“It will get more dangerous and dark as Bilbo gets further away from home and in more jeopardy,” says Andy Serkis, who, in addition to playing Gollum in the films, is Second Unit Director on the trilogy.

Will we enjoy the departure from the more lighthearted nature of Unexpected Journey? Well Richard Armitage will, at least. He says, “Obviously I favor the dark.”

[Yahoo! Movies UK: Hobbit stars on 'dark' sequel]

In the first video from IGN, cast members discuss what they know (or don’t) about the mysterious Smaug, and what we can expect to see of the dragon in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Richard Armitage (Thorin) says, “I haven’t seen the dragon, and I begged them to show me the dragon!” And James Nesbitt (Bofur) tantalizes us, saying, “I think it will blow people away… I think it will be an important and exciting cinematic moment.”

In the second video from Yahoo! Movies, cast members address the questions why The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is quite long, and why there was a need for three full films to tell the full Hobbit story. Andy Serkis (Gollum) sums it up by saying, “Pete likes to make long films.” But Richard Armitage assures us that, “come the Battle of the Five Armies, you’re going to be glad you took the time in Bag End.”

[IGN: Hobbit Cast Talk Smaug] [Yahoo: Hobbit Stars on why it had to be long]

Then, a couple of days ago, our staffer Justin, with the least Tolkien TORn handle of them all, started to hit the MTV movie awards category for “best hero,” by promoting the Twitter hashtag #votebilbo. He used our Twitter feed (@TheOneRingNet) to push the tag that tallies a vote for Bilbo as the best hero of 2012 every time somebody uses it on Twitter. Truthfully, I thought it was harmless but pretty useless (sorry Justin!) and a bit silly (sorry everybody!). Why take up the cause for fictional characters to fight it out in a meaningless contest that really only helps MTV? We have our own Middle-earth Madness for that kind of fun already. Plus, Snow White was leading the way and either kids liked that movie a whole lot more than the boxoffice showed or the votes were coming because “Twilight” star Kristen Stewart played the title role. She is big with the MTV market and any attempt to catch her would be futile. But, the community pushed Bilbo past Batman. About then, I gave Justin and his movement a second thought and support.

Joining in the Twitter voice, we redoubled our efforts and next thing you know, Iron Man was in the rear view mirror as well and Bilbo was in second place. A funny thing happened during the process: It became really fun on Twitter to #VoteBilbo! It is now something of a social media game to find clever ways to #VoteBilbo and we at TORn were able to re-tweet some of the better ideas, helping it all go viral. The group experience of the “old days” was back but in a much more interactive way. Fun with the community! Then, the hashtag started to trend in the UK and today in US as well. It has grown well beyond @TheOneRingNet and not long ago now the official Hobbit twitter account @TheHobbitMovie joined the cause. They promote the effort with dignity and restraint, something fans are not compelled to do.

So there are a lot of funny #vote Bilbo tweets out there now, a few shared in this story. It became a thing. Staffer personal twitter accounts like @SlaveBoyFilms, @MrLDC, @Quickbeam2000, @maegwen, @CruisingCathy and probably lots of others I haven’t seen (add them in the story staffers!), have joined the cause. And fellow fans have been funny and brilliant. At one point, #votebilbo took the lead but Stewart has stormed back. Its hard to imagine a Tolkien fanbase, less rooted in Twitter, having the numbers and frankly the passion to carry this to a win when voting ends April 14. I don’t know if we care enough, but it still is fun! As this is being written, less than 100 votes separate the two figures with over 40 thousand tweets cast. But, hey, this is kind of fun! Being clever and supporting a fictional character is pretty good entertainment. And, we have renamed the other character Snow WhiteTreeOfGondor since she carries a LOTR shield in her MTV photo.

Rumor has it that retweets don’t count unless the new tweet is a quote that includes a new one. And, only one tag per Tweet is counted. We don’t really know the rules exactly, but consider this a call to arms. Tweeters have been asking for help from the Sherlock crowd, Potter fans, Game of Thrones viewers (George R.R. Martin praises Tolkien at every opportunity) and anybody else they can think of really. In the meantime, be entertained and remember: #VoteBilbo! If you haven’t joined Twitter, you can follow TORn and its staff members for starters, where we usually tease our best content and even break news. We will Tweet live from the convention circuit including the Comic-Con in San Diego.

“If you grew up seeing films in black and white and suddenly start seeing films in color, some people are going to have the reaction ‘Wow, that’s great!’ and other people are going to have the reaction, ‘That’s not moviemaking! Films should be made in black and white! You’re losing the mystery of how to deal with tonality, you’re sacrificing that to deal with color!’”  [Read more]

The post announcing the high frame rate 3D screenings explains (sort of) to potential consumers the reason behind the new technology and Jackson’s efforts to shoot the films in a new way. It is careful to point out that viewers will be able to watch the film in the 24 fps, stating viewers can see it in 2D, 3D, IMAX, IMAX 3D and “HFR 3D,” the term it uses for 48 fps screenings. (Most everybody else calls it 48 fps, but perhaps that will be confusing when James Cameron shoots at 60 fps so it is branding a term to cover both.) To read the entire explanation from Regal and to see its cinema listing, click here on a page they title “The Hobbit 48.” (Yes, Regal we are available for branding consultation!) We will post more theater and chain information as it becomes available and more on the technology behind these films in the weeks leading up to its opening. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be released in the U.S. December 14 with slight variety for markets around the world. Dolby Atmos, a revolutionary new sound system for theaters is also a possibility for The Hobbit but no details of participating locations are available.

[Read full story]

Pure magic.

It may be the only location in history where fans can visit a dressed film set before the movie is released. The first of two films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit is due to hit theaters almost exactly a year from now but at the smallish village found between Rotorua and Hamilton, the pastoral, fictional Middle-earth is definitely open for business. TheOneRing.net is pleased to have the opportunity to bring you the first images allowed from the now dormant set.

Visitors are allowed to take photos but are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement that prevents publication of the shots, including on the internet. Hundreds of thousands have visited the location since its use in LOTR a decade ago, but the re-dressed and re-finished set just used as the Hobbiton set for The Hobbit has been open again for a few weeks.

The Alexander family has owned and run the farm long before cinema showed up. Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy needed a pastoral setting to base its population of Hobbits and the grazing land for sheep had the essential elements. Besides rolling hills and scenic beauty, it had a body of water to function as a lake, a giant tree to serve as the backdrop for Bilbo’s party and the required privacy to shoot a film.

The Alexander sheep farm provided all three. Patriarch Ian Alexander was famously watching a rugby match when location scouts knocked on his door; Lucky for them it was halftime or he might have not have answered. He was told only that they wanted to scout for a movie so he sent them off on the land with a promise to close all gates to keep the sheep from running wild; He had rugby to watch.

Six weeks later the production was back asking to use the farmland and after a period of figuring out what it was going to cost to interrupt the farm with built roads and massive logistical requirements, a deal was struck to turn part of the Alexander’s land into the mythical neighborhood of one Bilbo Baggins. The next day the army was on hand to prepare the farm for the motion picture trilogy and by that night, word reached the internet; Lips lossened by adult beverages were responsible, according to locals, and soon the media descended on a farm in a very rural area.

As part of my trip to NZ, I was invited to visit the set with some unique access to see just what film crews had been up to after recently getting the set perfect for The Hobbit. At my side was one of New Zealand’s most read authors, Ian Brodie, who put together the Lord of the Rings Locaton Guide Book and got us to the set a couple of hours before the first of many caravans full of visitors. He promotes The Hobbiton Movie Set and Farms tours and is also a skilled photographer who is in the region regularly taking photos that do great credit to the New Zealand landscape. (You can see his work right here and he happens to be a great guy too.)

Stepping into the Hobbiton film set does genuinely create the illusion of stepping into a real yet fantastical place where it seems doors might open at any second and actual Hobbits might stride forward, pipes in place, looking for second breakfast. There are vivid but earthy tones on doors along with handles and windows and chimneys that are all recognizable to viewers of the LOTR films who remember grumpy hobbits disapproving of Gandalf, delighted ones watching his fireworks and all the rest with their enormous pigs and chickens and waxy ears.

But heading in early with Brodie and then entering the set again as a part of a tour, what makes the place unique and special and beloved, is the emotional experience the environment creates. It is difficult to have invested hours and hours reading about Hobbiton in J.R.R. Tolkien’s works combined with a few shared screenings of Jackson’s films (and for some, many more screenings than a few) and not feel a stirring when walking the grassy paths in person.

The part of a person that experiences art instantly recognizes the craftsmanship that made the hobbit facades happen. There are a lot of careful choices in details that enrich the experience from mailboxes to door knobs.

And the experience is much richer for the details. Hobbit holes come in two scales, providing the production a chance to shoot characters such as Gandalf in front of small holes, appropriate for hobbits, adding to his perceived height. (See a photo of me for reference). Around both sizes of rounded doors are all the movie props that inform the viewer, even on a sub-conscious level, about the person we want to believe lives inside. An axe or dried flowers or a broom or bottles in the window add significantly to the impression that the illusion is real.

Equally impressive are the greens works maintained by a team of gardeners, some of whom have been working there for years in preparation for The Hobbit. All parties involved are quick to sing the praises of Brian Massey as the head of the greens team. He is the mastermind who made concepts into reality but instead of working with paint and plaster, he uses living things.

Onion bulbs and blooming flowers and drinking cups all add to the emotional and visual depth on display. In short, it’s what Hobbiton looks like on film but with all the details that never make it to the screen in a full surround environment with the scents and sounds that make it so much more authentic than a sound stage.

The obviously recognizable Baggins’ residence is here as is the movie-ending home of Samwise Gamgee. But of course, the all-important details go beyond the “hero” holes and all are now built not with a few weeks of shooting in mind but having a long-term attraction for those who want to feel like they are stepping into a small piece of Middle-earth.

Not on the tour but clearly visible across the lake is a structure thought to be the Green Dragon; A place that will perhaps offer visitors a chance to find refreshment without leaving Middle-earth.

MrCere, 5'9'', stands next to a small scale Hobbit hole on the Hobbit set in Matamata, New Zealand.

The day I visited, Russell was watching and directing the near completion of a souvenir shop that will support what is termed “The Shires Rest,” then serving as a café, a meeting spot for tours preparing to enter the farm or a place to relax. In our conversation, he stressed the need to consistently but gradually grow the services and offerings of his farm to tourists while retaining the appropriate experience. He hopes and believes the place will endure and add to the heritage of the Matamata region and New Zealand.

The town calls itself “Hobbiton” with a sign on its main business street and visitors can grab a shuttle there that delivers them to and from the farm. There is also parking for those who make their own way to the gateway of the film set, appropriately situated on, yes really, Buckland Road, a name that was around 100 years before a location scout ever turned up.

Tours can be booked and shuttles boarded from Rotorua and additional tourism packages are available at the Hobbiton website.

The site was kind enough to include TOR’s latest “Hobbit In 5,” on the site as well and we will watch it carefully leading up to the production of the two films, scheduled for release in 2012 and 2013. You can find it right here. For fans, the production signals an end to long years of waiting and anticipation filled with highs and lows. The fate of the films seemed in doubt during lawsuits, studio financial troubles and the search for and the loss of a director. The story of how the movie got to this point is high drama all on its own. And of course, TheOneRing will follow the every detail of the production and beyond.

While this is not official confirmation, we believe this is in fact the case.

Sadly, his decision to leave the Hobbit production broke as an exclusive story right here on our site, and he posted farewell messages to us all. To this day he remains a registered user here and a valued member of our community, and still drops in from time to time. We will always cherish his friendship and wish him nothing but the very best in his future endeavors.

Useful Links:
GDT’s original riddle post
GDT’s riddle reply post
GDT’s introductory post
Gullermo Del Toro Departs “The Hobbit”
GDT’s Hobbit Farewell post

Useful Links:
Hobbit green light and 3-D announcement

Useful Links:
The Dragon Solution – GDT Shares his thoughts