1. THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION
OF SMAUG
CASE-STUDY RESEARCH
PRESENTATION

2. INTRODUCTION
 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
(2013) is a sequel to The Hobbit: An
Unexpected Journey (2012), and prequel
to The Hobbit: There and Back Again
(2014)
 The Trilogy acts as a prequel to The
Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001- 2003)
 The Hobbit Trilogy, alike LOTR is based
upon the fantasy novels by J.R.R Tolkien

3. INTRODUCTION
 Synopsis: (Based on the book series
by J.R.R. Tolkien) "The
dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and
Gandalf the Grey, continue their
quest to reclaim Erebor, their
homeland, from Smaug. Bilbo Baggins
is in possession of a mysterious and
magical ring.“ – IMDB

4. AN UNEXPECTED
JOURNEY
THE DESOLATION OF
SMAUG
THERE AND BACK
AGAIN

5. PRODUCTION
 Directed by Peter Jackson (LOTR, King Kong)
 Production Budget of £135 million
(approx, from $)
 Produced by New-Line Cinema, Metro-GoldwynMayer and Wingnut Films
 Peter Jackson received funds from these
companies with which to produce the three
films

6. PRODUCTION
 New-Line Cinema is a subsidiary of Warner
Bros. Pictures, who therefore distributed
the film – their most successful releases
include Inception (2010) and The Dark Knight
(2008)
 Warner Bros. is one of ‘The Big Six’
production companies – this allows the
Trilogy to be big budget and big release
 Despite this, the Trilogy has faced some
issues along the way – AUJ was delayed for
quite some time due to MGM being tight on
funds

7. PRODUCTION
PETER JACKSON
NEW LINE CINEMA (SUBSIDIARY OF
WARNER BROS.)

8. TECHNOLOGY
 Filmed in 48 FPS (Frames Per
Second), rather than the traditional
value of 24 FPS
 Processed for 2D, 3D, IMAX, IMAX 3D
and HFR (High Frame Rate) 3D formats

9. SHOOTING & LOCATION
 The entire Trilogy was filmed in
subsequent blocks – beginning March 21
of 2011, ending July 6 of 2012
 Filmed predominently in New
Zealand, both upon various islands and
on sound-stages
 Some scenes were created on sound-stages
at Pinewood Studios, England

10. SHOOTING & LOCATION
ON-LOCATION SHOOT
SOUNDSTAGE RECORDING

11. CAST
STAR APPEAL
The cast of DOS includes:




Martin Freeman – Bilbo
Ian McKellen – Gandalf
Richard Armitage – Thorin
Benedict Cumberbatch – Smaug
These, along with other cast members such as
Orlando Bloom, Stephen Fry and Sylvester McCoy
give star appeal to the film – people will
want to see the film because of them

12. CAST
STAR APPEAL
MARTIN FREEMAN AS BILBO
BAGGINS
IAN MCKELLEN AS GANDALF THE
GREY

13. CASTING CHOICES
 Ian Mckellen, Orlando Bloom and a few other
members of the cast were slated for their roles
for the Trilogy to reprise their characters from
LOTR
 Peter Jackson decided that Martin Freeman was
the only person he wanted to play Bilbo after
watching him in the television show Sherlock.
Even though Freeman had already signed on for
another series of Sherlock, Jackson reworked the
entire shoot of AUJ to accommodate him. Before
Freeman was realised however, actors such as
Tobey Maguire, James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe
were considered for the role

14. CASTING CHOICES
 Benedict Cumberbatch’s role was
revealed by his Sherlock costar, Martin Freeman, at the 2011
BAFTA Television Awards. Ian McKellen
later stated that Cumberbatch
received the role as a result of a
screen test which was
“electrifying, vocally and
facially”

15. MARKETING
 First details of DOS were released by
Peter Jackson at a live event on March
24 (2013) – some plot events were
given, along with one scene from the
film
 The first trailer was released online
and shown in cinemas from June 11 (2013)
 A longer, ‘sneak/peek’ clip was
released on November 4, which revealed
new footage and plot points

16. MARKETING
FIRST FULL TRAILER
SNEAK PEEK

17. MARKETING, SOCIAL NETWORKING
 A Facebook page, Twitter page, official blog and Warner
Bros. YouTube Channel have been used to share
trailers, short clips, interviews, behind-the-scenes
footage, posters, competitions and more with social
media users to create hype
 This use of media, particularly Facebook and
Twitter, has allowed fans to interact with the
production by sharing information and ‘hash-tagging’
to gain more of an experience from the process
 The official blog in particular attracts strictly the
primary audience members, as they will want to find out
as much about the film as possible, as soon as possible
– regular updates are posted, some including ‘Vlogs’
from Peter Jackson himself

18. MARKETING, SOCIAL NETWORKING
FACEBOOK PAGE
TWITTER PAGE

19. MARKETING, MERCHANDISING, SYMBI
OSIS
 A wide range of merchandise has been created to promote
the film, including action figures and construction
toys, vinyl figures and plush dolls, costumes and prop
replicas, etc.
 Companies such as LEGO, Vivid Imaginations and The
Noble Collection have collaborated with Warner Bros. to
create these products – the film(s) and these products
will essentially ‘sell each-other’, and both Warner
Bros. and the manufacturer will receive a percentage of
the profit
 This will also invite secondary audience members to the
film – for example children who collect LEGO could be
introduced to the film because of the series of sets

20. MARKETING, MERCHANDISING, SYMBI
OSIS

21. MARKETING, SOUNDTRACK, SYNERGY
 The Original Score (OST) for the film
is available to purchase on CD or
through Digital Download –
iTunes, Amazon mp3 etc., in both
Standard and Deluxe Editions. As the
OST belongs to Warner Bros., it is an
example of synergy, and therefore may
attract secondary audience members to
the film

22. MARKETING, SOUNDTRACK, SYNERGY

23. MARKETING, MEDIA CONVERGENCE
 Ed Sheeran collaborated with Peter Jackson to write and
record the song “I See Fire” for the soundtrack. This
is an example of convergence as Sheeran is signed to
Atlantic Records, not Warner Bros. This is more than
likely to invite secondary audience members to the film
– fans of Sheeran will hear the song and be aware of
the film, and similarly fans of the film will hear the
song in the credits of the film and may be attracted to
his music – alike merchandise, the two will ‘sell
each-other’
 Similarly, various games have been created, available
online and on smartphone software such as iOS. Alike
merchandise, this promotes the film to more
people, perhaps games enthusiasts. An example of this
is an official game which Warner Bros. developed with
Kabam, called ‘Barrel Escape’, which is based upon
one of the scenes in the film

24. MARKETING, MEDIA CONVERGENCE

25. EXHIBITION
 Shown in 3,928 cinemas worldwide
 Released Dec 12 (2013) New Zealand, US & UK
Dec 13, ranging between 12 Dec – 26 Dec
elsewhere
 Shown in 2D, 3D, IMAX, IMAX 3D and HFR 3D
 Box Office Gross - £551 million
(approx, from $)

26. EXHIBITION

27. MULTI-PLATFORM RELEASE
 DOS will be available to purchase on
DVD, Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray 3D and UV from
April 7
 Digital Downloads – iTunes, PS3 etc.
will also be available, along with a
Television distribution between MGM
and SkyMovies

28. MULTI-PLATFORM RELEASE

29. REVIEWS, RATINGS
 Alike AUJ, DOS has received great
critical success, with reviews from
the likes of Empire Magazine and The
Guardian
 IMDB Rating – 8.2 (/10)
 Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 75% (/100%)

30. REVIEWS, RATINGS

31. FUN FACT
 Motion Capture was used to create the
dragon Smaug, voiced and motioned by
Benedict Cumberbatch – he would move
in front of a screen in a CG
suit, like a dragon, imagining where
Bilbo would be stood. The same
process was used to create Gollum and
various monsters in LOTR and AUJ

32. FUN FACT
 Cumberbatch also did specific
exercises each day for six months to
achieve the right physique and
movement

33. FUN FACT
 Open public casting calls were held
for ‘extras’ roles such as Hobbits
for AUJ– more than 3,000 people
showed up to audition, police were
called in to support and the event
was eventually shut down