The Hobbit Hyper-Reality Paradox:
Polarisation amongst Audiences for a 3D HFR Film
Pioneering the use of high frame rate (HFR) in combination with computer generated imagery
(CGI) and stereoscopic 3D, Peter Jackson hoped that The Hobbit trilogy would transport viewers
to Middle-earth like never before. While our research indicates that many people enjoyed this
richer, magical realism, a significant minority of viewers found these technological innovations
distracting and unconvincing. For these respondents, the use of HFR 3D led them to adopt a
mediatedi mode of engagement in which heightened awareness of cinematic artifice disrupted
suspension of disbelief. Given that the purpose of these technological enhancements was to
create a more believable, realistic and immersive experience, this presented as a paradox.
Visual spectacle, apparent realism and the transparent mode of reception
In the case of The Hobbit: AUJ, the majority of our respondents adopted a transparentii mode of
reception. Thoroughly enchanted by the film and the technology associated with it, these 1,511
respondents suspended disbelief and generally entered the cinematic world relatively
effortlessly, and most identified the film’s visual effects as enhancing their immersive
experience. While some had to occasionally make an effort to remain immersed in the film by
ignoring or downplaying disruptive visual effects, all agreed that the film was praiseworthy for
pioneering, if not yet perfectly executing, the use of cutting-edge film technologies.
Alienation and disaffection
A smaller group of respondents were unable to immerse themselves in the world of The Hobbit:
AUJ due to particular visual artefacts generated by the combination of CGI, 3D and HFR
technologies. These respondents found the film’s visual aesthetic displeasing, with the ‘spell’ of
The Hobbit being broken at those moments when the film’s visual effects became too obvious or
jarring. Many of those who felt alienated or disaffected by the film’s technologies drew on the
Lord of the Rings trilogy as a benchmark for comparison, and expressed criticisms of The
Hobbit’s extensive reliance on digital visual effects. Key issues deemed problematic by these
viewers included the seemingly unnatural and weightless movements of characters, the
separation of people and objects from backgrounds, and the way in which HFR exposed flaws in
costumes, prosthetics and set design.
Accounting for divergent responses
We found that responses to The Hobbit’s technological innovations may be linked to pre-release
anticipation, previous media studies education/technical expertise, familiarity with digital
effects and 3D, and prior affection for Tolkien’s written works or Jackson’s earlier Middle-earth
films. Specifically,
 Fans of Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings films were most likely to be enchanted by The
Hobbit: AUJ. In turn, they were less critical of technological advancements, and most
experienced an immersive viewing experience.
 Fans of Tolkien’s works were more likely to be alienated by the film’s technological
advancements, which were commonly posited as a distraction from the narrative,
resulting in a mediated mode of viewing.
 A clear relationship was found between appreciation of technological enhancements and
narrative immersion:
o Amongst those who anticipated appreciating the film’s technological
advancements, almost 99% experienced moderate or strong narrative
transportation.
o Amongst those who generally disliked the film’s technological enhancements,
fewer than 6% experienced high levels of enchantment and resulting immersion.
 Respondents who were cinematically technically ‘savvy’ expressed a higher level of
discontent regarding the technological enhancements used in The Hobbit: AUJ.
Key conclusions
We found that the specific combination of technological innovations in the Hobbit generated
paradoxical perceptual and experiential effects for different individuals. Specifically, the
combination of stereoscopic 3D, HFR, and CGI generated a hyper-reality paradox in which
there was a more apparent visual disjunction between real life footage and CGI, evidently
compounded by additional visual artefacts which made real life characters and scenes at times
appear animated or artificial. As The Hobbit’s real life footage was rendered significantly clearer
and more like real life – indeed, hyper-realistic - with the use of HFR, it appears to have
outpaced the capacity of CGI to believably match that reality, and so undermined the film’s
perceived (seamlessly layered) realism. Hence, the CGI began to look more obviously fake for
some viewers, and may have seemed even more so in 3D due to additional visual artefacts
produced by stereoscopic projection. The end result disrupted narrative engagement for a
number of otherwise primed and positively-predisposed viewers of The Hobbit film franchise.
However, most viewers, and especially existing fans of the franchise, were able to ignore or
overlook any visual or perceptual disruptions in order to preserve their enjoyment of a muchanticipated experience of re-immersion in Middle-earth.
Key data
There were 1922 responses to the English-language survey. We identified 1,511 respondents as
enchanted Hobbit fans, only 11 of whom explicitly disliked enhancements. We identified 111
respondents as disappointed Tolkien readers, 19 of whom explicitly disliked enhancements. We
identified 68 critics of technological enhancements, 59 of whom explicitly disliked
enhancements. We identified 58 respondents as bored and disillusioned Hobbit critics, 34 of
whom explicitly disliked enhancements. We also identified 21 mildly entertained casual
viewers, none of whom disliked technological enhancements.
i
See Michelle, C. (2007). Modes of reception: A consolidated analytical framework. The Communication Review
10(3), 181-222.
ii
Op. cit.
For further discussion of our findings on this topic, please see:
Michelle, C., Davis, C.H., Hight, C., and Hardy, A. (forthcoming). The Hobbit hyper-reality paradox:
Polarisation amongst audiences for a 3D HFR film. Convergence: The International Journal of
Research into New Media Technologies.