Peter Jackson Responds to Critics

Last week Peter Jackson showed off 10 minutes of footage from The Hobbit using 48 frames per second for the first time in film history. Before the frame rate was 24fps. The result turned into a minor debacle as pretty much no one spoke about the movie but instead spoke about how the more "realistic" increase in frame rate resulted in a fake "soap opera" look to the film. Jackson spoke with EW on his take on the response.

“At first it’s unusual because you’ve never seen a movie like this before. It’s literally a new experience, but you know, that doesn’t last the entire experience of the film–not by any stretch, [just] 10 minutes or so,” Jackson tells EW. “That’s a different experience than if you see a fast-cutting montage at a technical presentation.”

“I can’t say anything,” Jackson acknowledges. “Just like I can’t say anything to someone who doesn’t like fish. You can’t explain why fish tastes great and why they should enjoy it.”

When it debuts Dec. 14., The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be the first major performance for 48-frames, while this week’s showcase was just an audition. Jackson says those who remain unconvinced should wait to see more before closing their minds completely. “There can only ever be a real reaction, a truthful reaction, when people actually have a chance to see a complete narrative on a particular film,” he said.

“A couple of the more negative commenters from CinemaCon said that in the Gollum and Bilbo scene [which took place later in the presentation] they didn’t mind it and got used to that,” Jackson says. “That was the same 48 frames the rest of the reel was. I just wonder if it they were getting into the dialogue, the characters and the story. That’s what happens in the movie. You settle into it.”

CinemaCon's The Hobbit Footage Detailed Description

The One Ring has posted a detailed description of the 10 minutes of The Hobbit shown at CinemaCon to show off the first time a film will be released at 48 frames per second. Most of the coverage focused on how most critics thought the frame rate made the film look fake, like a "soap opera", with few getting into what it actually shown. Now we have a detailed description which you can find here with a few highlights below.

It should be noted that many scenes were still green screened with incomplete special effects and the like. In other words for all the talk about how bad the 48fps might have made the film look, that was without completed special effects, color correction and other tweaks that are likely to improve the realistic look of the film. In short, ignore the critics for now as it is way too early to draw proper conclusions. That most of them failed to mention these kinds of details shows that most were aiming for manufactured controversy for eyeballs to read their incomplete take on the footage.

- The White Council
Saurman (Christopher Lee), Gandalf (Ian McKellen), Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), and Elrond (Hugo Weaving) discuss the Witch-King of Angmar and a how the Dunedain could imprison the Nazgul (something not part of Tolkien stories).
- Gandalf and Radagast
The writer was impressed McCoy's protrayal of the character and his costume.
- Gollum and Bilbo share riddles
A scene from the book as Bilbo tries to out riddle Gollum so he will not be eaten.
- The Trolls
Scene of the Trolls discussing what to do with the captured Dwarves as Bilbo attempts to steal the key to rescue them.
- Gandalf and Thrain
Gandalf in Don Guldur trying to avoid Thrain who is crazy due to torture.
- Mirkwood Elves
Legolas and his elves capturing the Dwarves when they entered Mirkwood forest with a quick shot of Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) sporting a brown hair and brown elf outfit.

New Cast Member for The Hobbit

The One Ring is reporting that John Rawls has joined The Hobbit cast as Azog, King of the Orcs of Moria. The actor's previous credits include Spartacus: Vengeance and The Warrior's Way. According to TOR's Azog bio, the character is "a great Orc with huge iron-clad head, and yet agile and strong." Azog kicked off a six year war in the Mines or Moria (seen in Fellowship of the Ring) years before the events of The Hobbit films. His son Bolg is the one that leads the Orc/Goblin army in the Battle of Five Armies that will probably be the final act of The Hobbit: There and Back Again. Based on this I assume the role is likely brief and part of a flashback sequence involving Thorin Oakenshield or Bolg to help setup some of the drama for the Five Armies battle.

The Hobbit Debuts 48 Frames Per Second Footage (Updated)

Yesterday Warner Bros showed off about 10 minutes of footage from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey at a packed house for CinemaCon that is being held in Las Vegas. The footage was the first to show a film running at 48 frames per second instead of the typical 24 frames per second for the last 80 years of film history. According to Hobbit director Peter Jackson in a pre-recorded intro, the doubling of frame rate "gives you much more of an illusion of real life; in 3D it also offers much less eye-strain." According to Deadline, the 10 minutes of footage at 48 fps brought a variety with one comparing it to IMAX while another thought it had "the look of a soap opera." Dark Horizon compiled a cross section of critic reviews over the clarity of the filming at 48fps here. It seems fine tuning is needed but I suspect the average move goer will be pleased with the clarity and not notice some of the critic complaints.

Oddly, chances are most people that go to see The Hobbit are not likely to experience the 48fps version of the movie or even know if they are as many theatres are not set up for it. The Hollywood Reporter says that most theatres are taking a "for more conservative wait-and-see approach" on upgrading. However, there are 13,000 screens worldwide that use Sony 4K digital cinema projectors which can easily handle the 48 fps change. As of now it seems that only new theatres or those that have upgraded in the last year or two will be able to play the film as Peter Jackson intends. Still the film is 8 months away from debuting and a lot can change in that time.

Update: IGN posted an article about the 48fps second footage, providing a decent description of what was shown (below). They too also found the more "realistic" look to be a problem as it made everything look as fake as it really is.

The best sequence shown was one between Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and Gollum (once again played by Andy Serkis). The latter is his old, split personality self as he debates between killing Bilbo or helping him out. Bilbo finally agrees to play a game of riddles with Gollum. If he wins, Gollum will show Bilbo the way to Bilbo's destination. If Gollum wins? Well, it makes you wonder if Hobbit tastes like chicken. One reason why the 48fps wasn't as distracting here was that it was an extended sequence, the longest by far of the clips shown from An Unexpected Journey today. The CG-ness of Gollum was more evident in this digital format than it was on film back in the LOTR trilogy, but you'd be hard-pressed not to feel goosebumps seeing Serkis back in deceitful action as Gollum.

Also back in action in the footage screened today? Orlando Bloom's archer Legolas and Elijah Wood's Frodo Baggins, although we only got a few glimpses of those two characters. There were also scenes shown between Gandalf the Grey and Radagast the Brown, as well as an action-oriented one seeing Bilbo imperiled by three giant troll-like monsters before Thorin Oakenshield and the dwarves come to his rescue. There were some moments of Ian Holm as the elder Bilbo, life in the Shire, and the heroes' journeys across the snow-capped mountaintops of New Zealand, er, Middle-earth. Jackson stressed in his intro that the footage was unfinished, and this was evident in many of the green screen backdrop scenes we saw, such as the Rivendell one between Gandalf, Elrond and Galadriel.

The Hobbit Publishing Agreements Announced

HarperCollinsPublishers and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt have announced they have signed up to create official tie-in products for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again. Harper will do the international side while Houghton handles the US market. The companies have been involved with publishing Tolkien books and Lord of the Rings movie stuff for years now. The five titles for November 2012 release are The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Visual Companion by Jude Fisher, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Official Movie Guide by Brian Sibley, The World of the Hobbits, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Almanac and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Photo Storybook. The press releases can be found here and here.

The Hobbit Elves Casting Call

For those in the Willington, New Zealand area, The Hobbit production is seeking extras to play Elves for the movie. You have to be 17 years or older to apply and able to work during the workday from April through mid-July. Chances are this is for The Battle of Five Armies sequences that will cap the two films. The details can be found here. (via TOR)

It's A Wrap for Stephen Fry

The Master of Laketown, Stephen Fry, has completed filming his part for the two The Hobbit films that is currently filming all over the country. Ironically this is about the only new news from the top secret production as Peter Jackson and company have done an excellent job of keeping their secrets. The actor tweeted:

Phew! Got all emotional after shooting my final scene on the Hobbit. Preparing for home over the weekend."

Is This Smaug the Dragon?

It turns out that Peter Jackson's most recent production video provided a nice little chestnut with a possible design for Smaug the Dragon on a shirt. It seems very Tolkien in design. More than likely this image is one of many designs developed during pre-production for the CGI character but the result is a classic depiction of a huge and dangerous dragon.