Readers who grabbed their copy of the Desolation of Smaug trailer from Youtube may wish to have another look — Warner Bros. has just released an updated, improved version.
The Warner Bros. team emphasise that the content is exactly the same, but the file has been tweaked to improve your viewing experience. Or, as they say, “it will just look better.” (Personally, we reckon both versions look pretty good, but if you’ve got an eye for detail this is the one for you!) Continue reading “Warner Bros. releases improved version of Desolation of Smaug trailer”
Bard the Bowman. Because there are a bunch of scenes shared scenes between the first Desolation of Smaug trailer, there’s the possibility of examining what Weta Digital has been up to in the intervening few months.
Ringer @arthur_os has done some nifty work to put selected scenes from the two trailers side-by-side so fellow fans can see it for themselves too.
“I’ve made a trailer comparison between the first and the second trailer of the hobbit DOS. There you can compare the quallity and CGI shots. A lot of colour correction was done.”
The colour-grading definitely seems warmer, particularly in the shots involving Azog, Thranduil and Bilbo. We just hope they don’t push it too far and run into the notorious Teal and Orange problem.
Our good friends over at The Hobbit Movies Google-plus blog have been busily converting some of the cool scenes from the trailer for Desolation of Smaug into neat little animated GIFs. We liked them so much, we thought we’d reshare them for you!
Yesterday saw not only the launch of the new The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug trailer, but also another exciting release for Tolkien fans – the publication of the latest edition of the book which started it all! You may remember TORn’s post about Jemima Catlin, the young illustrator behind the first new illustrated edition of The Hobbit since Alan Lee’s iconic version in 1997. (Catlin is also the featured illustrator for the 2014 Tolkien Calendar.)
This book is now available for purchase in the US! (It was released by HarperCollins in the UK in September.) It’s a beautiful edition. The hardcover, with cloth binding, is charmingly old fashioned, and the cover illustrations have gold accents, which shimmer with the promise of the magic contained within. Catlin’s images are a combination of pencil, ink and watercolour; there are many little pictures decorating the text, as well as more than ten full page, full colour pieces. The story is interpretated in lively, delightful drawings which show a new interpretation of old friends.
This is an edition to treasure, and would particularly be a wonderful introduction to The Hobbit for children. It’s a great reminder that, as spectacular as the movies are, the enchantment began in the pages of a fabulous book. If you’re thinking about holiday shopping already, add this to the list! I for one feel I can never have too many editions of The Hobbit; this beautiful new edition is certainly worth adding to your collection.
It’s time to announce the next theme in our monthly Rewrite Tolkien contest, where you, the fans, can rewrite your favorite passages or scenes in the style of another classic author. We will select a theme each month, and then it’s up to you to put your spin on it!
The theme for the month of October is:
The Hobbit as written by Edgar Allan Poe
In honour of Halloween, come up with a spooky short story or poem, using characters from ‘The Hobbit’, written in the style of Mr. Poe. Our judges will read through all of your submissions, and choose the best of the bunch. The Grand Prize Winner will get their entry read live by our own Quickbeam on the first TORn Tuesday of November, as well as having it published here on TheOneRing.net!
The contest deadline is 12:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on Monday, October 28th. Please be sure to read all of the submission guidelines below and submit your entry to rewrite_tolkien_contest@theonering.net.
Good luck!
****Submission Guidelines****
Contest is open to individuals worldwide, age 13 and up at the time of entry.
To avoid duplicate submissions, please include your name and location on all entries.
To qualify, submissions must be a minimum of 500 words and maximum of 2000 words, feature characters from The Hobbit and be in the style of the author/genre for that month’s contest.
That’s right, Ringers will take over Manhattan NEXT WEEK! The work continues here at TORn headquarters (ie, in our own homes scattered across the globe…) to plan a wonderful event as part of our exciting New York ComicCon weekend. Last week we told you that, at the party, we’ll be giving away two tickets to see Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen on Broadway! Now we can confirm that we will also have some exciting goodies from WETA to give away at the event! We’re keeping this party small – tickets are strictly limited – so attendees have a good chance of winning something awesome!
Your ticket includes your first drink, a finger food buffet, two entries into the raffle, and a fab goody bag. And of course, excellent company in a private room in Manhattan – party like dwarves! (No green food allowed!)
Oh, and we’ve also invited all the Hobbit actors – Sir Ian, Orlando, Stephen Fry – who happen to be in The Big Apple at the moment. Not saying any of them will be there – but they’re invited, so you never know….
Readers who grabbed their copy of the Desolation of Smaug trailer from Youtube may wish to have another look — Warner Bros. has just released an updated, improved version.
Our good friends over at 
It’s time to announce the next theme in our monthly Rewrite Tolkien contest, where you, the fans, can rewrite your favorite passages or scenes in the style of another classic author. We will select a theme each month, and then it’s up to you to put your spin on it!