The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey First to Shoot a Movie in 48FPS - Lukewarm Response Received

A couple of days ago, Warner Bros. Pictures screened approximately 10 minutes of never-before-seen footage from Peter Jackson's upcoming epic “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” which showcased the filmmaking innovation of 48 frames-per-second (fps). If you didn't know, the typical film's frame rate is 24 fps. The footage was part of the studio’s presentation at CinemaCon, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO). The footage was introduced via a taped greeting from Peter Jackson, who gave a bit of history as to how 24 fps became the industry standard and why today’s technology allows for higher frame rates. He also explained that 48 fps is actually closer to the way the human eye views the world. While this is definitely a step ahead for film-making, the actual response was a mixed bag - some even describing the film's feel as a made-for-TV film. Pretty harsh if you ask us. But really, people should calm down. When 3D was re-introduced a few years ago, people whined about it constantly but look at where we are now. 48 fps may have its idiosyncrasies but every technique has and it is in its infancy. Problems and hiccups are to be expected. So let's give this new thing a chance. Let's just hope that ticket prices won't rise up like what 3D is doing now.






The film, slated for worldwide release beginning December 14, 2012 in both 2D and 3D formats. It is the first major motion picture to be made using this state-of-the art high-frame-rate technology.