Peter Jackson

Here's something for "Lord of the Rings" fans eagerly anticipating the upcoming movie "The Hobbit."

In a recent post on his Facebook page, director Peter Jackson gave fans a sneak peek at some of the innovative techniques used to shoot the film in 3D. The movie is being made with 48 RED Epic digital cameras, and since it's shot in 3D, those cameras have to be paired and positioned a specific distance apart.

Sounds easy? It isn't. While the RED cameras are a lot smaller than regular film cameras used in Hollywood, the lenses they use make it nearly impossible to place them close to each other. The filmmakers had to engage the help of 3ality Technica, a company that makes custom camera rigs, to create specialized mounts for the cameras used in "The Hobbit."

The mounts, which allow one camera to be pointed straight at the subject while the other shoots the image reflected off a mirror, lets camera operators change the distance between the two camera lenses--called the interocular distance--easily. This keeps the lenses at a distance similar to our own eyes and should ensure that the 3D effect looks more believable and causes less fatigue.

The movie is also shot at 5K resolution--more than six times that of 1080p--at 48 frames per second, which means "The Hobbit" could be one of the best-looking 3D films we'll ever see. Well, until Avatar 2 comes out, at least.

Watch the video below for a behind-the-scenes peek at the making of "The Hobbit" and see more on Jackson's Facebook page.

(Source: Crave Asia via Engadget)