Hobbit film sets and such

[CosmicBob]

Amazon UK has it for £15.99 plus £6.98 shipping to the US. That's about $36.72 at the current exchange rate. Then add any fees your credit card charges and you could end up at about $40.00 or so. Which is close to the $37.22 that some of the US sellers are charging.

So it's nearly a wash. I prefer dealing with Amazon itself rather than the 3rd party sellers. If it doesn't come out here soon, I will order it from Amazon.UK.

[Dave_LF]

Good; someone else used the word "cottage" first. This is why I think it can't be Beorn's hall--the building I see isn't a hall at all; Norse, Anglo-Saxon, or otherwise. It's a hut; quite appropriate for a reclusive wizard, but all wrong for a lord.

If it's tall, that's just because Freeman and company need to look short compared to it.

All IMO, of course.

ETA: Just went back to TORN, and it's showing me a whole different set of pictures now than it was before. And I don't know whether I'm seeing two different buildings or the same building during different stages of construction. This is no hut, but is it the same building as this? TORN's comments say no, and I suppose they're right since the pictures were supposedly all taken at once. So I think I'm sticking with what I said before--Radagast has his own hut (picture 2), but it's situated next to Beorn's hall (picture 1).

[Inanna]

And both would have those small roosting holes? I thought it was the same building....

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Well, Dave, Tolkien described Beorn's house as having other buildings on the property, none of which are Radagast's house (which was described as being on the edge of Mirkwood, whereas Beorn lived a three days ride away from Mirkwood). Moreover, Beorn says of Radagast that "I used to see him now and again." I think it would be a pointless and distracting change to make them close neighbors and allies. They are separate and very, very different characters. I hope they are kept that way.

[Dave_LF]

Well, Dave, Tolkien described Beorn's house as having other buildings on the property, none of which are Radagast's house (which was described as being on the edge of Mirkwood, whereas Beorn lived a three days ride away from Mirkwood).

Whatever we're seeing, it's clearly on the edge of or in the forest. If it's Radagast's house, then it's Radagast's house. If it's Beorn's house, then Beorn's house has been moved to Mirkwood, just like Radagast's.

As for why they'd combine the two; just the usual reason--to avoid the multiplication of entities (though I concede that with an extra film to fill, Occam may not be as good a guide as he usually is).

But I agree that with the additional pictures that are up now, it's strongly likely that at least one of the things we're seeing is Beorn's hall. And if that's true, then having one of the other ones belong to Radagast becomes something of a long shot in the absence of independent evidence that they're combining the two locations (though still possible! ).

[Voronwë the Faithful]

While I agree that it possible that Beorn's hall will be moved closer to Mirkwood (eliminating that 3-day ride makes some sense), it is not definite from these pictures. After all, Beorn's hall is described as being next to "a belt of tall and very ancient oaks" and the company is described as going through trees to get there, so by no means is it definite that what we see in these pictures is Mirkwood (indeed, they don't really look much like Mirkwood to me).

[Frelga]

This is a movie set. Can't the same structure be shot from different angles to stand for different story locations?

[axordil]

Given digital composite capabilities, the actual trees in the background may have little to do with what we see on film. Didn't the valley of Imladris have 50 different waterfalls composited?

[Holbytla]

While I think that Jackson, to this point, has used the text closely with regards to sets, the actual locations constructed are still open to interpretation and the vision of artists.

I have no illusions about Jackson adhering closely to time and distance or placement of any locations, nor with any character interactions or character development.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Maybe we are all barking up the wrong tree? Maybe it is neither Beorn's house nor Rhosgobel. Maybe its - a building in Dale, before it was destroyed by Smaug. Or after it was rebuilt by Bard.

Nah, it's either Beorn's house or Rhosgobel.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Now they have a video of the set:

http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2011/11 ... obbit-set/

There is something really fishy about this. Why is no one there? How is that this person is able to take these pictures and video of the famously secretive production? Maybe it isn't even really part of the Hobbit production?

[Elentári]

Re: video-blog #4, Barrel-Rider over on TORN asks:

Did anyone else notice that Alan Lee was working on a sketch of Beorn's hall at 08.34
It looks as if they going keep to Tolkien's original concept. So the the set being built at the moment may belong to Radagast. If they start building around a tree it is a guarantee. I have a little insider knowledge here.

ETA: just tried to quote myself and ended up editing this original post! so edited to undo edit...

[Dave_LF]

I hope that big building isn't for Radagast. He always struck me as the hermit in a 1-room cottage with a fireplace and a pet crow type.

[Inanna]

I can't imagine how you would place Radagast and Beorn on the same property. They could be closer, but it makes no sense to me that they would be on the same property.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Nor to me. But I don't really think there is even a tiny chance of that happening, so I'm not worried about it.

[Alatar]

I don't think that would make any material difference to the story, so I don't honestly care if Radagast is living in a tree, never mind sharing an estate with Beorn.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

For what it is worth, someone called "southernboy" just joined TORN to reply to Glow (the person who made the video) to say:

"When did you manage to get in? Looks like a bit ago...security has now been ramped up. It is Beorn's hall...it's quite different now. The gates are seriously sweet too, going to look awesome."

Who knows whether he really knows what he is talking about or not.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Hobbit Location Taking Shape



Consensus at TORN seems to be Rhosgebel, but I still think it is Beorn's house, even if it is different than Tolkien described.

[CosmicBob]

It doesn't look like Beorn's house to me, even ignoring Tolkien's description of the house. It doesn't seem to fit Beorn. He had a farm and this looks like very lumpy ground.

I don't mind it being under the eaves of Mirkwood, cutting out the 3 days ride to the forest would work. But the landscape just doesn't look "farm-y". (I made that word up - Tolkien would be proud of me ).

[Inanna]

Now, it does look like Rhosgobel to me.... and not at all like Beorn's. I've imagined Beorn's house as very organized. I mean he has animals who actually work for him.