The Swedish Hobbit Blogger writes: I read an article in the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet. the article was an interview with Peter Jackson and Andy Serkis in which they were asked what their opinions on the performance of Mikael Persbrandt had been so far. Roughly translated Peter Jackson said that “He has been amazing.” and that they will do more scenes when the current break is over. Serkis opinion, who also said that he; thus far, have only directed Persbrandt in was scene, was that the Swedish actor “Is Impressive.” Here is a link leading to the article I’m referring to.
So what, you may ask, could be better than having the screen caps of PJ’s production diary #2 below to ponder over to your heart’s content? Having the screen caps *and* a transcript of the entire thing! Thanks to discussion board member RoseCotton for doing an awesome job of transcribing the dialogue and for sharing it with us! [Read the Transcript]
The Rise of the Planet of the Apes, with its photoreal visual effects, is sure to be a major factor in this year’s visual effects Oscar race. The bigger awards question surrounding the film, which 20th Century Fox will release Aug. 5, is whether Andy Serkis, the actor who portrays the ape Caesar, will be considered a contender for an acting nomination. That honor eluded him ten years ago when he played the tragic creature Gollum in The Lord of the Rings. That role, however, did launch an ongoing Hollywood debate about how much an actor contributes to CG characters who are created through performance capture. WETA Digital, the Wellington, N.Z.-based VFX company behind both Rings and Apes, has always maintained that the actor drives the performance of its CG creations. “Performance capture (is) really (designed) to give you the actors’ moment–the spontaneity, the thought, the insight that really comes from an actor who really truly understands his role,” says WETA’s four-time Oscar winning VFX supervisor Joe Letteri. More..
The wait is over! A second production video was just posted on Peter Jackson’s Facebook page. This one provides lots of goodies including Andy Serkis in his mo-cap suit as Gollum as well as glimpses of Bilbo, Elrond, some mysterious indoor sets and more of the gorgeous New Zealand countryside. Can you guess where the various shots and locations will show up in the movies? Let us know in your comments below, in Barliman’s chat or on our message boards. To view the video, go here.
Thanks to the many Ringers who sent in the news that Andy Serkis (Gollum and the 2nd Unit Director on The Hobbit) did a brief interview on BBC Radio 5. In the audio only discussion, Andy talks about how the production is being accomplished in large blocks, and currently they are on a bit of a hiatus. For the full interview, jump on over to the BBC website for a listen! [BBC]
On this episode of Hobbit in 5 we discuss Rob Kazinsky’s departure from The Hobbit, Ted Nasmith, illustrator of J. R. R. Tolkien’s works, AMC theaters screening of the Lord of The Rings extended edition, Hugo Weaving recently spotted in Wellington, Peter Jackson’s Easter break message, and this weeks character study is Gollum!