Microphones in Middle-earth...the BBC Lord of the Rings

[Brian Sibley]

Originally Posted by ArathornJax

One of the things I've noticed and again, I am not sure if it has been discussed, but I wonder how Brian and company decided on the order of events to display. I guess this episode really brought to me how the time frame of the book is not followed here. I would love to know how the decision was made to fit the various parts where they are in the adaptation.

This may have been answered previously, I'm not sure...

Basically, I sat down with the book and Tolkien's date-by-date chronology ('The Tale of Years', LOTR Appendix B) and worked out a structure that was, as you note, different to that of the running narrative in the book.

This decision was dictated by two things: the need to be able to follow the story in, as far as possible, a chronological order and to be able to include material in each (originally 30-minute) episode featuring all the major character groups.

At that point I also took some decisions about cuts and omissions (the loss of Tom Bombadil being the biggest) and selected which story elements had to be included.

This structure was then followed by Michael Bakewell and myself when we came to write the actual episodes - though that process occasionally led to some unavoidable horse-trading so that material in over-long episodes could be accommodated elsewhere.

Further compressions and cuts were made in studio when the scripts had been read and accurately timed and more in the editing process following recording - necessitated by the fact that music and effects can add considerably to the running time.

Originally Posted by ArathornJax

The highlight for me is the encounter with Shelob and the tower at Cirith Ungol. Sam and Frodo, Sir Ian Holm and William Nighy really do a great job here. I love the sound effect of Shelob, what sounds were used to make her?

We wanted Shelob to sound real -- and female -- so the spider was 'played' by actress Jenny Lee, whose voice-sounds were then treated radiophonically.

Originally Posted by ArathornJax

I also LOVE the song sung by Sam, In Western Lands . . . What tune is used there, anyone know?

Like all the music in LOTR, the tune was composed by Stephen Oliver.