Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Making The Hobbit


I've spent many nights recently watching specials on the making of The Hobbit trilogy.  Having enjoyed the extended editions of the films after Christmas, I couldn't help but notice the six (!) discs of special features in the box set.  And for once, I checked them out.

It is breathtaking what goes into making films.  Unbelievable.  The sets.  The weapons and costumes.  The challenges and techniques used to overcome them.  It was all quite impressive, and presented well in the behind-the-scenes footage.

What impressed me most about these specific films?  Hmmm . . .
- Peter Jackson's acknowledgment that he was basically winging it at times on set (having lacked the prep time he enjoyed when doing Lord of the Rings)
- The amount of physical training everyone (especially the dwarves) went through to prepare for their roles
- The talent and speed at which the art department worked (both artists like John Howe/Alan Lee and those responsible for physically assembling sets, costumes, and weapons)
- The input actors/actresses have into their characters and lines
- The techniques used to adjust heights of characters
- The effort that goes into even 'little' scenes
- The linguistic work done for fictional tongues

Bonus features are included for a reason. Check them out!
  

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