were looking for a line up of greys of varying sizes for the elves to ride,” she said.
“The elves are supposed to be really tall and thin so the horses have to be quite stocky to accentuate that.
“He did say she is a bit white, so they will have to put makeup on her and paint her to make her look more dappled.”


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http://www.whakatanebeacon.co.nz/cms...rt10009035.php

[BluLobsta]

Peter Jackson Explains Why He’s Shooting ‘The Hobbit’ at 48 Frames Per Second