Posted on 03/14/2002 5:07:26 AM PST by HairOfTheDog
This is a continuation of the infamous thread New Zealander Builds Hobbit Hole originally posted on January 26, 2001 by John Farson, who at the time undoubtedly thought he had found a rather obscure article that would elicit a few replies and die out. Without knowing it, he became the founder of the Hobbit Hole. For reasons incomprehensible to some, the thread grew to over 4100 replies. It became the place for hobbits and friends of hobbits to chit chat and share LoTR news and views, hang out, and talk amongst ourselves in the comfort of familiar surroundings.
In keeping with the new posting guidelines, the thread idea is continuing here, as will the Green Dragon Inn, our more structured spin-off thread, as soon as we figure out how to move all the good discussion that has been had there. As for the Hobbit Hole, we will just start fresh, bringing only a few mathoms such as the picture above with us to make it feel like home, and perhaps a walk down memory lane:
Our discussion has been light:
It very well may be that a thread named "New Zealander builds Hobbit hole" will end up being the longest Tolkien thread of them all, with some of the best heartfelt content... Sorry John, but I would have rather it had been one with a more distinguished title!… post 252 - HairOfTheDog
However, I can still celebrate, with quiet dignity, the fact that what started as a laugh about some wacko in New Zealand has mutated and grown into a multifaceted discussion of the art, literature, and philosophy that is Tolkien. And now that I've managed to write the most pompous sentence of my entire life, I agree, Rosie… post 506 - JenB
Hah! I was number 1000!! (Elvish victory dance... wait, no; that would be too flitty) … post 1001 - BibChr
Real men don't have to be afraid of being flitty! Go for it. – post 1011 – HairOfTheDog
Seventeen years to research one mystical object seems a bit excessive… post 1007 - JenB
Okay...who's the wise guy who didn't renew Gandalf's research grant?… post 1024 – Overtaxed
To the very philosophical:
…Judas Iscariot obviously was a good man, or he wouldn't have been chosen to be one of the Apostles. He loved Jesus, like all of the Apostles, but he betrayed him. Yet without his betrayal, the Passion and Crucifixion would never have occurred, and mankind would not have been redeemed. So without his self-destruction infinite good would not have been accomplished. I certainly do not mean this to be irreverant but it seems to me that this describes the character of Gollum, in the scenes so movingly portrayed above… Lucius Cornelius Sulla
To fun but heartfelt debates about the integrity and worth of some of the characters…
…Anyone else notice how Boromir treats the hobbits? He's very fond of them but he seems to think of them as children - ruffling Frodo's hair, calls them all 'little ones'. He likes them, but I don't think he really respects them… post 1536 - JenB
Yes... Tolkien told us not to trust Boromir right off the bat when he began to laugh at Bilbo, until he realized that the Council obviously held this hobbit in high esteem. What a pompous dolt… post 1538 - HairOfTheDog
…I think almost every fault of his can be traced directly back to his blindness to anything spiritual or unseen. He considers the halflings as children, because that is what they look like. He considers the only hope of the ring to be in taking it and using it for a victory in the physical realm. He cannot see what the hobbits are truly made of, he cannot see the unseen hope of what the destruction of the ring might mean--the destruction of Sauron himself, and he cannot see the unseen danger that lies in the use of the ring itself… I just feel sorry for Boromir--he is like a blind but honorable man, trying to take the right path on the road but missing the right path entirely because he simply cannot see it… post 1548 - Penny1
Boromir isn't a jerk, he's a jock… post 2401 – Overtaxed
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Oh, I think by the time Frodo reaches the Cracks, he's not even himself anymore! I think he's not only on the brink of a dangerous place physically, he's on the brink of losing himself completely during the exchange with Gollum. But for some reason, the take-over isn't complete till he actually has to throw the Ring in. The person speaking to Gollum is not Frodo, but the "Wheel of Fire" that Sam sees. After the Ring is destroyed, Frodo not only comes back to himself, but comes back with the unbearable (to him) knowledge of what it's like to be completely without compassion. I think that's why it's so important to him to be compassionate in the Shire… post 2506 - 2Jedismom
…Regarding Frodo's compassion... it's a little too much at the end. Even Merry tells him that he's going to have to quit being so darn nice. But you're right. He's learned a lesson about evil that very few ever learn since it wasn't an external lesson but an internal one. (Those kinds of lessons have the greatest impact) Not only did he totally succumb to it, but he was rather ruthless to my little Smeagol… post 2516 - carton253
Well that Frodo was a big mean bully! (to Smeagol)… post 2519 – Overtaxed
So as you can see, everything JRR Tolkien (and Peter Jackson) is welcome here in our New Row, our soon-to-be familiar New Hobbit Hole…; philosophy, opinion, good talk and frequent silliness.
Even the West coast hobbit is awake! - Where are all the early risers?
Good Morning!
I am still not committed to staying awake... Now that the horses are fed I could be free to go back to bed if I wish!
What is one your agenda for today? - More weed-wacking for me.
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
John Gilbert
For me, the task of editing is first and foremost that of creating a compelling narrative and shaping performances so that characters are credible and at one with story. If we can then provide an emotionally satisfying experience for the audience, we stand a good chance of making a film people will want to see.
On The Lord of the Rings, director Peter Jackson was shooting all three films in the trilogy concurrently, and so for much of the time I was left alone with a pile that grew to two million feet of film. Some days I'd watch 20,000 to 30,000 feet of dailies (occasionally 50,000 or 60,000!). Though Peter likes to be intimately involved in editing decisions, during production I was rarely able to get his attention for more than a few hours at a time. As an editor, I'm naturally a collaborator. I like to discuss story, character and themes so I can get into the head of the director. I traveled around the country -- by small plane or even chopper -- moving the cutting room from hotel to hotel to get as much time as I could with him, and by about September, 2000, we had a fine cut that we could preview.
Logistically, this was a pretty complex operation. My first assistant, Peter Skarratt, looked after the technical side of things. We ran six Avids networked with Unity, providing 2.5 terabytes of storage. Apart from the main unit, a full second unit shot fights, big set pieces and the like, and another got pickups, working around the main unit. At one time, there were also three miniatures units. A blue-screen unit was down the road, and the digital team at WETA created around 500 effects shots. The footage was digitally color corrected at a new facility in Wellington, new Zealand, built by the German-based Post House. Editorial had to prepare all the material for scanning, as well as track film and digital elements in and out of the cutting room.
The script also changed daily. By the end, not one original page remained. Once or twice, script changes actually arrived at the cutting room after the footage. It was not unusual for nine months to elapse between shots that would wind up in the same scene.
The first cut we showed to New Line came in at three hours and 17 minutes. Even though I'd lived with the movie for nearly two years and was proud of what we'd accomplished, I still thought it was too long, and those few people who saw that version agreed. Still, that running time struck Peter as lucky. It was the same length of the biggest grosser of all time Titanic. Of course, there's an important distinction: Our film was part of a trilogy. We needed to keep the narrative interesting for three hours, yet leave the viewer hanging for Part 2.
So we worked on -- until they stopped us. We had almost a year from our first fine cut through to delivery, and it still didn't seem enough! The story is so complex it was a mind-bender to economically telescope it into a commercial-length film.
After the initial screenings, I felt two areas still needed to play more quickly. One was Hobbiton, where the movie starts. For me, the film really kicks into gear when the black rider is hunting the four hobbits. Clearly, a huge amount of setup precedes that, but I felt we had to get through it efficiently, yet not so quickly that we'd neglect character development. The other area was in Lothlorien. I found it difficult meeting new characters there, because we were approaching the climax and needed to push on. Both areas were shortened considerably, but fans will be able to see the full scenes on the DVD version.
We were always conscious of the two audiences for the film: fans (such as my 15-year-old son) whose knowledge of the book might make them unforgiving of changes and omissions; and those unfamiliar with the story who might need more setup and be less tolerant of a long running time. Eventually, I think we managed to walk the tightrope quite well.
Even More Spoilers! RotK Style...
Tookish @ 6:15 pm ESTDon't read this if you HATE to know the ending of a good story! From Ringer Miss Mac:
I Just got my Entertainment Weekly, and there is a little quote in the section called "ReelWorld" that I thought may be of interest to you guys.
Heavy spoilers.
"Rings Redux
We bring you news all the way from Middle-earth. Sir Ian Holm, who plays hobbit Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings:The Fellowship of the Ring, may not appear in the sequel, but don't count him out of the trilogy totally. 'I probably shouldn't say this, but I'm back in three... as a very old man.' Says Holm.
'Bilbo just suddenly appears at the end of the movie and says 'I'm ready for another adventure.' He goes off with Frodo into the sunset.'
Sounds slightly hobbo-erotic to us."-Rebecca Ascher-Walsh,Entertainment Weekly, #662, July 12, 2002
I see I missed out on a discussion with some strong feelings.
2JM, I don't see where you get "pudgy" from. You are very thin + you have a beautiful family.
I'm curious, what is a "home school academy?"
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