1 Hour HD Production Video of The Hobbit

One of the great things about Peter Jackson's movies is that after their theatrical run, they tend to come out in 5+ disc sets with hours of production, commentary, documentary and other great material.  Fortunately for us, they decided to create some extensive pre-release production videos about The Hobbit to help us see how they create/film the magic of Middle-earth.

"MovieclipsCOMINGSOON" compiled the first 6 videos into a 1-hour long HD movie that I thought you might enjoy.

Let me know what you think!

Why Three Movies if The Hobbit is Only One Book?

Over the last several weeks since The Hobbit came out, I have been asked to explain how and why one relatively short book (when compared to The Lord of the Rings' installments) will be made into three full-length feature films.  Given that I read up on this kind of information, I originally thought this to be common knowledge.  Apparently, it is not, so I will go ahead and explain it - so far as I have been able to determine.

It is NOT Just About Making More Money

I am not going to say that making an extra $260 million in revenues by adding a third installment wasn't an attractive motivator, but I would argue that it wasn't the primary consideration.  In fact, if they had really been interested in increasing their revenues, they would have cut 45 minutes to an hour off of the movie to allow for more showings (which would have equated to increased revenues).

For example, I read a box office review that mentioned how the movie's nearly 3 hour run-time reduced its potential earnings - since the theaters could only have 3 or 4 showings per day on a given screen, compared to 5 or 6 showings if they had shortened the film. 

From what I've seen, Peter Jackson is a die-hard Tolkien fan. Although he has had to adapt some things to bring both LOTR and The Hobbit to the big screen, he seems to be more concerned about artistic vision and staying true to the original story than he is about revenues; and, so far, that's worked out pretty well for him (with the exception of, in my opinion, King Kong - ugh).  

Furthermore, Jackson's insistence on the highly criticized 48 frames per second film rate, which had the potential to be both costly and unpopular, serves as further evidence that his artistic vision trumps his concern for popularity/profitability.

This Was Originally Contracted to Be a Two-Film Story

What many people don't realize is that this was originally contracted to be a two-film story.  In fact, Peter Jackson signed on and filmed much of the first and second movie before he, and his team, came to the decision that they would incorporate some additional material to expand the story into a third film.  They felt that the first two films were turning out so well that, 'why not try to tell a bit more of the story?'  Which brings us to our third and final point... 

It Will Incorporate Material Not Mentioned in The Hobbit Book

Again, The Hobbit Trilogy will not just be one 'short' book stretched out over three full-length films; it will incorporate peripheral/contextual material that is not written directly into The Hobbit.  What you must understand is that J.R.R. Tolkien spent a great deal of his life developing the world and history of Middle-earth, even after he wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.  Some of this fictional history of Middle-earth was compiled and included as appendices at the end of later editions of The Return of the King.  

For example, Radagast the Brown, Saruman the White, the Necromancer, and Galadriel are hardly/never even mentioned in The Hobbit, but Gandalf does interact with all of them at the same time that the events of The Hobbit take place.  In the original novel, Gandalf periodically disappears for long stretches of the story with no explanation of where he goes, what he is doing or why he decides to come back.  Including scenes such as "The White Council" and background regarding both Saruman and the Necromancer only help to fill in what would otherwise be odd gaps in the story.  

The Hobbit - 13 Minute TV Special

I love watching these kinds of TV specials because they always get me so excited!  The attention to detail, quality of interviews, fun facts, movie clips, synopses, energy and more!!  I especially enjoy getting the inside story from the actors, director, writers, etc.

Whether you've seen The Hobbit already or are still wondering if it's worth it, check this out!