While Tolkein fans may be super excited for The Hobbit this December, film tech afficionados are excited for another reason: The Hobbit is the first film to be shot with a high frame rate. Instead of beiong shot at 24 frames per second, like all mainstream films, The Hobbit was shot at 48 frames a second. When this was premiered a few months ago, reaction was bad (not to the content, but to the frame rate), with many noting that the film looked “cheap”.
While the issue has apparently been rectified with post-production magic, many distributors are still very wary about releasing the film in the high frame rate. The Hobbit needs to be a big success, and many are worried that if the film still looks poor it will scare away moviegoers. The other aspect of the problem is that most theaters are not ready to show films in high frame rates: the process requires converting the footage itself, which is a little more complicated than just flipping a switch. As a result, only a few select cities will get the film in the high frame rate, and while the number of cities or their locations have not been revealed yet, the number is undoubtedly much lower than it looked to have been a few months ago.
Personally, I am dissapointed by this news, as I was really looking forward to seeing what 48 fps looked like, and the laws of probability themselves dictate I will likely not experience 48 fps in the near future. However, there is always the chance that the film will be released in 48 fps at a theater near you, and I would reccomend checking the movie out immediately if that is the case. Not only does The Hobbit look to be a great film, but 48 fps has the potential to become the future of moviemaking, and I can’t wait to see what the future looks like.
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