The-Hobbit-The-Desolation-of-Smaug-FX-046WETA Digital has released a new video on their YouTube channel, showcasing the multitude of visual effects work done on the second chapter in Sir Peter Jackson’s Hobbit Trilogy – The Desolation of Smaug.

The elements covered range from the Kingdom of Erebor, Laketown and the Woodland Realm to Smaug, the barrel chase, and the CG character animation. Continue reading “‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ Visual Effects Reel from WETA Digital”

Lego Hobbit game trailer Here’s a funky new trailer for the Lego video game for The Hobbit, done in the style of Ocean’s Eleven. Pretty neat. It does seem to emphasise the teamwork element of the game, something that IGN’s reviewer of the just-released playable demo wrote about approvingly just the other day:

Already in this small section of Goblin Town, buddy-up was used in a handful of ways, and and considering Thorin, Fili, Kili, Oin, Gloin, Dwalin, Balin Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Dori, Nori and Ori all have different ways of interacting with the environment and one another, I’m excited to see how else the mechanic will play out.

Continue reading “New trailer for The Hobbit Lego video game!”

The-Hobbit-The-Desolation-of-Smaug-FX-046 Digital Trends takes a look at The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and the way director Peter Jackson brought the film’s fearsome, fire-breathing dragon to life.


Building a better dragon in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

From the moment that plans were first announced for a live-action adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, fans of the 1937 novel began pondering the ways in which the mighty dragon Smaug could be brought to life on the big screen with all the majesty of his literary counterpart. Continue reading “Building a better dragon in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”

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How exactly did New Line go about mounting its campaign that 10 years ago won The Return of the King a history-making 11 Academy Awards? Vanity Fair interviewed many of those at New Line who were involved in the multi-million-dollar campaign, and the effect that the commercial and critical success had on the way Hollywood views fantasy films.

The biggest problem –– and this started with Fellowship –– was we had the dreaded F word; we were the fantasy movie, and there was no fantasy movies that ever won for best picture. Russell Schwartz, executive vice president of marketing at New Line Cinema in 2004.

Thanks to Ringer Boromir’s Bane for the heads-up. Continue reading “How The Return of the King won best picture and 11 Oscars”