The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King vs The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Shot length, color & pacing compared
Both films are directed by Peter Jackson, 10 years apart. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug averages 3.5 seconds per shot, while The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King holds each shot 19% longer, at 4.2 seconds.
Each stripe is the average color of a slice of the film, from the first frame (left) to the last (right).
By the numbers
Metric
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Average shot length
4.2s
3.5s
Total shots
3,796
3,195
Cuts per minute
14.4
17.1
Runtime analyzed
263 min
187 min
Close-ups or tighter
76%
72%
Setup: avg shot
3.9s
3.6s
Middle act: avg shot
3.6s
3.2s
Final act: avg shot
6.3s
3.8s
Shot scale mix
Extreme close-up
10%
4%
Close-up
35%
24%
Medium close-up
31%
43%
Medium shot
11%
15%
Long shot
12%
13%
Extreme long shot
1%
0%
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingThe Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
What the data shows
01The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King has 3,796 shots (14.4 cuts a minute); The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug has 3,195 (17.1 a minute).
02Both films use close-ups at a similar rate (76% and 72% of shots).
03The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King relies most on the close-up; The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug on the medium close-up.
04The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the brighter film overall: its average frame brightness is 92% higher than The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug's.
05The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King cuts fastest in its middle act (3.6s per shot) and slowest in its final act (6.3s).
06The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug keeps a steady rhythm across all three acts (3.6s, 3.2s, 3.8s per shot).