Amazon Studios
Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Main Title Sequence
a title built from the world of sound.
We conceived and created the Emmy nominated opening title sequence for The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power. The epic prequel series is based thousands of years before The Hobbit - a time of Sauron’s ascendency when dragons flew and Proto-Hobbits roamed. Showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, along with Executive Producer Lindsey Weber challenged us to create an opening sequence that was “simple, stark and beyond anything we would have thought of.”
We set out to portray a universe both primordial and timeless. Taking inspiration from J.R.R Tolkien’s Ainur, immortal angelic beings that sing such beautiful music that the world is created from their very sound.
A universe both primordial and timeless.
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Cymatics is a natural phenomenon that makes sound visible to the eye. Vibrations of fine particles on a flat surface display striking symmetrical patterns that reflect audio frequencies. Cymatics are understood by physicists and mathematicians, but to us mere mortals, they are nothing short of magic.
Over a dozen hidden symbols reflect themes and storylines in the show. Some are hidden in plain sight and others are far more subtle. Successive episodes reveal more meaning to the symbology.
The sequence conjures an ancient and invisible power, struggling to be seen. Symbols form, flow, push, and disappear as quickly as they came. The unknowable realms of sound create fleeting visions of conflict and harmony that move in lockstep with Howard Shores’ opening title score.
A sprawling, flawed, physical/digital SCIENCE project
From live action shoot to epic animation and visual effects work to hand-inked letterforms, it all came together through a digitally connected caravan of creators that ran from Seattle to Chicago to London, Barcelona, Madrid and New Zealand - thanks to our spectacular key collaborators Anthony Vitagliano, Fernando Cózar, Germán Diez, Colin Davis, Nicole López Naguil, Visual Effects/Animation Studio Nexus Studios, and Digital Studio MakMac.
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Lead Studio: PLAINS OF YONDER
Directors: Katrina Crawford & Mark Bashore
Creative Director: Anthony Vitagliano
Art Directors: Katrina Crawford & Anthony Vitagliano
Editor: Mark Bashore
Producers: Jennifer Senkler, Jon Derovan
Animation and Visual Effects Studio: NEXUS STUDIOS
Animation Director: Fernando Domínguez Cózar
Executive Producers: Laura Breaden, Colin Davis
Producer: Nicole López Naguil, Josephine Gallagher
Production Manager: Edith Chappey
VFX Supervisor: Germán DíezLead Compositor: Chiara Feriani
Compositor: Alexandre Gaudiano
Compositor: Gareth Tredrea
Compositor: Victori Jalabert
Compositor: Stéphane LugieryHoudini R&D: Nico Domerego
Animator: Dylan White
VFX Editor: Mark van Heusden
3D Visual Effects Studio: MAKMAC
3D Art Director, Lead 3D Artist: Mauro Gimferrer
3D Artist: Marcos Coral
3D Artist: J.A Duran
Live Action: 37 FILMS
Shot at 37 Studio, Madrid
1st Assistant Director: Alex Pozuelo
Executive Producer: Héctor Bobo
Producer: Pilar de Andrés
Head of Production: Josué Corral
Executive Coordinator: Lucía Gonzalez
Production Manager: Alvaro Regalado
Production Coordinator: Belén Zauer
Runner: Ismael Vera
Runner: Antonio Gómez
VFX Assistant: Lucía Colom
DOP: Pablo Vallejo
Phantom Operator: Carlos Alvarez
Bolt Operator: Nicolás Alsina
Bolt Operator: Marc Debon
DIT: Vico Martín
DIT: Carlo Rho
Making of Operator: Carlos García Vidal
Gaffer: Javier Villareal
Spark / Studio Assistant: Robinson Berrio
Art Technical Advisor: Victor del Hoyo
Sand Artist: Jimena Aragoneses
On set Editor: Diego Falcone
Additional Visual Effects: THE KEY VFX
VFX Production Coordinator: Blanca Escudero
VFX Production Coordinator: Silvia Cerrada JiménezColor Grading: WeWork Factory
Calligrapher: Daniel Reeve
Composer: Howard Shore