The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug director Peter Jackson has released the second video blog for The Hobbit sequel, which features loads of behind-the-scenes footage.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’s Extended Edition was released just yesterday, so it’s ironic that we’re getting the second video blog from Peter Jackson for The Desolation of Smaug, revealing loads of new behind-the-scenes footage shot during additional filming this past summer.

Watch below as Peter takes us on another ride behind-the-scenes of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, which will be hitting theaters December 13.

In the latest video blog from Jackson we get a look at some of the pickups that they filmed during May, June, and July for the second and third Hobbit films. Andy Serkis was actually filming the Planet of the Apes sequel, so Christian Rivers took over the second unit to film footage in parallel with Peter.

Christian Rivers has worked with Peter since he was 18, starting as a storyboard artist and continued doing pre-vis for The Lord of the Rings trilogy and now it seems he’s focusing on directing the “splinter unit” which Peter felt was needed during the re-shoots this summer.

We’re always excited to see the latest video blog from Peter Jackson, as it’s great to see the behind-the-scenes footage from one of the greatest directors of our time. A lot of the video focused on the spider fights and Lake Town, which will be featured in The Desolation of Smaug, which hits theaters early next month.

Find out how you can enter to win one of three copies of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’s Extended Edition, and find out why you should purchase the Extended Edition that landed on store shelves just yesterday.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug release date is set for December 13, 2013. It is the second film in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy based on the novels by revered author J.R.R Tolkien. The final movie in The Hobbit trilogy, There and Back Again, will hit theaters December 17, 2014.