Good evening and welcome to a very nerdy post about the technicalities of film formats - something you need to consider before you go and see The Hobbit. The casual movie goer would not normally pay too much attention to what format their film is being shown in, other than is it the 2D or 3D version as some really can't stomach the 3D format and others don't want to pay the extra and are happy with two dimensions. However, I recommend that casual movie goers pay attention to the format that their local cinemas are showing The Hobbit in, before you go. It may determine how much you enjoy the movie.....
Previews of The Hobbit in both 2D and 3D are appearing this weekend ahead of the film's release on Boxing Day. I recommend you check with your cinema which of the following formats they are going to be playing:
2D, 24 frames per second
3D, 24 frames per second
3D, 48 frames per second
IMAX and IMAX 3D (only at IMAX cinemas, none here in Queensland sadly)
You may not be aware that Peter Jackson is pioneering a new technology with The Hobbit, choosing to film in the new style of 48 frames per second (you will see this denoted as HRF for High Frame Rate in the advertising). Essentially this is a faster rate at which the images are played, which should reduce motion blur and bring a new level of 'realness' and 'immersion' to your movie experience. Everything should be super clear and detailed, especially when coupled with the fact that the HFR is being used only with 3D.
Why should you care about this? Well the jury is still out on this new technology and whether it actually enhances the experience or detracts from the experience. Generally what we love about movies is that they take us away from everyday life into a magical motion picture world, where the filmmakers can make us see only what they want us to see. In theory, HFR of 48fps should enhance this. But early reports are coming in that it is quite distracting and may actually have you focusing on the wrong things and not getting into the story and characters as much as you would with 24fps, the current standard in cinemas.
If you want to get a bit more detail, here is an article I found which is a bit technical but it is the view of a person who went to see The Hobbit in 2D 24fps, 3D 24fps and 3D 48fps. So they are actually comparing 3 versions of the same film and their view is that the HFR and 3D combination is not favourable and actually reduces your enjoyment of the movie.
http://gizmodo.com/5969817/the-hobbit-an-unexpected-masterclass-in-why-48-fps-fails
On the other hand, the movie reviewer who posted a review of The Hobbit in today's free mX commuter newspaper wrote a glowing review of both the film and the technology, saying it was 'breathtaking' in the visuals.
It will be very interesting to see what the jury decides, which will probably require more movies to be released in the format to get a better feel for the pattern. Which one will I be going to see? I'm not sure, I'm going to read a bit more and think about it a bit and it may depend on when I'm going to see it. It will definitely be 3D but whether it is 3D HFR may depend on how much of a Post Christmas headache I have... I have a strong feeling though that my natural curiousity is going to draw me towards the brand new technology, just to see what it's like. I hope this has been helpful to you.
I am likely going to see it in HFR just to know what all the fuss is about. Definitely agree that sometimes you can have too much of a good thing (personally I'm not a fan of action movies on the Darling Harbour IMAX screen - it's nearly impossible to take it all in) but you can't make a call until you see it yourself!
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