Benedict Cumberbatch photographed by Paola Kudacki for TIME. Benedict Cumberbatch is TIME’s cover for their October 28 edition. Go behind the scenes of the shoot with photographer Paola Kudacki and discover the moment that led to the striking image that graces the cover.
In London recently, Paola Kudacki took her young nephews to see Star Trek. Leaving the theater, her 6-year-old nephew remembered Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays the role of Khan, saying, “He has such an interesting face.” He does, Kudacki agreed. A couple days later she got the call from TIME, asking her to photograph that same interesting face.
“I was very excited because his career has been so big but it’s just beginning,” Kudacki said. She continued, “I wanted to capture the intensity of his face but also the quietness. I wanted to take a serious approach, very quiet, and intimate.” Continue reading “Behind the scenes of Benedict Cumberbatch’s TIME cover”
EDITOR’S NOTE:This is the first of many set visit reports that will publish weekly from now until the premiere of “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.” We will update this post with photos from the set visit as soon as possible.
Ian McKellen as Gandalf.
WELLINGTON — Thousands of creative hands will have touched “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” by the time it hits movie screens. For those making the film it means long hours, pushing the limits of creativity, people and technology. It is accurate to say every frame is filled with passion, lots of passion.
Despite all the love for the project from every quarter, there is a group that may be the least-heralded, most overlooked, and yet whose passion for the project is surpassed by no man — or woman. They will receive no awards, no fame, no recognition and yet, they loved their work on “The Hobbit,” and legions of fans would have willingly taken their place in a heartbeat.
They are called “extras,” and for these films that meant extra passion, extra time and extra fun.
How would I know? Well, I was one of them!
I am a staffer here at TheOneRing.net (TORn), contributing for over a decade to the all-volunteer, not-for profit website forged by and for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien. In that time I formed a bond of trust and friendship with people on all sides of the production.
Warners Bros. and the production team on “The Hobbit,” invited me, as a representative of TORn, to not only visit the set but to be embedded there as a journalist for five weeks. Every working day for a month and a week in 2012, I woke up and reported to set near Wellington, New Zealand where Peter Jackson and his team of filmmakers were putting together the film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved children’s book, “The Hobbit.”
I can hardly believe this happened even though I remember it with incredible clarity. It seems surreal now — as it did every day when I arrived, showed my badge to security and walked into the grounds where Middle-earth would be created for audiences world wide. Each day was appreciated.
We all like to keep some things secret (and keep them safe); movie studios are no different. As we get closer to the release of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Warner Bros. are finally lifting embargos and allowing interviews and content to be posted, which reveal spoilers, and drop hints, about what we can expect when the next film hits the big screen in December.
Our own staffer MrCere spent three months on set last year; stay tuned for some exclusive reports from him, coming soon. Meanwhile, here are several interviews on which the press embargo has just lifted, covering a two-day set visit for members of the press early last year.
Please note, there are movie spoilers to be found within. You have been warned!
I can’t recall if this has been previously revealed, but this official synopsis — more complete than the short version currently on The Hobbit website — actually has some really interesting implications if you have a read through and examine who’s listed and (more importantly), who’s not.
As folks observed after the debut of the second Desolation of Smaug trailer, Guillermo del Toro is back in the credits for his work on the screenplay. There’s a co-producer nod for the late Eileen Moran as well. Highlight the space below to read the key omissions, and some fairly hefty spoiler analysis of what those omissions could mean for the movie.
Ringer Janina lets us know that German fantasy convention RingCon begins at the Maritim Hotel Bonn, in Bonn, Germany on October 18.
Guests from the Tolkien universe include: Craig Parker (Haldir), Lori Dungey (Mrs. Bracegirdle), Mark Ferguson (Gil-Galad), William Kircher (Bifur), David Wenham (Faramir), and Stephen Ure (Grishnakh, Gorbag, Fimbul and Grinnah). Plus the Deutsche Tolkien Gesellschaft (German Tolkien Society), blogger and Tolkien scholar TheTolkienist and many more lecturers, artists, workshop instructors and cosplayers will be there too.
You can follow the buzz on twitter and tumblr, searching the hashtag #ringcon.
Via the Desolation of Smaug 2014 Calendar and the Annual, check out these interesting new images of Bard and his daughters. As the Annual explains, in Peter Jackson’s adaptation, Bard at the time of the events of The Hobbit has a son, Bain, and two daughters, Sigrid and Tilda. Continue reading “Bard the Bowman, his daughters and their outfits”
I can’t recall if this has been previously revealed, but this official synopsis — more complete than the short version currently on The Hobbit website — actually has some really interesting implications if you have a read through and examine who’s listed and (more importantly), who’s not. 
Ringer Janina lets us know that German fantasy convention RingCon begins at the Maritim Hotel Bonn, in Bonn, Germany on October 18.
Via the Desolation of Smaug 2014 Calendar and the Annual, check out these interesting new images of Bard and his daughters. As