France’s The Yard VFX has released the VFX breakdown video of its work on the second season of The Rings of Power which debuted on Amazon Prime Video in August 2024.
Prime Video’s S2 of The Rings of Power was one of the most anticipated shows of 2024 after its first season debuted on the platform in late 2022. The series is part of the Middle Earth universe created by author J.R.R. Tolkien. Previous movie trilogies based in this universe include The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Rings of Power is based on the history of Tolkien’s Middle Earth, and is set years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
The Rings of Power begins during a time of relative peace and covers the major events of Middle-earth’s Second Age, the forging of the Rings of Power, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the fall of the island kingdom of Númenor, and the last alliance between Elves and Men. These events take place over thousands of years in Tolkien’s works but are condensed for the series.
Both the seasons have received wide acclamation for not only its story, but also for its magnificent world-building, including the island kingdom of Númenor, the Elven realms of Lindon and Eregion, the Dwarven realm Khazad-dûm, the Southlands, the Northernmost Wastes, and the Sundering Seas.
The Yard worked with the show’s visual effects supervisor Jason Smith to mainly craft the environment of the Dwarven realm Khazad-dûm and some climatic explosions. The VFX breakdown video reveals the art behind turning this iconic location into a living, breathing character of its own. From towering mountain sanctuaries to cascading subterranean streams, the VFX studio brought them to life through 250 shots, blending textured details, dynamic lighting and visual effects, making Khazad-dûm an integral part of the show’s epic visual storytelling.
The studio worked on the major battle and the Troll in S2. The show used CG to recreate trees, molten metal, and extended environments.
S2 is streaming worldwide on Amazon Prime Video.