The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power star Tyroe Muhafidin explained how the Prime Video series used practical and in-camera effects to create Mordor.
In an interview with CBR, Muhafidin, who plays Theo in the series, was asked about the filming of Episode 7, "The Eye," which sees the Southlands covered in ash following the eruption of Mount Doom. "It was crazy," he said. "I think those were like the most memorable days on set, 'cause I just remember being so utterly uncomfortable. I think they were putting this kind of glue on us and then throwing -- the ash was made of potato on the costume. So it was strange. But it was so easy in the scenes to imagine that you, because you know, Theo's going through this moment of, 'I’ve lost everything,' so he's very, very defeated."
The actor went on to explain that the realistic nature of the set meant that "it wasn’t difficult to find the character at all because I just had to look around." He also explained how the series created the red tint to the environment following the volcanic eruption. "The crazy thing is it wasn’t actually red all around, they used the lens on the camera, so I remember seeing the shot for the first time being like 'Wait, how’d you do that? That’s crazy!' Everywhere was actually white, it looked like snow."
In the same interview, Muhafidin also explained the work that went into the fight choreography for The Rings of Power. In particular, a two-minute fight scene between Muhafidin's Theo and an Orc in Season 1, Episode 2, "Adrift," actually took nearly two weeks to film. "They make it look really easy in the movies because they all do it so fast and they all do it so well," Muhafidin said. "But it's like, we spent around 10 months in the gym for that scene."
Go Behind-the-Scenes With The Rings of Power
Prime Video recently announced "The Making of The Rings of Power," which will make new behind-the-scenes content available through Prime's X-Ray feature and offer an inside look at the eight-episode first season of The Rings of Power. Along with behind-the-scenes footage, "The Making of The Rings of Power" also includes interviews with the cast and crew and exclusive clips about the production design, costumes, visual effects, stunts and more.
Season 1 of The Rings of Power featured several large-scale set pieces throughout Season 1, but co-showrunner Patrick McKay teased that Season 2 will be "bigger and better" on "every level... by an order of magnitude." Executive producer Lindsey Weber has also mentioned that Season 2 will feature some "big" moments originally meant for the first season. According to Weber, Season 2 will be "grittier, more intense, maybe a little scarier" now that Sauron's true identity has been revealed.
The Rings of Power Season 2 began filming in the United Kingdom in October. Season 1 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is available to stream on Prime Video.
Source: CBR