The Hobbit Film Analysis
analytical Essay
1621 words
Peter Jackson directed three films that is a part of The Hobbit trilogy. The films are called An Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug and There and Back Again. It is an adaption of the 1937 novel by J.R.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Jackson has also directed the prequel of The Hobbit films called the The Lord of the Rings (film series). They filmed both trilogies in New Zealand. The Hobbit series is produced over three consecutive years. On the 14th of December 2012, the first film An Unexpected Journey was released, followed by The Desolation of Smaug on December 2013 and the last film of the series, There and Back Again on 17th of December 2014. The films distributed by Warner Bros. Studios and studios that were used for the films are New Line Cinema, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and WingNut Films. Originally, Peter Jackson wanted to produce only two films, however he later on declared that he will “tell more of the tale”, and thus announced that “two films will become three”. One of the films most important and groundbreaking technology is the use of motion capture. Motion capture technology has the ability to capture more realistic eye movements. Special reflective markers are placed onto the actors, which are wearing tight suits. Cameras recognize these markers and therefore the movements of the actor can be recorded. The captured data that was recorded is transformed into a digital model and transferred to a 3D software which would show the characters moving exactly how the actors did when they were performing for the scene. The data is cleaned up and animators will bring the character to life, with movement, texture, skeleton and muscles. An advantage that is offered in motion capture is it is more rapid and producing the animate... ... middle of paper ... ...tongue, lip and jaw shape and fine control over his nostrils, eyes, brows and throat. With reference to concept art, the models team began sculpting the beast and gave it a skeleton and muscle system. Smaug is centuries old so the texture on him are scars, flaking skin,broken scales and chipped horns. Given Smaug’s eyes glowing effect made it more dramatic and each of his million of scales are unique. David Clayton discussed that “As animators we had to transpose the elements of Benedict’s performance that were critical to the shot, such as head nuances and facial expressions. We then built up the majority of his motion with key frame animation.” There were also some motion captures of Benedict Cumberbatch moving his body like the dragon, however they were not entirely put into the film but instead they were used as references for the Smaug’s body movements.
In this essay, the author
- Explains peter jackson directed three films that are a part of the hobbit trilogy: an unexpected journey, the desolation of smaug, and there and back again.
- Explains that the hobbit series is produced over three consecutive years. the films distributed by warner bros. studios and studios used for the films are new line cinema, metro-goldwyn-mayer and wingnut films
- Explains that motion capture technology can capture more realistic eye movements. the captured data is transformed into a digital model and transferred to 3d software.
- Introduces weta digital, a new zealand-based digital visual effects company responsible for producing and filming motion capture for the hobbit films.
- Explains how movies use motion capture for cg effects and computer-generated creatures, such as gollum, the great goblin, and the three stone-trolls.
- Recommends that artists plan out how the trolls will be encountered through greenscreen stages and motion capture.
- Explains that hadlow, kircher, and hambleton wore motion capture suits to play the three trolls. the scene was performed and then displayed on a live monitor. martin freeman and the dwarf actors used balls on sticks.
- Explains that weta digital's system allows animators and modelers to give the characters skin, fat, and muscle, which is the final creation of the character itself, like almost bringing it to life.
- Explains that motion capture in films brings the character to life on screen at 48 frames per second. however, animators would need to work twice as hard and faster.
- Explains that gollum is a character in the hobbit and the lord of the rings trilogy. andy serkis plays the character since the creation of his fictional character.
- Explains that the current gollum looks more bizarrely human and much more realistic in comparison to his appearance in the lord of rings.
- Describes how andy serkis' acting and motion capture helped writers rewrite gollum's character in the lord of the rings.
- Explains how the filmmakers used motion capture in the film, the wargs. the wolf-like beasts are being ridden by orcs, and peter jackson thought a large german shepherd would be beneficial.
- Explains that motion capture is a real benefit in filming scenes, but the use of traditional and practical effects can also be an advantage.
- Analyzes how peter jackson wanted smaug to be larger than two jumbo jets, and to make him look as realistic as possible. the details are bizarre and benedict cumberbatch's voice is truly a work of art.
- Analyzes how benedict cumberbatch's motion test helped hone in on the speech and how to convincingly animate a dragons facial structure to deliver dialog.
- Explains that the models team began sculpting the beast and gave it a skeleton and muscle system. smaug is centuries old so the texture on him is scars, flaking skin, broken scales and chipped horns.
- Explains that david clayton's animators had to transpose the elements of benedict’s performance that were critical to the shot, such as head nuances and facial expressions, and built up the majority of his motion with key frame animation.
Related
- argumentative
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- opinion
- Animation Film Analysisargumentative essayDavid Clayton discussed that “As animators we had to transpose the elements of Benedict’s performance that were critical to the shot, such as head nuances and facial expressions. We then built up the majority of his motion with key frame animation.” There were also some motion captures of Benedict Cumberbatch moving his body like the dragon, however they were not entirely put into the film but instead they were used as references for the Smaug’s body movements.
In this essay, the author
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- Compares adam elliot's short film 'uncle' to george pal’s ‘philips broadcast of 1938’.
- Opines that walt disney's hand-drawn animations have influenced the world of animation, inspiring many artists to follow and learn their techniques.
- Explains that ‘felix in hollywood’ is a 1923 short film created by otto messmer and produced by pat sullivan studio.
- Explains that george pal, a hungarian-born american animator and film producer, was most well known for his ‘puppetoons’ series in 1940, which led to him being awarded an honorary oscar.
- Explains that don hertzfeldt's ‘billy’s balloon’ is a dark humorous paper and pen film that shows how easily children can be manipulated.
1967 wordsRead More - The Hobbit Book And Movie Analysisanalytical essay“Straight over Gollum’s head he jumped, seven feet forward and three in the air… he only just missed cracking his skull on the low arch of the passage” (Tolkien 87). The book, The Hobbit, and was written by J.R.R. Tolkien. Peter Jackson filmed this famous book and added many special effects to add thrilling action. The book and movie are about the adventures of Bilbo and the dwarves on their way to rediscover the riches of Thror that an evil dragon, Smaug, had taken. They encounter Valley-Elves, trolls, Beorn; half bear, half man; spiders, Wood-Elves, and lastly Smaug. In the chapter, “Riddles in the Dark”, Bilbo comes across Gollum, a small slimy creature, and they play a game of riddles in the tunnels of the Goblin’s underground palace. The
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how peter jackson filmed the hobbit and added special effects to add thrilling action. the movie is more effective than the novel because of jackson's elaborate perspective.
- Analyzes how tolkien wanted gollum to come up with the idea of the game because he wanted him to start the next action in the novel.
- Compares how bilbo jumped over gollum in tolkien's novel, while in the movie, he kicked him while leaping over him.
- Explains that one may believe that the movie being different than the novel isn't effective because they believe the book and movie should be the exact same.
- Analyzes how jackson's movie is more effective because it has more action than the novel. he added the part that bilbo kicks gollum in the head while jumping over him.
901 wordsRead More - Super Metroid Video Game Analysisexplanatory essay...nimation associated with them and are easily recognizable to what action they are performing. Animations flow nicely from frame to frame and have a good sense of fluidity.
In this essay, the author
- Describes 'super metroid' as a two-dimensional side-scrolling action platformer game released for the super nintendo in 1994.
- Explains that 'super metroid' is an action platforming game with a heavy focus on player exploration. the gameplay is very similar to previous titles, but also shares many similarities with games such as zelda ii: the adventure of link for the original nintendo.
- Analyzes how 'super metroid' tries to immerse the player into a very alien world with deep colors and strong contrast. the music works along with the visual style to further enhance the alien feeling.
- Describes the dangers and secrets of the alien world as you prevent space pirates from finishing a dangerous bio-weapon on the planet zebes.
- Opines that 'super metroid' has made a lasting influence as an immersive game with fun combat and rewarding exploration, though the over-all story is lacking.
- Explains that most enemies have a pattern that they repeat with little variation. bosses have larger variety of attacks, and are generally quite engaging and rewarding to fight.
- Opines that the introduction covers the basic plot leading up to the beginning of the game, but most of its story is told in the manual, and character names are never referred to in-game. the story exists only to justify the setting and a goal for the player.
- Opines that the story-telling in 'super metroid' is lackluster, though future installments of the series, such as in "metroid prime", would have improved the world and made the plot shine.
- Explains that section 1.5 covers all environments in the game except the initial research station, which has had its power cut after it was attacked.
- Describes samus aran as a bounty hunter responsible for many heroic missions against the space pirates, including the recovery of the last metroid.
- Explains that the last metroid is a recently hatched larva and only known survivor of the metroid race. it is captured by the space pirates while samus is away.
- Explains that ridley is a commander of the space pirates, responsible for stealing the last metroid from the research facility.
- Explains that missiles deal increased damage and are capable of opening purple doors; each power-up increases maximum missile capacity by 5.
- Explains that samus can lay bombs from morph ball, deal damage, and destroy terrain blocks, allowing progress to new areas.
- Explains that shots can be 'held in' to store additional energy into a single blast; certain enemies will block regular shots, but also has tactical advantages in combat against other opponents.
- Explains that super missiles deal tremendous damage, but fire at a lower rate than regular missiles and are harder to replenish. each power-up increases maximum capacity by 5.
- Explains that jumping will bring samus higher into the air with these equipped; unlocks new areas for exploration and allows increased maneauverability in combat.
- Explains that regular and charge attacks are split into three beams. damage remains the same, but hit range for attacks is increased.
- Explains how norfair provides resistance to heat and reduces damage from all sources.
- Explains that samus will enter into a fast dash that destroys most enemies in its path; while dashing, she is also capable of performing 'shinespark' moves which propel her
- Explains that enemies hit with the ice beam will freeze and be able to be used as a temporary solution.
- Explains the bomb ability, which covers the entire screen, deals tremendous damage, but ammo is rare. power-ups increase capacity by 5.
- Explains samus' ability to shoot out a medium-range beam that will hook her to certain objects.
- Explains that the wave beam allows shots to pass through walls; offers combat advantages along with access to certain areas.
- Explains that the x-ray scope allows samus to reveal power-ups and special tiles hidden amongst regular tiles.
- Opines that being submerged in liquids negates the slowing effects of submersion and further increases damage reduction; allows access to new areas and combat advantages.
- Explains that each jump deals significant damage to enemies and can break certain terrain in its path; significant combat advantages and allows access to new areas.
- Explains that the player can increase their over-all resistance to damage by obtaining the varia suit and gravity suit.
- Opines that the controls feel natural and fluid, though the special ability 'shinesparking' after receiving the speed boost upgrade can be awkward to execute in the desired direction.
- Explains that the user interface in the main game displays the following at the top of the screen:
- Opines that the gameplay interface could be expanded to display the maximum capacity of missiles, supermissile, and power bombs instead of only the current amount. the way that energy is displayed could also be improved.
- Analyzes how the tiles and sprites work together to create a unified visual theme and tie in to the game's music and sound effects to immerse players into the alien world.
- Explains that all actions have a clear animation associated with them and are easily recognizable to what action they are performing. animations flow nicely from frame to frame and have fluidity.
- Explains that area music has an over-all mysterious and alien feel that ties into the theme of the area; dangerous environments have a more foreboding touch, boss themes are appropriately exciting, and escape sequences give an urgency to them.
- Analyzes how all sound effects seem to be appropriate for the action they correspond to, and the mix of alien screeches and with the science-fiction beam-blasts tie into the over-all theme of the game.
- Describes how the bounty hunter samus aran returned to the ceres space station with the unique creature to see if its life-energy harvesting abilities could be used to benefit civilization.
- Explains that 'super metroid' takes place mostly on the planet zebes, an alien planet with dangerous environments and even dangerous creatures.
- Explains that 'super metroid' offers the player a large amount of freedom in how they would like to progress through the game.
- Explains that energy is depleted whenever an enemy deals damage to the player or an environmental hazard is collided with- the damage varies depending on the monster and environment.
- Explains that the player can increase their damage by charging their shot, equipping the plasma beam, and using missiles or super-missions. most enemies will deal different amounts of damage depending on whether they collide with them or are hit by a projectile.
2926 wordsRead More - The Taming Of The Shrew And Twelfth Night-Film Analysisanalytical essayThe first films made after Shakespearean plays used photographs or fixed cameras with the whole body of the actor in order to reproduce performances. The moving camera effect that has been used later in the film industry created problems for
In this essay, the author
- Explains that shakespearean comedies have created relationships with their audiences and not a lot of directors managed to transport them into the cinematic universe.
- Opines that the most important trait of stage-to-film adaptations for tragedies is that history plays suddenly can be put on location.
- Explains that comedies use settings that are somewhere in between interior and exterior for representing certain situations. it is difficult to find cinematic equivalents for codes of place and space used in elizabethan theatre.
- Explains that film, in contrast to theatre, does not deploy frames but uses masks: the screen functions as a window on to "real" world that extends beyond its edges.
- Analyzes how yuri fried's version of twelfth night uses mis-en-scène to recall the patterns and themes of renaissance paintings. the dècor is an important trait when it comes to adapting shakespeare and has created problems for directors.
- Explains that the first films made after shakespearean plays used photographs or fixed cameras with the whole body of the actor in order to reproduce performances.
- Argues that the camera's ability to approach the subject for revealing close-up may serve to psychologize characters whose being in the theatre may be primarily ontological.
- Explains that in most films actors try to reach their audiences by pretending they are not there, but in shakespearean comedies in theatres actors depend on the audience to see the differences between themselves and their roles.
- Opines that shakespeare's love has been the topic of various plays, but the idea of being in love, or even falling, has become too serious to be treated as a negotiation.
- Explains that early and silent films of shakespearean comedies had a theatricalised language of gesture that derived from victorian melodrama: its persistence in the new medium of the talkies and its incongruity with both verbal subtleties of
- Explains that the cinema appropriated the styles of theatre and the conventions of melodrama and this has been shown in the acting in early movie versions of comedies.
- Explains that most directors chose to set their movies in a period between shakespeare and the modern ages as they were afraid of giving an inappropriate resonance. the value of the films depends on how close it is to the original work and matches the "metathreatricality that is so prominent in shakespeares comic texts."
714 wordsRead More - Movies Are Phenomenalcomparative essayMost movies today contain a bit of CGI (Computer Generated Images) to create effects such as magic, explosio...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that movies are put into a process that all movies go into, some take longer than others and end up more worthwhile in the end.
- Explains that after the director and producer sign onto the project, the next job is the hiring of the plot writers. the director approves or disapproves what they write and make them make the necessary changes.
- Explains that most movies today contain a bit of cgi (computer generated images) to create effects such as magic, explosions, dinosaurs and background.
- Explains that trailers or pictures are misleading and people can easily guess the plot of the movie if they put too much into them. before release, it takes weeks to get rid of bad sounds, weak links, and other unnecessary parts to shorten the film.
- Explains that warner bros may consider doing a follow-up to the film if the movie has produced enough money to allow it.
- Concludes that movies have a "life cycle" as they go from hiring the directors to final revisions of the movie to the release.
629 wordsRead More - John R. Tolkien's Accomplishmentsexplanatory essayWhile in the hospital, he started to write down Middle Earth’s mythology. The Hobbit was finally published in 1937, this was a prequel to the famous The Lord of The Rings trilogy. Since it was very well liked, Tolkien began to work on his next piece, the first book the trilogy, Fellowship of The Ring. This sequel was published in 1954 after meticulous review. He worked on this for 17 long years, and was often impeded by his duties as air raid warden and university matters. He would eventually become the Merton Professor of Literature and English Language at Oxford, the school he attended in his earlier
In this essay, the author
- Explains that john r.r. tolkien was born on january 3, 1892. he was 4 years old when his father died from complications of rheumatic fever. his time in the british army inspired two of his most famous works.
- Explains that tolkien met his future wife, edith, when he was 16, but ended up with her in 1916. he was reluctant to enlist in the army, and expressed it in a letter to his wife.
- Explains that tanks shaped tolkien's ideas for his fantastical dragons that were both machine and creature. he used the grim world around him as a guide for creating some of his characters.
- Narrates how tolkien began writing middle earth's mythology while in the hospital. the hobbit was a prequel to the lord of the rings trilogy.
- Explains that tolkien enjoyed creating languages and using them in his books. he also enjoyed writing short stories and letters from father christmas.
479 wordsRead More - History of Computer Animationargumentative essayBorn in 1951 in Illinois, Tippett has had a lifelong fascination with the art of animation. During his childhood he was fascinated by films such as King Kong and Jason and the Argonauts. He was fascinated by the surreal images in these movies and wanted to know how they were achieved. He went to his local library to research the subject and discovered the principles of stop motion. One of his favourite childhood hobbies was to make stop motion films with his father’s old movie camera. Tippett had been a lifelong devotee of stop motion as practiced by masters like Willis O’Brien in King Kong (1933) and Ray Harryhausen in The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958) and Jason and the Argonauts (1963). Stop motion was, and still is an intricate, painstaking art in which animators pose and photograph miniature figures frame by frame. He wasn’t alone. “Just about every top animator or effects man today has favorite Harryhausen figurines, such as the part-rhino, part-centaur Cyclops, the serpent woman, and the two-headed Roc bird from Sinbad; or, from Jason, the harpies that are a cross between gargoyles and pterodactyls, and the seven-headed Hydra and its spawn” (ILM). In traditional stop motion (still practiced by Henry Selick in marvels like The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach), the camera records a series of subtly different poses rather than actual shifting, so the resulting flow of images is inherently surreal -- ultra-sharp and jerky.
In this essay, the author
- Describes phil tippett as one of the greatest animators of all time, starting with the age-old techniques of stop-motion and then moving on to the technical computer generated wizardry of today.
- Explains tippett's fascination with the art of animation. he was fascinated by the surreal images in films like king kong and jason and the argonauts.
- Explains that tippett was hired to do the animation work for the film, jurassic park, and was about to embark on a journey that would forever change his work.
- Analyzes how tippett was physically debilitated when spielberg decided to work primarily with computers on jurassic park. he fought to keep movie art in the computer age honest, messy, and true.
- Explains how tippett's "dinosaur supervisor" schooled animators in animal motion and behavior, and encouraged them to prepare to "play" dinosaurs as actors would.
- Explains how tippett turned computer animators into fans of the spikes and hiccups that would show up on their dinosaur read-outs.
- Describes how tippett's close associate craig hayes developed the dinosaur input device (did), which is basically a skeletal puppet rigged with electronic sensors.
- Opines that tippett believes that the computer doesn't like to do anything that's really good. he prefers people who have some experience working in the real world.
- Explains how jurassic park and its like brought forth a whole new way of dealing with special effects in films.
- Compares the digital boom to the emergence of color television.
- Explains that tippett thought that digital technology would be the end of him, but he adapted and applied his wealth of knowledge and is now again at the forefront of his field.
1772 wordsRead More - Redefining Animation Methods: From the Past to the Futureexplanatory essayThere is a huge industry dedicated to animation and creating entertainment like movies, cartoons, video games, and educational software to deliver a message, tell a story, and/or educate the masses. Animation is the process of creating a continuous motion and shape change illusion by means of the rapid display of a sequence of static images that minimally differ from each other. Anyone who as ever turned on a television, gone to the movies, seen a commercial has been exposed to an animation style at some point. Some love animation and some are not so interested in it, but regardless it is a booming business that started out simply and is evolving at a rapid pace. Animation today is very advanced and it is amazing what goes into putting things into action, especially when it comes to current animated features and video games. Creators have been able to make fictional characters appear as if they are real and have extraordinary detail, take three-dimensional animation for example. With some 3-D animations it is hard to differentiate if it is indeed an animation or a film with real actors. Scenery can be just as detailed as its real counterparts and characters, although still cartoon-like, have very realistic detail from facial muscle movement to pigment in their skin and eyes. There are some two dimensional works that are exceptional as well. Many are created by drawing out each individual scene and combine in sequence. One can see that 2-D animation today has seamless transitions, compared to jagged transitions exhibited seen in earlier animations. This is due to the thriving technology that animators have at their disposal. From black and white, flat and jagged with poor audio quality to vivid colors, three dimensional...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that animation is the process of creating a continuous motion and shape change illusion by means of the rapid display of static images that minimally differ from each other.
- Opines that research is important for people who want to enter the animation business and bring something new and innovative to the field.
- Describes freedman, y. (2012). is it real...or i'm it motion capture?
- Describes geoff marslett's interview with swerve pictures.
- Explains that the main theme of research on animation is animation styles and techniques that have been used with creating old movies, short cartoons, and more current movies.
950 wordsRead More - The Hobbit: Book Vs Movieopinion essayI would split The Hobbit into multiple films because I want every detail from the story to be in the movie. I believe that taking only main events from the book and fitting it into a 2 hour film would make it choppy and uninteresting. The Hobbit is an amazing book and it deserves more than one film. (And because one film means less or no scenes for Frodo, Elrond and Thranduil)...... C:
In this essay, the author
- Opines that they would split the hobbit into multiple films because they want every detail from the story to be in the movie.
73 wordsRead More - Analyzing J. R. Tolkien's Faerie Storyanalytical essayStar Wars especially the original trilogy consisting of “A New Hope,” “The Empire Strikes Back,” and “Return of the Jedi,” follow many of the characteristics that Tolkien set out to describe in his essay “On Fairy Stories.” And while the movie is technically an anthology comprising of six films, it is split into two separate parts both of which contain a story. Therefore the original trilogy should not be seen as three separate parts but as a one story. J.R.R. Tolkien creates a backstory, a myth of creation, for the world we live in today-Arda- a world that still holds enchantment for those who want to peel behind the veil that is the primary world and reignite the bond that was once shared between man and nature. George Lucas, an amazing storyteller and visionary in his time, followed the path of Tolkien, but instead of writing a creation myth for our world, created multiple worlds with hundreds of different inhabitants, all which happens “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how tolkien's essay, "on fairy stories," distinguishes the genre of fairy stories from other genres such as "traveller’s tales," science fiction, beast stories, and dream stories.
- Explains that tolkien believes that a faerie story must survey the depths of time and space and hold communion with other living beings.
- Argues that star wars and its place in fairy stories should be revisited before we go further into the rabbit hole that is tolkien’s faerie stories.
- Analyzes how lucas fuses westerns, science fiction, and samurai films to create the galaxy's landscapes and characters.
- Explains that tolkien in "on fairy stories" said that he did not consider tales of science fiction to be fairy stories. star wars is in its purest form, set in a far off land.
- Opines that the medium of film allows lucas to build a bridge that facilitates our primary world to the secondary world that lucas creates.
- Explains that fairy stories hold three inherent functions, which are recovery, escape, and consolation. they offer a sort of escape or release from the shackles of oppression.
- Explains that there is a strong connection between escape and consolation. the eucatastrophe of all fairy tales must occur when the hour seems bleak.
1925 wordsRead More