<p>Catapults, swords, cavalry charges, archers, and hill-trolls; the Rings of Power has just unveiled its most monumental battle to date—the Siege of Eregion—and it presents a singular, unavoidable challenge.
Although the timeline of Rings of Power diverges from Tolkien’s renowned works like The Lord of the Rings, certain events remain inescapable; we know Sauron is destined to create the One Ring, Númenor’s demise looms on the horizon, and (fingers crossed) Galadriel will reunite with Celeborn.
The conclusion of Season 2 was set to culminate with the Siege of Eregion, a colossal confrontation between the forces of Elrond and Gil-galad and Adar’s Orcs, their unyielding aim being the destruction of the Dark Lord, regardless of the toll. In simpler terms, expect considerable carnage.
This battle is a non-stop array of action sequences, helmed by director Charlotte Brändström, who artfully juggles stunning CGI spectacles (such as the Orcs damming a river with a mountainside), intense and gritty violence (including Elrond slashing through Adar’s army and the unfortunate demise of Mirdania), alongside Damrod the hill-troll’s wild rampage on the battlefield.
“Because you can actually do anything, but when it’s something, it’s like walking in snow. You walk in very heavy, heavy mud. It makes it slow and arduous for everyone involved. The equipment is low-quality. I mean, the walkway is saturated with mud.
“Everything is muddy, including us. It was just day in and day out in the mud.”
Cinematographer Alex Disenhof faced another significant obstacle: lighting. As the battle seemingly unfolds over weeks, with continuous assaults day and night on the city, proper lighting is crucial.
“You can do practically anything, but when it’s something, it’s like trudging through snow. You walk in substantial, heavy mud. It makes it very slow and incredibly challenging for everyone. The equipment isn’t great. The path is utterly inundated with mud.
“Illuminating it posed a massive challenge. You couldn’t simply say, ‘Hey, let’s reposition the camera 30ft that way.’ You had to plan ahead because they needed to lay down decking beneath the mud; otherwise, everyone would just sink in.
“The set took nearly a year to construct—it was a vast logistical headache that we all had to navigate.”
The battle is far from resolution. Adar has taken Galadriel’s ring from Elrond, resulting in the deaths of Elves at the hands of Uruks following the Dwarven army’s failure to assist.
Another potentially controversial moment arose: Elrond kissing Galadriel, a scene that left one of the actors astounded when they read it in the script.
Leave a Reply