Six months and one week to go.
Here’s the latest in Peter Jackson’s production videos for “The Hobbit.” After showing what it’s like to take the whole production on the road, this time he shows what life is like at Stone Street Studios.
Deadline asked if in a way Jackson ruins moviegoers’ experience by showing the machinery behind the magic. Absolutely not–I find the videos fascinating, but that’s because they show the people who you never see in film-making–the production managers, the wig maker, the 2nd 2nd assistant director. Occasionally you’ll see actors for a few brief minutes, joking as they get into hair and makeup or sit around waiting for a scene, but Jackson never does anything that interrupts their process–you’ll notice he never shows an acting scene being shot. The most he ever shows is maybe a group running away from something or walking someplace, nothing where they have to prepare for anything really emotional or be solidly in character. He’s very protective of them. And that also means that he doesn’t give away any of the scenes in the movie beyond the barest of snippets. No one is going to watch these videos and say, “Well, I feel like I’ve seen the movie now, I’m not going to buy a ticket,” or “What I’ve seen makes me think the movie’s going to suck, no way, I’m going.” He gives just enough to make fans feel involved and to keep it in the public conscience. It’s genius.
Here’s the video:
