Synopsis:

This is a 3 film in 1 edit running at 3 hours 25 minutes. This is not intended as a "book cut" but instead tries to imagine what Peter Jackson and Co. might have made if they had decided to do the story as one film. My goal is not to make the film more like Lord of the Rings in tone, but in spirit. The gag-filled action scenes that Peter Jackson has become fond of are minimized, except when appropriate. It feels more epic. The pacing is quicker. It feels more in line with those films, while also becoming even more different from them.

Intentions:

It was an experiment in seeing just how much could be removed from this story while still making it work.

Change List:

There are many, many individual cuts, too many to list in all. Here are some general concepts: General Cutlist: - Remove Prologue with Older Bilbo - Much of the Dwarves dinner antics are cut - Azog is no longer following/hunting Thorin's company, but he is still one of the main villains. - Radaghast is removed until his scenes with Gandalf in DoS. - The White Council scene in Rivendell is removed, but they still rescue Gandalf later in the film. - Rock Giants are gone. - Goblin tunnels are heavily cut, but 99% of Gollum's scenes are kept. - Beorn is not in this film. - Most of Bilbo's struggling with how the Ring is changing him is gone, as it felt out of place in this story. - Tauriel is now just another elf, her relationship with Kili does not occur. - Legolas is heavily trimmed to be more of a fun cameo than a full fledged important character. - The Barrel sequence is much shorter, and the company is no longer chased by Elves or Orcs. - Bard's family and the politics of Lake Town have been completely removed. - Alfrid appears in some shots but has no lines of dialogue. - Dol Goldur is wrapped up before we meet Smaug for pacing reasons. - The Dwarves fight with Smaug inside Erebor is completely removed. - Smaug's attack on Lake Town is heavily edited. - Major cuts throughout Battle of the Five Armies to get the story moving and the pieces in place faster. - Major cuts to the battle for length and pacing. - "Misty Mountains" theme re-instated when Thorin rallies the army. - Kili's death rearranged to remove Tauriel. - Many cuts to Ravenhill for pacing. - The film features a new ending created using the various Old Bilbo shots and voice overs, shots from Lord of the Rings, and the delted "Dreaming of Bag End" music cue.

Additional Notes:

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Other Sources:

Music: Howard Shore's scores from all six Middle Earth Films Far Over The Misty Mountains Cold by Clamavi De Profundis A few shots from The Lord of the Rings here and there.

Special Thanks:

Everyone who previewed my workprint as I went along.