The Gaffer’s Elite: Cinematic Shots

Ranking all things Middle-earth

Last week we ranked the best characters’ songs from the Middle-earth films. This time, I will be going through my favourite shots from the two trilogies.

In filmic terms, a shot is basically a number of frames. A shot can be anything – a landscape, a setup, a character’s face – in front of the camera. It can be of any length in duration, without breaking away from the action – thus, without any editing cuts.

Think of a conversation between two people; every time the camera shows one character’s face and then the other, it’s switching between two separate shots.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies arrives March 24!

“Frenetic, gripping, ridiculous and solemn at all the right places – the geek blockbuster of the year.”

— Michael Calia, The Wall Street Journal

 The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies

Arrives onto Blu-Ray 3D Combo Pack, Blu-Ray Combo Pack, 2-Disc DVD Special Edition and Digital HD on March 24 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

The Gaffer’s Elite! Songs

Ranking all things Middle-earth

Welcome to another installment of the Gaffer’s Elite. Last week we outlined the top cinematic battles from Middle-earth. This time, we’ll be looking at the songs.

I have had to limit myself by listing only appropriately termed songs. As much as they are beautiful, no melodies featured as background music in the films have been named – perhaps for another post …

These are songs specifically characterised by being vocal compositions sung by a character or an ensemble during the films.

Now if only they’d recorded the Elves singing “O Tra la la lally…”

**Updated: Includes Éowyn’s Lament. Big thumbs up to Denzel Caragos for jogging my memory!**

The Gaffer’s Elite! Battles

Ranking All Things Middle-earth

In The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the story is everything. But what adds to the beauty of experiencing it, is witnessing the breathtaking conflict that takes place throughout the narratives. In this second installment of “The Gaffer’s Elite” series, I’ll be attempting the daunting task of classifying my most favourite confrontations from the Middle-earth films.

For last week’s post, see ‘Soundtracks’.  

The Gaffer’s Elite! Soundtracks

Ranking All Things Middle-earth

Today I’d like to introduce you to this first post in a weekly series entitle The Gaffers Elite!, in which I will attempt to do the impossible: rank all things Middle-earth films – from most to least favourite. “Least” shouldn’t even exist in this franchise but a ranking is a ranking after all, and something has to make it at the bottom of the list.

Every week I’ll be giving a quick look at the soundtracks, characters, battles, events …. and films; what I think should be at the top of said list and what should be just below.

So let’s kick things off by ranking Howard Shore’s soundtracks!

The Middle-earth prologues

Do you remember the first shot of every Middle-earth film?

Sure you do.

It’s also interesting to note the similarities of every opening – further reinforcing the connections between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

At the same time, I’m sure you’ve noticed the odd-one-out of the entire lot … 

Old Bolg back in The Hobbit!

From being slain in An Unexpected Journey to chief torturer in The Battle of the Five Armies

I’ve grown rather fond of the final appearance of Bolg in The Hobbit trilogy. Although I had some initial reservations, I’ve come around.

You may probably have noticed by now that the original design for Bolg (and originally Azog – it’s slightly complicated so here’s a link to a detailed post about the design history: Azog, Bolg … and Yazneg: The trio’s tangled design history), has made an appearance in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.

Missed him?