Video Blog #8: What did we learn?

Ok, so I'm a little late getting the production video up, but there's good reason for that: first, as you can see . . . the old blog has been undergoing some renovations; second, well . . . life is busy; and third, has to be my favorite production video so far, and there is a lot of info to glean from it.

So, if you haven't seen the video yet, go ahead and watch it, then jump past the break to take a look at some screen shots (courtesy of DarkJackal) and we'll talk a bit about the new hints/clues/revelations we get in this little reel!

A Brief History of Wargs

All of a sudden they heard a howl away down hill, a long shuddering howl. It was answered by another away to the right and a good deal nearer to them; then by another not far away to the left. It was wolves howling at the moon, wolves gathering together!

-The Hobbit; Ch. 6: Out of the Frying-Pan into the Fire

Goblins are bad . . . nobody quibbles about that; but goblins plus wolves? That's more than most anybody can handle. Even old Gandalf scrambled up a tree to get away from a pack of these fiendish beasts. Because these aren't just any old, garden-variety wolves . . . these are Wargs, sinister wolves that live in the shadows of the Misty Mountains and have long been allies of the goblins and orcs.

But just what exactly is a warg, anyways? Where did they come from and why--unlike most animals in Middle-Earth--are they servants of the Shadow? Read on past the break to find out!

Fridays at the Mathom-House: David DelaGardelle

It's Friday again . . . the week was long, but Hobbit fever is, well . . . going strong. I guess? Maybe? Anyways, regardless of your current excitement for the upcoming Hobbit movies, this week's Mathom-House art is sure to please you! Today we'll be looking at the fantastic art of David DelaGardelle.

Above is David's take on Gandalf the Gray, which I really enjoyed. The little details that David got right are what really make this illustration: the Ring of Power on Gandalf's hand, the long nose and the fact that his eyebrows really do extend beyond the rim of his hat. Great stuff, plus the medium that David was working in really gives these illustrations an older feel that I enjoy.

Read on for a look at David's take on some of the Dwarves in Thorin's Company:

3D Hobbit Posters!

Hot off the press and straight from theonering.net, comes a slew of movie posters from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey! The posters (and a whole lot of other images) are being updated on their live Comic-Con feed. Apparently the posters are in "reticulated 3D", but naturally that doesn't translate into these photos (mores the pity).

Gandalf (in my humble opinion) looks awesome; and, quite frankly, it's really nice to see the old wizard in his Grey "form" which is a whole lot cooler than his White "form".

Read on past the break to see the rest of the posters:

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, June 2012

All right, here's the June round-up . . . a little late, but you know what they say about that . . .

June was a pretty slow month with regards to things concerning the actual story-line of the movie. There were a lot of interviews with different actors (most notably Billy Connolly), but other than that not too much to get me excited. There was, however, a production video (the 7th, if you're counting) and that is always a welcome treat!

EW Hobbit Scroll

EW has just posted a new scrolling image of several scenes from the Hobbit! The scenes can be magnified to show more detail . . . and the great thing is, the image shows a ton of new material from the upcoming movie!

I've stitched the scenes together into a complete image, but it's not the highest resolution:

Enjoy!

Protecting the Crew: Thorin & Company's Armor

Packing around a whole mess of swords, axes and sundry other weapons is all well and good . . . but what happens when the Enemies get past your poorly-timed thrust, or you accidentally drop your oh-so-pretty axe? Well, my friend, that's when you call in the heavy armor. Designed to stop a sword or piercing arrow, armor is a necessity for Thorin & Co. if they hope to reach Erebor in one piece. Luckily, we're talking about dwarves, and Middle-earth has never seen a people more skilled at making (and wearing) armor.

Read on past the break to learn about the various types of armor Thorin and his crew have chosen to see them safely through to the broken gates of the Lonely Mountain!

New Hobbit Poster!

Wow! Released by Mr. Jackson right before SDCC 2012, this poster is awesome!

Fridays at the Mathom-House: Frank Frazetta

Oh yes . . . it's that time of week again! You've managed to drag yourself through Monday and Tuesday. You survived the 4th of July. Thursday is gone. That means only one thing: it's FRIDAY! And that, good reader, is reason to celebrate. So here's some awesome Hobbit-ish art from the renowned artist Frank Frazetta!

The picture above is from Frazetta's limited edition portfolio of LOTR and TH illustrations. Now, I was a little confused at first because apparently this image is the title page for LOTR, but I'm pretty sure all those dwarves indicate that this picture is (or should be) a scene from the Hobbit. I got started on fantasy via the Hobbit when I was a tender eight years old, right around the end of the "Golden Age" of Swords and Sorcery Fantasy . . . you know, Conan and all that stuff. So this type of illustration is really nostalgic for me. Gandalf looks awesome!

Read on after the break for even more great illustrations!

Additional Weapons stuff

After posting my little essay about weapons, DarkJackal pointed out to me some details I'd missed. Two days later I've updated the post with the missing information. And good thing I did, cause it's some of my favorite stuff.

Head on over to the original weapon post to check it out! I've added the new material to the end of the post.

Enjoy!

New Hobbit Photos from EW!

EW has released a new set of awesome Hobbit pics featuring Bilbo, Gandalf, Thorin and a whole mess of other characters from the upcoming movie! This news comes to you via theonering.net! Click here to see the EW cover and read an excerpt from the article. And here you'll find the gallery of photos!

Read on past the break to see screen caps of the new photos:

Arming the Crew: Thorin & Company's Weaponry

Thorin & Co. may not be the classiest crew around. They may not have manners. The distinct lack of Big People in the crew may even hint at some sort of height-based profiling. But there's one thing you can't deny: these dwarves are packing heat. From axes to swords (and almost everything in between), this band of dwarves is equipped to deal with just about anything.

Read on past the break to get an in depth look at the various implements Thorin & Co. have selected to deal out death and justice to any who stand in their way: