![]() Additionally, animation and graphic design have played an integral role in the evolution of opening credits, becoming synonymous with the opening title sequence. ![]() Fëanor was a great hero, creator of the Silmarils and the palantiri, and he was a central figure in the wars against Melkor/Morgoth.Although too often overlooked, the opening credits of a film stand as an essential aspect of the filmmaking process that allows artists the freedom to convey the personality and themes of the work before the movie has even started. The eight-pointed Star of Fëanor can also be seen, as a reference to one of the most important Elves in the history of Arda and Middle-Earth. This could be a depiction of the three Silmarils, key jewels in the events of the First Age and the Time of the Trees, as well as the inspiration behind the title of The Silmarillion. Another key symbol seen in the Rings of Power intro is a spiral pattern with three rounded edges sprouting off its center. This similar design makes sense, as the Gondorian tree was a seedling of a white tree on the Island Kingdom of Númenor, which itself traces back to the tree Galathilion which was made in the image of Telperion. The design of the Two Trees in this intro evokes the sigil of the White Tree of Gondor seen in The Lord of the Rings. These are Telperion and Laurelin, the Two Trees of Valinor, which brought light to the world before they were destroyed by Melkor and the spider giant Ungoliant. One of the standout references is the appearance of two trees placed opposite one another. ![]() There are also numerous references to the events of the First Age, and the times prior to it, throughout the sequence. In addition to his many dark deeds in the First Age of Middle-Earth, he is also responsible for the destruction of the Two Lamps and the Two Trees of Valinor, the latter of which was briefly shown in the opening of The Rings of Power. Melkor was one of the Ainur to travel into Arda, and he would eventually be renamed Morgoth and become the first Dark Lord of the world. That world was named Arda, and the Ainur became known as the Valar and the Maiar. Over the course of the time that followed, many of the Ainur would enter into the world they created. The dissonance of Melkor and several other Ainur he recruited to his songs, however, were responsible for the evil and dark things of the world. Through the songs of Eru and the Ainur, the land, seas, skies, and various creatures of the world were brought into existence. It is with this Great Song, the Music of the Ainur, that Eru and the Ainur created the world of Arda and the living things that inhabit it. However, one of the most powerful Ainur, named Melkor, began injecting his own ideas and sounds into the music, disrupting the perfect harmony of it all. Eru teaches the Ainur how to sing, and so they all begin singing their holy song, first one at a time, but they gradually begin singing together in harmonies. Eru creates the Ainur, the Holy Ones, who are the angels of the universe. It is referred to as the Ainulindalë, and it depicts Eru (also referred to as Ilúvatar), who is essentially the God of Tolkien’s world. The creation myth that inspired the use of cymatics in the Rings of Power title sequence is detailed in Tolkien’s history of Middle-Earth, specifically within the first chapter of The Silmarillion. For the world-building, for the breaking, for the destruction, for the epic-ness of Lord of the Rings.” Speaking with Variety, Crawford said, “That transformation is such a metaphor for everything. The idea grew from there, as more and more elements from Tolkien's Legendarium were incorporated into the sequence. To start, they had the idea for the title sequence to be created from sound rather than film, in reference to Tolkien’s creation myth depicted in The Silmarillion. ![]() The studio Plains of Yonder was hired to create the sequence, with Katrina Crawford and Mark Bashore specifically directing it. They shift and adjust to the sound of the music, with various specific references to the lore of Arda able to be found within the shapes that are formed. ![]() Some of these shapes appear to be specifically taken from the various charts of Chladni Figures, while others are symbols and sigils that have been pulled from Tolkien’s overall lore of the land of Middle-Earth and its overall world of Arda. As the grandiose title theme, composed by Howard Shore, plays over the sequence, grains of sand are shown to be aligning and re-aligning to form different shapes and symbols. The title sequence of The Rings of Power employs this concept to great effect. ![]()
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