There's an entire feature on the Extended Edition about the rush to get all these goblin masks made, getting them approved at the last second, then after two days of filming having most of the actors not wear them. IIRC, the masks were sent to Weta and scanned to be used to make the CG heads. I don't remember if it showed the mask makers' reaction to this decision.SilverWook said:
So, you don't think people who bust their ass to make a practical creature work on the set, (and without harming the actors) only to find out it's all been replaced by CGI when they sit down to see the movie, might have a legitimate axe to grind?
I still don't follow the complete replacement of Azog. They were done filming, then decided a couple months before the movie comes out to erase him completely. OK...