I know a lot goes into the making of a major film; and even more goes into a film with state-of-the-art effects; and yet more into a film shot in 3D; and still more when it’s not one but three films being shot simultaneously.
But not until I watched the behind-the-scenes filming and production video diaries for The Hobbit did I start to have a sense of the enormity of this production, the unrelenting attention to detail, and the amazing number of people, hours, and money that are going into it.
You can find all 9 (so far) of the Hobbit production video diaries on Peter Jackson’s YouTube Channel.
I’m rarely interested in seeing a movie in 3D, but the video on how the 3D was shot and — more interestingly to me — the ways that this modern 3D equipment and style informed the storytelling has made me look forward to that version.
But why do there have to be three movies, released over three years? It sounds like we won’t even see Smaug the dragon until the second film. I can barely wait three weeks for the first film; how will I cope waiting two more years for the final film?