DIRECTOR Peter Jackson has unveiled 10 minutes of footage of The Hobbit to a mixed reaction at the CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas.
The prequel to his Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings trilogy, starring British actor Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, is due out in cinemas in December.
The new film has been shot at a rate of 48 frames per second, compared with the industry standard of 24 frames.
However some attendees claimed the scenes looked like low-budget TV. In a video introduction, Jackson told the audience that using 48 frames per second produced a smoother image. “The movement feels more real - it’s much gentler on the eyes,” he said.
The footage included scenes featuring Bilbo Baggins lost in Gollum’s cave, trolls engaged in battle and Sir Ian McKellen and Orlando Bloom reprising their roles as Gandalf and Legolas.
Jackson said the new approach would take time to adjust to and some attendees agreed, branding the footage as a failure in digital technology. Sir Ian McKellen in The Hobbit Sir Ian McKellen reprises his role as Gandalf. The Los Angeles Times said the footage was “hyper-realistic”: “An opening aerial shot of dramatic rocky mountains appeared clearer than the images in most nature documentaries. –BBC