Award Winning Weta Digital Ramps Up For AVATAR Sequels

6 Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects. 10 Academy Science and Technology Awards. 6 BAFTA Awards for Best Special Visual Effects. 6 VES Awards for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature.

Yep. Weta Digital knows what they are doing. Peter Jackson's sandbox builds amazing things and now they are ramping up for James Cameron's AVATAR sequels. With over ~$1 billion in production budget for AVATAR and the immense success that Cameron's films enjoy, obviously, his 4 sequels will command the best in the world at what they do. Enter Weta Digital.

Says Cameron: "What Joe Letteri and Weta Digital bring to these stories is impossible to quantify. Since we made Avatar, Weta continued to prove themselves as doing the best CG animation, the most human, the most alive, the most photo-realistic effects in the world. And of course, that now means I can push them to take it even further."

Can you imagine what surprises Cameron and Weta Digital have in store for us in these movies? A lot of time has passed. A LOT. Technology has improved by leaps and bounds. I can't wait to see what these guys have built and are building.

Source: Deadline

New FANTASTIC FOUR Trailer Opens New Dimensions

Ok - this trailer opens the door wider for me for these characters and the story. Dimensional travel definitely pulls me in if they can realistically pull off the concepts well enough. Of note is that Weta Digital, OTOY and Moving Picture Company are doing the VFX. Weta Digital EXCELS at creature effects. One would assume that they each traveled to different dimensions to attain their radically different abilities so therefore we are probably in line to see at least 4 different environments - maybe a fifth as it appears Doctor Doom is arriving from one them as well - a plane of hell perhaps?

Director Josh Trank (CHRONICLE) tells my buddy Steve at Collider:
“We’re definitely imagining the story in 3D as we’re making it, and it has powers that are well-suited to telling the story in 3D—not just Reed, but you have somebody that is on fire, and that’s something that can be immersive and scary. The reason to use 3D in this Fantastic Four, I think, is to make the experience feel as immersive as possible, where you feel like you’re with the characters looking at themselves and looking at each other with these bizarre powers and feeling like they’re really interacting with you.”

Having this sort of basis for the movie solves a lot of issues I have had with past attempts, but again Fox needs to deliver.

Here's the storyline for the movie:
FANTASTIC FOUR, a contemporary re-imagining of Marvel’s original and longest-running superhero team, centers on four young outsiders who teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe, which alters their physical form in shocking ways. Their lives irrevocably upended, the team must learn to harness their daunting new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy.

FANTASTIC FOUR opens in theaters on August 7.

Quote: Collider

THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES Theatrical Trailer is Here!

Tim here, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Theatrical Trailer is finally here! YAY! I've put it above so you can watch it front and center. It's so dark and so intense. This isn't the children's story the book was originally anymore. This film will definitely lead into The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The emotional stakes are high.

My first thoughts are: WOW! Peter Jackson will make his last journey into Middle-Earth an epic one. And it's going to look so good in Native Stereoscopic 3D and High Frame Rates shot on 3ality Technica rigs. About one month to go until this movie is unleashed upon the world, and the anticipation is so great. This trailer gives us only glimpses of what to expect. I plan on being thoroughly surprised by his vision.

The release of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies arrives in theaters December 17^th, 2014 in IMAX 3D, RealD 3D, HFR 3D.

HOBBIT: DESOLATION OF SMAUG LIVE EVENT

Hey all, Tim here with some thoughts on what I got to see today from THE HOBBIT: DESOLATION OF SMAUG Live Event Preview that happened at 3 PM EST. The Live Event was hosted by Peter Jackson for about an hour, and it included some a sneak peek of the film plus some behind the scenes. For those of you who were unable to catch the event it will was recorded and will be rebroadcast for you to watch at your own leisure starting March 27^th and will be available until May 24^th as the fine text says "Content may not be available after 5/24/13."

What did we see? Well in case there are those of you out there who want to remain spoiler free I will put the spoilerish stuff up in a block that you'll have to highlight in order to read. However, for the non-spoilerish stuff here are my thoughts and some interesting information divulged in during the event:
It started with Peter Jackson and James Nesbitt giving a tour of their post-production facility, including the mo-cap room, editing rooms, and the concept art on the walls. Jackson took questions sent in ahead of time via Twitter, with some video questions that were required to be submitted by March 19^th, and answered some live questions coming off Twitter. A lot of Behind the Scenes footage was shown from the film, and with that some incomplete shots right out of the editing room. These shots gave us our first looks at some new characters in the film including Luke Evans (Bard), Evangeline Lilly (Tauriel), Stephen Fry (Master of Laketown), and the returning character Legolas played by Orlando Bloom. There was also a special guest appearance by Stephen Colbert, who asked Peter a question regarding the movie. Peter in return had a question for him. Jackson showed a bit of the editing process by showing multiple takes of Martin Freeman (Bilbo) delivering a line. He showed which takes they chose in an edited sequence, which included a neat intro to Bard.
Now for the spoiler stuff. Highlight the white block below to read:

SPOILERS... There was a full scene shown between Gandalf (Ian McKellan) and Radagast (Sylvester McCoy) where they investigate the tombs of Dol Godur. It starts with Gandalf investigating by himself and then jumping at the appearance of Radagast. They converse for a bit as we see the expense of the tombs. This would have been a scene in the first movie before it was moved to the second with the decision to have three movies.

Some of the BTS footage that showed possible spoiler stuff was exchanges between Legolas and his father Thanduil (Lee Pace), Tauriel and Legolas fighting orcs, the barrel riding scenes, Bard running around Laketown, etc. There was a lot of footage that went by fast and require a second watching. However, Laketown and the Elven Kingdom of Mirkwood should be great sets. We also saw a small bit of Bilbo in the Lonely Mountain wading through mounds of gold... but no Smaug.

END SPOILERS. Breath easy, and relax. Jackson revealed that we can expect a trailer in the Summer. I know that seems so far away, but it's so that they can complete effects shots.

And that was the special live event preview held by Jackson and team. If you didn't get a chance to see it, and aren't afraid of spoilers, I suggest you check it out when it hits the public web on the 27^th. THE HOBBIT: DESOLATION OF SMAUG hits theaters December 13, 2013!

Three Great BTS Videos of THE HOBBIT Visual Effects!

Hey all, Tim here, and I came upon an article written for the LA Times Hero Complex that has an interview with THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY visual effects supervisor Joe Letteri. I've embedded the videos below, but you can also view them along with reading the full interview here.

The interview may be familiar to MarketSaw readers, but the videos are amazing. They show great behind the scenes processes used by WETA Digital to bring the amazing digital characters in THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY to life. It's a task just bringing Gollum to life, but to also have to bring the Goblin King and Azog to life along with all the other digital characters is an amazing feat for one film. A job well done.

It should be noted that besides being nominated for their visual effects work on THE HOBBIT: AUJ, WETA is also nominated for their contributions to Prometheus and The Avengers, however AUJ is the only one that had all the work done in one place... at WETA. WETA's work on THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY is my pick for Best Visual Effects at the Academy Awards for this last year.
 

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY is still in theaters in 2D, 3D, IMAX 3D, and HFR 3D. It's on route to make $1 Billion at the worldwide box office. If you haven't had the opportunity to check it out yet, there's no better time than now.

Hobbit Featurette: The Making Of The Trolls And The Giant Cavern Of The Goblin King! Friday Numbers Are In!

Take a look at this very cool featurette of how Peter Jackson's creative geniuses have crafted the very realistic trolls and Goblin King Caverns in THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY.

I thought the scenes mentioned in this featurette were among the best of the movie and certainly bears the time it takes to watch this thing.

My review of THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY is coming later today (Sunday) so stay tuned.

World wide reaction to the movie has been amazingly good: Friday totals are in at $37.5 million pointing at a $100 million weekend - easily a new record. A $200 million worldwide tally is certainly possible as well by Monday morning!

So here's the featurette! Enjoy!!

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey TV-Spot #13 & "Misty Mountains" Song

Tim here, and if you're like me you're sick of seeing short clips and TV spots for THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY and just want to see the whole thing. Well in less than 2 days you'll be able to. In the meantime you can enjoy another TV spot. This one is filled with great new shots, at least. And it has a few descriptive words to express our visually great it is. THE HOBBIT'S Facebook page calls this one #13:

Plus you can enjoy a clip of the Dwarves singing "Misty Mountains" in full 1080 HD! I get chills watching this. Can't wait to see it on the big screen in 3D and HFR.

Get ready for some great filmmaking in stereoscopic 3D at 48 frames per second! THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY hits this Friday, December 14^th, with advanced screenings tomorrow and midnight showings.

MUST WATCH: New Production Video From Peter Jackson For THE HOBBIT - Post Production!!

Well here's another must watch production video from Peter Jackson for THE HOBBIT. Needless to say when these things drop, it's something you ignore everything else for and enjoy.

This video is all about the post production mayhem that Jackson and his team is going through to get THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY ready for us in December.

Here's the movie's storyline:
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY follows title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain, first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever… Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities… A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY opens on December 14.

Hit the jump to watch the production video...

New Hobbit Poster Shows Bolg Son of Azog, Plus Maps & More Collectables

Tim here with an update from Middle-Earth. A new poster for The Hobbit has been released and it shows the major characters in action poses.

One of the most prominent figures however is a major antagonist in The Hobbit book and movies, Bolg son of Azog. This is confirmed by the Bridge Direct action figures that have been released.

These lead to the connections of the Goblin Wars that will likely be shown in the movies as opposed to referred to as they are in the book: "...they had a special grudge against Thorin's people, because of the war which you have heard mentioned, but which does not come into this tale..." This text from The Hobbit was Tolkien's way of referencing those Goblin Wars, which he mentioned earlier in the text naming Azog and what transpired at the battle for Moria. However, this battle and the events surrounding it are detailed in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. This is likely what Jackson and team have expanded upon and show in the movies to give more depth and drive behind the Battle of the Five Armies, which will be shown in full in the third movie. Bolg, of course, is central to that battle. It's likely he'll be introduced in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and given a more prominent role to make him a more substantial antagonist.

In fact this could mean that we'll get to see the Goblin Wars in the first movie when Thorin and Gandalf tell Bilbo about the events. In addition WETA Workshop has released their The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey range of collectables, which include: Thorin's Map of the Lonely Mountain, a Floor Plan of Bag End, the Key to Erebor, and as well the Dwarves' weaponry replicas and more. Some exciting items here for the fans to hoard. I like the Floor Plan for Bag End because it really shows that we haven't explored that wondrous Hobbit hole enough.

We're two months away from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey hitting theaters. If your calendar isn't already marked, then you had better mark December 14^th as the date. In many countries at least as some get it as early as the 12^th. Go to the IMDB release info page to find when it's released in your country. Until then expect some more Hobbity goodness here on MarketSaw.  

Oh and check out the new "Riddles in the Dark" over at Warner Bros! Very cool...

Hobbit Trailer #2 Released!

Hey all, Tim here with the exciting and enthralling new trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. It's a pleasure to see the world of Middle Earth come to life again. Below is the trailer, and following is a quick, hopefully non-spoilerish, sum up.

IN ADDITION: The Hobbit's official website has four additional ending scenes for you to choose! There is some great marketing being done with these movies.

First thoughts are that there will be plenty of humor and action in this first installment of the trilogy. You get a better sense of the plot in this trailer as well. Martin Freeman seems to nail Bilbo, and the exchange between him and Gollum in the trailer is classic. Hands down this will be a serious contender at the Oscars for visual effects, but could Sir Ian McKellan be up for another Oscar nomination as well? I think the Gandalf ending has enough humor and Gandalf goodness to suggest the chances for another nomination.

More discussion can follow in the comments below. For now enjoy the trailer. You can download in Quicktime from Apple here.

The Hobbit iOS App Released + Hints at Trailer #2

Tim here, with an update from Peter Jackson's The Hobbit. Yesterday they released a new App for iOS devices, and it is really cool. You can preview and follow a link to iTunes here.

App Store Description:
Explore Middle-Earth and experience the epic adventure of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey with the official iOS app. Learn about Bilbo Baggins’ quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor and the band of thirteen dwarves that join him and Gandalf the Grey as they embark across the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain through exclusive artwork, interactive character galleries, and production videos presented by director Peter Jackson.

View a selection of animated character portraits, travel through a detailed map of Middle-earth and explore the stunning narrative imagery of “The Scroll” artwork to immerse yourself in the world of Hobbits, Dwarves, Elves, Orcs, deadly Wargs, giant Spiders and fearsome Dragons.

Features included in the app:

Interactive Map of Middle-Earth

360º views of scenic locations and settings

“The Scroll”, a narrative art piece

Animated lenticular character portraits

Peter Jackson’s Production Journals

Character image galleries and bios

Downloads for iPad, iPhone, and Facebook

Social integration with Facebook and Twitter

It's so amazing you have to play with it yourself to fully experience it. What's interesting is that as I'm writing a post about CSS3 and HTML5 this app comes out. The first thing you see is an animation of Gandalf with leaves falling in front of and behind him. This must have been done using CSS3. It would look amazing in stereo 3D!

In addition, based on the photo that The Hobbit Facebook page posted that I've included on the left: Hobbit Trailer #2 is only two weeks away! This is speculation and rumor, however we've known for a while that the next trailer was supposed to be coming at the beginning of fall, possibly in September. Hobbit Day is actually the birthday (September 22) of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, although in different years. Here's hoping that this photo is hinting at that glorious new trailer we've all been waiting for as a birthday gift to Bilbo and Frodo... my precious.

Go download the app and play with it. And look out for The Hobbit trailer that's supposed to come out this month. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey hits theaters December 14, 2012.

PROMETHEUS Review! Spoiler Free - 9 Stars!! The Best 3D I Have Ever Witnessed!

Click to enlarge

This review is SPOILER FREE. However, the comments section is fair game and you can expect spoilers in there - so be warned!

Ridley Scott has delivered again. He visionary take on science fiction in PROMETHEUS had me thinking about science like a child again. It takes magic to pull that off on an adult and I like to think of myself as one now and then! The movie is so good it will trigger your own deep thoughts and for that reason alone it deserves 9 stars.

PROMETHEUS was shot in native 3D with 3ality Technica 3D rigs housing Red Epic digital cameras and the results were extraordinary! See it for yourself. These technology companies are at the top of their game and the quality of this theatrical product is simply BEYOND. And with digital theatrical screenings you will have artifact and dust free exhibitions each and every time.

The trademark darkness of the ALIEN franchise was NOT an issue in 3D - not in the way Ridley Scott shot it. They shot with higher light levels and then dialed in the darkness when and where they wanted it in post-production, walking hand in hand with the stereoscopic 3D. Heck, even Roger Ebert liked the movie AND the 3D!

PROMETHEUS has the best 3D I have EVER seen in the theater. You can take that to the bank folks. I recommend the largest screen you can possibly see it on and SEE IT IN 3D.

You may read other reviews on other movie sites that were disappointed in the movie - for what, I have no, strike that, I have ABSOLUTELY no idea why. Seriously, if we didn't live in a free world where it is ok to have your own opinion, they should be summarily drummed out of the Internet. But alas, some critics can voice their opinion with little or no basis to back it up. If a movie leaves you thinking about it after you leave - and ESPECIALLY if you're thinking about it the next day, it has done it's job well. PROMETHEUS is that movie.

PROMETHEUS is VISUALLY STUNNING. Easily the best of the year thus far for pure visuals. Ridley Scott and cinematographer Dariusz Wolski tag teamed to conceive, shoot and edit together breathtaking visuals that will leave you wanting to see it again and again just to relive it.

Click to enlarge

And let me say a word about the sheer brilliance exhibited by the visual effects teams led by Moving Picture Company and Weta Digital. SPECTACULAR!!!!!!! I need more exclamation points. Seriously I FELT like an android myself discovering things for the first time. To have a movie rekindle emotions like that  - that haven't been moved since AVATAR, hats off to all the visual effects artists that contributed to this event movie. Your names are now forever connected to the movie in infamy.

I can't discuss the individual points of my review here as I normally do as they would include spoilers but feel free to ask anything you like in the comments!

Why not 10 out of 10? Well, it has to be perfect to get that score and I have yet to see a movie that deserves it. PROMETHEUS has some issues but nothing to remotely consider panning the film. The characters should have been explored for another 15 minutes or so before seeing action - kinda like the original ALIEN. Michael Fassbender's David did however, enjoy some great development and he really carried the movie as far as the actor's performances are concerned.

I saw the movie in IMAX 3D at Empire Theatres. Thank you for the exceptional screening Empire! I will also be checking it out in RealD 3D as well asap. PROMETHEUS is now playing in North America - if you only see one sci-fi movie this year, treat yourself and go see it!