I was fortunate enough to see and experience 17 minutes of footage from The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey. The Hobbit at 48 frames per second was shown at the recent New Zealand Movie Convention. This was the same footage as shown at this year’s Cinema Con Convention at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. The footage was presented in 3D and followed with the same footage in 3D filmed at 24 frames per second.
I must say the 48 frames per second was mind blowing and whilst it takes your eyes a few minutes to adjust, to see what we saw on screen was just absolutely unbelievable.
Prior to the presentation Peter Jackson pre-recorded a message and had mentioned that he hoped The Hobbit movie can be played in 48fps in “as many cinemas as possible” when it opens on December 14. The Hobbit movie is the first major motion picture to be made at the higher frame rate and will be the first of many to come.
Frame Rates
Frame rate refers to the number of images displayed by a projector within one second. The cinema standard has been 24fps for many decades. Peter Jackson explained that in the early days of film, silent pictures were shown at an even lower frame rate- reducing the amount of film used, but it was bumped to 24 to support sound requirements. Jackson asserted that with digital, there’s no reason to stay with 24, noting that higher frame rates can result in smoother, more lifelike pictures while producing fewer motion artifacts. (source: The Hollywood Reporter)
I would really appreciate any feedback if you have been one of the “lucky ones”, to have experienced this footage at Cinema Con, ICAA or NZMPIC… Did you enjoy it? If not – why?
There were some who criticised the 48fps at the Cinema Con Convention. Peter Jackson’s response? Deal with it!
I’m sure this is just the first in a new wave of motion pictures to be filmed in 48fps.