In The Media: What Say You?

[PeterPirate]

"Representation is a two-edged sword."

[JustHereForFood]

On 11/1/2022 at 11:20 PM, PeterPirate said:

An article about what to expect next season.

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The Rings of Power’s Unseen Realm Explained

Disa, Arondir, and Miriel talk about their experiences. 

‘The Rings of Power’ Cast Members Talk Emerging From Racist Backlash

Despite the title, all three actors were diplomatic and did not speak directly about racism.  I hope this is a sign that Amazon is going to change direction about its marketing.  

I'm confused. Are we supposed to celebrate that people who experience racist bullying are careful about how they speak about it in order to not alienate touchy viewers?

[PeterPirate]

2 hours ago, JustHereForFood said:

I'm confused. Are we supposed to celebrate that people who experience racist bullying are careful about how they speak about it in order to not alienate touchy viewers?

Well, to my knowledge only Ismael Cruz Cordova has said he was the victim of racist bullying.  But they all work for a studio that is claiming the show is the target of "relentless racism".  So when the studio arranged an interview that presupposed that they had been such victims, they were careful with their language.  I actually think they did quite well in threading the needle.  

Edited December 18, 2022 by PeterPirate

[Camera One]

Amazon Says Huge Rings of Power Bet Has 'More Than Paid Off,' Teases Bigger Battles for Season 2
https://deadline.com/2022/12/lotr-the-rings-of-power-amazon-vernon-sanders-interview-investment-season-2-spoilers-pace-battles-season-3-renewal-1235201384/

Yay?

[Anduin]

Quote

I also think the pace of our story is going to increase in part because the story is demanding that now that everyone’s been established, the stakes are established, that we’re going to watch some characters in some lands go to war.

No! I've said before, it's too fast already. Slow it down, don't just have the characters teleport everywhere, and maybe explain certain actions.

An example of explanation. What did Durin say to his dad to get Elrond unbanished after ep 2? Why was Galadriel in such a hurry in ep 6? This second one, she can say she has a feeling that they should hurry. Sure. I'll buy that. But we don't see it on screen.

[Camera One]

3 hours ago, Anduin said:

No! I've said before, it's too fast already. Slow it down, don't just have the characters teleport everywhere, and maybe explain certain actions.

Yeah, I'm worried they are going to let their success double down on their weaknesses.  

[JustHereForFood]

19 hours ago, Anduin said:

No! I've said before, it's too fast already. Slow it down, don't just have the characters teleport everywhere, and maybe explain certain actions.

An example of explanation. What did Durin say to his dad to get Elrond unbanished after ep 2? Why was Galadriel in such a hurry in ep 6? This second one, she can say she has a feeling that they should hurry. Sure. I'll buy that. But we don't see it on screen.

I don't know. I wouldn't mind if thing remain at a slow pace, but I remember people everywhere complained about "pacing problems" and that there is too much set-up and not enough action, which I never quite understood, as I didn't see it that way. But it seems they are adjusting it as a reaction to the feedback.

[ICantDoThatDave]

On 12/20/2022 at 12:25 AM, Camera One said:

Yeah, I'm worried they are going to let their success double down on their weaknesses.  

I'm not convinced they actually had success.  Sure, Amazon is going to say they did, but most other reporting sites, including both ratings & reviews, says it was a... meh, at best.

[Grimnar]

On 12/20/2022 at 10:24 PM, JustHereForFood said:

I don't know. I wouldn't mind if thing remain at a slow pace, but I remember people everywhere complained about "pacing problems" and that there is too much set-up and not enough action, which I never quite understood, as I didn't see it that way. But it seems they are adjusting it as a reaction to the feedback.

From what I saw in discussions, problem wasn't lack of action as batles or swordfights but more that mostly nothing interesting happened or they were just repeating the same things(Stranger is doing magic to help and Harfoots are suspicious, Elrond is playing friendship card but has ulterior motives, Galadriel is rude, etc) or things don't make much sense.

You can go slow storytelling but at the same time you can't just rush creating of first rings in 20 minutes in last episode. That's thr issue with pacing.

[Anduin]

2 hours ago, Grimnar said:

From what I saw in discussions, problem wasn't lack of action as batles or swordfights but more that mostly nothing interesting happened or they were just repeating the same things(Stranger is doing magic to help and Harfoots are suspicious, Elrond is playing friendship card but has ulterior motives, Galadriel is rude, etc) or things don't make much sense.

You can go slow storytelling but at the same time you can't just rush creating of first rings in 20 minutes in last episode. That's thr issue with pacing.

Thank you. This is the first time I've seen it laid out clearly. Most people just say that it was slow or repetitive or whatever without bothering to lay out what they mean. And you make good points. It's rather wonky. That said, I did enjoy it, wonkyness and all. With a few issues figured out, I hope it gets even better.

[JustHereForFood]

I don't know. I find it hilarious to see such complaints in a show based on LOTR. I mean, if it was GOT or something else, I would get it, but LOTR books, while a very good story, had so many boring AF passages, I could never get myself to re-read them. Well paced, they were not.

[Anduin]

5 hours ago, JustHereForFood said:

I don't know. I find it hilarious to see such complaints in a show based on LOTR. I mean, if it was GOT or something else, I would get it, but LOTR books, while a very good story, had so many boring AF passages, I could never get myself to re-read them. Well paced, they were not.

I've always found the books to be consistent. Sure, the emphasis is in some unusual places, but consistent.

[Camera One]

The "issues" with pacing in the books vs. this series were very different, so appreciating the books' use of its time (to describe historical background or landscapes or detailing every leg of a journey where timing of various characters' travels line up) does not necessarily equate appreciating Season 1's allocation of its time. 

 

[Haleth]

Season 1 had a whole lot of table setting to do so pacing was always going to be a (necessary) problem. 

[Anduin]

Warners and New Line have signed a deal to produce more LOTR movies. I feel nervous about this. No adaptation so far has exactly caught the feel, IMO. And some have missed the tone entirely. Will this next attempt be the one that cracks it, or will it be a crass moneymaking opportunity? With David Zaslav hanging around like a bad smell, will the movies actually get released at all?

[Haleth]

1 hour ago, Anduin said:

Warners and New Line have signed a deal to produce more LOTR movies. I feel nervous about this. No adaptation so far has exactly caught the feel, IMO. And some have missed the tone entirely. Will this next attempt be the one that cracks it, or will it be a crass moneymaking opportunity? With David Zaslav hanging around like a bad smell, will the movies actually get released at all?

Let us hope not. This sounds like a terrible idea. 

[Anduin]

1 hour ago, Haleth said:

Let us hope not. This sounds like a terrible idea. 

I'm somewhat mixed on the idea. Wait and see. But if the whole thing collapsed and we didn't get anything more, I wouldn't be entirely sad.

[Lebanna]

21 hours ago, Anduin said:

Warners and New Line have signed a deal to produce more LOTR movies. I feel nervous about this. No adaptation so far has exactly caught the feel, IMO. And some have missed the tone entirely. Will this next attempt be the one that cracks it, or will it be a crass moneymaking opportunity? With David Zaslav hanging around like a bad smell, will the movies actually get released at all?

The only thing I would actually love to see would be Taika Waititi making ‘Lord of the Rings: The Tom Bombadill Story’.

A really deep dive into the life story of the most annoying and pointless LOTR character of them all. With singing! Lots and lots of singing! Get Jermaine Clement to do some of the singing. Why not.

It’s just something that should definitely happen.

[JustHereForFood]

I wouldn't be opposed to it. As long as they don't re-do the original trilogy... There's plenty of material to work with. Question is, what era would these movies be in? The situation with who has rights to what kind of makes my head spin.

[Camera One]

1 hour ago, JustHereForFood said:

I wouldn't be opposed to it. As long as they don't re-do the original trilogy... There's plenty of material to work with. Question is, what era would these movies be in? The situation with who has rights to what kind of makes my head spin.

Apparently, it's the same rights, so mainly the Third Age (and any references to the earlier ages) in "The Hobbit", "The Lord of the Rings" and its appendices.

There should be plenty of stories to tell within the Third Age so hopefully they will avoid the bad fan fiction that is "Rings of Power".

[Anduin]

New cast members! Ciarán Hinds, Rory Kinnear, and Tanya Moodie. I know Hinds as Julius Caesar in Rome, and he was very good. Kinnear I didn't realise was in James Bond until someone else pointed it out, though he has enough other work out there. Moodie was in Rise of Skywalker, but I hear she was good in Neverwhere.

Who are they playing? Honestly, I don't know. Not like my guesses ever come to much, so this time I won't bother. :)

[AnimeMania]

Horse Dies On Set Of ‘The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power’

[Lebanna]

2 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

Horse Dies On Set Of ‘The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power’

Poor horse. That’s sad, but it sounds like the horse just up and died. Animals sometimes have random things suddenly go wrong with them, just like people do. If it didn’t die of natural causes, it sounds like they’ll find out.

From that story, at least they weren’t making it jump or carry something heavy. 

[AnimeMania]

PETA Condemns Horse Death on ‘Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Set: ‘Exploiting Animals for Their Art’

[Aulty]

I am a horse girl and even I am not getting worked up over this because things like aorta ruptures can come out of nowhere and there is nothing that can be done. Even with the best vets on scene. It's happened to sport horses quite a bit over the past years - maybe thats because there are more post mortems to check for cause of death or maybe its down to breeding - even in competition in front of spectators or to horses idling in their stables.
I understand why PETA is kicking this into the court of public opinion, but if they really wanted to make a stink about equine wellfare there are a lot of other, very gatekept, targets to aim for.

[Welshman in Ca]

17 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

PETA Condemns Horse Death on ‘Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Set: ‘Exploiting Animals for Their Art’

These PETA people really don't do themselves any favors. People & animals die of natural causes every minute of every day no matter what they're doing, even sleeping. That horse probably had a better life than most people in the world & maybe even enjoyed its life of being exploited in this "way". Go & stop some puppy mills or some real animal cruelty rather than bitching about perceived cruelty.

[AnimeMania]

Fire Breaks Out on U.K. Sets of Amazon’s ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’

They happened to get a photo of the suspect as they were leaving the scene.

A fire broke out on Monday on the U.K. sets of Amazon Studios’ “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” Plumes of smoke were seen billowing at Bray Studios in Windsor where the second season of the Amazon Studios series is being filmed. An electrical fire broke out in the afternoon, in a warehouse on the perimeter of the backlot.

[Camera One]

Only 37% of viewers in US actually finished Season 1 of "The Rings of Power"

Quote

...sources confirm that The Rings of Power had a 37 percent domestic completion rate (customers who watched the entire series). Overseas, it reached 45 percent. (A 50 percent completion rate would be a solid but not spectacular result, according to insiders). The show has not been a major awards contender, either, overlooked by the major guilds with the exception of one SAG-AFTRA nomination for stunt ensemble. 

But according to Salke, the series has worked. “This desire to paint the show as anything less than a success — it’s not reflective of any conversation I’m having internally,” she says. The second season, currently in production, will have more dramatic story turns, she adds. “That’s a huge opportunity for us. The first season required a lot of setting up.”

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/inside-amazon-studios-jen-salke-vision-shows-1235364913/

Setup was not the reason why the first season was weak.  I hope they don't think upping the number of "dramatic story turns" will fix the pervasive problems with the show.  

[Anduin]

7 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

Fire Breaks Out on U.K. Sets of Amazon’s ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’

They happened to get a photo of the suspect as they were leaving the scene.

 

A fire broke out on Monday on the U.K. sets of Amazon Studios’ “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” Plumes of smoke were seen billowing at Bray Studios in Windsor where the second season of the Amazon Studios series is being filmed. An electrical fire broke out in the afternoon, in a warehouse on the perimeter of the backlot.

They're having some bad luck, aren't they? Hopefully no one goes the full Turin.

[Haleth]

Maybe bringing in Peter Jackson as a consultant will help season 2.  Maybe.

[Anduin]

1 hour ago, Haleth said:

Maybe bringing in Peter Jackson as a consultant will help season 2.  Maybe.

No thanks. Even though the show strays further than the movies, I like it more. It stayed Jackson-free even while filming in NZ, now they're far away I want them to stay far away. Unless you mean in a purely technical sense, how to deal with RL problems.

[Camera One]

‘Rings of Power’ to Finish Filming Season 2 Amid Writers Strike Without Showrunners on Set

Quote

The sweeping fantasy series has 19 days of filming remaining, sources confirm to Variety, but per WGA strike rules, Payne, McKay and any other writer-producers are barred from participating in any writing-based duties during production while the strike continues — including making creative decisions on set. Instead, the show’s non-writing executive producers (like Lindsey Weber), directors (Charlotte Brändström, Sanaa Hamri and Louise Hooper) and crew are overseeing production on the U.K.-based shoot.

This is usually a bad thing, but it's this show, so maybe not.  Or it would make things even worse.  A real toss-up.

[AnimeMania]

The Hollywood Reporter: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power BTS videos page.

[Anduin]

3 minutes ago, AnimeMania said:

The Hollywood Reporter: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power BTS videos page.

Bookmarked for when I have time. Thanks!

[Camera One]

Unintended consequences... Showrunner of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" (Amy Sherman-Palladino) believes "Rings of Power" was why her show was cancelled.

Quote

“It wasn’t me. But things come to an end. I understand. But you know, there’s orcs to pay for. There’s a lot of orcs running around. They gotta pay the orcs. Maisel was a very expensive show by the end. All those bells and whistles. Doing period shows are very expensive. It’s not just—it’s not just the cars and the dresses and the sets. It’s all the work afterwards, taking out all the modern stuff. The special effects are special. You wouldn’t think we were special effects when we got no dragons.”

Source

 

[AnimeMania]

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 Reportedly Wraps Filming

[Anduin]

Hopefully it wasn't too affected by the strike. Writers can do a little tidying or fine-tuning on the spot if needed. That's why they're on set for their episodes.

[Anduin]

We have a Celeborn! Calam Lynch. I don't want to link to twitter, that place is going downhill. But that's where it was confirmed.

However, we still have no hint of an airdate. Which means it'll still be a few months away. Which is good, because I'm busy in September.

[Haleth]

But Joseph Mawle has left the cast?  Boo!

[Anduin]

19 minutes ago, Haleth said:

But Joseph Mawle has left the cast?  Boo!

Yep. Pity, he was so good as Adar. Oh well.

[JustHereForFood]

On 7/17/2023 at 12:11 AM, Anduin said:

However, we still have no hint of an airdate. Which means it'll still be a few months away. Which is good, because I'm busy in September.

I thought it's gonna be one of those series that has one season per two years so we will only get one next year.

[Anduin]

1 minute ago, JustHereForFood said:

I thought it's gonna be one of those series that has one season per two years so we will only get one next year.

Yep, looks that way.

[QuantumMechanic]

Depending on how long the strikes go maybe not even one next year.

[Camera One]

If anyone feels like watching 22 minutes about filming the transformation to "Mordor" (as the headline said, real physics, LOL):

https://variety.com/video/lord-of-the-rings-rings-of-power-mordor-mount-doom-filming/

[AnimeMania]

It's been a slow season for TV News, so here is something only slightly relevant.

Explore the Fourth Age of Middle-earth for the first time in new Lord of the Rings video game

The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria available exclusively for Microsoft Windows via the Epic Games Store and digitally for PS5 on October 24, 2023. 

The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is a survival-crafting video game from Free Range Games that will follow a group of Dwarves as they look to reestablish their once-thriving community in the infamous Mines of Moria, battling hidden enemies and creating a stronghold surrounding the kingdom of Khazad-dum. It has procedurally-generated mine systems and ore deposits, so that no two adventures will be alike. The game is set in the Fourth Age of Middle-earth, the Age of Men, a time that is scarcely mentioned in J. R. R. Tolkien's works.

Summoned to the Misty Mountains by Lord Gimli Lockbearer, players take control of a company of Dwarves tasked to reclaim the lost spoils from the Dwarven homeland of Moria—known as Khazad-dûm or Dwarrowdelf—in the depths below their very feet. Their quest will require fortitude, delving deep into the Mines of Moria to recover its treasures.

The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria - Announcement PS5 Trailer

The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria - 13 Minutes of Exclusive Gameplay

[Camera One]

Rumors of disagreements behind the scenes about what subplots should be cut and which should be prioritized in Season 2... editors vs producers:

https://fellowshipoffans.com/news/the-faithful-vs-the-kingsmen-underway-behind-the-scenes-for-the-rings-of-power-season-2-exclusive/

 

[Haleth]

It would depend on what scenes they want to cut vs promote.  There was a lot of bloat in both Numenor and the Elvish storylines.

How about they cut the Harfoots Harfeet?

[AnimeMania]

10 hours ago, Camera One said:

Rumors of disagreements behind the scenes about what subplots should be cut and which should be prioritized in Season 2... editors vs producers:

https://fellowshipoffans.com/news/the-faithful-vs-the-kingsmen-underway-behind-the-scenes-for-the-rings-of-power-season-2-exclusive/

 

They should just show it all, its not like they have to have a certain number of episodes and at the moment they are limited in how much more new content they can acquire.

[Camera One]

With the strike, this is all happening without the showrunner/headwriter's input?  Technically, they wrote/planned all these scenes being cut.  Based on what we saw in Season 1, they do tend to have the problem of various story threads not coming together as they should, so I wonder what they would say about this editing debate.

4 hours ago, Haleth said:

It would depend on what scenes they want to cut vs promote.  There was a lot of bloat in both Numenor and the Elvish storylines.

The weird thing is there was a lot of bloat but at the same time, both the Numenor and Elvish storylines felt incomplete and lacked substance and worldbuilding so they didn't work for me. 

I'm not optimistic this is any different in Season 2 based on the "lessons" the showrunners said they learned in post-Season 1 interviews.

Edited August 31, 2023 by Camera One

[Affogato]

On 8/31/2023 at 7:59 AM, Haleth said:

It would depend on what scenes they want to cut vs promote.  There was a lot of bloat in both Numenor and the Elvish storylines.

How about they cut the Harfoots Harfeet?

Shave them, perhaps.