Peter Jackson Response To Criticism Of 48-Frames Footage of ‘THE HOBBIT’, Is All ‘Patience, Yo’
Peter Jackson has jacked into the inter-pipes and responded to the sizzling critiques surrounding how The Hobbit looks in 48fps. His main point? Patience.
Slashfilm:
In a conversation with THR, Jackson acknowledged that 48 fps “does take you a while to get used to.” In fact, he wonders if viewers might have responded better had they seen more of the 48 fps footage. “Ten minutes is sort of marginal, it probably needed a little bit more,” he said. “Another thing that I think is a factor is it’s different to look at a bunch of clips and some were fast-cutting, montage-style clips. This is different experience than watching a character and story unfold.”
Speaking separately with EW, he pointed out that some of the critics seemed less bothered by the higher frame rate in a scene between Gollum and Bilbo, which was shown later in the presentation. “That was the same 48 frames the rest of the reel was. I just wonder if it they were getting into the dialogue, the characters and the story. That’s what happens in the movie. You settle into it.” He insists that people will adjust in time. “It’s literally a new experience, but you know, that doesn’t last the entire experience of the film – not by any stretch, [just] 10 minutes or so.”
In his personal experience, he said, “You get used to it reasonably quickly.” “We have obviously seen cuts of our movie at 48 and in a relatively short amount of time you have forgotten (the frame rate change). It is a more immersive and in 3D a gentler way to see the film.” Indeed, he told THR, when he sees 24 fps footage now, “I’m very aware of the strobing, the flicker and the artifacts.”
Still, the jarring difference between 24 fps and 48 fps has Jackson planning to release the trailer at the lower, more traditional rate. “”I personally wouldn’t advocate a 48-frame trailer because the 48 frames is something you should experience with the entire film. A 2 1/2 minute trailer isn’t enough time to adjust to the immersive quality.” He asked that audiences give the new technology a real shot before rushing to judgment. ”There can only ever be a real reaction, a truthful reaction, when people actually have a chance to see a complete narrative on a particular film.”
And if some moviegoers, after sitting through three hours of a 48 fps film, decide they still don’t care for it? “I can’t say anything,” he conceded. ”Just like I can’t say anything to someone who doesn’t like fish. You can’t explain why fish tastes great and why they should enjoy it.” The studio, of course, is prepared to cater to audiences on both sides. The Hobbit: The Unexpected Journey will hit theaters this December in some six different formats: 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D, each in 24 fps or 48 fps.
…I didn’t realize that the option would be there to see the film in the Format That Makes Fucking Sense (2D, 24fps). Do I see it in 3D/48fps as a measure of science or exploration? Or do I play it safe and see it in a format that I know I will like? Shit, I don’t know.