Are you sick of new Hobbit photos yet? Of course you’re not!

So here are yet more photos from The Hobbit app. In this set, there are some amazing interior shots that show Bag End in luscious detail, as well as photos of the area around Hobbiton. So much green grass! Plus there’s a couple more portrait shots, including more Hot Dwarf action! Go check out the full gallery below! SPOILERS!

And if you haven’t already, you can grab the app here! (warning: requires itunes)

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Tom Scott from dominion-post: A Hobbit movie set discreetly hidden in the Maupuia bush will remain for up to 16 extra months and walkers may be able to get close enough to check it out. The site which was used to film scenes of the town of Dalewas due to come down on August 31 but the Wellington City Council recently approved another resource consent. This consent means the set will remain until December 31, 2013.

This means it will be used for the making of Desolation of Smaug which — if the title is a reliable clue — will deal with the dragon Smaug. The site is privately owned, but walking tracks in the area are open at the owner’s discretion and glimpses of the site ”may be possible” from sites in Evans Bay and Roseneath.  Potential spoiler warning

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Since the Hobbit film trilogy began shooting principal photography 18 months ago, the production has played its very cards close to its chest, and Stone Street Studios has proved more leak-proof than the White House.

In light of this, speculation on the films — whether pertaining to structure or content — has the hallmark of paleolithic archaeology: not only are large inferences having to be made from an extremely small amount of evidence, but the legitimacy and relevance of the evidence itself is by no means certain.

With all this in mind, I’ll try and draw some tentative conclusions about the trilogy’s plot and structure — with particular attention to any evidence of departures from the book — from what we understand to be official biographical notes that will accompany the character figurines from The Hobbit.

While it is impossible to confirm that the descriptive information released with these figurines accurately reflects the film-makers vision, they are detailed and idiosyncratic enough to suggest there is a high degree of alignment.

Note that some of the biographies (Kili, Fili, Gloin and Dwalin, for example) are left out here. Where this occurs this is because, in my view, they offered no insight on the trilogy plot, structure, or departures from the source material. And if spoilers and speculation aren’t your thing, best to stop reading now. Continue reading “Playing Sherlock: a few Hobbit plot deductions from the figurine character biographies”

For JRR Tolkien, languages evolved at least in part in reaction to the history of their speakers. Looking at recent photos and screenshots of the cities of Dale and Esgaroth, I was struck by the thought that for Peter Jackson’s design team, Middle-earth history could exert a similar effect on architecture.

Curious how the architectural set design choices for the Hobbit might reflect the history of these two cities, I asked Barliman’s chat regular and archaeologist Jenniearcheo to provide a few professional insights on some of the set images that have found their way onto the internet.

This brief essay is the result. We hope you enjoy it.

Warning: SPOILERS.

Continue reading “Dale and Laketown: the tale of two cities”

Peter Jackson and company swooped into Comic-Con and unleashed some footage for the ravenous fans there but now he has unleashed Vlog #8 from his Facebook page full of spoilers, Comic-Con footage, John Howe, lots of actors saying hi and a little nostalgia from the crew. If you can stand a view of stone giants, Beorn’s house, Andy Serkis jamming on a sax and an absurd amount of “Hobbit” stuff, it is a must watch. The film hasn’t been released yet and already producer Michael Pellerin and his crew of behind-the-scenes people are making us nostalgic for it! And, sure sounded like Jackson reads TheOneRing. Find it on his Facebook page or watch it below: