It seemed like a good idea at the time.
One of my very handy mantras slash excuses slash explanations for any number of events in my life that didn't turn out quite as I planned. And I think that also applies to "The Hobbit."
I was anxious to see the film shot at 48 frames per second. I was also anxious to leave the theatre after about ten minutes.
The Problem with 48 FPS
The extreme visual data packed into the film proved to be a distraction. The hyper reality was visually exhausting, the lighting hot and plastic... like a poorly produced after school special. You were not looking at a forest, you were seeing every frond on every fern. A beard was not a beard, it was a swirl of individual hairs. A fur collar was etched against the CG background with every fur fiber standing on end. Sadly, I could not pay attention to the story.
Conclusion: Grain is good.
The normal filming rate is 24FPS which gives the brain the blur tool that softens edges.
What Does This Have to Do with Tucson?
Everything.
The day prior to coming to Tucson I picked up a new pair of glasses with a new prescription that turned my life into a high def movie. Distance became extra crispy. Details were in such ultra focus as to be disorienting. Because when everything is in focus, nothing is in focus.
I was not merely looking at a strand of seed pearls... I was seeing every single pearl and every single variation in shape and color. Faceted stones? I could count the facets from thirty feet away. Truly, at the AGTA show I could define stone inventories as far as my sight line could go.
I prefer wearing my glasses to contacts as I am very nearsighted and I can see stones and pearls perfectly with the naked eye. Just don't be offended if I don't recognize you across the room while my glasses are shoved to my forehead.
Needless to say, after one day I made a hasty retreat to my old glasses. Ah, things are looking normal again, if not just a tad blurry. Appropriately blurry. And very 24FPS.
Tucson Images
Here are some Tucson images from my iPhone which give you just enough grain to make it good: My favorite "mosaic" of pink opal and turquoise. I moved the pieces around every time I passed it. I was inspired by the colors and evolving composition.
Malachite. Rough and polished. Even simple quartz takes on new stature when placed en masse. So you say you like lapis...?
