Hobbits seek new horizons in Middle-earth

New Zealand has once again transformed into Middle-earth as Kiwi filmmaker Peter Jackson puts the spotlight on The Hobbit - one of the biggest movies ever to be made down-under.

The two films are set in Middle-earth, and 60 years before Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, which Jackson and his team brought to the big screen in the international blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

Filming of the much-awaited prequel began in February in New Zealand’s capital Wellington, and will move into various ocations around New Zealand during the second stage.

Video blogs
Meanwhile, from the fan side, anticipation levels are rising as Peter Jackson keeps fans in touch with video blog posts on his Facebook page.

The blogs take fans behind the scenes showing glimpses of the sets, characters and costumes in The Hobbit. Jackson also reveals technical details about the movies, including that he’s shooting at twice the normal frame rate - 48 frames per second (fps), chosen to make the films "more lifelike" and easier to watch in 3D.

The blogs have created a huge buzz around the movies - as one fan says: "I can’t wait for this film. It’s killing me! Really appreciate the diary updates Pete. Thank you so much."

Three stages
The Hobbit is being filmed in three separate blocks, adding up to 254 days of shooting in total.

Already completed, the first block was shot at Stone Street Studios in Wellington, and the crew is curently off location with filming scheduled to gear up again on 5 September.

Some of the cast and crew have returned home during the break. Meanwhile, Jackson and another 17 crew members have been flying around New Zealand in five helicopters, scouting film locations to be used during the second block of filming.

Jackson, who won’t be taking a break, is using the time for post production, to revise scripts, and work on new designs with Weta mastermind Richard Taylor, and LOTR Oscar-winning designers Dan Hennah and Peter King.

Hobbit locations
With about 30 different locations required, the crew is still on the hunt for stunning New Zealand spots, including a picturesque river.

"There’s plenty of New Zealand that we haven’t seen yet. I think people think it’s such a small country, and [in] Lord of the Rings we saw so much of it, that we must have seen everything … but believe me we haven’t. There’s a huge amount of wonderful locations still to come," says Jackson.

Confirmed locations include two iconic South Island landscapes. The rugged Mackenzie Country - an alpine basin below New Zealand’s highest mountain Aoraki Mt Cook - and, near the southern city of Dunedin, a rocky dry wilderness area that will depict an area of Middle-earth that has never been seen before.
Apart from looking a picture, locations need to have enough adjacent space to accommodate the equivalent of two rugby fields full of equipment, including portable toilets, crew tents, trucks and marquees to hold costumes and make-up. And, it all needs to be hidden away from the cameras - as there are no portaloos in Middle-earth.

Hobbit cast
Heading the star filled line-up are British actors Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, and Sir Ian McKellen who returns in the role of Gandalf the Grey.

Reprising their roles from The Lord of the Rings trilogy are Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Elijah Wood as Frodo, Orlando Bloom as Legolas, and Andy Serkis as Gollum. Serkis is also second unit director on the films.

Evangeline Lilly is playing a new character - the woodland elf Tauriel, and Australian comedian Barry Humphries portrays the Goblin King.

The 13 dwarves are played by Richard Armitage (Thorin Oakenshield), Ken Stott (Balin), Graham McTavish (Dwalin), William Kircher (Bifur), James Nesbitt (Bofur), Stephen Hunter (Bombur), Rob Kazinsky (Fili), Aidan Turner (Kili), Peter Hambleton (Gloin), John Callen (Oin), Jed Brophy (Nori), Mark Hadlow (Dori) and Adam Brown (Ori).

Background: The Hobbit

The Hobbit follows the journey of Bilbo Baggins, on an epic quest to reclaim the lost dwarf kingdom of Erebor, which has been conquered by the dragon Smaug.

Approached by Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself with 13 dwarves and the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakensheild, on a journey into the Wild, through treacherous lands swarming with goblins and orcs, shapeshifters and sorcerers.

Along the way, Bilbo meets Gollum and gains possession of his "precious" ring … a simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

The two Hobbit films, with screenplays by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson, are being shot consecutively in digital 3D using the latest camera and stereo technology.

The Hobbit movies, titled ‘An Unexpected Journey’ and ‘There and Back Again', are due for release in 2012 and 2013.

Take a peek at The Hobbit Production Video 3