Re: Countdown to Release | SPOILER THREAD

[Mrs Figg]

what does he mean Bloggers? I thought it was an invited audience of film critics and such like. Hardly a bunch of rabid purists on the war path? He has bottled it, and is showing it in 24 fps because I reckon he realizes another negative showing would be disasterous and WB would be getting nervous.
I dont know enough about the appendices to comment maybe a Loremaster could enlighten us?

[David H]

News- none of it good in my opinion, and from the mouth of PJ himself.

Well if you were an optimist, you might find good news in this:

PJ: I decided to screen the “Hobbit” reel at Comic-Con in 2-D and 24 frames per second, so the focus stays firmly with the content and not the technical stuff.

It sounds like PJ is wanting to be judged on content because he's realized that the 3D stuff is uncertain ground. That suggests to me that he's looking at a more conservative edit than he might have a couple months ago. We'll see if he dares to show us bunny sleds this time or not...

[Mrs Figg]

yes I think he realized his priorities were screwy, the techno wizardry stuff was taking focus away from the story.

[Eldorion]

I think that's as close to an admission of screwing up as we're going to get from PJ. He's been evangelizing for 48fps for a couple of years now and the mixed-to-negative reaction from CinemaCon had to have been extremely embarassing. I'm not surprised he's trying to downplay it as the work of "bloggers" (the favorite go-to word of anyone who has been shown-up by online media!) but the fact that the plug was pulled on 48fps for Comic-Con is confirmation that someone behind the scenes, possibly even PJ himself, is worried. I'm sure this is not the sort of build-up to the glorious unveiling of the future of cinema in the world that PJ and Co. wanted.

I'm not sure what he means by "additional material" but there were pick-up shoots prior to each of the LOTR films to capture extra scenes that no one thought of until post-production. I had assumed the same would occur for TH in 2013.

[chris63]

Hours into Comic-Con, one rumour kept circulating around San Diego: that Peter Jackson would announce a third Hobbit film during Warner Brothers’ Saturday panel. However, studio spokespeople have told Variety that But Jackson isn’t getting ready to give audiences more “Hobbit.

There are “no planned or surprise announcements” involving a third film these spokespeople say. “The plan was always for two.”

According to Variety, Jackson wound up with more footage than expected during their 266-day shoot in New Zealand. Rather than making a third film feasible, would the best of this footage not be more likely to end up on an Extended Edition? Thanks to Quackingtroll for the heads-up!

[Eldorion]

It's interesting that Variety claims "adding more films wouldn't be unusual" -- citing Harry Potter and The Hunger Games as examples of series where the final book was split in two -- when The Hobbit already split the last book in two.

The triple Hobbit rumor has been refuted so many times that it's not even funny any more. Why must people keep re-starting it?

[RA]

Guys, I got some bad news.
Plans fell through and it turns out that I can't attend Comic Con. I was ready to go but my cousin dropped the ball and the guy with the passes couldn't meet us.
I'm so sorry, but I won't have any news.

[chris63]

No prob, can't be helped.

[Pettytyrant101]

Thats a shame RA- mainly for you, so sorry to hear you won't be getting to go afterall- you must be gutted.

[Eldorion]

That's too bad, but like Petty said, it probably sucks more for you than anyone else. We'll just stay tuned to TORn and wherever like everyone else.

[RA]

Yeah, I'm bummed about it.
Sorry again though.

[Eldorion]

No worries, RA. If I have the money I'm going to try to go next year and if there's enough people maybe we can have a Forumshire meet-up. We could wear those T-shirts that Petty and Norc are designing.

[chris63]

[Eldorion]

Or those.

[chris63]

Bifur may only speak in Khuzdûl, possibly due to that silly axe protruding from his skull.
Dwalin’sskull tattoos actually have meaning, and are pictorial tale about Dwarvish history, laws, customs!
Thranduil’ssword will also feature lots of runic inscriptions
The Wargs will have their own constructed language for the Hobbit. The Warg chief, a great white wolf, will communicate with his pack using this simple, gluttal language!

http://www.elendilion.pl/2012/07/13/g-i-p-report-dwalins-runes-orkrist-thranduil-and-wargs/

[Mrs Figg]

so I suppose its all our fault that 48fps sucks then?

I thought PJ said they were going to do MORE filming next year?? in that interview Petty posted. So why they are saying there is already too much footage is a bit odd. mysterious

[Mrs Figg]

found this article about Comic Con. from one of these 'negative bloggers'


'The Hobbit' Gets Cold Feet? Comic-Con Footage Won't Be 3D/48FPS

by Alex Billington Firstshowing. Net
July 12, 2012

One of my most anticipated presentations at Comic-Con 2012 is Warner Bros' Hall H panel on Saturday, partially due to The Hobbit getting a big show. It's obvious this (Comic-Con) is the perfect fanbase for Peter Jackson to bring footage to and introduce his cast to, but apparently it's not the crowd for 48FPS. As we all know, when Jackson revealed the first 10 minutes of 48FPS Hobbit footage at CinemaCon earlier this year, reactions were very negative (even I agreed, unfortunately). I was looking forward to seeing how this crowd would react to 48FPS and if it looked any better now. But, it looks like that will not be happening.

Director Peter Jackson spoke with the LA Times' Hero Complex as prep for his presentation on Saturday, but one of the most revealing and interesting news items in it, was that he would not be showing the footage in 3D or 48FPS, at all. That is quite a surprise. Especially because I was hearing buzz that they tried to tweak the 48FPS to look even better. His quote about Comic-Con is one of the most honest I've ever heard.


Wow. Cold feet? Or, as our friends at The Playlist said, "nice dodge?" Too nervous they're going to get more negative reactions? Why not flaunt the new 48FPS? I am truly surprised and kind of shocked that he made this decision about the footage. I honestly felt like the Comic-Con crowd and these fans would be the most open to 48FPS, and accepting of the other creative choices Jackson has made (we all trust in him, right?). But I guess that won't be the case anymore. I am still very curious to see how the footage plays and I'm sure fans (myself included) will be going crazy anyway. And if anyone asks Jackson about 48FPS during the Q&A.

We'll still be at the Warner Bros' presentation on Saturday, and we'll keep you updated on any other news or any other happenings regarding The Hobbit. Are you still concerned about seeing 48FPS footage?

[Mrs Figg]

[Pettytyrant101]

Bifur may only speak in Khuzdûl- Chris

What the secret Dwarfish language they speak to no other you mean?

[Eldorion]

Someone at Comic-Con noticed that the life-size statue of Thorin they have is apparently carrying his famous 'oakenshield'. Does this mean that he's going to still be lugging around a branch decades after the battle in which he picked it up, or is just an easter egg that Weta threw in there for the Con crowd? I don't recall seeing a branch in any of the publicity photos for Thorin but I suppose it could have been obscured by his coat.

http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2012/07/13/58886-the-story-of-the-dwarf-thorin-and-his-oaken-shield/

[Pettytyrant101]

I hope thats just there for the model and not the film. That he wears it as a literal shield strapped to his arm is bad enough without him using it all through the film.
However I had a thought about Jacksons claim to have used 'extensive' material from the appendices- he can't mean the WC because there isn't any extensive material- but there is a lot on dwarven history- I think we may be going to get a lot more of it than we had at first reckoned, a lot more than just a short flashback here and there.

Tomorrow should be a good day for news, whether its good or bad news however we shall see.

[Mrs Figg]

they are showing the new footage tomorrow, Saturday. I hope somebody records it and puts in on Youtube.

this extra information PJ was talking about, I think we may get a lot of extra stuff about Dwarven culture and see the Lonely Mountain Erebor in its glory before Smaug, get the back story of Thorin and his dad and grandad and their feuds with orcs. Its quite a lot of stuff really.

[Pettytyrant101]

I will give PJ the benefit of the doubt and assume when he said extensive he meant it and was not just blatantly lying-and that must mean dwarven stuff surely? So I think you are right Mrs Figg.
Thing is he also mentions other events across Middle-Earth- well TH doesn't really include much else of Middle-earth bar the north. Erebor to the Lothlorien is about the biggest north-south.
Ishe planning showing further afield?

[Eldorion]

Wasn't it already confirmed that we're getting flashbacks to the War of the Dwarves and Orcs and/or Thrain in Dol Guldur? That's pretty much entirely from the Appendices and could be what PJ was referring to.

I don't think he's going to try to shoehorn in anything with the south of Middle-earth (Gondor, Rohan, etc.). If so we'd have heard about more LOTR actors being cast, which didn't happen as far as I know.

[Tinuviel]

He might show Mordor, since the Necromancer is in the films. Does the WC know about the rebuilding going on in Mordor at this time? I didn't think they did. I thought they met about Dol Guldur Could someone please clarify? I think I've drank to much Buckie in anticipation for tomorrow...