“I felt a real sense of responsibility,” confesses “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” co-supervising sound editor Damian Del Borrello. The artist had the daunting task of creating a Middle Earth soundscape for Amazon’s epic series while contending with high expectations thanks to Peter Jackson’s iconic film trilogy. Del Borrello moved to Wellington, New Zealand to work alongside the artists from those films, so he was determined to honor their work while giving the fans a worthy sonic landscape. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
SEE ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’: Top 6 award-worthy performances from season 1
“There was a tension between trying to do what’s already been done, but also bring something new to it,” explains Del Borrello. So, he “reacquainted” himself with the sound of the famous film trilogy and explored ways to bring a new spin to that world. The team ultimately landed on an approach which gave “a real organic sense to the sound,” according to the artist. Even when fantastical creatures or magical spells take over the screen, Del Borrello explains that “rather than being big, sort of fantastical sort of sounds, they’re often grounded in real world recordings.” This organic tone makes every sonic element feel like it sprouts from the earth and nicely highlights the way J.R.R. Tolkien frequently highlighted the power of the natural world in his stories.
One of the most unique examples of this approach can be heard during the whispers which accompany every instance of magic in the series. “Those whispers are actually me,” reveals Del Borrello. He wanted to create a sound motif that would evoke the “unseen world” which Frodo would glimpse when he put on The One Ring. In order to determine what the world would sound like without the ring speaking through it, the sound editor dove into Tolkien’s lore to determine the source of all magic in Middle Earth. “I looked at the creator, Iluvatar,” he states, referencing the fictional supreme being of Tolkein’s world. If magic was an extension of this creator, then it would reveal itself in this series as if his whispers were floating out of the earth and along the air.
SEE ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’: Top 3 questions season 2 needs to answer
Super fans of “The Lord of the Rings” will also be pleased to know that the words in these whispers are accurate Quenya translations, one of the languages spoken by elves in Middle Earth. “I found this incantation, which was actually performed by The Stranger in the show, but I dont think it made the cut,” reveals Del Borrello. With the help of the production’s Quendi dialect coach, he translates the line as: “I call to you to work through me, to hear my needs, to guide my hands.” The sound design hopped into the recording booth himself to deliver countless variations of the incantation. After some manipulation in his sound program, the perfect magical motif was born.
The sound team also carried on an important tradition of collaboration between New Zealand and American artists. Del Borrello operated out of New Zealand while his fellow supervising sound editor Robert Stambler was working out of Los Angeles, and the pair cultivated their “dream team” from each location. “Apart from ‘The Lord of the Rings’, there’s actually a rich history of American crews and New Zealand crews working together to make these big types of shows,” explains Del Borrello. He is proud to continue the tradition with another younger generation of artisans. “It was really special,” he admits, “It was another homage to those original artists.”
Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?
