Rings of Power director reveals biggest challenge behind Siege of Eregion
Prime VideoCatapults, swords, cavalry charges, archers, hill-trolls; Rings of Power just had its biggest battle to date with the Siege of Eregion, and it came with one unavoidable challenge.
While Rings of Power’s timeline is a bit different from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and other writings, some events are inevitable; we know Sauron will forge the One Ring, we know Númenor will fall, and (hopefully) Galadriel will be reunited with Celeborn.
Season 2 was always going to end with the Siege of Eregion, an enormous battle between Elrond and Gil-galad’s troops and Adar’s Orcs, who have one goal: vanquishing the Dark Lord, no matter the cost. In other words, there’s a lot of bloodshed.
Prime VideoIt’s a relentless run of set-pieces, with director Charlotte Brändström balancing enormous CGI moments (like the Orcs damming the river with the side of a mountain), crunching, visceral violence (like Elrond mowing down Adar’s children and Mirdania’s (un)timely death), and Damrod the hill-troll rampaging through the battlefield.
In an interview with Dexerto, Brändström revealed the biggest challenge of helming such a huge battle sequence. “I think it was the rain, the mud, the cold, and the very, very long nights,” she explained.
“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 very slow and very difficult to move around for everybody. The equipment is cheap. I mean, the walkway is full of mud.
“Everything is muddy, including us. It was just day in and day out in the mud.”
Prime VideoAlex Disenhof, the episode’s cinematographer, had to deal with another challenge: lighting. After all, the battle takes place seemingly over weeks, with night and day assaults on the city.
“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 very slow and very difficult to move around for everybody. The equipment is cheap. I mean, the walkway is full of mud.
“Lighting it was a huge challenge. You couldn’t just say, ‘Hey, you know what, let’s go put the camera 30ft that way. You had to know in advance because they actually had to put decking down under the mud, otherwise everyone would just sink in.
“That set took over almost over a year to build in terms… it was an enormous logistical puzzle that we all had to solve.”
The battle still isn’t over. Adar has secured Galadriel’s ring from Elrond, with Elves slain by the Uruks after the Dwarven army failed to support them.
That had another moment that could prove to be contentious: Elrond kissing Galadriel, a scene that shocked one of the stars when they read it in the script.
Make sure you’re up-to-date with our Rings of Power Season 2 release schedule, and check out our other recaps below:
You can also read our predictions for the Dark Wizard’s identity, and check out our guides on Círdan, Forodwaith, and if Rings of Power is considered canon in Lord of the Rings.