New Line Cinema, MGM and Warner Bros. Pictures Issue Statement Regarding THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Right from the start we filmgoers knew we were on the brink of an incredible, and quite unexpected, journey. The Oscar-winning filmmakers said all along they wanted to fully immerse the audience in Middle-earth. For the first time, Jackson utilized state-of-the-art digital cameras to record the action of THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY in 3D at an unprecedented 48 frames per second (fps) for release in High Frame Rate 3D (HFR 3D), as well as all the standard formats. “We want ‘The Hobbit’ films to be a visual experience that goes several steps beyond ‘The Lord of the Rings,'” Jackson says. “3D didn’t really exist in mainstream cinema ten years ago at the level it does now, and we’ve shot the movie at 48 fps, which makes it the first feature film to be shot using today’s High Frame Rate technology.”

So now with the release of the first chapter of the trilogy quickly approaching, the New Zealand Herald and other outlets are reporting that Peter Jackson’s THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY has been causing headaches and spats of dizziness among those returning to The Shire via the High Frame Rate 3D route.

Some viewers told the Sunday Times that the filming technique made them nauseous and dizzy, with some even complaining of migraines. One “avid Middle-earth fan”, who had flown to New Zealand from Australia for the premiere, said their eyes couldn’t take everything in, the Sunday Times reported. Another viewer commented on Twitter that the technique worked well for the snowy mountain shots, but close-up pictures strobed.

Oh whatever. There’s always a few. In an attempt to quell all this angst, New Line Cinema, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures issued the following statement:

“We have been screening the full-length HFR 3D presentation of THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY extensively, and feedback has been extremely positive, with none of thousands who have seen the film projected in this format expressing any of the issues described by two anonymous sources in media reports. We share the filmmakers’ belief that by offering filmgoers the additional choice of HFR 3D, alongside traditional viewing formats, they have an opportunity to be part of a groundbreaking advancement in the moviegoing experience, and we look forward to having audiences everywhere share in this new way of storytelling.”

Some background on the making of the film. Bringing Middle-earth to life for THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY was Jackson’s longtime collaborator – director of photography Andrew Lesnie who relished the opportunity to return to Middle-earth with Jackson, this time shooting in 3D on hand-manufactured, state-of-the-art Red Epic digital cameras. Compact and mobile, the cameras easily handled dolly, crane and handheld shooting while recording far more information than film cameras—an unprecedented 48 frames per second (fps). Lesnie notes, “It’s a completely different technical experience, showcasing amazing developments that have taken place in the digital realm in the last ten years.”

The decade between the films and all the concomitant technological upgrades notwithstanding, Lesnie sought to honor the look of “The Lord of the Rings” films while fully embracing the possibilities inherent in this new technology. “Because the 48 fps picture is so clear and sharp, I lit more gently to create a more ‘filmic’ quality. And in the post-production grading process, we took great pains to give the film some softness and body.”

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

While you deciding if your brain can hack all the technology, here’s the latest TV spot.

Set 60 years before LOTR, the adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome Dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the Wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of 13 Dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild, through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins, Orcs and deadly Wargs, as well as a mysterious and sinister figure known only as the Necromancer.

Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain, first they must escape the Goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever…Gollum.

Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of ingenuity and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities…A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY will be released in High Frame Rate 3D (HFR 3D) in select theaters, other 2D and 3D formats, and IMAX® Friday, December 14.

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