The Hobbit at 48fps...

[Dustin Wilson]

My concern with 48fps is that somewhere down the line 24fps will be stigmatised/forbidden due to it being deemed an inferior viewing experience. Many modern digital cinema projectors already use high refresh rates which imho already blur the line between 24fps film projection and 48/50fps.

Well if you look at where the current TV market has gone with all of the "Tru Motion" and "Smooth Motion" crap turned on from the factory. Consumers are getting adjusted to it. I switched my friends TV's back to normal mode without the smoothing crap and they say they don't like it a turn it back on... Movies look absolutely HORRIBLE with it on, but that's the way TV manufactures are adjusting the general public, without them "knowing". This is where I can see 48p taking over films. Personally, it saddens me because it loses the fantasy of a film. Backgrounds look too fake and plastic with CGI. Shooting in 24p hides the imperfections of the backgrounds with it's blur and makes it feel more "real" even if the CGI isn't top notch. Which is a good thing! That way you can't tell its fake and it feels more "real". Movies are a fantasy, they're suppose to pull you in, that's what 24p does.

 

[Scott Crawley]

Well... You could look at this as a challenge to raise your game. It's time for photo-real CGI... Modeling that can stand up to the new frame rates. It's not only frame rates that demand it, but resolution as well.

If you are going to kick it up a notch, then you have to kick it up a notch. Flipping the switch is not enough.

Well if you look at where the current TV market has gone with all of the "Tru Motion" and "Smooth Motion" crap turned on from the factory. Consumers are getting adjusted to it. I switched my friends TV's back to normal mode without the smoothing crap and they say they don't like it a turn it back on... Movies look absolutely HORRIBLE with it on, but that's the way TV manufactures are adjusting the general public, without them "knowing". This is where I can see 48p taking over films. Personally, it saddens me because it loses the fantasy of a film. Backgrounds look too fake and plastic with CGI. Shooting in 24p hides the imperfections of the backgrounds with it's blur and makes it feel more "real" even if the CGI isn't top notch. Which is a good thing! That way you can't tell its fake and it feels more "real". Movies are a fantasy, they're suppose to pull you in, that's what 24p does.

 

[charles lim yi yong]

I must say i very distrubed by the start of the film, with all the blown highlights, any reason for this? The film seems to pickup and becvame very very good after the goblin king. Perhaps this is due to increase dependence on CG, and less RED epic. I am totally ok with the 48 fps.

 

[paulherrin]

I must say i very distrubed by the start of the film, with all the blown highlights, any reason for this? The film seems to pickup and becvame very very good after the goblin king. Perhaps this is due to increase dependence on CG, and less RED epic. I am totally ok with the 48 fps.

somebody else mentioned this... something about projection, don't remember

 

[charles lim yi yong]

Is there a report online about, projection problems if so perhaps I should make a complain to the cinema here.

 

[Stacey Spears]

I must say i very distrubed by the start of the film, with all the blown highlights, any reason for this?

They had trouble getting our showing working. We had to sit through the 20-minutes of trailers twice. Once it finally started I thought the blown highlights, which were ugly, were another technical problem. That and the opening had shots that looked sped up. Again, I thought it was another technical issue and was prepared for A/V sync issues. They blown highlights were gone after that sequence.

I am glad I saw it at 48, but I will see the next film at 24. It was really difficuilt for me to get into the movie. For me, the look actually made the acting feel amateurish.

 

[paulherrin]

They had trouble getting our showing working. We had to sit through the 20-minutes of trailers twice. Once it finally started I thought the blown highlights, which were ugly, were another technical problem. That and the opening had shots that looked sped up. Again, I thought it was another technical issue and was prepared for A/V sync issues. They blown highlights were gone after that sequence.

I am glad I saw it at 48, but I will see the next film at 24. It was really difficuilt for me to get into the movie. For me, the look actually made the acting feel amateurish.

right-brain, right-brain, danger, don't shut down. we've really got to learn how to minimize or at least balance or somehow reserve our analysis, and worse, meta-analysis and criticality when we're watching a movie. it's-a-movie. if you're analyzing what you just saw, then and then and then, it's no wonder we're having difficultly being in the moment of the movie.

present, not the past
present, right now
make your own mantra, whatever works

 

[mikeburton]

right-brain, right-brain, danger, don't shut down. we've really got to learn how to minimize or at least balance or somehow reserve our analysis, and worse, meta-analysis and criticality when we're watching a movie. it's-a-movie. if you're analyzing what you just saw, then and then and then, it's no wonder we're having difficultly being in the moment of the movie.

present, not the past
present, right now
make your own mantra, whatever works

You can't just make people feel like its something they are doing wrong or need time to get used to. People have something called "taste". If they don't like the way something looks or gives them a negative perception than its probably because its just plain bad! There are so many negative reviews and comments on this film it's hard to say to someone "you just need to get used to it". No I don't. I can choose not to support It and hope that it goes away. If enough people hate it guess what will happen?

 

[Scott Crawley]

You and Paul each make valid points.

I have gone into many films that boasted new or different technology with the intention of evaluating that tech from beginning to end. Never have I been able to focus solely on the tech for the entire picture. There has always been a point where I gave in to the film, let it wash over me and allowed the tech issues to drift away. Some of those films were less than stellar, but the story still won out somehow.

If people are sitting through almost three hours of film unable to suspend disbelief, there may be a real problem at root.

I'm going in the morning and withholding judgement for as long as possible.

You can't just make people feel like its something they are doing wrong or need time to get used to. People have something called "taste". If they don't like the way something looks or gives them a negative perception than its probably because its just plain bad! There are so many negative reviews and comments on this film it's hard to say to someone "you just need to get used to it". No I don't. I can choose not to support It and hope that it goes away. If enough people hate it guess what will happen?

 

[charles lim yi yong]

The good bits of the movie when the frame was working reminded me of playing a computer game on a suite up machine pumping out 80 to 90 fps . I will point out again 'Not sure if RED epic is responsible for these successful scenes, more to do with the CG. '

 

[Stacey Spears]

I'm going in the morning and withholding judgement for as long as possible.

I avoided the reviews as much as possible. I went in excited to see it. I would encourage everyone to see it in HFR. While I did not like it, one coworker loved it. For him the added resolution during motion was worth it. Another co-worker kept asking if I could tell it was 48fps.

The theater also had Hobbit themed RealD glasses.

 

[Al Lougher]

Does anyone even know how the studio is going to determine success of HFR for this film? They've released it on 450 screens across the US so they cant exactly judge it off box office results. So what? Reviews?

 

[Paul Harb]

Pretty entertaining

'Hobbit' Midnighters Who Accidentally Saw the Movie in 48 FPS: We're Here for You
http://www.hollywood.com/news/The_Hobbit_48_FPS_HFR_Midnight_Screenings_Peter_Jackson/46152142

 

[paulherrin]

You can't just make people feel like its something they are doing wrong or need time to get used to. People have something called "taste". If they don't like the way something looks or gives them a negative perception than its probably because its just plain bad! There are so many negative reviews and comments on this film it's hard to say to someone "you just need to get used to it". No I don't. I can choose not to support It and hope that it goes away. If enough people hate it guess what will happen?

that's exactly what i'm saying. it's a choice whether you like it. to what level that's consciously constructed is up to you. i can't make you like or dislike anything, although i could try to influence you and what i'm saying is that most of us have decided before we've even seen it whether we think we're gonna like it or not, based on what other people are saying. i'm saying that can create a barrier and we should go in with an open mind, give it a little bit of time. and i'm also pointing to the fact that we tend to be left-brain dominant and it really is something we can consciously work on to be less analytical when we're watching a movie. if you sit for three hours complaining to yourself (or worse, others) about the framerate or motion or really anything else that is absolutely a decision to not suspend disbelief and get into the story. the exception might be something like twilight that the script/acting/story is so terrible it's impossible to follow, but that's when you make the decision not to watch it.

anyways, lot's of preconditioning going on out there from everyone complaining, so just beware and try to keep an open, positive mind.

 

[paulherrin]

If people are sitting through almost three hours of film unable to suspend disbelief, there may be a real problem at root.

I'm going in the morning and withholding judgement for as long as possible.

thank you. i like your attitude. do be prepared to get used to it a little bit, you've got to eventually let go/ignore that little voice that's saying 'this is different'

i've noticed almost every specific example where people are complaining are about the opening sequence (which i wasn't to big on for other reasons) but it also shows that those people let their first impression stick and never allowed themselves to just get used to it/over it. and also, they probably did start to get used to it even unwillingly, but what stuck was the initial memory of the experience where you're brain is like 'wtf?' if you're not prepared to deal with that in a positive way, you could totally ruin your experience by never letting go. sadly that's happening.

just watch the movie, that's the best advice i can give

 

[Kegan Sant]

I watched it last night - the 48fps version. I tried to embrace it...I really did. I think it was beneficial during action sequences but absolutely hated it during every dialogue based scene. I just couldn't shake how distracting it was. I'm going to find a 2D/24fps version before I give my final verdict on what I think of 48fps, but I have a feeling my eyes (and brain) will be less distracted and more focused on what's happening on screen...

Just my thoughts,

Kegan

 

[Petri Teittinen]

There was certainly something "off" with the opening sequence with old Bilbo and Frodo messing about in the house. Highlights were definitely blown out and it was not caused by the projection. Also, not sure if anyone mentioned this already, but I felt the sound mix was quite odd in the opening sequence: dialogue did not sound like it usually does in movies. It was more like "live theater", which is kinda fitting on hindsight.

 

[Brandon J.F.]

I saw it today. It definitely took more than 10 minutes to get used to. I was able to forget about it and lose myself in the film a few times, but I'm still not used to it. That said, I'm fascinated by it and still open minded.

I often will get a headache after watching a 3D film, but I found this movie to be really easy on the eyes. No headache. Total comfort.

One thing I am sure of is that Production Designers, Costume Designers, Make-up FX artists and CG artists really have to step up their game on 48fps projects. A lot of stuff that works for 24fps will clearly not work at 48fps. There were a number of scenes with the CG looked really bad. In some parts though it looked amazing. I also wasn't always believing the sets and costumes. They didn't looked "lived in". It often looked like people wearing costumes on a set.

I still don't know what I think about it, but I can't stop thinking about it all day. It really was a different type of experience than seeing a film at 24fps. I really want to see what different genres look like at 48fps. Especially a film with minimal or no CG.

I plan on seeing The Hobbit again at 48fps.

 

[Mark Andersen]

My 18 year old came home from a screening in HFR, she didn't know it, she has no idea about an of the technical stuff. When I asked her about it she said that the hobbit looked "animated or cartoonish" and she remembered LOTR looking more "real" this is a lay audience members comment on HFR although she didn't realized she was commenting on it.

 

[Brandon J.F.]

My 18 year old came home from a screening in HFR, she didn't know it, she has no idea about an of the technical stuff. When I asked her about it she said that the hobbit looked "animated or cartoonish" and she remembered LOTR looking more "real" this is a lay audience members comment on HFR although she didn't realized she was commenting on it.

Yeah, I talked to someone who saw it who knew nothing about it being 48fps and they said it was the best 3D they have ever seen.

Looks like it's a huge hit at the box office:

FRIDAY 1 PM UPDATE: Sources are telling me that, based on current matinee trends, the opening domestic weekend for 3D The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey from MGM/New Line/Warner Bros is looking bigger than The Lord Of The Rings trilogy and is certain to set a new December all-time record. Today’s take could be $38M-$40M with the weekend $115+M.

My insiders believe it’s very possible for the movie to end this weekend with approximately $200M worldwide

http://www.deadline.com/2012/12/the...dnight-u-s-canada-opening-sets-december-mark/