Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

The future of filmmaking is cloud-based production'

29/11/2022

The Rings of Power producer Ron Ames discusses how cloud was a major part of the shows production process, enabling the production team to make art with technology as a support

By Jenny Priestley

Published: November 28, 2022 Updated: November 29, 2022

The Rings of Power producer Ron Ames discusses how cloud was a major part of the show's production process, enabling the production team to make art with technology as a support

target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>

To create the world of Middle-earth you need an army. From Peter Jackson's epic trilogies to Amazon Prime's The Rings of Power, creatives and artists across the globe helped bring JRR Tolkien's stories to the big screen.

In the latest adaptation of Tolkien's work, technology was at the heart of the workflow, and central to that was AWS.

Speaking at AWS re:Invent 2022, producer Ron Ames discussed how AWS and the cloud helped the production team achieve many of the jaw-dropping visuals seen in the show's first season.

The power of the cloud Much of the production employed cloud, with areas from pre-visualisation to exhibition interconnected, including, camera capture, colour pipeline, post production, visual effects, and delivery to Amazon's platform. That was the key, said Ames. When we were on set, and a director was chasing the light, we had every possible asset at our fingertips. We had crews spread across New Zealand, a studio in Los Angeles, artists all over the world, we were able to connect, communicate efficiently, scale as necessary, and meet all of our goals and deadlines, cost efficiently. This is not about technology as a standalone thing, it is actually practical, useful and efficient.

Ames added that showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay believed that the technology used on the project helped them to imagine the craziest things .

In 2018 we started in Los Angeles in an office, and the writers room was down the hall from our production office. We would sit there and they would come out of the writers room and give us outlines for this fantastic story, Ames explained. We would look each other and our jaws would drop. We said, how are we going to do this? We said this is too big for the tools we have.

The team began to answer those questions by looking to JRR Tolkien himself for inspiration. Tolkien said that when he started to create the world of Middle-earth, he started with a map and made the story fit. So we started that way as well. We recognised that we were going to have to plan this very carefully.

Their map involved working with AWS on building a cloud-production pipeline. AWS is creating the future of filmmaking, Ames told the audience. The future of filmmaking is cloud-based production.

That decision to employ cloud-based production became even more important when three months into filming in New Zealand, the Covid pandemic hit. We were told that we had to shut down, explained Ames. We took all of our hardware, sent it off to our teams because we couldn't completely shut down, we would lose our vendors, our staff, all these artists we'd collected around the world. We had to continue the visual effects post production because we had already shot an episode. Within a weekend, we started cloud-based production in earnest. We were doing it anyway, but Covid made it a requirement and sent us to the next level of development.

In total, the production team worked with 12 global vendors, including DNEG, ILM and Company 3, on the show's visual effects, creating 9,146 shots. The price of admission to join us was a willingness to explore new technology, to share assets in a standard way so that every visual effect could be used by a different vendor, said Ames. By creating a standard, and everybody knowing they would be working together, we determined that we could actually do this.

The power of the metadata Another key part of the workflow that helped the production team throughout the project is metadata. Ames explained that when he started working in the industry, metadata was edge code on negative film. typed script notes, call sheets and production notes. But again, working with AWS meant that the Rings of Power were able to push the boundaries of data forward. Now, every single frame has every piece of content that went into making that frame from beginning to end, said Ames.

We are using metadata in ways that when we started our production we never dreamed of using on set. Each department had their own software that they fed into QTAKE. From that point on the metadata stayed with the shot all the way through. We could always identify the nature of that frame, where it came from, and how it was connected to the rest.

With each department accounting for the metadata that was important to them, we knew the information was accurate, added Ames. By the end, we had total faith. We never lost a frame, we never lost an asset. It was trackable and easily shared with our vendors, and all the technology companies that worked with us everybody was willing to play and discover these tools and help us to figure out how to do this.

The power of the team Ames finished his talk by paying tribute to all of the production team who worked on the series, adding that many came to the project from more traditional ways of filmmaking. There were many people on this project who made films in traditional methodologies their whole life and they were introduced to this new methodology and every single one of them adopted these new technologies, he said. This is filmmaking of the future, people making art with technology as a support.

The other thing that I think is important to remember is that filmmaking is no longer, if it ever was, a linear process. It's dynamic. Set drawings, tests, and materials are being c
LINK: https://www.tvbeurope.com/production-post/the-future-of-filmmaking-is-...
See more stories from tvb

Europe Stories

06/10/2025

France Tlvisions Wins Prestigious 2025 EBU Technology & Innovation Award in Groundbreaking Collaboration with Dalet

France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...

04/09/2025

Monumental Sports & Entertainment and Dalet Win Prestigious 2025 NAB Show Project of the Year Award

Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...

04/07/2025

Spotify Partners With The Reading Agency to Bring the Summer Reading Challenge to Life Through Audio

The Summer Reading Challenge has inspired children across the U.K. to embrace a ...

04/07/2025

Official trailer revealed for new season of BAFTA-winning Sky Original comedy Mr Bigstuff, coming 24 July

Friday 4 July 2025 Watch the trailer here https://youtu.be/Od5WpvWmDr8 Further...

04/07/2025

Join RT Radio 1 for The Pitch, a new series exploring the heart of Ireland's GAA Clubs

The Pitch comes to RT Radio 1 airwaves this Sunday at 7pm. The Pitch is a brand...

03/07/2025

Introducing: New Carts

For our Vario-Jib, as well as for a repertoire of weights, we now have carts that make transport easier...

03/07/2025

Introducing: Slider Drive Unit

One of our latest innovations: Slider Drive Unit! Our Vario Slider not only comes with improvements and new features, but also with its own drive unit! Our i...

03/07/2025

Introducing: ARRI EVO 360

The 360 EVO lives up to its name: 360-degree rotation not only on the pan axis, but also on the roll axis, enables filmmakers to take their creative visions eve...

03/07/2025

Panther at BSC EXPO 2025

What a buzzing few days at BSCExpo in London! We were thrilled to connect with so many talented professionals from the world of cinematography. A huge thank ...

03/07/2025

"The whole rig had to be detachable mid-episode

ADOLESCENCE - Shot with Panther Tower"The whole rig had to be detachable mid-episode Netflix limited drama series Adolescence has been gaining attentio...

03/07/2025

** MEDIA ALERT ** Shonen Jump Store Hosting Los Angeles Pop-up During Anime Expo 2025

** MEDIA ALERT ** Shonen Jump Store Hosting Los Angeles Pop-up During Anime Exp...

03/07/2025

Sky Arts Unveils New Mozart Season, Celebrating the Legacy of Classicals Greatest Maestro

Thursday 3 July 2025 David Harewood and Matthew Broome in Mozart: Genius for Hi...

03/07/2025

Sky announces 2025 Sky WNT Fund Recipients

The Sky WNT Fund supports Womens National Team players with a 30,000 bursaryThursday 3 July 2025 Sky Ireland has announced the four recipients of the 2025 Sky...

02/07/2025

NAB 2025: Calrec expands ecosystem providing ultimate flexibility

Calrec expands ecosystem at NAB 2025 giving broadcasters access to dynamic workflows and ultimate flexibility Helping broadcasters meet the shifting needs of me...

02/07/2025

VEON Raises USD 200 Million in Private Bond Placement

02 Jul 2025 VEON Raises USD 200 Million in Private Bond Placement Dubai, July 1, 2025: VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON), a global digital operator ( VEON ), announces ...

02/07/2025

Dom Chinea opens his Cornish Workshop for new series on U&YESTERDAY and U

Brand new factual series follows mechanic and self-taught engineer Dom Chinea as he makes the move of his life to the far west of Cornwall UKTV today announces...

02/07/2025

Rohde & Schwarz acquires ZES ZIMMER Electronic Systems GmbH and expands its T&M portfolio for power electronics

Rohde & Schwarz acquires ZES ZIMMER Electronic Systems GmbH and expands its T&M ...

02/07/2025

Riedel Communications Launches RefSuite Ecosystem for Sports Officiating, Coaching, and Production

Wuppertal July 2, 2025 Riedel Communications Launches RefSuite Ecosystem for S...

02/07/2025

ABC Appoints New Chair

Andrew will serve as Chair of ABC alongside his role at NED, APL Media, where he supports the executive team with strategic insight and global expansion plans. ...

01/07/2025

ITV Celebrates Best Sunday of 2025 with Code of Silence

The launch of Code of Silence, coupled with the Britains Got Talent semi final, gave ITV its best Sunday night of 2025. The first episode of the new crime dr...

01/07/2025

Romola Garai joins Shaun Evans in ITV thriller BETRAYAL, as filming begins in the North West

ITV and Mammoth Screen have announced the start of filming for Betrayal, a gripp...

01/07/2025

Movicom Selects Clear-Com to Power Communications for Global Live Events

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......

01/07/2025

KIT Plugins release NOIZ One Vox

Vocal-processing plug-in joins NOIZ Hub series Launched in 2024, KIT Plugins' NOIZ Hub series was created with the aim of providing a range of professio...

01/07/2025

7 Day Mastering: New course from Mastering.com

New self-paced learning programme announced Mastering.com have announced the availability of a new online course designed to cover the fundamentals of maste...

01/07/2025

cetecom advanced certifies Rohde & Schwarz test solution for the verification of Next Generation eCall functionality

cetecom advanced certifies Rohde & Schwarz test solution for the verification of...

01/07/2025

Teresa Smith Announced as Commissioning Editor for Factual Entertainment

RT has announced that Teresa Smith has been appointed Commissioning Editor with responsibility for Factual Entertainment following a public competition. This s...

01/07/2025

RT is Supporting 26 Arts and Cultural Events across Ireland this July

This July, RT is delighted to support Galway International Arts Festival, Earagail Arts Festival in Donegal, Belfast TradFest and 23 other arts and cultural ev...

30/06/2025

Discover Weekly Turns 10: Celebrating 100 Billion+ Tracks Streamed and a Decade of Personalized Discovery

There's nothing quite like the magic of finding music that feels made just f...

30/06/2025

Spotify's Editors Pick Their Best Songs of the Year (So Far)

When it comes to new music, Spotify's team of editors across North America is always on the hunt for songs that make them feel, think, and move. They're...

30/06/2025

The Forsytes Season 2 Commissioned by MASTERPIECE on PBS

Star Studded Ensemble Cast Are Joined by Richard Rankin as Filming Begins on the Second Season [June 12, 2025 - Boston, MA]: The Forsytes, Debbie Horsfield...

30/06/2025

Qu-Bit announce the Bloom v2

Eurorack sequencer module reimagined California-based modular synth innovators Qu-Bit have announced the launch of a new module that offers a fresh new take...

30/06/2025

Techivation launch T-De-Esser Pro Mk2

Improved dynamic behaviour, improved audio quality & more Techivation have announced the release of an upgraded edition of their very first premium plug-in,...

30/06/2025

German premiere with live flight demonstration: German industry team showcases electromagnetic combat from the air

German premiere with live flight demonstration: German industry team showcases e...

30/06/2025

The Focusrite Summer Sale is now on

The Focusrite Summer Sale is now on Don't miss unbeatable deals on Scarlett, Vocaster, and more. Whether you're an artist, a producer, or a podcaste...

30/06/2025

Yellowstone origin story 1923 starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren comes to RT One and RT Player

All 8 episodes of Season 1 of 1923 will be available on RT Player from Tuesday ...

30/06/2025

Thales 2025 Global Cloud Security Study Reveals Organizations Struggle to Secure Expanding, AI-Driven Cloud Environments

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn 52% report AI security spending is displacing tr...

30/06/2025

Thales Alenia Space to develop SOLiS very-high-throughput laser communications demonstrator

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Cannes, June 30th, 2025 - Thales Alenia Space, t...

29/06/2025

Roland introduce the Mood Pan

Handpan-inspired instrument announced Roland have announced the launch of the Mood Pan, a unique electronic hand percussion instrument that has been designe...

28/06/2025

Scaler 3.1 update from Scaler Music

Music theory plug-in updated Three months on from the release of the latest version of their renowned music theory plug in, Scaler Music have launched an up...

27/06/2025

Spotify Launches K-Pop Performance Video Series . . . Next Up, TWS

K-Pop remains one of the biggest genres globally, and many fans just can't get enough of it. That's why Spotify has launched a new series of K-Pop perf...

27/06/2025

Family Cybersecurity CEO: Protecting Kids, Parents, and My Sanity From Scams

In our latest blog post, Rafael Rivera highlights the rising threat of online scams, and the important role cybersecurity plays in protecting families across ge...

27/06/2025

Klevgrand introduce Walls reverb plug-in

From grounded realism to bending, impossible geometries Klevgrand have announced the release of a new algorithmic reverb plug-in which they say deconstruct...

27/06/2025

GIK Acoustics: Room EQ Wizard Tutorial

Learn to use REW for room analysis Acoustic treatment is one of the most important factors in any studio, and with the extensive range of products available...

27/06/2025

Soundtheory release Kraftur Focus

Second edition of parallel clipper plug-in announced Soundtheory have announced the launch of Kraftur Focus, a new edition of their parallel clipper plug-in...

27/06/2025

Thales and KONGSBERG to establish new major Defence communications joint venture in Norway

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales, a global high-tech leader, and Kongsberg...

27/06/2025

RTL Group to acquire Sky Deutschland

Friday 27 June 2025 Combination of RTL Deutschland and Sky Deutschland (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) to create a unique proposition in entertainment, sports ...

26/06/2025

AgileTV will develop the TV service for LIWEST in Austria

Bilbao Linz, June 26th 2025 - AgileTV, a European leader in TV and video technology solutions, has signed an agreement this week with the Austrian telco LIWES...

26/06/2025

Ad-hoc News: aconnic AG places capital increase and postpones publication of annual report until completion of the transaction

aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has resolved, based on the decisions ma...

26/06/2025

KRK launch Kreate Series monitors

Three new entry-level models introduced Catering to everything from casual listening to professional content creation, KRK's new Kreate Series monitors ...