The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

[Jokes & Bats]

I'm watching the EE making of appendices for the first two films and....green screen CGI....green screen CGI everywhere...


Loved the goblin animatronic faces which Richard Taylor states were "finished only an hour ago" after his crew "worked all night to get them ready".
After the first shot, all the actors were too hot so they ditched them and went for hats with tennis balls on and filmed everything again.
Peter Jackson then said he was able to enhance the scene in post-production by adding more CGI goblins. Then he said that he decided to replace the live actors with even more CGI goblins to make it more "dynamic".

The biggest transformation I saw was Peter Jackson turning very quickly, into George Lucas. My precious CGI...green screen is it, my love?

 

[jye4ever]

My wife's nice ass is CGI.

 

[TURINS~BANE]

I'm watching the EE making of appendices for the first two films and....green screen CGI....green screen CGI everywhere...


Loved the goblin animatronic faces which Richard Taylor states were "finished only an hour ago" after his crew "worked all night to get them ready".
After the first shot, all the actors were too hot so they ditched them and went for hats with tennis balls on and filmed everything again.
Peter Jackson then said he was able to enhance the scene in post-production by adding more CGI goblins. Then he said that he decided to replace the live actors with even more CGI goblins to make it more "dynamic".

The biggest transformation I saw was Peter Jackson turning very quickly, into George Lucas. My precious CGI...green screen, is it, my love?

Absolutely, if the goblins orcs and Azog where guys in prosthetics like LOTR, would have been so more real, it's such a shame we all saw how the main bad guy could have looked like lurtz...instead some of it was as like PlayStation 2 character's.

 

[Irvy]

I'm watching the EE making of appendices for the first two films and....green screen CGI....green screen CGI everywhere...


Loved the goblin animatronic faces which Richard Taylor states were "finished only an hour ago" after his crew "worked all night to get them ready".
After the first shot, all the actors were too hot so they ditched them and went for hats with tennis balls on and filmed everything again.
Peter Jackson then said he was able to enhance the scene in post-production by adding more CGI goblins. Then he said that he decided to replace the live actors with even more CGI goblins to make it more "dynamic".

The biggest transformation I saw was Peter Jackson turning very quickly, into George Lucas. My precious CGI...green screen is it, my love?

I've only watched the first disc of extras from AUJ then gave up, boring as hell watching folk run about a greenscreen shed.

Should have got Carrie Fisher as the goblin king

 

[The Ween]

My wife's nice ass is CGI.

I take it her dad is George Lucas?

 

[Morgul Matt]

My wife's nice ass is CGI.

 

[Gruson]

Fellowship has one of the best film scores of all time. Amazing work.

 

[TURINS~BANE]

Yes it does

 

[jye4ever]

I take it her dad is George Lucas?

wait

just keep staring, its in there.

 

[Khev]

I agree that FOTR has one of the best scores ever.

The Misty Mountain theme was great and would have been welcome music in DOS and BOTFA. That's probably another reason I feel like The Hobbit trilogy is like ROTJ or Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Does anyone complain about the soundtracks to ROTJ or TOD? No, and those films use more music from recycled films than The Hobbit.

I quite like the Lake-town theme and then Bard's theme or whatever the music is called that plays when Bard is telling his son to look at him as Smaug approached made an already dramatic scene even greater IMO. Also it's pretty short but I think Tauriel and Kili's theme is some of the best music in the whole series but I'm guessing a lot of people are just writing it off because they don't like their "romance" or whatever.

I saw BOTFA for the fourth time today. I noticed that this is the first film out of all six to not play the traditional title theme when the words "The Hobbit" appear on screen.

I also found it interesting to note the surprising number of practical orcs in this movie. When Bolg intercepts Azog to tell him of the two elves all of Azog's front ranks are real people in make-up, just like the front ranks of FOTR prologue orcs. Even more interesting was that not one single orc that battles a "human" (Lake-town people) was digital. Everything in Dale was practical (not counting the big giants.) There are a couple shots of digital orcs streaming through the big hole in the wall and then EVERY SINGLE SHOT of Bard and his men fighting used practical orcs. Dale was every bit the practical slugfest that Helm's Deep and Minas Tirith were.

So there really is a thread of "real" orcs that carries through all six films with the super fantasy CG orcs existing in The Hobbit trilogy and pretty much being killed off by the end of the final film.

 

[JAWS]

I agree with Jaws, it's lacking a great score therefore uses LOTR score as a crutch.

I don't mind that themes from LOTR appear... As it should... The only time I thought LOTR music was out of place was at the end of AUJ... When Thorin is coming off the tree to face the Orcs... They use the Ring Wraith theme from FOTR... No reason at all to use it there... It does not belong. And when Thorin Hugs Bilbo at the end and sys he is wrong, they use the theme when Sauron is destroyed and Gondor is under rule of the new King. In the big picture of things that is very emotional music and should be only in Return of the King... By adding it to that scene in the Hobbit... it cheapens it.

Anyways Both are out of place and reek of lazy film scoring...

The misty mountains theme is great but they done goofed with the 2nd and 3rd movies not using it, nothing memorable in those two soundtracks.

Yep.

Yeah,

The first Hobbit movie is my favorite and the main theme, Misty Mountains, really adds to the movie IMO. I just love that theme and was shocked that the second and third movies did not use it.

I did some research and it looks like Howard Shore did not write that theme, Plan 9 actually did. It looks like there may have been some copyright issues with it being used as the main theme and that could have been a reason it was not used in parts 2 and 3. They even went as far as removing it from some video games that at first had the theme. Very strange but something happened because it was the theme of The Hobbit and then vanished in part 2...shame too. That should have been played in part 3 when the dwarves rushed out to battle the orcs.

Nothing was memorable as far as themes in part 2 or 3 but I still enjoyed hearing a lot of the re-used LOTR themes. At least Hobbit 1 has an incredible score IMO.

I knew that Howard Shore (I think I was referring him s JNH before as in James Newton Howard... Can't get my Howard's straight) did not write Misty mountain but was not aware of the legal issues... That sucks... Because YES it should have been played when the Dwarves rushed out to battle behind Thorin.

Hobbit 1 did have a good score... Except for those moments I pointed out above in my response to Jye... I have no idea why they used those two themes from FOTR and ROTK.

The Fellowship score superb, does not get better.

Fantastic Score... Best of the Series... ROTK is a close second.

Fellowship has one of the best film scores of all time. Amazing work.

Agreed.

 

[crows]

I'm watching the EE making of appendices for the first two films and....green screen CGI....green screen CGI everywhere...


Loved the goblin animatronic faces which Richard Taylor states were "finished only an hour ago" after his crew "worked all night to get them ready".
After the first shot, all the actors were too hot so they ditched them and went for hats with tennis balls on and filmed everything again.
Peter Jackson then said he was able to enhance the scene in post-production by adding more CGI goblins. Then he said that he decided to replace the live actors with even more CGI goblins to make it more "dynamic".

The biggest transformation I saw was Peter Jackson turning very quickly, into George Lucas. My precious CGI...green screen is it, my love?

Absolutely, if the goblins orcs and Azog where guys in prosthetics like LOTR, would have been so more real, it's such a shame we all saw how the main bad guy could have looked like lurtz...instead some of it was as like PlayStation 2 character's.

Whenever someone brings this up, the answer people always have is that the real prosthetics and practical effects will look cheap, fake and like crap thanks to the 48frames that no one ever asked for, and that only a handful of people got to see


Peter Lucas is a true visionary, thank you Mr. Lucas Jackson we love you

 

[JAWS]

I agree that FOTR has one of the best scores ever.

The Misty Mountain theme was great and would have been welcome music in DOS and BOTFA. That's probably another reason I feel like The Hobbit trilogy is like ROTJ or Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Does anyone complain about the soundtracks to ROTJ or TOD? No, and those films use more music from recycled films than The Hobbit.

I quite like the Lake-town theme and then Bard's theme or whatever the music is called that plays when Bard is telling his son to look at him as Smaug approached made an already dramatic scene even greater IMO. Also it's pretty short but I think Tauriel and Kili's theme is some of the best music in the whole series but I'm guessing a lot of people are just writing it off because they don't like their "romance" or whatever.

I saw BOTFA for the fourth time today. I noticed that this is the first film out of all six to not play the traditional title theme when the words "The Hobbit" appear on screen.

I also found it interesting to note the surprising number of practical orcs in this movie. When Bolg intercepts Azog to tell him of the two elves all of Azog's front ranks are real people in make-up, just like the front ranks of FOTR prologue orcs. Even more interesting was that not one single orc that battles a "human" (Lake-town people) was digital. Everything in Dale was practical (not counting the big giants.) There are a couple shots of digital orcs streaming through the big hole in the wall and then EVERY SINGLE SHOT of Bard and his men fighting used practical orcs. Dale was every bit the practical slugfest that Helm's Deep and Minas Tirith were.

It's almost as if PJ decided "fantasy races (dwarves and elves) fight digital orcs and Men fight real orcs." Which is a theme that of course continues in the LOTR with its predominately human military forces.

Have to disagree about TOD.... Other then the Indy theme that film is filled with original music.. And Great Music... Nobody complains because its a great Score all on it's own. Short Rounds theme, Slave Children's Crusade (one of Williams best), The Tunnel, The mine car chase... Seriously nothing is recycled.

ROTJ had some moments that were nothing but repeat of earlier cues... The Sail Barge fight is like a greatest hits of Star Wars music and that is repeated again during some of the death Star Battle..

However after that Jedi is mostly new music with old themes... Vader, Yoda, main theme etc... But it is filled with other great music and one of William best moments... When Luke starts to beat Vader and the Male Chorus kicks in.. So much emotion...

Having said all that... I just direct you to my comments I made to Jye... Reusing themes is fine when it fits.. And most of the time it does... But in AUJ there are those tow moments it does not... that is my only complaint as far as recycled music goes..

I like the Lake Town theme also... But it serves no emotional purpose... Its just the Lake Town theme... And as a theme its nice... But where was the series Gondor, Rohan, Moria, etc... theme???

I am not saying the music is bad... It was just sort of.. Well... Just there... It was not a part of the story like the LOTR music was.

 

[Khev]

I'll take your word on TOD. All I remember is the main Raiders theme. And yeah ROTJ has the one moment of pure new brilliance when Luke goes off on Vader but then other than that the "ewok theme" its literally wall to wall recycled bits from ANH and ESB.

One other thing I forgot to mention. I know that closing credit songs don't really "count" when discussing the music of the actual films but I think Billy Boyd's The Last Goodbye is the BEST closing song out of all six films. Talk about going out on a high note (no pun intended.)

 

[JAWS]

Whenever someone brings this up, the answer people always have is that the real prosthetics and practical effects will look cheap, fake and like crap thanks to the 48frames that no one ever asked for, and that only a handful of people got to see


Peter Lucas is a true visionary, thank you Mr. Lucas Jackson we love you

The thing about all the CGI is that In films like this I think its fine... I made a comparison to the Ray Harryhausen films... CGI is todays Stop Motion animation... Personally I don't have that big an issue with it... It's not like the Battle Of Pelennor fields and Helms Deep were not one big Video Game sequence..

 

[crows]

I guess the music from the first trilogy is more iconic, like the stars wars music or Indiana Jones. Some of the songs are as iconic as the Jurassic park or terminator or jaws songs
You can hun or whistle the lord of the rings song and it is recognizable immediately

I can't really remember any of the hobbit music besides the awful song from the end of the second movie,

 

[Khev]

The thing about all the CGI is that In films like this I think its fine... I made a comparison to the Ray Harryhausen films... CGI is todays Stop Motion animation...

Yes! There's one scene in particular in BOTFA that features actors fighting in Dale and this big lug of a troll comes up to an outer wall and pushes it down with his hands and then falls through it. Even though the creature is CG something about that scene just screams old school Kong or Harryhausen to me. I love it.

Personally I don't have that big an issue with it... It's not like the Battle Of Pelennor fields and Helms Deep were not one big Video Game sequence..

Shhh, quiet now. You're supposed to pretend like LOTR didn't use tons of CGI.

 

[JAWS]

I'll take your word on TOD. All I remember is the main Raiders theme. And yeah ROTJ has the one moment of pure new brilliance when Luke goes off on Vader but then other than that the "ewok theme" its literally wall to wall recycled bits from ANH and ESB.

One other thing I forgot to mention. I know that closing credit songs don't really "count" when discussing the music of the actual films but I think Billy Boyd's The Last Goodbye is the BEST closing song out of all six films. Talk about going out on a high note (no pun intended.)

Billy Boyds was great... I still like ROTK closing song... Man it's so emotional and makes you so sad that its all over...

TOD is a great score... Yes trust me on that..

There are other moments in the film that are original... Much of the Forrest battle music and the siege on the Death Star are new... The Emperor has a theme as does Jabba. Luke and Leia have their own theme also... Actually other then the parts I already mentioned it's a pretty original score... Just not a great one.

I grew up listening to them and have the full soundtracks so I am pretty confident about what I am saying... In fact from the age 8 to 15 I pretty much only listened to film music... Ahh the days before home video... When you hade to listen to the score to see the film again in your mind.

But out of the three Jedi is the weakest of the bunch... Just like the film itself.

 

[JAWS]

Yes! There's one scene in particular in BOTFA that features actors fighting in Dale and this big lug of a troll comes up to an outer wall and pushes it down with his hands and then falls through it. Even though the creature is CG something about that scene just screams old school Kong or Harryhausen to me. I love it.

troll busting the wall and knocking itself out Is one of my fav moments of all the films...

Shhh, quiet now. You're supposed to pretend like LOTR didn't use tons of CGI.

Oops.. I will keep that a secret from here on out.

 

[Khev]

Billy Boyds was great... I still like ROTK closing song...

Yeah ROTK would be a close second for me.