'The Hobbit' Breaks for Easter; Peter Jackson Explains His Process on Facebook

Few directors seem to understand how to use Facebook quite as well as Peter Jackson has during the production of "The Hobbit: Part 1."

Last week he posted an intimate 10-minute behind-the-scenes video of the work being done on the set of the latest "Lord of the Rings" installment.

It was a calm, reflective tour of the production that spoke volumes about how Jackson has (hopefully) dialed it back a notch and learn to enjoy the ride a bit more after ending up in the hospital recently for a nasty stress-related ulcer.

Before taking a vacation for the holiday weekend, he posted some thoughts on Facebook about how things are going so far, and what's in store for the production. For the entire posting, visit Jackson's Facebook page.

"Just arrived at our four-day Easter break, which will be a nice time to recharge batteries and do a few script tweaks for future scenes.

We always find there are three distinct phases in the life of a film script. First, it exists before the film starts shooting. In this period, which can last from months to years, the script is a theoretical document—an imaginative version of the movie.

Then you start shooting and things come much more into focus—usually in a very positive way. We now have actors who bring their skill to the roles and suddenly we see the characters in a more vivid and tangible way. This is both fun and satisfying, and always inspires us to embark on constant script revisions to meet the renewed potential these characters now have. I feel that much of the best writing happens during this period, but it does make a very busy time—very, very busy!  Sometimes we have gotten these revisions to the actors a little late. We constantly joke to Ian McKellen that tomorrow's script pages will be slid under his door sometime the night before... and sometimes that has been true."

Watch Peter Jackson's behind-the-scenes video from "The Hobbit":