THE HOBBIT Will Be Shot With At Least 30 New RED EPICs At 5K Resolution!!

YES!! I am ecstatic! Peter Jackson has elected to shoot THE HOBBIT movies with RED EPIC cameras, at least 30 of them (via RedUser)! If you are unaware of the EPIC technology, no worries - it isn't even released yet, but it is from the same company that produces the industry leading RED ONE digital cameras. Jackson used Jim Jannard's RED cameras to shoot his short film CROSSING THE LINE so he is obviously very excited about the new cameras coming out.

Why should Jackson be excited? The RED ONE cameras shoot digitally at 4K resolution, while the new RED EPICS will capture 5K resolution at 120 frames+ / second!! Yes you read that correctly. The EPIC will have the highest dynamic range ever for a digital camera too.

Further, as THE HOBBIT(s) will be shot in native stereoscopic 3D, Jackson must be reveling in the smaller size and weight of the EPICS.

Jackson said: "I have always liked the look of Red footage. I'm not a scientist or mathematician, but the image Red produces has a much more filmic feel than most of the other digital formats. I find the picture quality appealing and attractive, and with the Epic, Jim and his team have gone even further. It is a fantastic tool, the Epic not only has cutting edge technology, incredible resolution and visual quality, but it is also a very practical tool for film makers. Many competing digital systems require the cameras to be tethered to large cumbersome VTR machines. The Epic gives us back the ability to be totally cable free, even when working in stereo."

Are you amped or what? I am. The man is using the PERFECT technology for these productions!!

If you love movies during the December holidays as much as I do then you should be darn excited for the next little while. Why? How about this line up... 2010 - TRON: LEGACY, 2011 - TINTIN, 2012 - THE HOBBIT PT1, 2013 - THE HOBBIT PT2, 2014 - AVATAR 2, 2015 - AVATAR 3!! Looks like we are set for the holidays aren't we?

Thanks to Mark for the heads up!