The "Hobbit" movie might make you sick...

http://theweek.com/article/index/237247/why-isnbspthe-hobbit-making-some-moviegoers-sick

Quote :

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, due to hit theaters on Dec. 14, is already having an unexpected effect. From accusations of "selling out" to allegations of animal abuse, director Peter Jackson's latest adaptation of a J. R. R. Tolkien novel has weathered its share of controversy, says Catherine Shoard at Britain's Guardian, but now, some audience members at advance screenings are reporting that the film's innovative, high-speed cinematography technique is literally nauseating them. Here's what you should know:

What technique did the movie's cinematographers use?
The film was shot in 3D at a camera speed of 48 frames-per-second (fps) instead of at the traditional rate of 24. Since this technique captures twice the usual amount of frames, it's said to create a more fluid and immersive picture that eliminates flicker and motion blur. "What you get is a real sense of reality," Ian McKellan, one of the film's stars, explained on Live! with Kelly and Michael. "And with the 3D, it doesn't come out at you, but rather takes you inside."

Why has this technique made audience members queasy?
When you watch a film, explains Adrian Bejan, a professor of mechanical engineering at Duke University, your eye combines "long and fast horizontal sweeps with short and slower vertical movements to process the picture." But this faster camera speed "requires the eye to sweep up and down faster than usual in close-ups to absorb unparalleled detail on a big screen," causing a significant amount of cognitive and eye strain. This technique "works for the big snowy mountains, but in close-ups the picture strobes," said one moviegoer. "I left loving the movie but feeling sick." Another audience member was more blunt: "My eyes cannot take everything in, it's dizzying," he said. "Now I have a migraine."

More info is at the link above.

Oddly enough, I read about this before the film was released. It was an article or interview with a man who is really "up" on all those fancy filming techniques, and specifically in this case w/the issue of the film speed. He'd previewed the film on a smaller screen prior to the "big screen" previews, which was part of the information provided in the interview or article I read some months back.

That's too bad because it means that I will absolutely not ever watch it, given my history of migraines.