Following the excitement of Warner Bros.’ release of several photos of the dwarves (Nori, Ori, Dori, Oin, and Gloin), Peter Jackson has uploaded a second Hobbit production video on his Facebook page (the first was released several months ago).
The video, which is ten minutes in length, was taped upon completion of the first block of filming, and offers viewers a glimpse of some of the actors shooting their scenes, as well as Andy Serkis, who is directing parts of The Hobbit films, conversing with Peter Jackson about the pressure they face in directing the films.
“I always tell people I get exhausted at the end of the first couple of days and just stay exhausted until it finishes,” Jackson tells Serkis, which is why he has broken filming, which is set to span 254 days, into three blocks. “I think it’s a much better way to divide it into three blocks and have some time to look at what you’ve done… it’s a much smarter way to shoot these big films.”
The remainder of the video focuses on Peter Jackson and his team while they scout out potential locations for the films, as the second block of filming will include a great deal of on-location work. They have already chosen several areas in Mackenzie Country and Mt. Cook, and have also decided that they would like to film in Dunedin. In addition, they are looking for a suitable location south of Queenstown.
Some of the problems involved with scouting out the location involve the amount of space needed, in addition to the location being an appropriate place for filming.
“It’s weird on locations because you’re standing in the middle of a mountain or valley or some beautiful place and you’re having to try to figure out where are you going to put the crew tents, where are people going to get changed and where are the portaloos going to go – because all of that stuff has to be where you’re not going to want to point the camera,” Jackson says.
“The last thing you want to find out in six months time is you’re standing on this beautiful mountain and saying, ‘Wow this is exactly the shot I want to do’ and you’ve got 20 portaloos in front of the camera.”
Cast and crew members are expected to return on September 5th to begin filming block two.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be in theaters on December 14, 2012, with The Hobbit: There and Back Again arriving on December 13, 2013.
