The Hobbit Movie Update

[Sortafast]

Before anyone complains about the trailer not showing Beorn, or Smaug, or any other characters, bear in mind that this is the first teaser trailer and they're still filming.

With that said, YAY!

[Karma]

I highly doubt we'll see Smaug in the first movie.

[Minker17]

I highly doubt we'll see Smaug in the first movie.

Maybe the end of the first beginning of the second?

[Ryan D]

This looks amazing!!

I can't wait until next December!

[BlckBadged_SwissChee]

I kind of hate the internet and instant connectivity for movies. Sucks seeing a trailer or something and then seeing you will be a year older before it is actually released

[The Red Baron]

I highly doubt we'll see Smaug in the first movie.

I bet there will be at least a sneak peak to get everyone riled up for part 2.

[n0rdicalex.]

damnit! i forgot this was a two-part series!

[NoDubJustYet]

Part 1: Dec 2012
Part 2: ?????

Another year or are we looking at a summer release?

[J-Tim]

Part 1: Dec 2012
Part 2: ?????

Another year or are we looking at a summer release?

I am sure they are going to be 12 month apart, just like LOTR trilogy.

[Sortafast]

I bet there will be at least a sneak peak to get everyone riled up for part 2.

My personal guess is that Smaug could be the climax of Part 1, with the Battle of Five Armies and the White Council going to Dol Guldur as the climax of Part 2.

[The Red Baron]

Once I finish the book I'm currently reading I'm going to break out the Hobbit for the umpteenth reading to get fired up even more.

[brownhornet]

I am sure they are going to be 12 month apart, just like LOTR trilogy.

i wonder how many dvd releases will there be?

[Mk1Racer]

The Hobbit trailer is out!

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/thehobbit/

Awesome!!!!

[crannky]

i wonder how many dvd releases will there be?

I say 5.

[Vamped]

Once I finish the book I'm currently reading I'm going to break out the Hobbit for the umpteenth reading to get fired up even more.

Yesss!

[J-Tim]

i wonder how many dvd releases will there be?

The Super-Duper one is going to be my retirement present.

[J-Tim]

The Hobbit. Production video #6 is out!

[Sortafast]

The Hobbit. Production video #6 is out!

Squeeeeeeee!

[Voodoo.T]

Ten minutes of the Hobbit screened at CineCon 2012. I've been dying to see a modern film shot at 48fps and it sounds like the result is about what I expected. It's a vastly improved image that will be far more immersive than anything before (especially in proper 3D).

But it's also going to be very divisive among filmgoers. It apparently resembles the feel of a 70's-era BBC TV show or modern soap opera instead of what we expect a film to look like. Sort of like how modern flat panels have that hideous motion smoothing which basically fakes extra frames to give a smoother framerate. Except not as hideous because it's been captured at that proper rate.

Personally I'm all for it. 24fps has been the standard for 80 years, and needs to die. I'm already annoyed when I have to watch actual film because of the flicker in brighter scenes. For this reason I try to avoid seeing real film anymore, and thankfully most everything modern comes out digitally - not excluding the other reasons actual film is total crap like dust/scratches/hair/grain/etc. Digital presentation on IMAX-size screens at 48fps is the way I'd like to see films. Otherwise why bother paying so much to go to a cinema when I can get nearly the same image and audio quality at home on BluRay a month later for less money?

At any rate, can't wait to see The Hobbit. For those of you who prefer living in the early 20th century, the film will also be shown in grandpa-approved 24fps.

[Sledge]

Ten minutes of the Hobbit screened at CineCon 2012. I've been dying to see a modern film shot at 48fps and it sounds like the result is about what I expected. It's a vastly improved image that will be far more immersive than anything before (especially in proper 3D).

But it's also going to be very divisive among filmgoers. It apparently resembles the feel of a 70's-era BBC TV show or modern soap opera instead of what we expect a film to look like. Sort of like how modern flat panels have that hideous motion smoothing which basically fakes extra frames to give a smoother framerate. Except not as hideous because it's been captured at that proper rate.

Personally I'm all for it. 24fps has been the standard for 80 years, and needs to die. I'm already annoyed when I have to watch actual film because of the flicker in brighter scenes. For this reason I try to avoid seeing real film anymore, and thankfully most everything modern comes out digitally - not excluding the other reasons actual film is total crap like dust/scratches/hair/grain/etc. Digital presentation on IMAX-size screens at 48fps is the way I'd like to see films. Otherwise why bother paying so much to go to a cinema when I can get nearly the same image and audio quality at home on BluRay a month later for less money?

At any rate, can't wait to see The Hobbit. For those of you who prefer living in the early 20th century, the film will also be shown in grandpa-approved 24fps.

I have a Samsung 9-series TV and when I throw my DVD of "Aliens" in the player it just looks completely wrong. It does in fact look like a soap opera and it is distracting at best and hideous at worst. It is not a "grandpa" thing. If your new technology looks worse to your customers, is it really better? Hell most filmmakers can't get 3D right and that's been around longer than non-standard fps's in theaters.

All that being said, I hope it's not as bad as some say.

[Vamped]

Personally I'm all for it. 24fps has been the standard for 80 years, and needs to die. I'm already annoyed when I have to watch actual film because of the flicker in brighter scenes. For this reason I try to avoid seeing real film anymore

It bothers you that much? As a kid, did you not go to the movies much?

[DarkSideGTI]

I was at Best Buy the other day and they were showing Tron on a 70" LCD with Truemotion turned on. It looked so stupid and cheesey, I asked the salesman why they had it turned on and he said he thought it looked better. I almost called him an idiot. I am glad my plasma doesn't have that crap. from what I read a lot of the people that saw the 10 minute footage said it looked pretty bad compared to 24 fps.

[Voodoo.T]

It bothers you that much? As a kid, did you not go to the movies much?

Of course. I didn't know any better til I saw my first digital projection (Pirate of the Caribbean 3). After that I never want to see film in the theater again. Digital only. No comparison. Sometimes it's unavoidable, like when I saw The Raid, but for most domestic releases I'd want to see, digital is available.

The "smoothing" that modern TV's do to ruin film is synthesize information that isn't there. It's not the same thing as 48fps, which is truly shot at 48 individual frames per second. Modern TVs instead take two frames (or more, depending on their settings and the content) and blend them together to generate smoother motion. Sometimes it looks alright, most of the time it looks like complete ass and I have to turn it off. Sports it usually looks awesome. Movies, it looks hideous. Again, it's not the same as shooting at a higher framerate but the average moviegoer will say it looks the same.

No doubt it will look weird. I just hope it sticks around. Guess we'll see.

[DarkSideGTI]

48 FPS and 5k resolution capture too much data. Sets can end up looking bad, movement looks strange, makeup needs to be much much better, etc. I am going to be a naysayer until I am show otherwise.

[Basscase]

48 FPS and 5k resolution capture too much data. Sets can end up looking bad, movement looks strange, makeup needs to be much much better, etc. I am going to be a naysayer until I am show otherwise.

Exactly...and lighting looks like poop.

[DarkSideGTI]

[Voodoo.T]

48 FPS and 5k resolution capture too much data. Sets can end up looking bad, movement looks strange, makeup needs to be much much better, etc. I am going to be a naysayer until I am show otherwise.

No different than the transition to live broadcasting of HDTV was. When our local Faux channel switched their newscast to HD, there were obvious makeup issues that needed to be ironed out.

As for 5k and 48fps being too much data, did you know they shoot and edit in 5k (some are even moving to 8k)? While it's true they drop it down to 4k for output, I doubt sets look "bad" in working resolution. I'll ask my friend who has done compositing work on a a couple movies you may have heard of (most recent was Thor if I remember right).

I will singlehandidly drag you all into the 21st century of filmmaking! I get that 24fps is "movie magic" but it's time to move forward, or at least dip the toe in the water.

[DarkSideGTI]

Well the rumor is that there will be a 48fps trailer shown before The Dark Knight Returns. so I guess we will find out then.

[Minker17]

Officially going to be 3 parts!

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=93086

[EK20]

Nice!

[Karma]

My first impression of this = bad idea

Spreading over 2 movies was already a stretch. Jackson didn't even want to direct these movies. Now that he's immersed in that world again, he's going to squeeze a 3rd out of the same appendices that he felt could only justify 2 movies when he started the script 5-6 years ago?

1st movie is in the bag, so we'll see the impact of this decision in the 2nd. They already had to create an inorganic break point, now they need to create 2. These movies better be closer to 2 hours than 3.

[DarkSideGTI]

I just hope this decision doesn't mess with the flow of the movies and make them drag during the slower/boring parts.

[dubfan]

My first impression of this = bad idea

Spreading over 2 movies was already a stretch. Jackson didn't even want to direct these movies. Now that he's immersed in that world again, he's going to squeeze a 3rd out of the same appendices that he felt could only justify 2 movies when he started the script 5-6 years ago?

1st movie is in the bag, so we'll see the impact of this decision in the 2nd. They already had to create an inorganic break point, now they need to create 2. These movies better be closer to 2 hours than 3.

I agree.

Nothing good will come of this.

[NoDubJustYet]

So... with three whole movies they didn't cut anything from the book. Right??

[The Red Baron]

nice cash grab hollywood!