Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro Hold a 'Hobbit' Online Chat
A massive transcript for you to sink your teeth into
lordlinton: Loved the video diaries for King Kong, will you guys be doing something similar for the Hobbit?
Peter Jackson: There is a lot of questions about production diaries for the internet – the truth is that Guillermo and I haven't even discussed this topic yet, now do we have a real plan in place for the internet and DVD side of the film. You have to realize that although this was announced and is all round the world we are at the very beginning of the process just starting to think about the scripts. We are not trying to fob anyone off but we simply haven't got that far in the process yet and it is a plan we will put into place during the course of 2009.
WETA Host: I always thought creating Gollum would pose a great artistic challenge to the artists whose job it would be to adapt the Lord of the Rings. With the Hobbit I believe Smaug will pose one of the great challenges. Now we have all seen dragons in movies. But for the Hobbit I personally am excepting nothing less than unbelievable . Where will you go for inspiration? What styles will the art direction look at? Personally I can see a lot being done with the setting from Pan's Labyrinth. Thank you and good luck to you all.
Guillermo del Toro: This is a big one– Allow me to quote from my random responses at Onering.net…
I am a big Dragon fan. I've said it before- And I was fortunate enough to be born a Dragon in the Chinese Horoscope…
And although it's always impossible to agree on the "greatest" of anything, I bring forth these two as the main film contenders for that title: Eyvind Earle / Disney's Maleficent dragon ( a triumph of elegance of color and design) and Vermitrax Pejorative from Dragonslayer.
In my opinion, every other design has borrowed heavily from these two. I plan to create something new and groundbreaking.
Smaug should not be "the Dragon in the Hobbit movie" as if it was just "another" creature in a Bestiary. Smaug should be "The DRAGON" for all movies past and present. The shadow he cast and the greed he comes to embody- the "need to own" casts its long shadow and creates a thematic / dramatic continuity of sorts that articulates the story throughout-
In that respect, Smaug the CHARACTER is as important, if not more important, than the design. The character will emerge from the writing- and in that the Magnificent arrogance, intelligence, sophistication and greed of Smaug shine through-
In fact, Thorin's greed is a thematic extension of this and Bilbo's "Letting go" and his noble switching of sides when the dwarves prove to be in the wrong is its conceptual counterpart (that is a hard one to get through, Bilbo's heroism is a quiet, moral one) and the thematic thread reaches its climax in the Bilbo / Thorin death bed scene.
Anyway, back to Smaug: One of the main mistakes with talking dragons is to shape the mouth like a snub Simian one in order to achieve a dubious lip-synch. .. A point which eluded me particularly in Eragon, since their link is a psychic one.
To me, Smaug is the perfect example of a great creature defined by its look and design, yes, but also, very importantly, by his movement and -One little hint- its environment – Think about it… the way he is scaled, moves and is lit, limited or enhanced by his location, weather conditions, light conditions, time of the year, etc. That's all I can say without spoilers but, if you keep this curious little summary you'll realize several years from now that those things I had in my mind ever since doodling the character as a kid had solidified way before starting the shoot of the film.
A big tool is also how and when he is fully revealed. I could give you specifics- beat-by-beat in fact (I'm geeking out to do it), but…
I will say no more in order to save you from ruthless spoilerage (we have a few years to go, you now…?) and increased anxiety.
Let me, however, say that this is actually one of the points I feel most enthusiastic about.
As to his voice- well, each reader has a Smaug voice in his / her head, just like you always do when "hearing" a great character in a book.
I have mine… and it will be revealed in time…
manuthevif: Guillermo, Will Peter be directing Hellboy 3 at some point?
Guillermo del Toro: Offers have been made but he remains elusive- we will be in talks soon.
swjedi18: Will be seeing The While Council in The Hobbit?
Peter Jackson: Hi swjedi18 – To early to say before the scripts are written but it is definitely an idea we are discussing.
Guillermo del Toro: There's a very good chance if the "gaps" are filled in some form in either narrative. Too early…
WETA Host: How important is it to you to create overall consistency between Peter's Lord of the Rings films and Guillermo's? in terms of the actors, look and feel, scenery, score, fx — is your aim to have them stand on their own or sync up with the trilogy?
Guillermo del Toro: I believe that it's a little bit of both- the world must feel like the same world. The aspect ratio, music, essential established costume and production design trademarks but I would love to bring a lot of new flavors to the table. The Hobbit is, in essence, an overture to a massive Symphonic work so main themes are reprised but new modulations and new colors are introduced, thematically and texturally.
Peter Jackson: I love Guillermo's symphonic allusion. The "overture" can have a different flavor, a different texture, yet be a carefully crafted introduction to what's to follow. Film Two is perfect to dramatize the shift in Middle-earth that propels us into the dark days of Lord of the Rings. If Lord of the Rings is World War One, then the Hobbit is like an Edwardian adventure tale, set in the days before world notices the looming storm clouds.
Junaid: Is The Hobbit harder or easier than Lord of the Rings to adapt as a script?
Peter Jackson: Hi Junaid – Both are equally difficult to be completely honest. The Hobbit has its own unique problems, different to those of Lord of the Rings.
Guillermo del Toro: Not easy- I tell you that-
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