Cinema-goers have, whether we like it or not, got accustomed to having to chose between 3D and 2D screenings of films. But with the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey next week, now we'll have to chose between 24fps and 48fps, the latter of which has received less than welcome responses from some of those who have seen the film so far.
Here's what director Peter Jackson has to say about it:
“I'm fascinated by reactions, I'm tending to see that anyone under the age of 20 or so doesn't really care and thinks it looks cool. I think 3D at 24 frames is interesting, but it's the 48 that actually allows 3D to almost achieve the potential it can achieve because it's less eye strain and you have a sharper picture.”
He continues by commenting on the method of shooting:
“Warner Bros were very supportive, they just wanted us to prove that the 24 frame version would look normal, which it does, but once they were happy with that, on first day, when we had to press that button saying '48 frames' even though on that first day we started shooting 48fps, you could probably say there wasn't a single cinema in the world that would project the movie in that format. It was a big leap of faith. The big thing to realise is that it's not an attempt to change the film industry, it's another choice. The projectors that can run at 48 fps – it doesn't have to be one thing or another. You can shoot a movie at 24 frames and have sequences at 48 or 60 frames within the body of the film.”
He closed by saying:
“You can still do all the shutter-angle and strobing effects. It doesn't necessarily change how films are going to be made. It's another choice that filmmakers have got and for me, it gives that sense of reality that I love in cinema.”
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is released next week.
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