The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Movie Review

I have had the privilege of attending an advance screening of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey movie adaptation is the first installment of three films from the acclaimed novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. It is the prelude of The Lord Of the Rings. The follows the journey of a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. Baggins leaves his comfortable lifestyle to embark on an adventure with 13 dwarfs and a wizard named Gandalf. The purpose of the adventure is to reach the treasures guarded by a dragon.

The main excitement behind the release of this film is having the option to see the film in 24fps 3-D, 48 fps 3-D, or 24fps 2-D. But most movie viewers do not necessarily know the difference.The term "fps" stands for frames per second. A majority of films are projected in 24fps. The frames per second are how fast the images are projected per second. To simply put it, the higher the frame rate, the sharper the image and less blurry the film will appear. 

This film was definitely entertaining. I am still have not made up my mind on whether I particularly like it or not. I felt the movie was longer than it needed to be. It did not help that the key to the projector was not programmed correctly, so we had to wait almost an hour for the film begin. It turned a three hour event into a four hour event. I saw the film in 48fps in 3-D. Yes, it was a visually appealing movie, with fantastic visual effects, but since it was a prequel to an already successful trilogy, I felt it took away from what Lord of the Rings originally delivered. At the same time, I understood Peter Jackson’s approach. The Hobbit is a kid friendly novel and creating the film in 48fps gave it a kid friendly feel. The movie does evolve into a progressively dark film. The Hobbit was definitely a successful return to Middle Earth. Outside of the technical aspect of the films, I would suggest this film to any Lord of the Rings fan. 

The Film Industry's Glass Ceiling: Independent Filmmaking

Within the last ten years or so, independent movies have been making its way to the mainstream realm. This is with the help of studios and A-list actors. Large studios are branching out and creating independent film companies to create films that lack the ideal plot of a blockbuster film.

What are some advantages of independent films? The biggest different between an independent film and a blockbuster film is the unique approach to story telling. The stories are more bold and aggressive. The plots are not made to make the audience happy. The plots are simply created to tell a really good story. This allows the director and the screenwriter have full creative control over the finished product.

Another advantage of independent films is the actors. Independent films tend to display talent from unknown actors, who have potential in developing a strong career. Audiences are drawn to independent films to see up and coming actors. For mainstream films, it can feel like the same stories are being told because the same actors are type casted in the same type of films. Because of the type casting, if the content is solid, an independent filmmaker may grasp the attention of an A-list actor to pursue a role in the film. A-list actors chose independent films to re-establish themselves as a good actor who can do more than the mainstream material.

Independent filmmakers go the route of self distribution to maintain their own distribution. Self distribution is considered a separate industry within itself. It takes more time going through the distribution process than it does making the film. To avoid the hassle of self distribution, independent filmmakers will choose to submit the film to several festivals, hoping a studio picks it up and distributes the film. It sometimes means submitting a shorter version hoping to sell the script for a quick fee.

There are many ulterior motives as to why filmmakers create independent films. Do not get discouraged if you have planned to only work in with independent film industry. Money can still be made. It will just be a difficult marketing process. If you chose to create a film under your own company, instead of a studio, consider hiring a distribution company. Use most of your funds to distribute your film.