Award Winning Weta Digital Ramps Up For AVATAR Sequels

6 Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects. 10 Academy Science and Technology Awards. 6 BAFTA Awards for Best Special Visual Effects. 6 VES Awards for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature.

Yep. Weta Digital knows what they are doing. Peter Jackson's sandbox builds amazing things and now they are ramping up for James Cameron's AVATAR sequels. With over ~$1 billion in production budget for AVATAR and the immense success that Cameron's films enjoy, obviously, his 4 sequels will command the best in the world at what they do. Enter Weta Digital.

Says Cameron: "What Joe Letteri and Weta Digital bring to these stories is impossible to quantify. Since we made Avatar, Weta continued to prove themselves as doing the best CG animation, the most human, the most alive, the most photo-realistic effects in the world. And of course, that now means I can push them to take it even further."

Can you imagine what surprises Cameron and Weta Digital have in store for us in these movies? A lot of time has passed. A LOT. Technology has improved by leaps and bounds. I can't wait to see what these guys have built and are building.

Source: Deadline

New FANTASTIC FOUR Trailer Opens New Dimensions

Ok - this trailer opens the door wider for me for these characters and the story. Dimensional travel definitely pulls me in if they can realistically pull off the concepts well enough. Of note is that Weta Digital, OTOY and Moving Picture Company are doing the VFX. Weta Digital EXCELS at creature effects. One would assume that they each traveled to different dimensions to attain their radically different abilities so therefore we are probably in line to see at least 4 different environments - maybe a fifth as it appears Doctor Doom is arriving from one them as well - a plane of hell perhaps?

Director Josh Trank (CHRONICLE) tells my buddy Steve at Collider:
“We’re definitely imagining the story in 3D as we’re making it, and it has powers that are well-suited to telling the story in 3D—not just Reed, but you have somebody that is on fire, and that’s something that can be immersive and scary. The reason to use 3D in this Fantastic Four, I think, is to make the experience feel as immersive as possible, where you feel like you’re with the characters looking at themselves and looking at each other with these bizarre powers and feeling like they’re really interacting with you.”

Having this sort of basis for the movie solves a lot of issues I have had with past attempts, but again Fox needs to deliver.

Here's the storyline for the movie:
FANTASTIC FOUR, a contemporary re-imagining of Marvel’s original and longest-running superhero team, centers on four young outsiders who teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe, which alters their physical form in shocking ways. Their lives irrevocably upended, the team must learn to harness their daunting new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy.

FANTASTIC FOUR opens in theaters on August 7.

Quote: Collider

THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES Theatrical Trailer is Here!

Tim here, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Theatrical Trailer is finally here! YAY! I've put it above so you can watch it front and center. It's so dark and so intense. This isn't the children's story the book was originally anymore. This film will definitely lead into The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The emotional stakes are high.

My first thoughts are: WOW! Peter Jackson will make his last journey into Middle-Earth an epic one. And it's going to look so good in Native Stereoscopic 3D and High Frame Rates shot on 3ality Technica rigs. About one month to go until this movie is unleashed upon the world, and the anticipation is so great. This trailer gives us only glimpses of what to expect. I plan on being thoroughly surprised by his vision.

The release of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies arrives in theaters December 17^th, 2014 in IMAX 3D, RealD 3D, HFR 3D.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Tim's Review

Tim here, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is the best blockbuster movie I have seen so far this year! It currently ranks as the second best movie I've seen this year behind The Grand Budapest Hotel, which would have been fantastic in the stereoscopic 3D format. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes has such a compelling story that is very well written and directed that it manages to transcend beyond the normal sci-fi summer blockbuster into a contemporary power struggle tale between two species and the factions within each.

In regards to the story, the writing, and character development it is not without some fault. There was a moment early on in the movie where the characters made a claim about how important it is for a certain character to come along with them into the ape territory to fix the dam to restore power to the human community. However after an incident he is sidelined without further explanation of how his expertise is missed when it comes to repairing the dam. Beyond that small plot hole I couldn't find any additional faults with the story. Although some of the main human characters lacked development the main ape characters made up for that. And the truth is the movie is more about the apes than the humans. However, it would have been nice to have equal attention given to both.

Within the apes' community there are three particular apes that had great development and were performed by the actors with great poise. In fact two of the ape performers were so mesmerizing in performance that their characters felt compellingly real. It was so easy to relate to both viewpoints and where each of those characters were coming from in terms of their motivations and intentions. Those two characters (and, the actors who played them) are Caesar (Andy Serkis) and Koba (Toby Kebbell) whose relationship is strongly built. Very early on it's displayed how they are close friends (loyal to each other) and rely on each other to lead the ape community. As the film progresses they represent two opposing sides within the ape community: peace and war.

Andy Serkis' performance as Caesar is magnificent and awe-inspiring! If Serkis does not get award nominations this award season it will be criminal. Through Serkis' performance the full weight that rests on Caesar's shoulders is so immediately conveyed. He's responsible for not only his family but, also, the entire ape community needs his leadership. Serkis conveys so many emotions visually in his performances, and succeeds on levels that are astounding, while the WETA Digital team that brought those emotions through the digital make did a fantastic job at making him believable.

The visual effects in this movie are remarkable; the best I've seen so far this year. The opening shot and closing shot of the movie, which have beautiful circularity, are wonderful examples of how far WETA has come. They focus on Caesar's eyes and use a zoom where beyond the close-up detail the audience witnesses the amazing level of artistry to create the skin and hair of the apes. The apes are shown in wet and rainy environments and it's amazing how realistic the hair reacts to that environmental element.

This is a movie that deserves to be seen in the 3D format!

Next the stereoscopic 3D in the movie was excellent. It was a very soft and subtle 3D, and it worked so well for the story. There were maybe a few places where I wished they had pushed it more, but overall it was really well thought out in its use. Props need to be given to 3ality Technica for their stereoscopic services on the film since it was their rigs that were used paired with the ARRI ALEXA. This is a movie that deserves to be seen in the 3D format! Michael Seresin's cinematography was absolutely beautiful and breathtaking. It felt very naturalistic, and his use of lighting was fantastic. He used the full latitude of light and as well used color, or lack of, to convey the emotional points of the story. It felt grim, and at the same time Edenesque.

The production design and art department did a fantastic job as well. They accomplished so much in building practical sets and environments for the actors to work in. As well they helped build a sense of realism with those aspects. One of the most impressive was the single abandoned gas station in the middle of a forest. The moment when the humans and apes manage to restore power and go to it is an astounding one. It was made all the more powerful due to the production design.

A movie isn't complete without the sound and score, and both were fantastic. The sounds of the ape world were very well designed. A lot was built around what was heard and not seen in the movie, and that couldn't have been accomplished without the astounding work of the sound team. One of my favorite shots in the film worked so well because of the sound. Completely the sound-scape was Michael Giacchino's score, which was hauntingly beautiful. It hit the soft moments, hit the fast paced action moments, and emotionally connected me to the world all that much more.

Director Matt Reeves deserves mad props for his excellent direction of this motion picture. Going back to the favorite shot I mentioned earlier: it was a long tracking shot similar to what Alfonso Cuarón did in Children of Men, however it's not quite as long. It follows Malcolm (Jason Clarke) in a building that is overrun by apes hunting down humans as he desperately looks for medicine. The choices Reeves made as a director were spot on in so many places. He brought so many talented people together to create a rich and engaging world set to a complex and emotional story and did a great job leading the charge.

I highly suggest you go out and see Dawn of the Planet of the Apes in 3D. Make sure to see it on the biggest possible screen. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes VFX Evolution + Clips

Tim here, and there's a nice little BTS video for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes that appeared on IGN the other day. I've included it below followed by two short clips of a scenes from the film. The BTS video shows the challenges that had to be overcome with the performance capture technology and how far it has come since the last Apes film. It's very impressive to witness this kind of technological evolution combined with today's advanced native 3D - provided by 3ality Technica.

The scene that follows was shown to those in attendence at CinemaCon, and it got the most visceral reaction. For me it instantly became a favorite scene. It completely solidifies how insanely awesome the movie will be. Great tension. Enjoy.

Another clip that was released:

We're very close to the release of the movie. It lands in theaters on July 11^th.

CinemaCon - Andy Serkis Interview

Tim here, and I had the great pleasure to sit down with the one and only Andy Serkis at CinemaCon for a One on One Interview! He was a complete gentleman and answered all my questions magnificently. We spoke about Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Jungle Book, Animal Farm, stereoscopic 3D, performance capture, and should the Oscars have a category specifically for actors in performance capture roles. You'll like his response to that last one. Andy was honored that night with CinemaCon's Vanguard Award, which is an award he rightfully deserved.

For those who don't know Andy Serkis has been confirmed by Warner Bros. to make his directorial debut on The Jungle Book, which is a new adaption of the book by Rudyard Kipling that will be much darker than the Disney version from the 1950's. Check out the interview below:

Tim: First, I want to congratulate you on The Jungle Book.

Andy: Oh, yes.

Tim: Got to ask, is it going to be 3D?

Andy: I would think at this point in time it is safe to say that it will be 3D.

Tim: Is it going to be native?

Andy: That is also a good question. It is still early days so I haven't got a definitive answer for that.

Tim: Moving on to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, it was shot with 3ality Rigs, which you shot with on The Hobbit. You were the Second Unit Director, and this time you were acting with them. Was there any kind of difference for you working with the 3ality Rigs as an actor versus being behind the scenes?

Andy: I mean 3ality are fantastic rigs. They are incredible to work with. They're fantastic in the field and, of course, one of the things about Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was that we were shooting nearly every single scene on location. And they worked seamlessly. So they were great to work with, for sure, and I remember that from working with them on The Hobbit. They are very good to work with on the field. It's tough working with 3D in the field, and you need all the help that you can get. And 3ality, certainly, a great brand.

Tim: Yeah they are great. I've gotten to visit their headquarters and seen the awesome things they're doing, especially with their image processors.

Andy: Yeah, exactly. Yeah, I mean, it's terrific. And, Michael Seresin is the D.O.P on Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and obviously Matt Reeves directing, and it was all very much shot in natural light. There's a real sense that these apes do exist, and it was not going for overly melodramatic lighting. It was very real. Everything was shot with vérité style, so it needed that support from the 3D, you know, so I think it works. I've seen a cut and it looks extraordinary.

Tim: That's awesome. I didn't get a chance to see it in 3D earlier when they showed us the clips...

Andy: Right... right.

Tim: ...but it looked incredible. And, going off of that, the performance capture: it looks like-- Not only has it improved, but so have the visual effects.

Andy: Absolutely.

Tim: What, for you, on this movie improved in terms of just the performance capture technology.

Andy: Well, this really is the first time that so many apes have been captured... once outside on location-- I think it is the first movie that has captured that amount of people at the same time. So that's incredible because really the great thing about performance capture is that is having everyone play off each other. In the first movie it was pretty much a domestic piece if you remember. I mean, Caesar was once-- You know, the first act was Caesar being brought up by Will (James Franco's character), and of course in the second act he goes into the sanctuary. This is a whole ape community that is brought to life. The cameras are now able to rigged very easily and over wide distances. The marker set-ups that we're using on our suits are, you know, they have a greater fidelity to our performances, and then the facial capture system (the head mounted cameras) they are much higher resolution.

Tim: Are they lighter?

Andy: I wouldn't say they are particularly lighter, but the cameras are much higher resolution. And then the visual effects side of it, what WETA is able to do now with interpolating the performance is unbelievable. I mean, it's another layer again. The skin texturing, all of the hair...

Tim: The hair is incredible. One of the things I noticed today.

Andy: Exactly. But, it's actually the nuance of performance that is absolutely transparent now between what the actor is doing and what you see on the screen with the apes' faces on. That is really WETA. WETA has broken so many territories and boundaries, rather... broken so boundaries with both facial and all the texturing over the course of the movies. What's great is that people are recognizing that and seeing it. It allows you to stay immersed in the story when your eye isn't taken away by something not looking one hundred percent.

Tim: Exactly. Okay, I'm going to transition... I just want to see do you have any TinTin updates?

Andy: Not at the moment. I mean, the desire is there from everybody to make another TinTin film.

Tim: Peter's just encumbered in...

Andy: Yeah, he has to finish the third Hobbit movie. You know, it's a huge last film.

Tim: Okay. I'm going to move on to what your expectations are for future performance capture films, like TinTin?

Andy: Well like The Jungle Book for instance.

Tim: The Jungle Book would be a perfect one.

Andy: The Jungle Book is going to be an entirally performance capture movie. As is another project which we at the at the Imaginarium, which is my company... my and Jonathan Cavendish's performance capture studio... we've been developing Animal Farm for a year and a half. And that is a perfect use of performance capture because not only do you get the actors playing all the scenes together and of course what they are metaphorically-- They are human beings portrayed as animals, but also you see a transition say for instance, with the pigs you see them growing from being four legged to two legged animals. You know, a great use of performance capture. So we've been evolving that over the last year and a half. What we intend to do is fairly hot on the heels of The Jungle Book is to bring that into play.

Tim: That would be a great one. I love Orwell. I remember reading that when I was a kid. That is a great one. I'm going to move on to my last question since I'm near out of time. Do you believe that the Academy Awards should create a category for Best Performance Capture Performance?

Andy: I've always said, actually, that I don't think that there should be because really at the end of the day performance capture is a technology; it's another set of cameras that captures an actor's performances. So it's not a two-dimensional camera, or a 3D rig--

Tim: So your saying you want actors to be treated equally?

Andy: Actors are actors, and they are delivering performances. It's just the method by which their performances are caught that's different. How one has to think of it these days is that instead of putting on a costume and make-up and playing a role, the costume and make-up is being applied after the fact. It's digital costume and make-up. The underlying performance is what is crafted and authored on the stage between the other actors, yourself, and the director in exactly the same way. So there is absolutely no difference. Really I've always believed that one is playing another acting role. And, I've never drawn a distinction between live action and performance capture acting.

Tim: Okay, that's awesome to hear because I wish you had been nominated for first Gollum, and then even now Caesar. Hopefully you can get a nomination.

Andy: Thank you.

Tim: And with that I'm out of time. I'd like to thank you for taking the time to chat with me.

Andy: You're welcome.

Tim: And I hope that Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a huge success.

Andy: Thank you.

So awesome to sit down with such a great actor! Thank you Andy and 20^th Century Fox for allowing me the opportunity to sit down and talk with him. Funny thing, I interviewed Caesar from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes in Caesars Palace. It was a great interview, and I wish I could have got more time. Hopefully again in the future we'll get to talk. Maybe when The Jungle Book is being released. If you'd like more information about Andy Serkis' company The Imaginarium Studios you can check out the site at: theimaginariumstudios.com. And let's hope that Andy gets the well deserved nomination for his performance as Caesar this coming awards season. And, to make Dawn of the Planet of the Apes a huge success go to your favorite movie theater and see it in 3D and IMAX on July 11^th, 2014.

WETA Digital: Bringing Smaug to Life

Tim here, WETA Digital has released a brand new two and a half minute video exclusively the The Hollywood Reporter detailing the creation of the dragon Smaug. Video is embedded below. Enjoy!

The Hollywood Reporter also spoke to Smaug VFX artist David Clayton (who is nominated for an Academy Award for his work on the film) about the process of translating actor Benedict Cumberbatch's motion capture performance into the fire-breathing creature you see on the screen in The Desolation of Smaug.

David Clayton: (emphaisis mine)

"The translation of performance from Benedict to Smaug wasn't a one-to-one match like you'd get from a humanoid creature. They have very different physiologies," Clayton explains. "As animators we had to transpose the elements of Benedict's performance that were critical to the shot, such as head nuances and facial expressions. We then built up the majority of his motion with keyframe animation" –meaning that it was animated by hand.

Look out on April 8^th when The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug hits sheleves on DVD, Blu-Ray, and 3D Blu-Ray.

Cameron: AVATAR Will Be Shooting In 4K With Potential Variable Framerate !

Just heard from one of my French readers (Thanks Chris!) and he sent me a very cool interview James Cameron completed recently. Here are some of the key takeaways:

- Still in creative pre-production; going to be spectacular.
- New worlds, new habitats, new cultures.
- Still Humans (dominating nature) vs. Navi (integrating into nature), but with new manifestations.
- Working with Weta Digital to create a whole new suite of tools to speed up production.
- Considering shooting whole movie in high framerate -or- variable framerate (only the parts of the movie that make sense to be in HFR).
- Shooting at a native resolution of 4K.

I'm also on the trail of something very interesting about the sequels and I'll have that story up when I get it vetted. Very cool about the AVATAR sequels in 4K and I would wager that he'll opt for variable frame rate. More when I get it! 

Avatar 2 is slated for release in December 2016, with the remaining two coming each year after that.


Suites d'"Avatar" : "Je crois que ça va être... by rtl-fr

MOVIE REVIEW: THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG - Tim's Review

Tim here, and what follows is my review for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, which is the second part in the Peter Jackson movie trilogy adapted from the book by J.R.R. Tolkien. To sum up quickly my overall thoughts: The second movie is an improvement upon the first with an exciting and thrilling adventure that ends on a stupendous cliffhanger! Next year can't come soon enough.

The story is a much faster pace, which is an improvement over the slow beginning its predecessor. It opens with a prologue in the familiar Lord of the Rings local Bree, and a carrot chomping PJ cameo! It's set before the beginning of the adventure, when Gandalf (Ian McKellan) found Thorin (Richard Armitage) and incited the quest in his mind and that they'd need a burglar for the job. Cut to immediately after the events of the last one and the company of dwarves, with wizard and Hobbit, are still being pursued by orcs. This keeps them moving as they make a quick rest at the home of Beorn (Mikael Persbrandt), who single-handedly is able to scare the orcs from attacking, before they venture into Mirkwood. Here the company breaks up as Gandalf goes to explore more in regards to the Necromancer of Dol Guldur, and the company continues on their journey through the forest to the Lonely Mountain. Unlike the book we actually get to follow Gandalf simultaneously as the company travels along their dangerous road, complete with spiders, elves, the men of Laketown, and finally the chiefest of calamities: Smaug.

Without going into any real spoilers, the story is handled very well, with the deviations not being too problematic. P.J. has been quoted in Empire as saying "I'm quite enjoying deviating from the books!" Well, here in The Desolation of Smaug he makes the boldest deviations yet. Do they work? I'll hold off my final thoughts until I see the final movie There and Back Again to judge how well the deviations work. However, initial thoughts are that some work for me and some don't. There's a great moment when Bilbo (Martin Freeman) puts on the Ring to evade the spiders and can understand what they're saying, which displays some of the way in which the Ring's magic effects him. Additionally during that sequence there's a moment where Bilbo loses the Ring and desperately, and fanatically, fights off a smaller insect creature that is crawling near the Ring. "Mine!" and the power of the Ring's pull on Bilbo is displayed so wonderfully well. That was a clever and nice deviation. Then there's the budding romance between new elf warrior Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) and dwarf Kili (Aidan Turner) that's a new deviation that I will hold judgment on until it plays its course in the final chapter. There is one thing that happens here during this growing relationship that pays homage to Lord of the Rings, but I feel that it's not right here and belongs solely to The Fellowship of the Ring. You'll know it when you see it. The story has many great moments, including a Martin Freeman one after he gets the dwarves into the barrels and realizes he didn't get a barrel for himself. The barrel sequence is thrilling (with Bombur (Stephen Hunter) awesomeness), Laketown is impressive, and the Lonely Mountain is immense, and Smaug stupendous!

"An exciting and thrilling middle chapter to The Hobbit trilogy!"

The performances in the film continue to be fantastic. Martin Freeman was the perfect casting for Bilbo as he brings such humor and humility to the role. Ian McKellan continues his magnificent work as a conjurer of more magic inside the role of Gandalf as there is on display onscreen from the magicians at WETA Digital. Richard Armitage displays the most range yet as he begins to let show Thorin's family treasure madness taking form, and Kenn Scott as Balin continues to council him and remind him of his duties as a leader. Ken Scott really makes it that when rewatching The Fellowship of the Ring a tear can't help but be shed upon seeing Balin's tomb. Evangeline Lilly was a wonderful addition to the cast in a newly made-up character, and she played her scenes very well. Especially against a hauntingly majestic Thranduil (Lee Pace) and Legolas. Orlando Bloom returns to the role as if riding an oliphant, and has a wonderful moment when searching the dwarves' possessions upon their capture and comes upon a photo of young Gimli amongst Gloin's things. He and Gloin (Peter Hambleton) share a great moment that will make many fans laugh. Sylvestor McCoy makes an additional appearance as Radagast and it's a wonderful treat yet again. Too bad his screen time was so short. Hopefully there will be more of him in the third installment. Luke Evans did a fantastic job as Bard, and as well his ancestor Girion in a flashback, and added much more depth to the character than was in the source material. Stephen Fry was absolutely sublime casting for the Master of Laketown. Finally we come to Benedict Cumberbatch who played both the Necromancer and the titular Smaug. What a performance! Benedict Cumberbatch brought Smaug to life in such a way that was awe inspiring, magnificent, and a real treasure. He didn't just provide his voice, but instead gave a performance capture that lit up the screen.

Andrew Lesnie continued his breathtaking cinematography in this installment, and the stereo 3D (rigs provided by the awesome 3ality Technica) and high frame rate maintained to bring the world to life in a way that makes me wish more movies were shot this way. 3ality did some customized rigs for the barrel sequence, and the 3D during that sequence is insane. Since a huge amount of this movie is digital visual effects it's important to bring up the fantastic work of WETA Digital, and their work greatly benefitted from the stereo 3D and HFR. Smaug in particular was amazing to see in the format. Some of my favorite moments from the film regarding the stereo 3D are the snow falling during a pivotal scene in Laketown, the great expansive and empty halls of the Lonely Mountain, and the massive scale of Smaug. However, what's all this without the sound design? Dolby Atmos preserves the 3D atmosphere in the sound, and there was so much in the sound design that the world felt entirely real. I can't imagine how many coins they had to rustle with to get all those different variations. Howard Shore provided a rich score that introduced many new themes. In particular Smaug's theme was one that sticks with you for a long time after the screen had cut to black. On a technical level this is a masterpiece.

Peter Jackson did a fantastic job directing this movie, but special mention also has to go to Andy Serkis as the Second Unit Director. Together they brought the world of Middle-Earth to life with all the rest of their team with so much verisimilitude to Tolkien's descriptions. I'm extremely excited to see the next installment, and as stated earlier December 2014 can't come soon enough.

HOBBIT UPDATE: Production Diary #13 And Middle-Earth Chrome Experiment Live

A Journey Through Middle-earth

Tim here and Peter Jackson has brought us the 13^th production diary for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is out! First, BEWARE OF SPOILERS! There's a lot of great Behind the Scenes footage in here, and it's wonderful if you're curious about the filmmaking process, but that doesn't mean that if you're trying to preserve your viewing experience that you'll walk away without getting some undesirable information.

We also get an amazing view of the 3ality Technica 3D rigs holding Jackson's Red Epics that are shooting in HFR 3D (High Frame Rate - 48 fps). Love it!

There's a wonderful amount of humor contained in this production diary. It's funny seeing Bilbo and the dwarves playing table tennis while on break. We get some Laketown BTS that includes Stephen Fry, who might have been some of the best casting along with Sylvester McCoy. Another thing clear is how huge the sets were in these massive sound stages. Amazing to hear how much virtual water and gold the VFX guys at WETA Digital had to make. Alright, there's a lot in this one, so I won't hold you back much longer. Enjoy it below, and be sure to read after the video for information about the Google Chrome Middle-Earth Experiment:

Additionally the Chrome Experiment I wrote about a few months ago has hit the web! It's an interesting interactive map of Middle-Earth and has a few fun games and places to explore. Currently you can explore the Trollshaws, Rivendell, Dol Guldur, Thranduil's Hall, and Laketown, with The Lonely Mountain to be unlocked soon. I wish it was a little more like Google Earth in that you could zoom in to all the Middle-Earth locations and map out the land. It would be especially awesome if they had Hobbiton and the Shire. Maybe in a future update that will be possible. It's a good start for now. I'd like to be able to visit some of the locations from Lord of the Rings as well. You can check it out here: http://middle-earth.thehobbit.com

On December 13^th The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug hits IMAX 3D and RealD 3D screens in HFR and SFR. THIS IS A WEEK AWAY!

Peter Jackson Picks Up THE HOBBIT Where He Left Off...

Yes, Peter Jackson is back at it with his cast and crew for the final pick ups for THE HOBBIT trilogy. Would love to be there to see the 3ality Technica rigs and Epic cameras capturing Tolkien's world for the final time.

Here's what Jackson had to say via Facebook:
"Back on set for our last Hobbit pick ups. Our last ever Tolkien pick ups, in fact. It’s going to be an intense few weeks, but we’re looking forward to shooting some powerful scenes with our great cast. Our next blog is coming soon!"

We know that the pick ups will last ~10 weeks and seeing as though this is definitely Jackson's last trip to Middle-earth (unless he can sink his claws and legal rights into THE SIMILARION as sort of the book ends to everything), so it's going to be a somber affair yet again with his team.

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG releases on December 13th, plus we can also look forward to the conclusion, THE HOBBIT: THERE AND BACK AGAIN on December 17, 2014.

Source: Facebook

Movie Review: IRON MAN 3 - 7.7 Stars, Spoiler Alert!!

I've started using a single decimal point in my movie ratings because, and I must emphasize this, IRON MAN 3 is not an 8 star movie. Will you go and have a fun time? Yes. Is IRON MAN finally in 3D? Yes. Should Marvel be proud of this effort? Not really, in my opinion.

WARNING: THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW. Couldn't help it.

The worldwide success that IRON MAN 3 is enjoying is predominantly from the goodwill from THE AVENGERS, the 3D surcharge and the remarkable marketing jobs that Disney can pull off. To date, IM3 has raked in $700M - a stunning figure in that it was just released in North America this weekend. But in the end, IM3 will lower expectations from Marvel Studios and hurt future box office returns, including that of THE AVENGERS 2. What I am NOT saying here is that THE AVENGERS 2 will bomb - far from it; but I am saying that it will be hurt in some degree by this let down.

So why am I disheartened by the movie? Multiple reasons. Some of them I am quite passionate about - others more of feeling than anything else. Keep in mind that 7.7 stars is far from panning a movie - it's just that Marvel is capable of so much more.

Here's the storyline for the movie:
Marvel's "Iron Man 3" pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy's hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Let's go over the categories one at a time and break this thing down into chew-able pieces:

ONCE AGAIN - SPOILERS FOLLOW!!!

Story - 68%. Not a great story. In fact IRON MAN 2 and 3 are fairly close in my mind. The original IRON MAN was an amazing movie. Look, I'm going to have to give some spoilers here to justify my comments and so, the problem is this: Marvel promised something and didn't deliver. In many ways. There's a fine line between expectations and surprises and this movie failed to manage both. I love the angle of Tony being anxiety ridden and the strange symptoms that can bring (who wouldn't after New York?), but the delivery of it was horrible. J.A.R.V.I.S. diagnosing anxiety within seconds of reviewing basic bodily function stats? A kid making a psych evaluation and solving his problem? Why in Asgard is Stark seeking treatment for anxiety from Bruce Banner? I can think of better Avengers tie-ins than that!

But I digress (it's easy to when you love a character like Stark). Broken promises. The Mandarin. Where do I even begin? My expectations were toasted up, buttered and slapped with saliva inducing marketing marmalade for months upon months. Finally a deep, psychological nemesis for Stark to deal with - intellectual parity battling for supremacy. Nope. A been there, done that character device - he's just an actor. You know, the ol' Star Trek TOS device in "The Corbomite Maneuver" where the evil villain is really just a front for a child-like man. I felt the same let down in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES and the metaphorical castration of Bane. Dang it, I just want original material! Marvel has an amazing menagerie of villains - why on earth would you intentionally lobotomize him? His rings alone would warrant a movie.

Broken promises. Tony goes back to the cave (paraphrasing). What cave exactly? A suburban garage with a young kid in it? No, no, no, no, NO. I wanted solitude. A fortress of solitude if you will. But a place where Stark could be his creative self. Seriously - what did you think he could build there? He built exactly what he could in such a place - a pop tart heating oven mitt. What was that?? That's a fair cry from building a miniature arc reactor in a middle eastern cave. I wanted him to TOP THAT. I wanted him to walk into this amazingly secret location he had built with every conceivable toy he could dream of using to build something worthy of the Stark name. And that kid! Great for some comedic relief, but come on - not in the fortress of solitude. Let me write the script here: Have him battle his anxiety on his own, while trying to build something useful to battle the real Mandarin and throw in either his growing dependency on alcohol (due to New York and character flaw) or some other drug for anxiety to complicate things. I'm going to stop here - but I could go on and on and on about this topic, believe me.

Heck, seeing that Hulkbuster looking armor barreling through walls had me sit forward in my seat - what's going to happen? Is Stark going to use that armor personally to win the battle? Ah no. It was used as a throwaway. Inanimate. A waste of my attention and not required in the movie's story AT ALL. *Sigh*.

Acting - 85%. Obviously strong with this cast in place. No real weak link. Robert Downey Jr. did the best with what he had I felt, but it could have been so much more. The real waste was of course Ben Kingsley - his awesome performance as a villain was cut very short.

Character Development - 77%. An attempt was made to finally show some weakness in the ego armor of Stark. But in the end, I had a bad taste in my mouth from the way he treated the child (it's not his child and even if it was, does he want to repeat what his father did to him?), his almost laughable creations in the boy's garage and ultimately his full surrender to 'serenity now'. It all doesn't sit right with me.

Now Pepper Potts on the other hand was brilliantly wrought. Finally she is a formidable adversary both physically and mentally. Her quick and decidedly very aggressive actions have her and Stark meeting themselves going in different directions: Potts becoming more warlike and Stark un-arming himself. I applaud whats happened to her in IM3 and as a device, I like having the two characters slowing migrating to polar opposites once again.

The Mandarin was a sham. Completely put off by the premise as a slap in the face of everything I thought Marvel stood for. Marvel has to work so hard at suspension of disbelief with superhero movies, to just up and rip this one to shreds points to too much ego in the ranks. Someone is getting too big for their britches. It stinks. Yeah, I'm upset.

Suspension of disbelief - 75%. I'm going to touch on this later in the effects review, but for now suffice to say that there were many times I was thinking about the effects and not what was going on in the scenes. That's bad. The acting held together, the effects suffered. When my expectation of the Mandarin was shattered, so was my disbelief. Marvel invited me to believe the character and like a lemming I did, only to be slapped with their notion of a plot twist later. Thanks. At least the camera work and score held things together outside of that.

Directing - 71%. I never thought I'd say this, but I want Favreau back. He was a student of the character and I believe he's the only one I can think of right now that can bring more life back into the character. Favreau's biggest drawback to me is his lack of 3D experience. Shane Black's IRON MAN 3 is disjointed. Several times he lost me. Maybe I should have picked something up earlier, I don't know but there were a few scene shifts that completely lost me. Understand that I am a hard person to lose in a movie too. Sure I liked the nods to the original IRON MAN like the inclusion of Stark's assistant from the Middle Eastern cave. His comedic touches were somewhat nice too. Loved Stark's "Westworld" comment for example.

Sound / Score - 88%. Nicely done. Especially the folly and sound effects. The Iron Man franchise has always been strong in that department. Hat's off.

Cinematography - 87%. The other reason to see this movie. It's a spectacle. Awesome camera angles and motion! Inventive scenes and a very nicely lit and shot movie. Between this, the sound and the acting - these are the reasons to see IM3.

John Toll (BRAVEHEART, CLOUD ATLAS) was the Director of Photography.

Visual Effects - 81%. Nope. Not as good as ILM and it will be sometime before anyone can catch (if ever) ILM in what I call "hard line engineering". ILM did the first two IRON MAN movies and boy can you tell the difference. At least I can. And it was DISTRACTING. Look, I am a HUGE Weta Digital fan. And Digital Domain fan too. But Weta is a much more of an organic, photo realistic shop for tight closeups of creatures and humans that want to cross the uncanny valley. In other words, they have their place right now and that is working their magic in Middle-earth and on Pandora, rather than the armor of Tony Stark. ILM owns this space. Nobody is better than they are with robots (TRANSFORMERS - which was converted mostly by Legend 3D), building destruction, ships, cars, etc. It's just their heritage. They've built their engines from a pedigree influenced by their previous works. Same goes for Weta. It's no disrespect here. ILM is better with hard lines and Weta is better with soft line engineering (organic). The best result if both types of effects are needed are for these tow companies to work together. Producer Kevin Feige actually compared the final battle scene in IM3 to THE AVENGERS final battle scenes and said IM3 was better (paraphrasing)! No, it's not. Far from not better. One scene with Stark walking down stairs in his armor had me shaking my head. It was so easy to tell it was effects, and kinda shoddy at that! I want to be guessing if this was someone really in a suit walking or effects. There was an overall softness to the effects and I wanted nice hard lines. In other words, Disney - spend the money to get ILM. Don't contract this stuff out to the lowest bidder if that's what happened. And to be clear, I'm sure Weta did the best job they could with what they have.

Stereoscopic 3D - 76%. Oh man does Marvel need to embrace native 3D if they are going to continue down the path of IRON MAN 3. The 3D in IRON MAN 3 was passable and good in most scenes, but in other cases was bad. Stereo D did the conversion and while they are Marvel's go-to conversion shop, this effort is merely ok. Compared to THE AVENGERS, the 3D in IM3 pales. One scene had a lazily converted backdrop that had me shuddering.

I was able to tour Stereo D's facilities while I was in LA in February and they were working on IM3 when we were walking through. They're good people there. I just think Marvel had better shape up in the effects and 3D department - spend the money where you need to. Go native 3D if you can't get the conversions you want. And go back to ILM for hard lines! The digital renderings in 3D seemed much better in THE AVENGERS than in IM3 and my guess is because they had both ILM and Weta involved. Assuming ILM did the building devastation and Iron Man suits, while Weta did the Hulk and alien invasion forces. It's perfectly logical to assume that better 3D will arrive from these shops when they are working within their own specialties.

CONCLUSION: Marvel needs to learn from this movie and unfortunately they are going to be happy with the monetary gain this thing is going to enjoy. Will they actually take the time to learn, or just continue on? Heck J.A.R.V.I.S. was practically omnipotent! How in the world is J.A.R.V.I.S. not sentient yet? For me IRON MAN 3 was a step backward for Marvel and for stereoscopic 3D conversions. Weta did the best it could with the customized engines they have. I don't blame them AT ALL. I don't want to see Shane Black back in the Marvel fold - I think the writing was a mess too (Shane Black and Drew Pearce) as I've already said with the story. I want to have Favreau back. In native 3D. All in baby. Iron Man deserves it.

Thank you to Empire Theaters for the screening! The IMAX presentation was well lit and sounded remarkable!!

HOBBIT: DESOLATION OF SMAUG LIVE EVENT

Hey all, Tim here with some thoughts on what I got to see today from THE HOBBIT: DESOLATION OF SMAUG Live Event Preview that happened at 3 PM EST. The Live Event was hosted by Peter Jackson for about an hour, and it included some a sneak peek of the film plus some behind the scenes. For those of you who were unable to catch the event it will was recorded and will be rebroadcast for you to watch at your own leisure starting March 27^th and will be available until May 24^th as the fine text says "Content may not be available after 5/24/13."

What did we see? Well in case there are those of you out there who want to remain spoiler free I will put the spoilerish stuff up in a block that you'll have to highlight in order to read. However, for the non-spoilerish stuff here are my thoughts and some interesting information divulged in during the event:
It started with Peter Jackson and James Nesbitt giving a tour of their post-production facility, including the mo-cap room, editing rooms, and the concept art on the walls. Jackson took questions sent in ahead of time via Twitter, with some video questions that were required to be submitted by March 19^th, and answered some live questions coming off Twitter. A lot of Behind the Scenes footage was shown from the film, and with that some incomplete shots right out of the editing room. These shots gave us our first looks at some new characters in the film including Luke Evans (Bard), Evangeline Lilly (Tauriel), Stephen Fry (Master of Laketown), and the returning character Legolas played by Orlando Bloom. There was also a special guest appearance by Stephen Colbert, who asked Peter a question regarding the movie. Peter in return had a question for him. Jackson showed a bit of the editing process by showing multiple takes of Martin Freeman (Bilbo) delivering a line. He showed which takes they chose in an edited sequence, which included a neat intro to Bard.
Now for the spoiler stuff. Highlight the white block below to read:

SPOILERS... There was a full scene shown between Gandalf (Ian McKellan) and Radagast (Sylvester McCoy) where they investigate the tombs of Dol Godur. It starts with Gandalf investigating by himself and then jumping at the appearance of Radagast. They converse for a bit as we see the expense of the tombs. This would have been a scene in the first movie before it was moved to the second with the decision to have three movies.

Some of the BTS footage that showed possible spoiler stuff was exchanges between Legolas and his father Thanduil (Lee Pace), Tauriel and Legolas fighting orcs, the barrel riding scenes, Bard running around Laketown, etc. There was a lot of footage that went by fast and require a second watching. However, Laketown and the Elven Kingdom of Mirkwood should be great sets. We also saw a small bit of Bilbo in the Lonely Mountain wading through mounds of gold... but no Smaug.

END SPOILERS. Breath easy, and relax. Jackson revealed that we can expect a trailer in the Summer. I know that seems so far away, but it's so that they can complete effects shots.

And that was the special live event preview held by Jackson and team. If you didn't get a chance to see it, and aren't afraid of spoilers, I suggest you check it out when it hits the public web on the 27^th. THE HOBBIT: DESOLATION OF SMAUG hits theaters December 13, 2013!

Three Great BTS Videos of THE HOBBIT Visual Effects!

Hey all, Tim here, and I came upon an article written for the LA Times Hero Complex that has an interview with THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY visual effects supervisor Joe Letteri. I've embedded the videos below, but you can also view them along with reading the full interview here.

The interview may be familiar to MarketSaw readers, but the videos are amazing. They show great behind the scenes processes used by WETA Digital to bring the amazing digital characters in THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY to life. It's a task just bringing Gollum to life, but to also have to bring the Goblin King and Azog to life along with all the other digital characters is an amazing feat for one film. A job well done.

It should be noted that besides being nominated for their visual effects work on THE HOBBIT: AUJ, WETA is also nominated for their contributions to Prometheus and The Avengers, however AUJ is the only one that had all the work done in one place... at WETA. WETA's work on THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY is my pick for Best Visual Effects at the Academy Awards for this last year.
 

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY is still in theaters in 2D, 3D, IMAX 3D, and HFR 3D. It's on route to make $1 Billion at the worldwide box office. If you haven't had the opportunity to check it out yet, there's no better time than now.

Hobbit Featurette: The Making Of The Trolls And The Giant Cavern Of The Goblin King! Friday Numbers Are In!

Take a look at this very cool featurette of how Peter Jackson's creative geniuses have crafted the very realistic trolls and Goblin King Caverns in THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY.

I thought the scenes mentioned in this featurette were among the best of the movie and certainly bears the time it takes to watch this thing.

My review of THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY is coming later today (Sunday) so stay tuned.

World wide reaction to the movie has been amazingly good: Friday totals are in at $37.5 million pointing at a $100 million weekend - easily a new record. A $200 million worldwide tally is certainly possible as well by Monday morning!

So here's the featurette! Enjoy!!

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey TV-Spot #13 & "Misty Mountains" Song

Tim here, and if you're like me you're sick of seeing short clips and TV spots for THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY and just want to see the whole thing. Well in less than 2 days you'll be able to. In the meantime you can enjoy another TV spot. This one is filled with great new shots, at least. And it has a few descriptive words to express our visually great it is. THE HOBBIT'S Facebook page calls this one #13:

Plus you can enjoy a clip of the Dwarves singing "Misty Mountains" in full 1080 HD! I get chills watching this. Can't wait to see it on the big screen in 3D and HFR.

Get ready for some great filmmaking in stereoscopic 3D at 48 frames per second! THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY hits this Friday, December 14^th, with advanced screenings tomorrow and midnight showings.

MUST WATCH: New Production Video From Peter Jackson For THE HOBBIT - Post Production!!

Well here's another must watch production video from Peter Jackson for THE HOBBIT. Needless to say when these things drop, it's something you ignore everything else for and enjoy.

This video is all about the post production mayhem that Jackson and his team is going through to get THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY ready for us in December.

Here's the movie's storyline:
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY follows title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain, first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever… Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities… A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY opens on December 14.

Hit the jump to watch the production video...

New Hobbit Poster Shows Bolg Son of Azog, Plus Maps & More Collectables

Tim here with an update from Middle-Earth. A new poster for The Hobbit has been released and it shows the major characters in action poses.

One of the most prominent figures however is a major antagonist in The Hobbit book and movies, Bolg son of Azog. This is confirmed by the Bridge Direct action figures that have been released.

These lead to the connections of the Goblin Wars that will likely be shown in the movies as opposed to referred to as they are in the book: "...they had a special grudge against Thorin's people, because of the war which you have heard mentioned, but which does not come into this tale..." This text from The Hobbit was Tolkien's way of referencing those Goblin Wars, which he mentioned earlier in the text naming Azog and what transpired at the battle for Moria. However, this battle and the events surrounding it are detailed in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. This is likely what Jackson and team have expanded upon and show in the movies to give more depth and drive behind the Battle of the Five Armies, which will be shown in full in the third movie. Bolg, of course, is central to that battle. It's likely he'll be introduced in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and given a more prominent role to make him a more substantial antagonist.

In fact this could mean that we'll get to see the Goblin Wars in the first movie when Thorin and Gandalf tell Bilbo about the events. In addition WETA Workshop has released their The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey range of collectables, which include: Thorin's Map of the Lonely Mountain, a Floor Plan of Bag End, the Key to Erebor, and as well the Dwarves' weaponry replicas and more. Some exciting items here for the fans to hoard. I like the Floor Plan for Bag End because it really shows that we haven't explored that wondrous Hobbit hole enough.

We're two months away from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey hitting theaters. If your calendar isn't already marked, then you had better mark December 14^th as the date. In many countries at least as some get it as early as the 12^th. Go to the IMDB release info page to find when it's released in your country. Until then expect some more Hobbity goodness here on MarketSaw.  

Oh and check out the new "Riddles in the Dark" over at Warner Bros! Very cool...

Hobbit Trailer #2 Released!

Hey all, Tim here with the exciting and enthralling new trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. It's a pleasure to see the world of Middle Earth come to life again. Below is the trailer, and following is a quick, hopefully non-spoilerish, sum up.

IN ADDITION: The Hobbit's official website has four additional ending scenes for you to choose! There is some great marketing being done with these movies.

First thoughts are that there will be plenty of humor and action in this first installment of the trilogy. You get a better sense of the plot in this trailer as well. Martin Freeman seems to nail Bilbo, and the exchange between him and Gollum in the trailer is classic. Hands down this will be a serious contender at the Oscars for visual effects, but could Sir Ian McKellan be up for another Oscar nomination as well? I think the Gandalf ending has enough humor and Gandalf goodness to suggest the chances for another nomination.

More discussion can follow in the comments below. For now enjoy the trailer. You can download in Quicktime from Apple here.

The Hobbit iOS App Released + Hints at Trailer #2

Tim here, with an update from Peter Jackson's The Hobbit. Yesterday they released a new App for iOS devices, and it is really cool. You can preview and follow a link to iTunes here.

App Store Description:
Explore Middle-Earth and experience the epic adventure of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey with the official iOS app. Learn about Bilbo Baggins’ quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor and the band of thirteen dwarves that join him and Gandalf the Grey as they embark across the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain through exclusive artwork, interactive character galleries, and production videos presented by director Peter Jackson.

View a selection of animated character portraits, travel through a detailed map of Middle-earth and explore the stunning narrative imagery of “The Scroll” artwork to immerse yourself in the world of Hobbits, Dwarves, Elves, Orcs, deadly Wargs, giant Spiders and fearsome Dragons.

Features included in the app:

Interactive Map of Middle-Earth

360º views of scenic locations and settings

“The Scroll”, a narrative art piece

Animated lenticular character portraits

Peter Jackson’s Production Journals

Character image galleries and bios

Downloads for iPad, iPhone, and Facebook

Social integration with Facebook and Twitter

It's so amazing you have to play with it yourself to fully experience it. What's interesting is that as I'm writing a post about CSS3 and HTML5 this app comes out. The first thing you see is an animation of Gandalf with leaves falling in front of and behind him. This must have been done using CSS3. It would look amazing in stereo 3D!

In addition, based on the photo that The Hobbit Facebook page posted that I've included on the left: Hobbit Trailer #2 is only two weeks away! This is speculation and rumor, however we've known for a while that the next trailer was supposed to be coming at the beginning of fall, possibly in September. Hobbit Day is actually the birthday (September 22) of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, although in different years. Here's hoping that this photo is hinting at that glorious new trailer we've all been waiting for as a birthday gift to Bilbo and Frodo... my precious.

Go download the app and play with it. And look out for The Hobbit trailer that's supposed to come out this month. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey hits theaters December 14, 2012.