I was not excited to see The Hobbit.

After worshipping Peter Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings trilogy, I felt this new trilogy was unnecessary. On the eve of 2013, Peter Jackson felt like yesterday’s news, an artist trapped by his greatest creation, unable to move on. In my opinion, Jackson’s subsequent films after Lord Of The Rings ranged from unwatchable (The Lovely Bones) to undisciplined, self indulgent messes (King Kong). So, when I walked into the HFR screening of The Hobbit, I was a disenfranchised Jackson supporter.

The only thing that was going to get me to my local theater was the HFR presentation of The Hobbit. I was showing up strictly for the technology, not the story.

I was blown away.

Now, a lot of ink has already been spilled on the 48 fps experience by far more knowledgable people. There has also been a lot of hate for the format and the experience. I understand that it is a different experience than what we have been accustomed to for over 100 years of cinema. The motion of objects and people on the screen feels different, not only real, but hyper real. The sharpness of the picture is outstanding. It is, all in all, something we have never seen before.

What it is not, is a cheapened form of cinema. For me it felt like looking through a literal window into Middle Earth. For the first time, I felt I was watching fantasy truly come to life. The 3D felt natural and not in the least bit eye straining. The sets did not look cheap and the CGI integration worked. People talked about how after fifteen minutes one gets used to the format. It took me no more than three to settle in and roll with it. I will use an example that has been used as a negative to heap on it the biggest praise: it felt like an interactive, marvelously produced play. In the sense that the screen seemed to disappear to become a proscenium arch where the actors and players moved and lived. The fourth wall was effectively vaporized leaving me to be the ultimate Middle Earth voyeur. Given the fact that cinema was an offspring of theater, there is a certain poetic symmetry to the fact that, more than a century later, this dazzling new cinematic technology will swing us back around to an experience more akin to the theatrical stage. And by that I don’t mean to suggest that the experience feels stilted, far from it. Unlike the advent of sound where filmmakers traded the use of new technology for technical constraints, this experience marries the best traits of stage and cinema. The camera moves as fluidly as it has ever moved, the depth of field reminds us of the familiar feel of 24 fps cinema, but the sharpness makes us feel like we are there.

For me, there is no going back. Big, epic, effects driven films like The Avengers or Man Of Steel need this format. I will always love classical 24 fps cinema, and I actually prefer it for smaller, more intimate films, but the spectacular studio tent poles were made for this format. And yes, it is the story after all, that kept me rolling with the experience. Jackson did a very good job with this film. Yes, it’s bloated and rambling and more than a little self indulgent, but it was never boring. The story worked. If it hadn’t, I would have walked out after 15 minutes like I did during Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow. Having said that, from a filmmaking standpoint, there is nothing new here. Peter Jackson treads old ground but it is his ground after all. I cannot wait to see what other filmmakers who can put story first while unleashing their imaginations will render using this format.

This is one experience you will not be able to replicate on your iPad, BluRay player or in home theater. Get yourselves to a theater and see this.

Beast Editorial was recently featured on Little Black Book Online. The article talks in great depth about Beast Editorial’s commitment to the Hispanic market. There are choice quotes from our EP, Luis Ribeiro, fellow editors Bernardo Revilla and Kevin Garcia, as well as some leading voices in the Hispanic advertising community. Oh, yeah, I also chime in. You can check it out here.

On May 15, 2012 I joined the team at Beast Editorial in Los Angeles, California. This is a dream come true. To be a part of this distinguished roster of editors is an honor I am still processing. Almost three years have gone by since we moved to California. It has been a gargantuan struggle adjusting to life here in LA. But professionally it’s starting to pay off.

As I mentioned in the front page, all commercials related work will go through them. You can contact our EP at Beast Los Angeles here. Keep in mind that besides the Los Angeles office, Beast has locations in Austin, Chicago, Detroit, New York and San Francisco. Editors are able to work in any city the client wishes. This year I spent a couple of great weeks in New York working with WING on a Pantene campaign. I also just completed a job for Wal Mart out of Lopez Negrete in Houston, Texas.

I want to take this opportunity to wish you all some Happy Holidays and an excellent 2013. See you soon!