It’s certainly rather difficult to believe that any new technology would actually be more controversial than the current 3D revival, which certainly has plenty of friends and foes alike.
But then veteran Hollywood director Peter Jackson confirmed he’s been shooting The Hobbit at a cool 48 frames per second, a process that is supposed to bring a new level of reality to movies. Still, some people believe it makes everything look like video tape.
The controversy certainly won’t die down by the time the first Hobbit film is released on December 14, but thankfully we’ll be able to see it in a number of formats, including the normal 24 frames per second that most movies run at these days.
Recently, Elijah Wood (Frodo) was asked about this for Collider, and he told the site, “I think the differences aren’t really that different. It’s still filmmaking. It’s still approaching it from the same perspective. But it’s pretty cool. The technology is amazing.”
Wood is not only geek royalty for the Lord of the Rings series, but he’s also a voice for Tron Legacy, so we have no problem taking him at his word. He was even amazed when Peter Jackson took off to a tent during filming, where he was watching the playback in 3D. “It’s really cool to see the 3D on set, and to know what the images ultimately look like.”
The final test with The Hobbit moving at 48 frames per second will of course be with the public, but Wood really digs the technology, and the fact that you can do so much with it while filming.
“Years and years and years ago, video assist was really rudimentary. Now, because The Hobbit is being shot digitally, we’re seeing a full HD image, in 3D, pretty much exactly how it’s going to look when it’s thrown up onto a big screen. It takes a lot of the guesswork out of it,” he added.
