Thorin Oakenshield Over at HFRmovies.com a talented fellow named Michael Sanders has used some nifty video trickery to interpolate what the Desolation of Smaug trailer might look like at 48 frames per second. It’s a very interesting experiment.

Several TORn staff have compared the Sanders’ 48fps interpolation and the 24fps rendition initially released by Warner Bros. side-by-side — and we feel that even Sanders’ “amateur” (and that word seems unfair for something that looks so good) interpolation reduces picture blurring blurring from camera panning and fast movement. Continue reading “Compare The Desolation of Smaug trailer: 48 fps v 24fps!”

Peter-Jackson-Doctor-Who At a recent event in Edinburgh, Scotland, ‘Doctor Who’ showrunner Steven Moffat addressed Peter Jackson’s eagerness to direct an episode of the classic show:

“He’s serious about it. We talked at The Hobbit premiere – he just wants a Dalek.  So we’ll give him a Dalek and he’ll direct an episode. I think he’d like to us to go to New Zealand. I think it’s entirely possible.”

Series 8 is scheduled to start filming in January 2014, however there has been no word yet on when PJ would film his episode.

It’s not likely we’ll see the TARDIS flying over Hobbiton, however I think it is very likely that PJ will get his wish to film against the gorgeous backdrop of New Zealand.

Thanks to Blogtor Who for the Q & A highlights.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” features music by Howard Shore. Available December 11The World Soundtrack Academy has nominated Howard Shore’s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” soundtrack in the category “Best Original Film Score of the Year.” The Academy is dedicated to the art of film scoring and the preservation of its history. Shore’s work is one of five in the category.

The rest are:

Anna Karenina by Dario Marianelli
Life of Pi by Mychael Danna
The Master by Jonny Greenwood
Skyfall by Thomas Newman

With an awards show in Belgium, there are also categories for “Film Composer of the Year,” and “Best Original Song Written Directly For a Film.” You can see the full list of nominees and learn more about the organization right here. Tickets are available on the site as well.

hobbittrollbertblrg2Dating back to Comic-Con 2012 when Weta Workshop had the three giant Trolls guarding their booth these three trolls have been a huge hit with fans around the world. Tonight, via their most recent newsletter, fans are getting a chance to add another one of these mini-versions to their collections. Bert the Troll is joining Tom the Troll who was released as an in-stock item during Comic-Con 2013. You can Pre-Order Bert the Troll right now for $75 with him shipping in November/December of this year. The third member of this trio William will be coming up for Pre-Order before October to complete your trio of Trolls.

Weta designer Paul Tobin
Weta designer Paul Tobin

TORn staffer Justin caught up with Weta conceptual designer Paul Tobin at the San Diego Comic-Con last month and scored this long, informative chat about the intense effort that went into the design of the dwarves of the Company, and about John Howe’s immense artistic talent.

As well as working on Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit Trilogy, Tobin has worked on James Cameron’s Avatar (2009) and Andrew Adamson’s The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), Prince Caspian (2008). Continue reading “Weta’s Paul Tobin on dwarf design and the sublime skill of John Howe”