Lots of arguments, conversations, and a bit of journal
Hardly possible
You have two incompatible pairs there. Having one movie and the white counsel wouldn’t work (unless you don’t care about actually telling the hobbit story), and sooooon and same team as LOTR probably won’t work either because PJ and Co have already taken on jobs that will gobble up the next couple years atleast.
I vote for a stand-alone version but…
If they insist on making the movie(s) as a flashback or a story told by a familiar character other than Bilbo, I would suggest that it be worked into the framework of Tolkien’s “Quest of Erebor” (a dialogue between Frodo and Gandalf at Minis Tirith that recaps the There and Back Again story from Gandalf’s perspective). Perhaps Frodo could be reading Bilbos recently-finished book (blending Bilbo’s voice in as narrator) and have Gandalf interrupt once in a while with a chuckling detail that might pop into his mind, or have him answer the questions which Frodo might ask, such as why he so suddenly left the dwarves and Bilbo at Mirkwood (white counsel) and why he was so interested in helping the dwarves get their gold back in the first place (getting rid of a dragon that Sauron could have used as a horribly weapon in his great war)
In this way, you could capture the essence and joy of the story through Bilbo’s version, while gaining the deeper and darker rational that Gandalf would bring. And the fan girls get to see Frodo again.
Rich story indeed! It’s always refreshing to run across someone that doest refer to Hobbit as “simple” or “a children’s story”. If the direction is good here, two movies could mean an excellent telling of the story.
I also agree that new talent is essential. While Sean Connery and other such actors are great, the hobbit is such a classic tale that it doesn’t need star-power to sell it. I’d love to see the story told with fresh faces (not counting actors from the trilogy).
The differences between the elves in the trilogy and the hobbit are by no means irreconcilable. Firstly the Middle Earth of LotR, while being only 60 years after The Hobbit, was in period of rapid transformation. True, the elves had been slowly fading from Middle earth for a very long time, but this accelerated decline of magic would certainly show its effect on them over those last 60 years.
In the Hobbit, Tolkien did point out that the elves silliness was only a front that dwarves and other more foolish creatures easily bought into. In The Hobbit, for the most part, the elves conduct themselves politely towards the dwarves(The Mirkwood elves treated them well as prisoners, and the elves of Rivendell fed and housed them for a good while even though they considered their motives questionable) even though, like in LotR, they didn’t care for them. The Mirkwood elves, by instruction of their king, also act magnanimously towards the men of the lake (aiding them after their little run-in with Smaug), and they also strove to maintain peace as long as possible with the dwarves before they were attacked by Dine’s warriors.
As for getting drunk, well, that was a mistake. The wine the butlers were drinking was made for smaller cups.
No, see that's the problem. You can just say it "IS" this or "IS" that, what it IS is very adaptable. The Hobbit is well over 200 pages of read-throughable lines. Battles, deaths of 3 main characters, bat's clamping on to stricken warriors, rampaging bears, running and fighting in caves...If I was a director of horror films, I’d be delighted to get the job of directing this film.
It’s not quite right to pigeonhole Hobbit as a children’s bedtime story, although it makes a good one. The only thing that makes it so tame is that Tolkien spares a lot of details where a director may choose not to; in fact, a director could make the whole thing downright scary at points. I just don’t see how saddling it with more Lord of the Rings baggage could improve it-it certainly could make it choppy and overly complicated.
And in the lotr trilogy, I think some of the worst parts were those where they tried to play to Tolkien-ignorant fans. I think if they adapt Hobbit (or any other good piece of lit) into a movie, they should do so unapologetically. The movie will be better, and they will make more money.
Gandalf mentions what took place at the white counsel to Elrond, so that would clear up any questions the audience had, and would also stay within the story. Maybe there could be a minute long flashback, but no more. And, as you said, this has more to do with Lord of the Rings than the hobbit, and even still, it’s not a particularly important detail. They chased Sauron out of the woods and he went back to Mordor…not really a big deal. If anything it’d just confuse non-book fans. All they need for Lord of the Rings is the set up of the one ring…and not much else. We also must remember that to make the hobbit feel right, it must be told from Bilbo’s perspective, and not an omniscient-of-all-the-works-of-Tolkien perspective.
Yeah, they seem to have a strange passion for it. Maybe all that gold, being a soft metal, is comfortable and spinally supportive as a bed. I have the feeling, tho, that it’s all greed driven. The fact that they have it means that someone else doesn’t. From The Hobbit, you don’t get the impression that Smaug really didn’t care about the treasure as much as owning it. There’s a little passage where after Bilbo takes the cup, smaug flys into a rage that was described by Tolkien as something like “his rage passes description, the sort of rage that is only seen when rich folk, who have more than they can enjoy, suddenly lose something that they had long had, but never used or wanted.”
How now, Carcharadon! You mustn’t me such a wet blanket. Neither wife nor child should hold a man at home when the song is up and the ale is sweet. And besides, a fatherless home builds character for little Carcharadons.
Okay. I’ll whisper sweet-nothings in her USB port, and I’ll take her to a show every Friday night…but after all that I’ll expect some sweet sweet.
Yeah, I did this one in like 20 minutes too. With my feet.
Your greed disgusts me!
All in good time, all in good time. I don’t want to sound rude, but this quality isn’t something hastily acquired over a few days. If not born with such genius at your finger tips as I, you must suffer for years and years to acquire such an unassailably fine craftsmanship as can be seen in this modern classic. The lighting, the gesture, the gestalt, the composition, the….perfection. Yes, all in good time.
Yeah, those 8 X 6 tablets go down real rough. Before I get to it, I lubricate my throat with olive oil (good fat) and then I simply pop my jaw out of socket, prop the pill up against the wall, close my eyes, and lean into it.
Yeah, the tablet will be a huge help. I’m really excited by the prospect of line density and thickness driven by pressure sensitivity and not the 3 step low opacity/ taper with eraser technique that has been killing my wrists for a couple years now.
Thank you very much! The problem with paintings that are mostly black is that they are absurdly difficult to photograph. The plasticy shininess of their cheap acrylic paint often gives off more reflected light than the subtle painted colors. To properly photograph, you essentially need a dark room with lights set up at angles where the light skids off at long, obtuse angles and away from the camera. I photographed this painting outside with a friend holding a black piece of foam board shield the painting from some of the more hostile reflected light.
The day started slowly enough. A dream was cut short by a collections agency call. It appears that last months credit card bill lost itself, and I forgot to look for it. Well, that’s thirty five bucks out the window in late fees. While at it I gave them about two years worth of payments (about $200 bucks) so I could stab them right back by denying them interest the interest they could have gotten.
Early I road south to buy pants, and there were many deals to be had.
East then I rode to Avalon, the halls of Mighty William wherein a great council was held, and matters discussed. Weighty changes were upon settled, and work hastily ensued. After some hours, Mighty William fell to thinking of that nights feast, and bade me stay and sup with him. I had previous arrangements, so I thanked him and rode further East until I came unto the forested hills of Montecito, and the hidden House of Chapin, home of Lord Mathew and his kin, whereupon a warm welcome was had.
I presented Lord Mathew with a book which I had borrowed a fortnight before, and we quickly fell to the telling of old tales and singing of old songs of the second Great War of the second age. Loretta then showed me her garden. We looked upon the squash, and they were plump. We looked upon the apples, and they were sweet and fat. We looked upon the chard, and the kale, and the plump chickens, and they were all good, and brimming with health and juice. I complemented the garden, and then it was time for the evening feast. Platers of chicken and vegetables were set unto the table, and beer, too, was also to be had. All was merry, and we ate outside by a great fire that which was held in a clay pot. Full of meat, potatoes, and ale, Lady Alison and Prince Sam and I went inside, at which point we watched Google and Youtube videos, and all was gay and merry.
Long after dark I set out for home. Long was the ride, and dark was the path through the hills, but at long last, I came unto my own lands, and unto my house, and unto my computer.
I took the grand tour around loreta’s garden, and was inspired by it’s Eden-like beauty and bounty. We had a great chicken dinner ourside by a roaring fire chimney…and then Hobbit, Sam and I went in to watch Youtube and Google videos.
.
Work was work. I did manage to smear whipped cream all over my navy blue suit during my lunch break. Those darn Danish and their irresistible pastries!
After wok I went to Wills house. Andrew was over, and we watched some TV. Andrew left, and then Will and I went over the project that I cant tell you about but will continue to mention in an annoying fashion on a regular basis.
So, after working on the project-that-I-can’t-tell-you-about-but-will-continue-to-mention-in-an-annoying-fashion-on-a-regular-basis, we both decided that I need a wacom tablet if we are to continue with the project-that-I-can’t-tell-you-about-but-will-continue-to-mention-in-an-annoying-fashion-on-a-regular-basis with any efficiency.
I decided to get the Intuos 6 X8, which was only 280 some’m dollars on Amazon.
After that, I came home, fed myself and the rat some vegetable/ rice soup…and now I’m on the verge of going to bed.
Haha! Yeah, a drunk budgie wouldn’t be pretty. Metabolically, they're too different from us to chance much experimentation.
Before giving Tumblers a bit of beer, I did some research to find out how rats hold their liquor…it turns out that they’re more intelligent drinkers than humans are. In lab studies, the little squeakers start refusing booze after their third drink. Noble little critters.
True, true, you could be right in one respect. Star Wars was a hit in its own generation, and it continued to be pushed on each generation in its original and myriad of parody forms, cartoons and spin-offs and has thus becoming a true cinematic classic. With so many generations in anticipation, small wonder the first prequel did so well. So yes, in that respect, letting a movie age might not be a bad thing---but:
Even the best analogies break down at some point, and one drawn between star wars and LotR is anything but clean (for various reasons that we could wrangle over all night and the next day).
Each one of the Lord of the Rings trilogy made more than its antecedent by tens of millions of dollars, a direct result of the ongoing hype within that 3 year time span. The hype is now mostly gone, and I highly doubt that they’ll get 100% of it back by the time the movie comes out. Sure, it’ll make a killing regardless of its release date, but the goal for the execs would be maximization.
This being the case, I don’t think it’s safe to say in such absolute terms as “there is no risk”…because there certainly is, and I still think that sooner than later would be the best policy.
And the project wouldn’t be that large. There’ll be one movie, and it’ll only a few months to shoot. For all we know, the could be just leaving the concept art stage, and those guys tend to keep their mouths shut. Artists and writers work too hard to get where they are to go running their mouths. You leave that to the stunt guys and lighting techs. Still, there’s no point in arguing this either…if the date IS 2007, then we should start to get leaks right and left in no time. *sits back and waits for leaks*
So begins the lengthy account of yesterday, and the events therein: work, dinner, sleep, that’s it.
I’ll write a little list of things that I need to get done today. First but certainly least, I need to buy some more pants for work. I need to do some paper work and take it into the DMV. I’ve been avoiding that; my dislike for the DMV and most other governmentally-run bureaucracies verges on hate. I can deal with the impersonality…but what gets me is the lack of efficiency. Given time, bureaucracies grow overcomplicated and become increasingly self-serving. For a giant, lumbering bureaucracy, getting the job done isn’t important, serving the public isn’t important, all that’s important is hiring as many secretaries, attendants, interns, senior staffer, clerks, curators, and Bobs to do the job as slowly and surely as possible. Result? WE end up doing the runaround.
Okay, other than that, I must produce some more artwork.
Tidy der house.
That’ll do it.
Must draw, of course.
You have two incompatible pairs there. Having one movie and the white counsel wouldn’t work (unless you don’t care about actually telling the hobbit story), and sooooon and same team as LOTR probably won’t work either because PJ and Co have already taken on jobs that will gobble up the next couple years atleast.
I vote for a stand-alone version but…
If they insist on making the movie(s) as a flashback or a story told by a familiar character other than Bilbo, I would suggest that it be worked into the framework of Tolkien’s “Quest of Erebor” (a dialogue between Frodo and Gandalf at Minis Tirith that recaps the There and Back Again story from Gandalf’s perspective). Perhaps Frodo could be reading Bilbos recently-finished book (blending Bilbo’s voice in as narrator) and have Gandalf interrupt once in a while with a chuckling detail that might pop into his mind, or have him answer the questions which Frodo might ask, such as why he so suddenly left the dwarves and Bilbo at Mirkwood (white counsel) and why he was so interested in helping the dwarves get their gold back in the first place (getting rid of a dragon that Sauron could have used as a horribly weapon in his great war)
In this way, you could capture the essence and joy of the story through Bilbo’s version, while gaining the deeper and darker rational that Gandalf would bring. And the fan girls get to see Frodo again.
Rich story indeed! It’s always refreshing to run across someone that doest refer to Hobbit as “simple” or “a children’s story”. If the direction is good here, two movies could mean an excellent telling of the story.
I also agree that new talent is essential. While Sean Connery and other such actors are great, the hobbit is such a classic tale that it doesn’t need star-power to sell it. I’d love to see the story told with fresh faces (not counting actors from the trilogy).
The differences between the elves in the trilogy and the hobbit are by no means irreconcilable. Firstly the Middle Earth of LotR, while being only 60 years after The Hobbit, was in period of rapid transformation. True, the elves had been slowly fading from Middle earth for a very long time, but this accelerated decline of magic would certainly show its effect on them over those last 60 years.
In the Hobbit, Tolkien did point out that the elves silliness was only a front that dwarves and other more foolish creatures easily bought into. In The Hobbit, for the most part, the elves conduct themselves politely towards the dwarves(The Mirkwood elves treated them well as prisoners, and the elves of Rivendell fed and housed them for a good while even though they considered their motives questionable) even though, like in LotR, they didn’t care for them. The Mirkwood elves, by instruction of their king, also act magnanimously towards the men of the lake (aiding them after their little run-in with Smaug), and they also strove to maintain peace as long as possible with the dwarves before they were attacked by Dine’s warriors.
As for getting drunk, well, that was a mistake. The wine the butlers were drinking was made for smaller cups.
No, see that's the problem. You can just say it "IS" this or "IS" that, what it IS is very adaptable. The Hobbit is well over 200 pages of read-throughable lines. Battles, deaths of 3 main characters, bat's clamping on to stricken warriors, rampaging bears, running and fighting in caves...If I was a director of horror films, I’d be delighted to get the job of directing this film.
It’s not quite right to pigeonhole Hobbit as a children’s bedtime story, although it makes a good one. The only thing that makes it so tame is that Tolkien spares a lot of details where a director may choose not to; in fact, a director could make the whole thing downright scary at points. I just don’t see how saddling it with more Lord of the Rings baggage could improve it-it certainly could make it choppy and overly complicated.
And in the lotr trilogy, I think some of the worst parts were those where they tried to play to Tolkien-ignorant fans. I think if they adapt Hobbit (or any other good piece of lit) into a movie, they should do so unapologetically. The movie will be better, and they will make more money.
Gandalf mentions what took place at the white counsel to Elrond, so that would clear up any questions the audience had, and would also stay within the story. Maybe there could be a minute long flashback, but no more. And, as you said, this has more to do with Lord of the Rings than the hobbit, and even still, it’s not a particularly important detail. They chased Sauron out of the woods and he went back to Mordor…not really a big deal. If anything it’d just confuse non-book fans. All they need for Lord of the Rings is the set up of the one ring…and not much else. We also must remember that to make the hobbit feel right, it must be told from Bilbo’s perspective, and not an omniscient-of-all-the-works-of-Tolkien perspective.
Yeah, they seem to have a strange passion for it. Maybe all that gold, being a soft metal, is comfortable and spinally supportive as a bed. I have the feeling, tho, that it’s all greed driven. The fact that they have it means that someone else doesn’t. From The Hobbit, you don’t get the impression that Smaug really didn’t care about the treasure as much as owning it. There’s a little passage where after Bilbo takes the cup, smaug flys into a rage that was described by Tolkien as something like “his rage passes description, the sort of rage that is only seen when rich folk, who have more than they can enjoy, suddenly lose something that they had long had, but never used or wanted.”
How now, Carcharadon! You mustn’t me such a wet blanket. Neither wife nor child should hold a man at home when the song is up and the ale is sweet. And besides, a fatherless home builds character for little Carcharadons.
Okay. I’ll whisper sweet-nothings in her USB port, and I’ll take her to a show every Friday night…but after all that I’ll expect some sweet sweet.
Yeah, I did this one in like 20 minutes too. With my feet.
Your greed disgusts me!
All in good time, all in good time. I don’t want to sound rude, but this quality isn’t something hastily acquired over a few days. If not born with such genius at your finger tips as I, you must suffer for years and years to acquire such an unassailably fine craftsmanship as can be seen in this modern classic. The lighting, the gesture, the gestalt, the composition, the….perfection. Yes, all in good time.
Yeah, those 8 X 6 tablets go down real rough. Before I get to it, I lubricate my throat with olive oil (good fat) and then I simply pop my jaw out of socket, prop the pill up against the wall, close my eyes, and lean into it.
Yeah, the tablet will be a huge help. I’m really excited by the prospect of line density and thickness driven by pressure sensitivity and not the 3 step low opacity/ taper with eraser technique that has been killing my wrists for a couple years now.
Thank you very much! The problem with paintings that are mostly black is that they are absurdly difficult to photograph. The plasticy shininess of their cheap acrylic paint often gives off more reflected light than the subtle painted colors. To properly photograph, you essentially need a dark room with lights set up at angles where the light skids off at long, obtuse angles and away from the camera. I photographed this painting outside with a friend holding a black piece of foam board shield the painting from some of the more hostile reflected light.
The day started slowly enough. A dream was cut short by a collections agency call. It appears that last months credit card bill lost itself, and I forgot to look for it. Well, that’s thirty five bucks out the window in late fees. While at it I gave them about two years worth of payments (about $200 bucks) so I could stab them right back by denying them interest the interest they could have gotten.
Early I road south to buy pants, and there were many deals to be had.
East then I rode to Avalon, the halls of Mighty William wherein a great council was held, and matters discussed. Weighty changes were upon settled, and work hastily ensued. After some hours, Mighty William fell to thinking of that nights feast, and bade me stay and sup with him. I had previous arrangements, so I thanked him and rode further East until I came unto the forested hills of Montecito, and the hidden House of Chapin, home of Lord Mathew and his kin, whereupon a warm welcome was had.
I presented Lord Mathew with a book which I had borrowed a fortnight before, and we quickly fell to the telling of old tales and singing of old songs of the second Great War of the second age. Loretta then showed me her garden. We looked upon the squash, and they were plump. We looked upon the apples, and they were sweet and fat. We looked upon the chard, and the kale, and the plump chickens, and they were all good, and brimming with health and juice. I complemented the garden, and then it was time for the evening feast. Platers of chicken and vegetables were set unto the table, and beer, too, was also to be had. All was merry, and we ate outside by a great fire that which was held in a clay pot. Full of meat, potatoes, and ale, Lady Alison and Prince Sam and I went inside, at which point we watched Google and Youtube videos, and all was gay and merry.
Long after dark I set out for home. Long was the ride, and dark was the path through the hills, but at long last, I came unto my own lands, and unto my house, and unto my computer.
I took the grand tour around loreta’s garden, and was inspired by it’s Eden-like beauty and bounty. We had a great chicken dinner ourside by a roaring fire chimney…and then Hobbit, Sam and I went in to watch Youtube and Google videos.
.
Work was work. I did manage to smear whipped cream all over my navy blue suit during my lunch break. Those darn Danish and their irresistible pastries!
After wok I went to Wills house. Andrew was over, and we watched some TV. Andrew left, and then Will and I went over the project that I cant tell you about but will continue to mention in an annoying fashion on a regular basis.
So, after working on the project-that-I-can’t-tell-you-about-but-will-continue-to-mention-in-an-annoying-fashion-on-a-regular-basis, we both decided that I need a wacom tablet if we are to continue with the project-that-I-can’t-tell-you-about-but-will-continue-to-mention-in-an-annoying-fashion-on-a-regular-basis with any efficiency.
I decided to get the Intuos 6 X8, which was only 280 some’m dollars on Amazon.
After that, I came home, fed myself and the rat some vegetable/ rice soup…and now I’m on the verge of going to bed.
Haha! Yeah, a drunk budgie wouldn’t be pretty. Metabolically, they're too different from us to chance much experimentation.
Before giving Tumblers a bit of beer, I did some research to find out how rats hold their liquor…it turns out that they’re more intelligent drinkers than humans are. In lab studies, the little squeakers start refusing booze after their third drink. Noble little critters.
True, true, you could be right in one respect. Star Wars was a hit in its own generation, and it continued to be pushed on each generation in its original and myriad of parody forms, cartoons and spin-offs and has thus becoming a true cinematic classic. With so many generations in anticipation, small wonder the first prequel did so well. So yes, in that respect, letting a movie age might not be a bad thing---but:
Even the best analogies break down at some point, and one drawn between star wars and LotR is anything but clean (for various reasons that we could wrangle over all night and the next day).
Each one of the Lord of the Rings trilogy made more than its antecedent by tens of millions of dollars, a direct result of the ongoing hype within that 3 year time span. The hype is now mostly gone, and I highly doubt that they’ll get 100% of it back by the time the movie comes out. Sure, it’ll make a killing regardless of its release date, but the goal for the execs would be maximization.
This being the case, I don’t think it’s safe to say in such absolute terms as “there is no risk”…because there certainly is, and I still think that sooner than later would be the best policy.
And the project wouldn’t be that large. There’ll be one movie, and it’ll only a few months to shoot. For all we know, the could be just leaving the concept art stage, and those guys tend to keep their mouths shut. Artists and writers work too hard to get where they are to go running their mouths. You leave that to the stunt guys and lighting techs. Still, there’s no point in arguing this either…if the date IS 2007, then we should start to get leaks right and left in no time. *sits back and waits for leaks*
So begins the lengthy account of yesterday, and the events therein: work, dinner, sleep, that’s it.
I’ll write a little list of things that I need to get done today. First but certainly least, I need to buy some more pants for work. I need to do some paper work and take it into the DMV. I’ve been avoiding that; my dislike for the DMV and most other governmentally-run bureaucracies verges on hate. I can deal with the impersonality…but what gets me is the lack of efficiency. Given time, bureaucracies grow overcomplicated and become increasingly self-serving. For a giant, lumbering bureaucracy, getting the job done isn’t important, serving the public isn’t important, all that’s important is hiring as many secretaries, attendants, interns, senior staffer, clerks, curators, and Bobs to do the job as slowly and surely as possible. Result? WE end up doing the runaround.
Okay, other than that, I must produce some more artwork.
Tidy der house.
That’ll do it.
Must draw, of course.