HOBBIT TRAILER #1

Mrs Figg wrote:I like what he said about the lighting though, Dol guldur did remind me a lot of Osgiliath

I actually somewhat agree with him about lighting and other visual similarities (though in my last post I was caught up in the other stuff ). I would like to see some consistency between The Hobbit and LOTR films with regards to the visual flavor of the setting since it's supposed to be the same world. On the other hand, The Hobbit explores a lot of its own settings and I hope those are distinctive enough to be unique and memorable without looking like they're from a different setting altogether.

David H wrote:

Mrs Figg wrote:maybe toddlers need comfort, but adults get bored when everything is predictable.

Ah, but producers are something in between, and therein lies the problem.

It does sometimes feel that way... Or, at the very least, it feels like the producers/writers have a rather simplistic and rigid notion of how fantasy stories should be told.

As for lighting and palette I wonder how they will play Mirkwood? and Beorns Hall, In the book Mirkwood is virtually black and very dingy and shadowy I suppose it may look like Fangorn a bit, with creaky trees and black squirrels, I have always imagined Beorns house as a sunny place full of flowers and bees buzzing, kind of the place you can drowze in and eat honey on bread and kind of get drunk on the scent of the flowers.

btw LOVE that trailer remix. well cool.

Mrs Figg wrote:As for lighting and palette I wonder how they will play Mirkwood? and Beorns Hall, In the book Mirkwood is vertually black and very dingy and shadowy I suppose it may look like Fangorn a bit, with creaky trees and black squirrels

Mmm.... interesting...

Mrs Figg wrote:I have always imagined Beorns house as a sunny place full of flowers and bees buzzing, kind of the place you can drowze in and eat honey on bread and kind of get drunk on the scent of the flowers.

... curiouser and curiouser.... Beorn scene = Old Man Willow/Bombadil...

The Goblin Tunnels = Moria...

The ring = The Ring

Gollum = Deagol

The Hobbit = LotR - but redone for grown-ups?

Thats beautiful Chris thanks for posting it.

Orwell wrote:

Mrs Figg wrote:As for lighting and palette I wonder how they will play Mirkwood? and Beorns Hall, In the book Mirkwood is vertually black and very dingy and shadowy I suppose it may look like Fangorn a bit, with creaky trees and black squirrels

Mmm.... interesting...

Mrs Figg wrote:I have always imagined Beorns house as a sunny place full of flowers and bees buzzing, kind of the place you can drowze in and eat honey on bread and kind of get drunk on the scent of the flowers.

... curiouser and curiouser.... Beorn scene = Old Man Willow/Bombadil...

The Goblin Tunnels = Moria...

The ring = The Ring

Gollum = Deagol

The Hobbit = LotR - but redone for grown-ups?

Mirkwood will be an enchanted forest I guess, much more mossy and colourful than Fangorn I believe.. more equal to a rainforest (but not so we think that this is at the ecvator )

What we have seen in pictures I believe are Radagasts house.. it reminded me of a bird's nest and it wasn't in the forest in an opening of trees. I believe Beorn's will be great
great music, playing it now

If it is Radagast's house (and I agree it most likely is) wonder why we see it? Presumably there are scenes set there- and I doubt they'd go to all that trouble just for a shot or two either.

There were pictures of Radagast's house? I recall seeing pictures that I thought were Beorn's house; was that the same thing or is there another set of pictures out there that I missed?

maybe someone here could post a link or a picture of the respectable house ?

I couldn't find the pic I was thinking of but did turn up this from the OneRing lot- reckon its Beorns though.

I could honestly see that being either one, but I agree Beorn is more likely.

Trying to decide if that box is a beehive!

I hadn't even noticed the box! It looks like it could be a hive to me, though it's possible it's just a temporary structure during construction.

The box looks to be made of plywood and 2x4 construction lumber. I doubt if Beorn would be shopping at a lumber yard for materials.

I'd always imagined Beorn's hives being of the old skep style (the wicker and mud domes). It's such an ancient style and I think its still recognizable to most people as a behive, if only from the hair style. I don't know if it's northern European though.

"Skep" is from an Old English word, so I'm guessing that was what Tolkien was thinking of as well. A box hive would require sawn boards, and I imagine Beorn as more of a hewer of wood than a sawyer.

'... rows and rows of hives with bell shaped tops made of straw.' Queer Lodgings

And one can only hope Jackson will not 'overdo' the description 'giant' bees.

I agree they should be the old style medievil looking beehives- but that box does look like a modern bee hive a bit- maybe they have brought real bees on set in it!

Agree Elthir about the bees- twice the size of normal would be fine I reckon- four foot bees please no.

Thanks. It's nice to have my memories vindicated.

In my mind the giant bees would be about the size of a hobbit's hand. Given PJ's history of following movie convention over JRRT text though, I'd be more worried that he'd refer to the all time classic bee movie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZamBZEDmKU

David. Although I alwayds preferred the ants one (can't remember what it was callled but much the same except ants instead of bees!).

I heard Jackson will employ wasps rather than bees, because wasps have attitudes and will provide the tension that films require.

And (for any purists out there who may someday discover this post) Tolkien never didn't say that the wasps of Bilbo's day didn't make honey!

Maybe they will sting him! CGI bees should be easy enough to do convincingly these days, but huge zepplin bees are definently a no.

I guess to be contrary, a reasonable person could argue that the giant bees foreshadow the giant spiders, and therefore should be of similar scale....we could even throw in some giant midges for fun!

Giant midges would be very bad- you never see a lone midge they come by the thousand!

Elthir wrote:I heard Jackson will employ wasps rather than bees, because wasps have attitudes and will provide the tension that films require.

This is actually a change that I don't find to be as likely. While it's clear that PJ will be upping the action and may do that with of Beorn to make him more menacing, I think there's something inherently ridiculous about fighting giant bugs. Maybe it's just me, but when I had to fight giant bees in the Fellowship of the Ring video game I stopped playing because I thought it was so laughable. I certainly hope PJ doesn't go that route.