Three Years for One Scene: The Rings of Power Creators Discuss Making the One Ring

“In a way, it took three years to shoot that scene. First we wrote it and thought about what individual moments would look like. […] On paper, there were about four pages of prose about what Sauron goes through. Then the department heads get involved, and everyone has their own ideas. What is he wearing? How will his clothes break down over the course of the scene? You need several sets of clothes for that. What wounds does he get, and at what point? What magic does he use? And gradually it all comes together.”

“And then one day you’re standing on a soundstage where they’ve built part of a volcano, and he’s screaming into the void. There are lighting rigs all around that will later become eruptions of lava. […] You look at him and think, ‘He’s amazing. You can’t take your eyes off him.’ But what will it all look like in the end? That’s what we’ve been working on for the last 52 weeks, and we finished just a few days ago.”