The Rings of Power Season 2: Director Charlotte Brändström and Cinematographer Alex Disenhof Talk Sauron and Adar’s History [Interview]

The expansive world of Middle-earth and its complex narratives in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 would not have been possible without some creative minds.

From the overarching conflict involving Galadriel, Annatar, and Celebrimbor to the slow collapse of the Durin lineage, The Rings of Power Season 2 was filled with interesting plotlines. Moreover, they were brought to life through scenes and set pieces.

I recently spoke with Charlotte Brändström, who directed the first three and last two episodes of The Rings of Power Season 2, as well as cinematographer Alex Disenhof about building the sets, some important scenes from The Lord of the Rings: The Rings Of Power Season 2 Episode 1, “Elven Kings Under the Sky,” and showing more than telling.

Speaking about which set pieces they were most proud of designing, Brändström and Disenhof were stuck between two different answers.

“Between Eregion and the Balrog,” Disenhof said. “[They] were two of the most difficult ones and rewarding ones.”

Going deeper into shooting the beginning episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2, there were two specific moments that piqued some peculiar interests. One of those scenes was Gil-galad joining Galadriel’s side when Elrond was worried about the Rings’ influence.

Disenhof said that shooting that scene really involved figuring out the characters’ perspective in order to see where the camera, and its vision, was going.

“We talked a lot about perspective and and who’s story are we telling in that moment and when, in that scene,” Disenhof began. “That really kind of determines where we put the camera and how we move the camera. We also have great camera operators who come up with great ideas and we have a fantastic crew this year.”

Furthermore, Brändström and Disenhof went more in-depth into how the camera movements were meant to “react to the actors and how they feel.”

“We start to rehearse it, we block it, we see what it feels like,” Brändström continued. “And then, things become obvious when you’re looking for the right perspective. Then you want to tell the story from somebody’s point of view or perspective.”

“That [impacts] the choice of lenses, we don’t necessarily use the same lens for somebody who’s watching and with somebody who’s being watched.”

Watch the full interview with Charlotte Brändström and Alex Disenhof:

Another moment that fans were excited to watch in “Elven Kings Under the Sky” was the heated confrontation between Sauron’s prior form and Adar in the camp. Brändström was personally excited to bring that scene to life and recalled the process of doing so.

“I found it a very strong scene, but I think that they are both so incredible in that scene,” Brändström said. “They have all this history behind it, you feel the weight. We rehearsed it quite a lot, but it came to life on the day.”

“It comes to life and Charlie Vickers is able to be very cruel, but at the same time, he can look so earnest, so that’s what he was.”

“I wanted to feel the nuances that he could become something. At this point, now, the big change between Season 1 and 2 is that we actually know who Halbrand is. We know what he’s hiding,” Brändström continued.

“We need to give that to the audience. We need to find those small nuances where he actually almost betrays himself. Adar is suspicious [because] he has a feeling he met him before.”

Another unique thing about The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 was that there were some particular details and moments that showcased much more than what was originally intended in the script. Brändström and Disenhof recalled some particular elements that they implemented that weren’t in the scripts.

“One thing from [“Elven Kings Under the Sky”] that wasn’t necessarily in the script, from my end at least, was the change in light when they put the Rings on,” Disenhof said. “When the [Tree of Valinor] comes back to life, the way originally I think it was written was that the leaves come back on the tree and  the tree comes back to life, but it didn’t necessarily spell out that the return of light to their world.”

“That was something we talked about early on and made this transition. You still have the grandness of the Elvish world, but it’s all soft light and overcast.”

“Then, we actually [did] a practical effect where we had over a hundred lights lined up in a row, creating this big, soft sunlight that rises up as they put on the Rings and the tree comes back to life. That was something we added to the script,” Disenhof said.

“I think a lot of moments that I created were [not in the script] because it was more like a sword fight, [like] the confrontation between Galadriel and Sauron in Episode 8,” Brändström added. “I created all these different, more dramatic moments between the two of them just [stopping and going.]”

“There is a moment when she falls down from the wall and they’re on the ground and he comes and kicks the sword away. All those small touches, you actually have to find. But, what I always call those [moments] are ‘moments of decisional reactions,'” Brändström said.

“You always, as a director, have to add them on to give more drama to the scenes. Specifically, to action [and] to make action more character-driven and be more in performance.”

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New episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 stream Thursdays on Prime Video.

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