Bringing Tolkien’s Creatures to Life
From the very beginning, Smith and his team set out to remain faithful to Tolkien’s writings while infusing the creatures of Middle-earth with their own artistic vision. “What we always try to do from the outset with any creature,” Smith says, “is to start with what Tolkien said. Even when we started doing orcs on Season One, we went right back to the source material.”
This commitment was especially important in Season Two, which introduced a greater number of creatures to reflect the narrative theme of a world darkening as evil rises. “For me, creatures are fun,” Smith admits, “but there’s also a very specific reason we included more this season — to show that evil is spreading.”
One of the biggest challenges was designing the Balrog. Rather than replicate the iconic version created by Peter Jackson’s team, Smith commissioned artist Allen Williams to imagine a fresh interpretation while respecting its legendary origins:
The result, I think, is really exciting; it’s a creature that when you see it, it rhymes with what you’ve seen before, but it respects the work of Ben Wootten and John Howe in not just copying it. It takes it in a new direction, and (Industrial Light & Magic) has done that as well.
This same care and precision went into every creature, especially those with humanoid features, which required a delicate balance of realism and artistry to feel authentic and grounded in Tolkien’s world.
Building Entire Worlds from Scratch
Season Two challenged the VFX teams to envision Middle-earth like never before, bringing to life diverse locations including Númenor, Forodwaith, and the great dwarven city of Khazad-dûm. Khazad-dûm, in particular, was a daunting task as it was the first time it was brought to screen as a vibrant, thriving city. A task that our teams at The Yard were very proud to work on.
The Yard’s work was also quoted on one of the season’s most striking moments: a dramatic transformation sequence in the prologue where Sauron’s apparent death unleashes a wave of icy destruction across Forodwaith.
The big ice shot, by the way, was done by a company in Paris called The Yard. They did a fantastic job; they did a lot of Khazad-dûm as well. It’s a company that’s on the smaller side, but they do top-quality work artistically, and so we’ve been able to give them some really hard stuff that we know it’s going to take them a year, but at the end it was an impressive shot, wasn’t it? They did a great job.
This shot alone was in production for over a year, demonstrating the incredible dedication and skill required to create such epic sequences.
A Collective Effort Fueled by Passion
Behind the breathtaking visuals of The Rings of Power is a vast network of artists and craftspeople — from costume designers and stunt teams to cinematographers and visual effects specialists — all working together to bring Tolkien’s world to life.
It goes beyond a dream job to just becoming an honor at some point. We all have a love for this world and for what [Tolkien] wrote, and the adaptations too, [...] So we’re all coming from that standpoint, and just seeing everybody around you trying to make this entry in that world the best that it can possibly be, it’s just great.
Season Two stands as a testament to what can be achieved when artistry, technology, and passion collide. The Yard VFX and other partner studios were integral to crafting some of the series’ most memorable moments, proving that Middle-earth’s magic comes from the collaboration of thousands of talented individuals.