THE HOBBIT, Production Video #5 is a post from: The Hobbit Movie

The Hobbit Trailer Online! is a post from: The Hobbit Movie

THE HOBBIT, Production Video #4 is a post from: The Hobbit Movie

British actor, Andy Serkis, who plays Gollum spoke of his dismay that the Oscars do not recognise motion-capture acting. Andy not only plays Gollum, but also the ape Caesar in the upcoming Rise of Planet of the Apes. He said that he would not want to see a special category introduced at the Oscars for motion-capture acting, insisting that success using the technique can be rewarded with current accolades.

“I am a bit evangelical, I know, but performance-capture is still misunderstood. Ten years down the line, people say, ‘Oh, so you did the voice of Gollum?’ Or people go, ‘You did the movements for [King]Kong?’ It’s frustrating, because I play Gollum and I play Kong. It is acting.

The emotional content of these performances live and die by what the actors bring to the roles on set. I never approach a live-action role any differently to a performance-captured role. The process of acting is absolutely identical.

It should be recognised that there are two parts to the process. The first part is capturing the performance. Only later down the line do you start seeing the characters being painted over frame by frame using pixels.

Performance-capture technology is really the only way that we could bring these characters to life. It’s the way that Gollum was brought to life, and King Kong, and the Na’vi in Avatar and so on and it’s really another way of capturing an actor’s performance. That’s all it is, digital make-up.”

Source: guardian.co.uk

An Oscar for Gollum, please! is a post from: The Hobbit Movie

Peter Jackson has been singing the praises of British Bilbo star Martin Freeman (of The Office and Hot Fuzz), saying,

He is fantastic and there is simply nobody else for the job. We couldn’t find anyone who was better than him. He is simply fantastic.
He’s Bilbo-esque. You might not always want to say that about you, right? But seriously he has the essential features of this little English gent, this country gent who is slightly old-fashioned and has to go around in the world and try to cope with it.

That’s not exactly who Martin is as a person, but as an actor he does that so well. The fish out of water with a sense of courage but also a wonderful sense of humor. The things that happen to him and the way he reacts to them — things he’s never seen in his life before as a stuffy little Hobbit — his response to it all is part of the charm. And he does have a great openness in his face.

Source: fansshare.com

Bilbo gets a gold star is a post from: The Hobbit Movie

Looking mighty fierce.

All the dwarves!! is a post from: The Hobbit Movie

The Hobbit is to be filmed in Nelson at the end of this year! And 400-500 crew and cast will be staying in the region. Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand.

The Hobbit publicist Melissa Booth said she was unable to confirm locations.

“We’re just looking forward and trying to get the film made. I think everyone is happy to be back at work.”

Pohara motelier Steve du Feu said the filming of The Hobbit was “good news” for businesses in Golden Bay. His motel, The Sandcastle, is one of a number in Golden Bay that have been booked out by 3 Foot 7 for 10 days in mid-November and a week in early December.

“The increased activity in the bay associated with this will be an awesome boost after what has been a pretty quiet winter. The crew will be made to feel very welcome,” he said.

Bob Haswell of Clifftops Retreat in Ruby Bay said he had friends working on the film in Wellington and “it looks like some of them might be coming to Nelson”.

Mr Haswell is connected to Tasman Helicopters, which was involved during the filming of parts of The Lord of the Rings trilogy in the Nelson region, but he said the company had not been approached about helping with The Hobbit.

Nelson Mayor Aldo Miccio said the likelihood that The Hobbit crew might be coming to Nelson was news to him, but he was not surprised. “It’s in line with what we have been hearing – that Nelson is going to be a destination for filming.”

He said the crew of Kiwi Flyer had told him that word was spreading that Nelson was “the place to come”.

“I think we’re going to see a lot more of this in the future.”

Source: stuff.co.nz

A Nelson-shaped part of Middle Earth is a post from: The Hobbit Movie

Bilbo reads intently as his guests look on…

Source: Empire Magazine

Site photo with Bilbo! Wow! is a post from: The Hobbit Movie

Swedish actor Mikael Persbrandt, known for his leading “tough-guy” roles, spoke recently about playing the reclusive and heroic Beorn.

In The Hobbit, Beorn is an immense brawny shapeshifter, who is vegetarian and lives in a wooden house between the Misty Mountains and Mirkwood on his own after the Orcs killed the rest of his race. Beorn can transform at will into a bear. Mikael describes a scene, which could well be the part of the story where Beorn interrogates a wolf and a goblin to verify Gandalf’s story.

In an interview (translated from Swedish), Mikael spoke about what it was like to play Beorn.

“When, during the first days, I was hoisted up to the ceiling in the west King Kong studio in Wellington, I knew what to do. Even though it was embarrassing and a hassle to start with a severe torture scene, I knew I could even suggest things.”

Peter Jackson was impressed with your audition.

“I did not made it complicated. Just as one can imagine “how exactly would I react if I lose a child ?”…

[He bends down and knocks in the wooden floor.]

” … no more than I can imagine “what am I like as a Shapeshifter”?, living with horses and animals in the forest. One must look into oneself and try. I act pretty much in the same way in “The Hobbit” as I would in a love drama.”

There has been much anticipation of “The Hobbit”.

“I bought a mountain bike in New Zealand and was often up biking in the mountains while I was waiting.”

It is the in the Hamilton-movies that you trained your body?

“Yes, but it comes in damn handy in New Zealand. It is for Hamilton that I was with the Navy Seals and the Swedish equivalent. I’ve been at this gym.” [He points to the shirt with "Nacka martial arts center."]

“I drive all the time. Including this morning. Two miles uphill and then weights. It has become like a poison to me. Six days a week.”

You practice your English?

“Yes, I do that with Peter Jackson’s film. In Hamilton I talk in both Russian and English. I try to be a good student. I have had some resistance. It was useless to go for English lessons at home when you did not have concrete offers abroad.”

Source: Nojes Bladent

Beorn talks about being a bear is a post from: The Hobbit Movie

Orlando Bloom spoke recently about Wellington, the Hobbit Movie set and his up and coming roles.

He said of Wellington “Wellington is remarkably unchanged after 10 years… It hasn’t been hit by the onslaught of consumerism…” and admitted that he would like to spend more time there.

When asked about how the Hobbit Movie is going to compare with the success of the LoTR movies, Orlando spoke about his impression of the studios, which have grown massively since the last movies, saying they had “a remarkable setup”. He also praised director Peter Jackson.

The new movie is being shot in 3D, but this does not pose any additional challenges as an actor – it just takes a little longer to set up.

When quizzed about his apparent penchant for roles where he gets to dress up in “interesting outfits and long hair”, he laughed and said this was not a pre-requisite and that he just wanted to “have fun”.

Source: 3news.co.nz

Long hair and dressing up not a pre-requisite for Orlando is a post from: The Hobbit Movie