Nearing the third installment of "The Hobbit" trilogy, Warner Bros. released the filming of Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug The Dragon for "The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug". Watch the video released in 2014 where Sherlock crawls on his belly, portraying the menacing and greedy monster.
"Well thief... I smell you... I hear your breath... I feel your air. Where are you hmm? Where are you..." hissed Benedict Cumberbatch on his belly during the voice and motion capture video of Smaug in the second installment to the epic fantasy "The Hobbit".
JRR Tolkien's "The Hobbit" is the prequel to his "Lord of the Rings" saga released in 2001-2003. The story's main character is Bilbo the Hobbit, and the journey he takes to Lonely Mountain in the company of dwarves and a wizard, to take back what Smaug the dragon has stolen.
Bilbo of "The Hobbit" is portrayed by Martin Freeman, co-star to Benedict Cumberbatch's "Sherlock" television series.
Behind the scenes video of voice and motion capture for "The Hobbit" character Smaug, Benedict Cumberbatch who plays lead in the TV series "Sherlock", is seen not simply in a recording studio doing his voice for Smaug, but instead on a carpet, on the floor, wearing a helmet built with a camera to capture every expression, complete with tracking dots on his face as he acts out the lines.
Apart from seeing Benedict Cumberbatch on the floor as Smaug for "The Hobbit," the video also showcases director Peter Jackson as he shares about the "Sherlock" actor.
He comments on Benedict Cumberbatch's video, "The other secret weapon that we have for Smaug, beyond his design was the fact that he is a talking dragon. We could use his personality to our advantage and so we were looking for an actor that was not just going do voice, say dragon that we would imagine would sound like. We wanted someone who would actually do something original and unexpected, something that was a surprise to us."
Watch Benedict Cumberbatch voice and motion capture video as Smaug for "The Hobbit."
