Well since this is related to the style of the Hobbit film

[sinister71]

I'm posting it here. Since it is about the filming process. It's about LOTR but fits IMO perfectly with Jackson's treatment of the Hobbit. Everytime they mention LOTR just imagine the words The Hobbit and it makes sense with Jackson's new direction. (IMO of course)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... v4Potdpjhw

Come on!, you know that's funny

[sinister71]

real full sets, and practical effects?

[Alatar]

I got the joke Sinister, I just didn't find it particularly funny? There were some slightly humorous bits in the middle, but really, its all been done to death. Besides, as you pointed out, it's not about PJ and its not about The Hobbit. Methinks you're trying far to hard to make a connection that really isn't there. Lots of movies use Green Screen and CGI you know...

[sinister71]

I got the joke Sinister, I just didn't find it particularly funny? There were some slightly humorous bits in the middle, but really, its all been done to death. Besides, as you pointed out, it's not about PJ and its not about The Hobbit. Methinks you're trying far to hard to make a connection that really isn't there. Lots of movies use Green Screen and CGI you know...

So Jackson isn't rewriting the hobbit? I don't really remember any of the scenarios in the book playing out anything like Jackson's film. Had i wanted some made up version of the Hobbit instead of what was in the book I wouldn't care. But I think Jackson's attempted rewrite is disrespectful to the "spirit of Tolkien" and disrespectful to the original source material. Jackson is doing exactly what that video says Lucas would do... As far as green screen its just way over done I preferred the look of LOTR which had a more realistic feel to it and used miniatures, models, practical effects, with some CGI. Not constant green screens with everything digitally inserted by computer. IMO they look too much like a video game and very unnaturalistic. I found LOTR to be pretty consistent with the look and feel of almost everything. This time around parts of the film looks good and others look extensively fake. There is almost no consistency between the Hobbit and LOTR as a series as a whole. These are all choices Jackson made which IMO are bad ones. Why not point them out?

20 years from now I'm sure LOTR will be considered a classic, a timeless film. The Hobbit will be remade before then because of Jackson's desire to apply all the current trends and style to these films instead of going for the same look and style (not necessarily feel the Hobbit should have been more lighthearted at the beginning) of LOTR. But IMO because of all the green screen the Hobbit suffers for it.

[Jude]

If this is going to develop into a debate, please confine it to short sentences.

And only put one sentence on a line.

At least, until we get onto the next page.

Either that, or reduce the width of those pictures

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I removed the grossly oversized pictures. In some circumstances, I would have reduced them in size, but frankly, they were a waste of bandwidth. However, you are welcome to reduce their size to meet our requirements and edit them back into the post, or repost of them, if you really think they have some kind of value.

[sinister71]

I removed the grossly oversized pictures. In some circumstances, I would have reduced them in size, but frankly, they were a waste of bandwidth. However, you are welcome to reduce their size to meet our requirements and edit them back into the post, or repost of them, if you really think they have some kind of value.

that's fine they were just to show how much green screen was used, I had about 10 more pictures all different actors and scenes that showed it as well but I figured the ones I posted was enough. The point being the amount of green screen used.

During LOTR yes there was green screen used but it was primarily backgrounds, massive armies in the distance, or extensions of sets. It wasn't used for complete sets using green props where everything was to be inserted later by computer. the majority of the films were made with practical effects, miniatures or bigatures, prosthetics, with green screen used to add to the hard work done by set makers or the location shooting. Something I can respect more than just using computers to make everything digitally.

[Passdagas the Brown]

I think the second photo, in many ways, perfectly illustrates the problem with PJ's approach to the Hobbit.

There were many times, particularly in Goblin Town, when it was clear that everything, from the characters, to the bridges they were running on, to the cave background, to the orcs they were dispatching with ease, were ALL CGI. When that happens, no matter if the CGI is actually better than it was in LOTR, the holistic effect is that it ultimately looks and feels false. In a story where the world is so important to the story, this is a real blunder, IMO.

PJ felt free to do a lot more with CGI this time, and it was a mistake, IMO.

Pretty funny indictment of Lucas. And certainly not far-fetched to suggest that PJ has been "Lucasized" in some way.

The main difference, however, is that PJ is still a much better director of actors, and still does do more location shooting than Lucas did.

[Passdagas the Brown]

Question: Based on the vlogs and such, does it look like we will be getting more CGI in DoS, or less?

Laketown, at least, seems to be quite a comprehensive and realistic set (and an outdoor one, thank God), so I'm not much worried about that.

But almost everything we have seen of shooting in Thranduil's realm, and with Legolas and Tauriel, seems to be wrapped in excessive green screen.

Here's to hoping it will be less severe than in AUJ...

[narya]

Does the higher film speed make it harder to pull off green screen work?

[Passdagas the Brown]

Does the higher film speed make it harder to pull off green screen work?

Not sure. Though I believe the crispness associated with HD digital combined with HFR makes both physical set and CGI alike seem too sharp and shiny, giving it all a bit of a false, theme park look.

But I am very encouraged by Laketown, which to me seems second only to Edoras and Meduseld in terms of design.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

The Dale set is also impressive, as is Beorn's house. I suspect the mix will probably be about the same, but we'll have to see. I know, for instance, that they filmed some of the barrel sequence in the studio, but it supplements the real river. Some of the approach to Erebor was shot on location, and then digitally enhanced.

[Passdagas the Brown]

The Dale set is also impressive, as is Beorn's house. I suspect the mix will probably be about the same, but we'll have to see. I know, for instance, that they filmed some of the barrel sequence in the studio, but it supplements the real river. Some of the approach to Erebor was shot on location, and then digitally enhanced.

Forgot to mention that. The interior of Beorn's is wonderful (I'm iffy on the exterior), and I also do appreciate Dale very much - both intact and desolate.

I like the exterior of the Lonely Mountain very much, but feel that the interior is almost "space age." Like Star Wars' Cloud City in a mountain. Too gigantic and implausible. They went a little too far with the thousand foot high gangways, etc.

The Pelorus river barrel stuff should look good, but what we have seen in the trailers (which seems mostly to be studio-shot) looks awful.