Edoras | LOTR's Most Insane Location

🔵 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅 𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲: / pentexproductions 🔵
The making of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy is full of amazing stories. Going behind the scenes of LOTR in the LOTR DVD appendices is like exploring Smaug’s hoarde of treasure. For me, one of the best LOTR behind the scenes stories is that of Edoras - the capital of Rohan - a massive set that was built for real.
Edoras was built on Mount Sunday in the South Island of New Zealand over a gruelling eleven months. It was one of the most remote and difficult LOTR locations, but also one of the favourite of the cast and crew. This LOTR video essay explores how they built Edoras, and more importantly why building it in this location was so important to properly translating Tolkien’s vision on film.
▶️ If you want to see more Lord of the Rings behind the scenes stories like this, then check out my mini-documentary on how they built the Hobbiton set for real - • The Scouting of the Sh...
▶️ The gorgeous original drone footage in this video was used with permission and filmed by Behind the Door. Watch the full original video here: • Lord of the Rings - Ro...
Find more content on their KZbin Channel: / @behindthedoor5502
© Behind the Door - 2019
🔵 Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE if you liked the video - it helps more than you know 🔵
▶️ Check out this playlist of all of my other Lord of the Rings video essays: • Lord of the Rings vide...
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MUSIC
🎵 Cold Journey by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
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🎵 Tranquil Fields by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
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SOURCES
Lord of the Rings Extended Edition DVD appendices and LOTR behind the scenes footage: (Origins of Middle-earth / Cameras in Middle-earth / Designing Middle-earth / New Zealand as Middle-earth / Home of the Horse Lords)
Lord of the Rings Location Guidebook, by Ian Brodie
Anything You Can Imagine: Peter Jackson and the Making of Middle-earth, by Ian Nathan
Original drone footage (used with permission): • Lord of the Rings - Ro...
© Behind the Door - 2019

[@PentexProductions]

If you liked this video, you'll like my similar one about how they made Hobbiton: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lWXIqXiBdseYick or the one where I went to Jordan to see how they filmed movies like Dune, Star Wars and Indiana Jones: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hXu2n2Wgnbaggc0 ***Corrections and clarifications below*** Thanks once again to Behind the Door for the beautiful drone footage of Edoras and Rohan: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fpjXi3lmpMysf5I // Correction: As others have pointed out below, the flag tearing away was in fact supposed to do that. What was unplanned was the way it flew and fell because of the wind, which was what led to them filming it land by Aragorn. That's my mistake misunderstanding the nuance in my research. Sorry! Clarification: Yes, it's spelled 'Erewhon' not 'Erehwon' so it's not EXACTLY 'nowhere' backwards. They swapped the W and the H for pronunciation reasons (in Te Reo Maori "wh" is pronounced like "f" so it becomes 'eh-ree-fon') but 'nowhere' is the origin of the name. I just summarised for simplicity in the video.

[@Shanetangybits]

Helms deep or dry creek quarry. They borrowed a crane from where i work across the motorway. So occassionally I would go there with my dad who was my boss to service it or move it. Was an amazing setup. Wish nz had had some vision and kept some of it.

[@worldtraveler930]

Most Definitely Hobbiton and Rivendell!!! 🤠👍

[@ranekeisenkralle8265]

My favourite location actually IS Edoras, so thank you very much for this. Few things are as impressive and evocative as untamed nature. And these shots capture that so very nicely!

[@TheShamansQuestion]

Nohwere still almost reads as nowhere anyway haha

[@Daniel.RF.Davidson]

You did an impression there? oh.... hehe just kidding... What an amazing video, man. Congrats. I now personally can't wait to take that road trip and visit Mount Sunday. A man can dream...

[@markrik1]

The more I learn about the making of those films the more I appreciate them just existing.

[@PentexProductions]

For me, the behind the scenes stuff is just as compelling as the films themselves.

[@meleardil]

They were made by the right people at the right time. The technologie was just good enough to make it possible, but the cultural decay had not progressed that far to corrupt the spirit of Tolkien present in the books. Today it could not be made. The budget would be 10 times bigger, the visuals spectacular, but altogether result in an ideologie driven shallow propaganda piece without culture, morals and any soul at all.

[@cmbbfan78]

@@PentexProductions Exactly! I normally do not like to see behind the curtains, looking, how the magician do the trick, but with this movie, I was so amazed to have the 2 extra DVDs, per movie to see it.

[@watts18269]

@@meleardileverything you said is absolutely spot on 👍🏻

[@hellomate639]

@@meleardil We saw this with Amazon's LotR, with its plasticky crap and very Americanized hollywood storytelling in the 2020s. It will return, one day. This is the nature of things.

[@barney9346]

RIP Dave Comer, he was the location scout for these movies, and my great uncle. a legend.

[@PentexProductions]

What an incredible family connection to have. He was indeed a legend!

[@samuelleask1132]

Bro that’s awesome

[@TheJoker-gg8hc]

@barney9346 anybody can make a claim. Post evidence or delete the comment. Edit: better yet, I don't give a fuck. You nor your "uncle" deserve a fucking trophy. If he was smart, he got a paycheck. That's all he's entitled to.

[@svetlanaandrasova6086]

Thats so cool

[@Aurelius2142]

@@TheJoker-gg8hc If you really didn't care, you probably wouldn't have edited your comment on a year old post to add more hate to it, but I suspect that's not going to matter to you. I hope that whatever is hurting you passes, and that you learn more healthy ways to vent then trying to bully someone for sharing an aspect of their family history online with some people who might be interested.

[@davidphelps5857]

It is exactly this insane attention to detail and fanatical commitment to getting it right that is the reason why these movies look as good now as they did 20 years ago. They will never be surpassed.

[@PentexProductions]

They knew they only had one chance to do it right - so they absolutely did it properly!

[@walkietalkietraveller2932]

i have a feeling you may be right, David.

[@lgkf1126]

Absolutely true

[@VITAS874]

Yes. Now its very small chance they will do it again. All of green

[@theblindbandit6533]

They truly cared for the property they were making a film for hard to come by today

[@swd127]

11 months of preparation for 8 days of shooting. No wonder LOTR movies look so amazing and hold up so well with time. Nobody makes movies this way any more.

[@Ewokpilot65]

They do still make movies with this much effort even today, it's just that there also are a lot more movies now that don't so it feels more diluted. But movies like avatar 2 and shows like andor still have somuch thought put into them

[@theviniso]

​@@Ewokpilot65 Shout out to Dune as well, I believe we're witnessing a future classic being made in that movie and its sequels.

[@rogoznicafc9672]

@@theviniso they went to other plantes to film on set?

[@di3486]

@@Ewokpilot65not at all.

[@di3486]

@@thevinisoDune had a lot of CGI and a poor script.

[@narnia1233]

Knowing the flag actually occurred naturally is so epic. It’s like Tolkien’s spirit was in the scene or something.

[@rogue]

It was meant to come off but not to drift so epicly into the air

[@ni9274]

The flag ripping off was scripted, what wasn’t scripted was the flag flying off all the way to the edge of the city.

[@1337Jogi]

A truly majestic moment. The remaining glory of Edoras of the olden days and its weakness now perfectly captured in just one small scene.

[@ButtonBashOfficial]

Except it didn’t. Common misconception

[@bloodygekkon]

even the mother earth helped them

[@kwerk2011]

My brother was one of the builders at Edoras. He also was the greenskeeper, he had to catalogue and photograph every plant and tussock removed and replace it exactly at the conclusion of filming. I visited him on set, though I could not get closer than the carpark. It was built to be filmed from a limited series of angles, which is why it looks very basic from the back as shown at 6:18. In addition, garishly coloured portaloos were placed in this same area to discourage opportunistic photographers like myself from getting marketable photographs. It is a stunning location, the buildings did not at all look out of place.

[@PentexProductions]

So great you were able to visit during filming, and that your brother helped make cinema history. Thanks for sharing the story - especially the portaloos!

[@EmelyPhan]

That's Cool

[@PacdemonStudios1]

Replacing all those plants on top of everything else makes him a genuine legend

[@DIEGhostfish]

​@@PacdemonStudios1 Sam and Treebeard would be proud.

[@tarzan8575]

And THIS^^ This right HERE!^ is why Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy completely blows Amazon's Rings of Power out of the water! The level of commitment that Jackson and his crew had for this production is unequaled. They made a higher quality experience for a hell of a lot less money which is a tribute to not only their affection for the material but a testament to their skill and knowledge as filmmakers.

[@xhagast]

I don't about the less money. But Jackson spent his money WELL. RoP looked like a bad episode of Xhena. With worse script and acting.

[@philipphammer3474]

Also, LotR crew stayed true to their word and cared about nature, turning it back so no one could guess a film set has been there 20 years ago

[@brianfewer919]

@@philipphammer3474 Well it would be pretty hypocritical, given a big plot point of the film was an industry destroying the natural world around it. They were wise not to piss off any Ents (or hillside equivalents).

[@gandalfthegay.]

@@xhagast It's way less money than any current big movies. 356 Millionen USD for endgame and $281 million USD for all three LOTR.

[@jonathanevans5566]

@@gandalfthegay. That isn't taking into account inflation - 280m USD in 2001 (Fellowship of the ring release year) is around 480m USD as of 2022.

[@Aerosolcookie]

"... if they had to hike all the way there and back again" Nicely done.

[@PentexProductions]

;)

[@steveb8183]

Too lazy to type it myself,went scrolling to find the quote bc I knew someone would catch it haaa

[@stephenorourke7005]

Caught that one myself!! 🙂

[@rohan-bq8yp]

wdym?

[@scythelord]

@@rohan-bq8yp "There and Back Again" by Bilbo Baggins. The in-story book written by Bilbo about his life.

[@justinsutter3602]

This is why these movies where legendary, because they did not cut corners seeking to maximum profit with minimum costs, it shows in the quality and we all can tell.

[@xhagast]

Twenty years later and people who watch them for the first time still love them. And don't notice how long they are.

[@NoNameAtAll2]

were*

[@justinsutter3602]

@@NoNameAtAll2 Yes you are correct, I know how it should have been but screwed it up, nice catch haha.

[@ct6852]

They actually weren't that expensive. I mean they were, but it was probably equivalent to one big Marvel movie and marketing costs.

[@adamb8317]

@@ct6852CGI can be incredibly expensive, LoTR just filmed with real sets and practical effects to make it look as real as possible while not being insanely expensive.

[@nevertrustatory9412]

Went to South Island for our honeymoon in 2006. Of the few locations we managed to visit, a horse ride through the forest of Amon Hen and a hike through the exodus from Edoras/warg attack location will always stay in my mind. (Paradise, Glenorchy and Deer Park Heights respectively) The lady leading the trek through the forest told me that my horse was one of the only from their stable not to have been in the Two Towers as he was ‘too temperamental’. This was after I had mounted! Luckily I didn’t do a Gimli!

[@PentexProductions]

Brilliant! Deer Park Heights is a beautiful location, and so close to Queenstown! I think the production drafted in pretty much every horse and rider in South Island at one point, so it must have been a very temperamental horse! Most of the riders in the films were women so they all had to be given fake beards and masculine armour to double for the riders of Rohan.

[@gertsy2000]

If you did a Gimli of course it would have been on purpose!!!

[@MrTangent]

“Not the beard!”

[@samwill5]

Horses are not meant to be ridden. If he was temperamental, obviously he just wasn't subdued into servitude as well as others by his captors. Please people, stop riding horses, elephants, camels, anyone... And stop eating animals.

[@MrTangent]

@@samwill5 Nothing wrong with riding a horse, as long as you treat it humanely. And aren’t overweight.

[@palmtree554]

It always blew me away that this set was really built with all the logistics and red tape they had to deal with. But to learn that it was a shooting location for only 8 DAYS?!?! That level of commitment to vision is unheard of in modern movie making. The astronomical risk that New Line Cinema took with this movie... A movie like this will never be made again.

[@PentexProductions]

They had such an efficient production, but even so it was a very short length of time. Hobbiton was two weeks or so of filming but took well over a year to build.

[@dumbideas3361]

I loved that scene where the flag tears off and flies away, and have wondered how they did that. it nice to know it wasn't scripted and just happened organically, and that the camera just happened to be there to catch it.

[@joeyjojoshabbadoo8153]

It was scripted, he made a mistake in the video lol

[@bidenonabender5903]

they did stuff like this and they did it for pretty cheap, 90 million for a 3+ hour long movie that still over 20 years later feels like it was just made. LOTR secured jackson a place among the best movie directors of all time, a incredible masterpiece!

[@ImperialDiecast]

and then the same guy sat in a studio and did half of everything digitally just a decade later "out of time constraints".

[@laurencefraser]

Once you account for inflation it's not actually as cheap as it initially looks, though they still got very good value for the money spent.

[@simonholliday3421]

im one of maybe 20 people who can say I grew up looking at this out of my bedroom window. Up the top of the Rangitata Gorge, on part of what used to be Mesopotamia Station. Its even more amazing than you think it is. This is not just a film set, its my home :)

[@jakestablettableto9453]

Lucky guy

[@malahammer]

"(CGI) was used to enhance scenes, not to preplace them" brilliant quote!

[@venoltar]

I feel like the excellent clean-up they performed combined with the nigh perfection of the location compared to the text, is almost an art in itself. It leaves us with the heart breaking imagery of a race that may have existed with all their great achievements and terrible trials but has now long passed and is never to return to this world. Here we can find echoes of Ozymandias.

[@PentexProductions]

Totally agree - it was what I was trying to evoke with the poem at the end.

[@hewiex]

One of the most beautiful sets of the films! The scene where Eowyn comes storming out of the great hall and the strong winds breaks away the flag, and you see it fall all the way down into the first gate where Aragorn looks at it, which gives you a perception of what shape entire Edoras is in, with their king being possessed by Saruman. It's in the small details. Gosh I love these films edit: woops, didn't see the end before writing this comment. Thanks for pointing that scene out!

[@PentexProductions]

One of my favourite moments in the trilogy.

[@pieter-basbeijer5781]

@@PentexProductions After all those years it still blows my mind that a 5 second unintentional(!) scene so perfectly captures the mood, probably even better than any scripted scene ever could. Just unreal.

[@prava163]

@@pieter-basbeijer5781 LOTR is full of these "mishaps". Like when Aragorn kicks the helmet, breaks some toes and screams xD That scene wouldn't be the same without that.

[@bjornh4664]

@@prava163 Or Viggo Mortensen parrying the knife thrown at him by an uruk-hai for real.

[@gomongio]

Or Mithrandir bumping his head at Bilbo’s

[@adrury65]

I made the trip there from Queenstown, stayed in Ashburton, woke up early and spent the whole day there. I was lucky enough in my search to find a single rusty nail from part of the set! As seemingly trivial as it might sound, that nail is among my most prized possessions! I also brought my rohan flag for photos and such! I was lucky to have a clear day with snow capped mountains and no other tourists!

[@bsa45acp]

I have stood on the summit of Mt. Sunday in 2006 on a cold and very windy day. Now when I reread LOTR or see the movie yet again, I remember being there late in the 3rd age of Middle Earth. That passage where Legolas describes Edoras was read to me as we crested the last hill before first seeing Mt. Sunday and descending into the valley. It was a religious experience. Thank you for this video which validates my experience.

[@PentexProductions]

It's a magical spot - especially if you time it well and get there before too many other people. I got there first thing and had the place to myself for most of the time I was filming there. Very peaceful (even with the wind!)

[@jgm592]

The last clip, with the lament over the clearly recognizable landscape but without Edoras, was haunting. Kudos to you as a storyteller as well.

[@Serai3]

It's pretty sad when the plague of CGI in movies has gotten to the point where people can be flabbergasted at the simple idea of building a set on location.

[@PentexProductions]

I understand that comment; my aim with the video was to discuss the extreme measures taken to film in this specific location and build it for real when it would have been so much easier and cheaper to do it in a different way. I'm trying to explain why building THIS set on THIS location was an unusually big commitment for any production to take on. Most non-MCU blockbusters still film on location (e.g. Northman, Tenet, John Wick, 1917, Dune, MI, James Bond just in the last few years alone), but you'd be hard pressed to find a blockbuster made in the last ~50 years or so that went to these lengths to achieve about fifteen minutes of footage in the final cut. That was what I wanted to acknowledge with LOTR and Edoras in this video.

[@LordVader1094]

It was still incredibly impressive even back then, when CGI hadn't infested films.

[@twinkthatloveslotrtrilogy7676]

Ikr,and hoped more movies will be like LOTR after it became such a hit

[@brianmayerchak1677]

"simple" did you not watch the video?

[@tgbluewolf]

They need to understand what was said in the video: the CGI should complement, not replace, practical effects.

[@dreamthread]

Excellent video. 11 months of work for 8 days of shooting. This is an example of why these films have stood the test of time

[@theldraspneumonoultramicro405]

Peter Jackson went through so much hard work to get it as right as he could, from the locations, architecture, props such as armor, weapons, trinkets and clothing, and each individual actor, and this is why his LOTR trilogy is such a amazing beloved masterpiece. and then we have Amazon... they skimmed the source material, then lit it on fire, pissed on it, then dumped it in the toilet and took turns showering it with some of the most foul dirrhea a human has ever produced, and then they made a series out of whatever they could dig out.

[@gertsy2000]

I think you have a very silly name.

[@Bucko99]

I just saw that Steve Harvey clip too

[@snowdrop9810]

I think the correct term for RoP is embezzlement.

[@Cosmicllama64]

@@snowdrop9810 Embezosment

[@Lizard1582]

Only the 500th time I read this sentiment

[@koriqzia]

When doing anything creative there's a certain kind of magic that only comes when you've devoted your entirety to the work. LOTR is filled with these kinds of moments and magical accidents and it's no wonder when you see the attention and sacrifices made for the vision as a whole.

[@Canadian_Princess]

The more I learn of LotR production the more in awe of it I become. We'll never see other films like it, which makes me sad.

[@nApucco]

This is the most memorable location I have visited in New Zealand. I was up there for more than an hour and completly on my own for about 20 minutes. An incredible view, feeling and experience. ❤ Thanks New Zealand, for truely protecting and preserving the natural wonder that is your country.

[@kamalindsey]

Something tells me even if Tolkien probably would have some grievances only he could make about the films, that he would appreciate this location. As he said in his time to a particularly wonderful fan art of Frodo and Sam: "There they are", to this location he might have said: _"There it is"._

[@Nerdforge]

Thank you for this video, this is pure inspiration

[@PentexProductions]

High praise indeed coming from you! Thank you so much for watching

[@Afrolovertje]

always interesting to see you favorite youtubers comment on other awesome work. Though now I'm hoping for an edoras inspired miniature scape (would be fun right? And it at least doesn't need a lot of bricks like the tower one you did before)...

[@scott2734]

Its almost like that there could be Rohan there, only time faded out the foundations, yet its story and the hill stands tall. Thanks for this wonderful part. I love the movie and so happy that a large part of the sets were filmed on location.

[@PentexProductions]

Totally agree - it was something I was trying to evoke with the poem at the end of the video.

[@d_dave7200]

They actually said in the documentaries that their attitude with the design for the film was to imagine LotR was history, and they were archaeologists and anthropologists trying to excavate and figure out the details of how people lived, how things looked etc. I think the Edoras location really enhances that, because it's genuinely a real place.

[@smpdevelopments]

We'll never get movies as authentic like this ever again

[@teppo9585]

There probably will be, but within our lifetimes to see? It´s a question I pose to people reading this in the year 3000. When was the next film after LOTR that was its equal made?

[@TallisKeeton]

@@teppo9585 after 1000 years (if we survived) people would be looking at PJ LOTR as we today are looking at "Beowulf" or "Iliad" :D

[@bsavage5128]

One of the few films where I watched an entire 12+ hours of bonus content and behind the scenes

[@Avaruusmurkku]

LOTR will never fail to put a smile on my face.

[@TheSpazzDragon]

The Lord of the Rings movies were responsible for my love of fantacy and story telling. They shaped how I grew up in a way. Knowing the level of dedication and craft that went into these films really just makes them feel all the more special. True masterpieces that I don't think will ever be eclipsed.

[@rpgadventurer32]

The level of detail in this production was amazing. The whole trilogy was a miracle.

[@ruovgaming]

The detail at 7:43 was amazing. The logistics of it, the timing, the effort, the technique. I remember the first time I saw the scene of Aragorn arriving at Edoras, it truly felt epic and breathtaking.

[@neilrusling-je6zo]

A tiny part of New Zealand that will forever be a memory of Anglo Saxon England.

[@Rondo2ooo]

What Peter and everybody involved accomplished with this tour de force is still unbelievable. A stretch across all what's possible with as little CGI as possible. That's why the trilogy aged well.

[@kaetor2888]

I ended up here recently on accident exploring after hiking up nearby Mt. Guy. Had no idea it was a filming location in LOTR, but it is funny that the gravel road suddenly turns in to a huge car park out of nowhere. It truly is amazing and a true sign of the dedication Peter Jackson and crew put in to the series that they found this otherwise obscure location! Cool to see this show up on my KZbin feed not long after!

[@PentexProductions]

It's a stunning spot for a walk even without the LOTR connection

[@yanami1241]

These movies and everything related to them were a once in a lifetime event. Something like this will never happen again. So much love, so much dedication, so much passion, its insane.

[@sonofbuddhaTR]

I was there (back in 2019)! Private land though... Bumped into a group of enthusiasts and one of them actually showed me an augmented reality of Edoras on his phone. Unforgettable experience.

[@mouradamraoui9166]

Such a wonderful place to see with your own eyes. I went there in March 2016 as part of a guided tour, and while we were looking around, I decided to do a tiny prank on one of the others, by finding the music theme of Rohan on my phone and play it right behind her while she was recording a video. She was so overcome with emotions of seeing this place while hearing the iconic score from the movie at the same time that she simply burst into tears. We then proceded to have her shoot a small video with the music in the background.

[@PentexProductions]

Playing the music on the drive there is mandatory!

[@rossbaxter9621]

5 years since I was there, it was a pilgrimage for me. The most beautiful and evocative place, absolutely perfect and I still well up watching the Two Towers, aching to get back.

[@PentexProductions]

A pilgrimage indeed! Glad you made it - it's absolutely worth the trip.

[@JukesMcGee]

The way Tolkein writes is so beautiful.

[@frettchen1498]

The fact that the flag wasn't supposed to come of is incredible to me! That entrire sequence is one of my favorite scenes in the entire trilogy.

[@fredrik8685]

This almost made me cry. I knew all this, I've watched the documentaries and the movies countless times since I first saw them at the cinema all those years ago. I remember watching them with my nerdy friends and then the extended versions later with my girlfriend, who later became the mother of my children. My daughter was only four or five when we watched them together the first time and didn't understand a word of English, nor could she read well enough to understand the subtitles. There was a lot of pausing and explaining. Still, afterwards she wanted to watch them over and over and over and both kids still love them. I think I just realize how much they really mean to me. These movies are truly a masterpiece.

[@PentexProductions]

Beautiful story. These films connect with so many people for so many reasons, but for me the landscapes, design and music all play such a big role. Just seeing Rohan and Edoras with Howard Shore's score playing still gets me every time.

[@vbscript2]

New Zealanders: "This land is in the middle of nowhere. It's so remote and inaccessible. It's a whole hour from the nearest town." Americans, Australians, and Canadians: "Aww, that's cute." :) But seriously, though, the location selections for Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies were perfect. Absolutely amazing scenery and brought Tolkien's descriptions to life perfectly. New Zealand is definitely on the list of places I want to visit.

[@marijanewernsman6134]

You must go on two of the excellent tours. There are separate tours for North and South Island sites. The best tour guides are extras from the movies.

[@jimd385]

What a great video, you actually went there, excellent work sir. My favourite location would probably be Hobbiton, it just looks like a pleasant place to live. But visually, you can take your pick, The Lord of the Rings did so much that was real and still looks magnificent today (Avatar on the other hand looks like an unconvincing cartoon) Helms Deep is just fantastic,it’s huge, the battle they filmed there is still amazing and it really does stand out in a trilogy of films where everything seems to be stunning. Films these days are fairly terrible, everything is fake, nothing seems legitimate, hell even The Hobbit trilogy wasn’t able to come close to the quality of LOTR. Great work mate.

[@PentexProductions]

Thanks so much, I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was a spectacular location. Be sure to watch my similar video on Hobbiton if you haven't already (you can also go there!). Helm's Deep is an exceptional sequence, for sure. Like Bilbo, it hasn't aged a day...

[@umiluv]

Whiterun in Skyrim always reminded me of Edoras in the LOTR movies.

[@PentexProductions]

I'd never made the connection before, but you're right. The Nordic/Anglo-Saxon aesthetic is very similar for sure.

[@Sir_Howie]

Edoras was the model Bethesda based Whiterun on when they designed it. Quite extensively, in fact.

[@skyworm8006]

@@Sir_Howie yeah seems like the same thing but expanded upon. plus the ruined crumbling stone fortifications mixed with wooden palisades exactly like the many dilapidated forts in skyrim but unlike the other cities. not sure where they got that idea from but they use it a lot and i like it.

[@Bartooc]

@@skyworm8006 Their banners also look almost exactly the same.

[@extremestuff61]

I recently went on holiday to new zealand and saw countless lotr filming locations and edoras was by far the greatest and most beautiful places I have been to. I was completely mesmerized.

[@PentexProductions]

Deer Park Heights in Queenstown is another great one, but Edoras is my favourite too because of how remote it is.

[@extremestuff61]

​@@PentexProductions Sadly I was unable to visit the Deer Park Heights filming location. But I definitely will see if I can go next time I visit nz.

[@BillyBobBeauBenson]

To think of the passion, hard work, and dedication these people had to make this vision come true. It baffles me. I just ate some cold soup out of the can because I was too lazy to put it in a bowl and microwave it... I can't even imagine how these people did it.

[@thewhynotway]

I totally agree. And I thought I knew almost everything about the movies and the production and story around it. I'm so happy and always excited to find out more and more, and always come to the conclusion for myself, that these movies are not just movies, or a tremendous experience, or unique, and so on, but life itself. All the thousands of people and families that were involved along the whole way. Everything only possible because thousands and thousands of people were working together through valleys and mountain tops. Getting the whole experience of Tolkien, his life, and experiences that shaped his thoughts and ideas for the books. Then the books themselves, movies and background-info and documentaries, interviews and so on. And one thing especially as well, life stories with people's real emotions and things they experienced and connect to elements of LOTR. How it helped, changed or showed something to them, us, me, myself, all of us. I'll always appreciate this as a whole and will try my best to tell and show my kids all about it. Peace, love, happiness, freedom, health to all (everyone, everything....all of us) P.S. Thanks for bringing up one of my personal favorite small yet so important details... the flag ripping of the pole when Eowyn stands outside (an yes, the real magnificent view, so beautiful) and then flying pass it, down and lands just outside the gate when Aragorn, Gandalf, Gimli, Legolas arriving by horse. The combination of real, the book, digital, beauty, emotion...just so very pure. LOTR enthusiast since 2002

[@doodleghost6225]

The sheer dedication to making so many things through practical effects and actual construction over greenscreen and digital effects is something I will never stop finding amazing. It's part of why I fear that any new versions of the films won't hold up as well, purely because it is almost guaranteed to be made largely in digital effects and it won't have the same feeling of authenticity.

[@ezopinion2767]

dedication to accuracy, makes it one of the best films

[@Nathan-vt1jz]

LOTR is still the pinnacle of cinema. It blended real locations, massive sets, intricate miniatures, tasteful CGI, quality costumes, and a team devoted to the source material. There’s a reason it feels so real and is beloved by fans. It’s an artistic masterpiece.

[@hanakinn]

"Think about how long it would take for everyone to just take their lunch break if they had to hike all the way THERE AND BACK AGAIN." - That was totally on purpose, wasn't it?

[@PentexProductions]

If you think that was good, do I have the video for you: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqDKdmh5pq9orck

[@scopex2749]

I discovered LOTR very late in life, being given the HUGE book of all three parts by my cousin to read. I was HOOKED I have read it and many other Tolkien books and am a loyal devotee of his work. Years ago a fantastic part animated/ part live action film was made of LOTR PART 1. It cost SO MUCH to produce the other parts were never made! I always hoped and prayed tat ONE DAY perhaps someone would do this epic work justice. Peter Jackson , the cast and everyone involved has TRULY made me happy and proud that it HAS been done. I like this mammoth task akin to putting 'War & Peace' on film...... but THAT wouldnt have been a fraction as good as LOTR........THANKS PETER and the rest.👏👏👏👏

[@MerryMoss]

This is why my love for these films will never fade 💚 Thank you for making this video, it was super cool to see and learn more about the production of the film!

[@rhyswong8976]

I know how its made. But every time its explained again, still gives me the chills and feels from that kid in me when I first saw it in the cinema. I am so grateful that the beauty of LOTR world is captured so closely by Peter Jackson. That flag breaking off is a sign this is too epic. And thank you for showing the location.

[@theobolt250]

These are the things my heart, my soul understand without another word. My mind? Can't make up words enough! But every winter, when the LOTR cycle is played on the telly... this, Edoras,... one of the moments I feel the whole story nearest by to me. I am one of the Rohirrim. Every damn time again!

[@PentexProductions]

The music is absolutely brilliant - amazing to think that a score that iconic isn't even heard until the second movie in the trilogy!

[@chompythebeast]

@@PentexProductions Like Darth Vader's Imperial March

[@theobolt250]

@@PentexProductions that music is full of emotions, expectations, longing, sorrow, grandeure... To me the characters of Eowyn and (especially!) Theoden speak the most. When Theoden musters his cavalry for the last time he does not expect to come out alife, still, he does it. "Death! Death!" his war cry sounds! And the Rohirrim? They ride! Unfaltered, not fazed by what's lying before them! They ride for their king. Theoden dies a heroes death. But the bonus is of course the rebuttle from Eowyn to the Nazgul king before she delivers him the death blow: "I'm not a man". Utter humiliation for one who considered himself invinceble by any man. Shows him right! A woman can! 😁😜

[@CYCO1631]

That first score... the single violin that plays, slow and somber, as Aowen stands forlorn on the steps of the Golden Hall, as the flag of Rohan rips and tumbles away from Aragorn as he rides past... is my favorite 2 minutes in the Trilogy.

[@OlaviMurto]

It's such a shame that anything like the LOTR trilogy will never be filmed again. No production company are willing to take such monetary risks and go this far to create perfection anymore.

[@cheetor5923]

What amazes me, is how absolutely stable the drone footage you did is. I've been flying various types of autonomous and semi-autonomous drones (fixed wing and rotary wing) In these parts of the South Island for almost 20 years. The wind conditions alone are super challanging. Yet your drone footage is flawless, even the film itself had wobbles and jerks from the helicopter being thrown around by the violent rotor thrown off the peaks.

[@PentexProductions]

The drone footage credits are in the description - I can claim no credit! But yes, I was so impressed with the footage that I sought and got permission from the pilot to use it in this video.

[@JosephAlanMeador]

This is incredible, I never fully grasped the enormity of what it took to make Meduseld come to life in the films. We shall not see it's like again!

[@PentexProductions]

A golden hall indeed.

[@glg210]

My level of respect for the commitment of PJ for his projects just has been elevated into astronomical levels thanks to this video.

[@Max_Flashheart]

You are a legend! Big Respect your channel is amazing and this type of content is not trivial. Love it.

[@PentexProductions]

You and all the viewers are the legends for keeping it alive. Thank you for watching :)

[@inkscratch]

I can say with near certainty that no studio today would do this level of work for a movie

[@maximdecimus2258]

They put the dirt back. I am in awe of the love and care taken by everyone involved with LOTR.

[@austinjones8964]

I'm in awe at the waste of time and money. The military did the work too. That means it as probably tax funded. All this fuss and by now that road would have completely disappeared if unused. It's borderline lunacy. Like some story about a crazy old king doing the same thing. Also it has nothing to do with the love and care of the LOTR film crew. It's conserved land in New Zealand. That's why the military had to build the freaking thing. That alone inflated the price as well. No doubt the crew would have left the road where it was.

[@Mr3kiwis]

Don't worry. More money has come into the NZ economy through the filming process and subsequent tourism than was spent on the Edoras location.

[@erictaylor5462]

I have a friend who one needed a welding job done. It was actually only a small weld, but together we worked nearly 10 hours just to get to the point where I could complete the weld. The actual welding (what you might call "arc time") was 30 seconds. My friend was very grateful for my help, even though the job ended up being way larger (around 1200 times longer) than I first guessed.

[@7riXter]

0:35 literally… but misspelled 😂

[@PentexProductions]

Good spotting - check the pinned comment :)

[@7riXter]

@@PentexProductions oh no... so I've become a testament to a lack of attention and a neurotic know-it-all attitude… … thanks for the video btw. made me feel 13 again

[@obnoxiousjumper279]

the amount of love, care, respect for lore and hard work put into these movies is insane

[@Dene181]

Still the greatest trilogy of all time, great video!

[@jasmijnariel]

I agree, best movies ever. It was all worth it

[@majorpwner241]

That would be the Star Wars OT for me, but this is a very close second. Not even sure what else could compete with those two options... They're in a league of their own.

[@nilsdock]

the first two moves are fantastic. (with minor flaws) the third movie stray too far from the books. take the army of the dead as an example. in the book they fought of the black ships, then the ships where manned by the men of Sothern Gondor. the way the army of the dead singlehandedly finishes the battle of Pelennor feel like a cheat. the victory at Pelennor was supposed to be the triumph of man over evil, not the dead men who swept the battlefield clean of foes.

[@Rhysman30]

LoTR is legit a masterclass in planning and faithful dedication to vision. I doubt we'll ever see its like again.

[@dfol2740]

Nice work. Was there a few weeks back. Deceptively bigger than it looks. And I didn’t realise the lower village was CG, which is impressive for that time, it holds up.

[@ClearCritique]

The amount of work put into this film, from location scouting to production design, boggles the mind. In a way it feels like the last of its kind. Good video, man!

[@PentexProductions]

Thanks Clay, I agree - so, so many tiny things all went the right way at that point in time for these movies to happen, and the result was amazing!

[@diezohra]

Oh.... NZ is just so beautiful! When I visited NZ a couple of years ago I went to the location of Rohan (where they filmed the first meeting of Eomer and Aragorn), but it was so remote that I was afraid I was gonna seriously damage the rental car. Anyway, I love that they chose to build an actual set in such a remote location. Not many films do this nowadays and it shows. LOTR will just forever be my favourite film. I'm so glad it exists.

[@PentexProductions]

Some of the locations are a bit tricky to get to! I'm sure more than one rental car has been destroyed by ambitious LOTR fans!

[@DreamingCatStudio]

Thank you for this amazing backstory about this epic trilogy. I’m especially impressed with how, after all the building, they restored the original environment. Dedicated on so many level was Peter Jackson.

[@JLange642]

11 months of construction for an 8 day shoot and then it was all removed and restored to how it was before. THAT level of work and commitment is WHY these films were and still are so great, and made so much income. The devil is in the details! Thank you Peter Jackson and crew!

[@jonathanpeterson1984]

This is the reason we’ll probably never see another trilogy that rivals LOTR. Passion and admiration.

[@LucLB01]

Outstanding work ( both by you and the Lotr production team ). Your channel really deserves to grow.

[@RissaFirecat]

This is a good explanation for how hard Jackson worked to follow the books as well as he did. I am a fan of those books and the movies that Peter Jackson made.

[@zeldamage001]

6:44 "All the way there and back again" I see what you did there!

[@boqndimitrov8693]

just looking (and listening!) to the wind, and I freeze!!

[@manamaori100]

The scene in ROTK where legolas and Aragorn are speaking to each other outside Meduseld at night is stunning! I've experienced an evening like that in Glenorchy further south, it was a beautiful, still night and was eerily quiet. It was a moonless night but the snow on the mountains around us was reflecting the light of the stars creating this slightly dusky twilight light, it was magical.

[@RaindropsBleeding]

excellent choice to end with that poem. wonderful video

[@yay-cat]

I love that scene of Eowen and her white dress in the wind. It’s one of my favourites from the whole trilogy

[@MaximusOfTheMeadow]

By the Gods. That is beautiful, truly beautiful

[@PentexProductions]

10/10 worth the three hour drive (after the flight to the nearest airport...)

[@Brokenansmokey5.99]

Im glad Jackson filmed this. Im glad so much passion was poured into the film in an era when movies were still good. The story was not wasted, but enhanced I feel. ❤

[@Matthimeo]

Nowadays with movies being made on such harsh timelines you’d just end up making it CGI, which is quite tragic as I think the efforts to make this practically is what makes the original trilogy hold up so well.

[@AdmiralSnackbar247]

Brilliant video! A great reminder of why 20 years later LOTR remains unmatched in both storytelling and technical achievement. I honestly don't thing they will ever be surpased simply because the commitment, cost, and dedication to detail that went into these movies is so far beyond what is even physically possible for most productions. Including the Hobbit a decade later! Also, it never occured to me but using the interior of the great hall for office space while shooting on location is just genius. It's so fascinating to see these masters of the craft make a masterpiece on this scale.

[@dougkinzinger]

The logistics necessary are incredible!

[@PentexProductions]

So much work behind the scenes to bring it all to life

[@peterpain6625]

Glad to see that location is still as pristine as it was left 23y ago.

[@hinney827]

I always do a LotR watch around Christmas. Now you're making me miss it and I feel the need to do another watch. Also another read. Just came across your channel, and I'm loving it so far :) thank you

[@PentexProductions]

Welcome! There's a whole playlist of LOTR videos for you to browse through to pass time between re-watches.

[@semperumbra10]

This movie was my childhood. Even today it holds up beautifully

[@Arvenico]

Great Video! You awoke some very fond memories of my own trip to Sunday Hill ten years ago. You forgot to mention that at multiple times in the video, you can see the location where they digitally inserted Helm's Deep in the background (e.g. at 9:04 in the upper left-hand corner). In reality, that location turns out to be MUCH closer to Edoras than in the movie. :)

[@PentexProductions]

I decided not to mentioned Helm's Deep to keep the focus on Edoras, but you're absolutely right. It's great being on the hill looking down the valley and seeing the same spot Aragorn rides onto to see the wide shot of Helm's Deep. Very much closer in real life indeed!

[@mattycakes1161]

This was the perfect place for Edoras and brought the city to life, and the movies showed the world the beauty of New Zealand, which most of us had never seen.

[@cheekster777]

Thank you my friend.

[@txcrix9236]

They weren't just movies. They were a labor of love. An epic series. They were showing at theaters this past weekend and every showtime at every theater in my city of San Antonio was packed! This might be considered blasphemy but I believe its up there with Star Wars. Its just so damn good. (Yes im a nerd, shut up 😋 lol)

[@kasimirdenhertog3516]

Not trying to be smart, but come to think of it: for a people that are so much about horses, I would expect them to have a capital that was more laid out with pastures for the horses. And a location where there's an abundance of water and fodder for them.

[@ScottJB]

It seems like many cities in the films and books are built with defensive advantage in mind. Having the vast lowlands below is good for horses and the city on the hill offers more protection from attack.

[@kasimirdenhertog3516]

@@ScottJB yes, that was likely the angle. If you look at Minas Tirith then it’s obvious that as a city, it’s a logistical nightmare and very hard to build/expand. But top marks for defensibility.

[@brovold72]

This is a very striking location, but not very "Rohan" at all -- is plainly a high desert.

[@stuffifollow]

Lotr was just amazing. And how far we discover how the films were made more it amazes me.