Reactions to the high frame rate (HFR) of 48 frames per second used for The Hobbit have ranged from love to hate, and everything in between. Now Pulitzer-prize-winning still photographer Vincent Laforet has weighed in. He undertook to see the film in 3D HFR, 3D, and 2D, all on the same day. He disliked the HFR version, preferring both the 3D and 2D versions at the normal 24 fps. Laforet’s blog post, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Masterclass in Why HFR Fails, and a Reaffirmation of What Makes Cinema Magical,” gives a detailed description of how he found it difficult to identify with the characters and have any emotional involvement in the story while watching the HFR version. The lighting looked bad, whereas it looked good in 2D–even though these are different versions of the same footage. The tiny flaws in makeup, sets, and special effects were visible in the HFR version but not in the normal version. Laforet explains why he thinks all this was the case, and although the essay gets a bit technical at times, it’s generally pretty clear. If you haven’t seen The Hobbit yet and are wondering which version to see, or if you’ve seen the HFR version and are wondering if the normal-speed version is worth seeing, check out what Laforet has to say.
By the way, he does like the fact that Peter Jackson is bold enough to test out new technologies like HFR!
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IGN.com has a great video interview with the dwarven cast of ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey‘ that is well worth 8 minutes of your time today. Watch the company squibble and squirm as they try to answer a variety of Tolkien trivia. In-between the humorous answers, you’ll see some great clips from the film. (Who knew Galadriel was the name of Gandalf’s sword? 😛 ) Enjoy! [Video]
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From independent.ie: PRE-exam nerves are bad enough, but if your examiner is JRR Tolkien, then you’d really have your work cut out.
Well that was the case for students at NUI Galway more than 60 years ago when ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’ author worked as an English literature examiner.
Recently discovered exam papers reveal that the creative genius was an external examiner for the summer exams over a number of years at the Galway university.
Barry Houlihan, an archivist at the James Hardiman Library in the university, said the find came about thanks to a Tolkien enthusiast who contacted the college.
“We decided to have a search and we found the volume in question. We went through all the exam papers and we found that Tolkien had been an external on four occasions. It was fascinating to see his name printed on them,” said Mr Houlihan. [Read More]
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Join us for ‘An Unexpected Art Show’ in Los Angeles, California on Friday, February 22, from 7 PM to 1 AM. Celebrating The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, ‘An Unexpected Art Show’ will feature inspired art pieces — from paintings, drawings, and illustrations to prints — from a variety of artists. You can now purchase tickets!
Among the over 20 artists contributing work and attending in person are Tim Kirk, who illustrated the 1975 Tolkien Calendar — the first by an illustrator other than Professor Tolkien, Jerry VanderStelt, who has been teasing us with his upcoming licensed print for The Hobbit, and Donato Giancola, known for his acclaimed Renaissance style paintings of Middle-earth. Also on display will be ‘The Last March of the Ents’ from OneLug. This epic LEGO® creation features an 8 ft. diameter base and the Tower of Orthanc standing 228 LEGO® Bricks (7ft. 2in.) tall depicting a battle scene featuring 23 Ents and 100+ Orcs.
All ages are welcome to attend. A limited number of tickets are available for $15 online and $20 at the door. ‘An Unexpected Art Show’ will be held at Lot 613, a blank-canvas special events space in the Historic Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles, located at 613 Imperial Street. Purchase tickets today!
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First off just let me say that, as an Aussie, I was a bit dubious at 
being asked to review a self help book based on the Shire. We tend to be a bit wary of these sorts of books and part of me jumped to the conclusion that such a book could only be an attempt to cash-in on the new Hobbit films. I am very pleased to say that my initial prejudices were completely unfounded. The Wisdom of the Shire is an excellent, well written book, by a true fan of Tolkien.
Continue reading “Book Review – The Wisdom of the Shire by Noble Smith”
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What a line up we have for folks who join us at The One Expected Party to celebrate The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey on Oscars night next February! Our live show (which will take place after the Academy Awards broadcast) already includes Emerald Rose, Charles Ross’ One Man Lord of the Rings, Hunter Davis – Ian McKellen impersonator extraordinaire, and Billy Boyd with Beecake.
Now we are thrilled to announce that joining the line up will be musicians Dorian Mirth! Performing on a wide variety of period instruments (including recorders, harp, mandolin, krumhorn, zither, hurdy-gurdy and viola da gamba), Dorian Mirth specializes in Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and British folk music, as well as the occasional cover from various fantasy films! The band is based in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is composed of friends drawn together by their love of music, movies, history, costuming, and all things Tolkien-related. Having previously performed at Bowlmoot, Two Towers: One Party, The Return of the One Party, and various TORn line parties for the Lord of the Rings films, we are thrilled that Dorian Mirth will be making an appearance at The One Expected Party! Visit them online at dorianmirth.com and facebook.com/dorianmirth
This is the kind of line up Middle-earth fans dream of – where else can you see all these amazing performers in one place?! Plus you can expect a few surprises on the night – so don’t delay, buy your tickets before they sell out! Click here to buy.
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