Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1480624
carve into the rock to tell the entire clan's story. Language is such an important part of Tolkien's work and it was a privilege to also create a new written language for the Númenóreans, one that shifted, as human creations do, through several forms and shapes throughout the thousands of years of that civilization. Daniel was up to that task as well, developing a whole history of how Adûnaic writing evolved from the Tengwar of the elves into its own specific alphabet. The kingdom of Númenór reflected that history in its architecture as well. What this means in terms of design hasn't premiered by the time this article is to come out, so I can't describe it just yet. But it required building a city on a back lot, one that could reflect those thousands of years of shifting cultural influences. As much as all of that was a juicy and wonderful challenge, my favorite part of Númenór were its ships. (New Zealand, with its sailing traditions, is the perfect place to build a boat!) The crew had built the swan ship for Galadriel's trip sailing to the Undying Lands, a challenge itself, with its fine elvish finishes in enamel, gold and mother of pearl, and its 20-foot-long 3D printed swan head. Elendil's ship was a whole step beyond. It needed to be almost twice as long to hold the people required by the story, it needed functional sails to show the skill of its crews, and it had to work effortlessly on SFX supervisor Dean Clarke's gimbal. The design process was a long journey through Greek triremes and grand Venetian barges, with influences from a remarkable Māori ship model in the Auckland Maritime Museum that was carved from the keel of an albatross. We felt it needed to appear graceful, powerful and fast. It wasn't until I stumbled upon an image of a double-masted Chinese junk and saw how its sails resembled the crown of Gondor, that we finally cracked the design. Instead of the shape of that crown representing eagles' wings, it suddenly occurred to me that it could be honoring the sails of the ships that rescued the Faithful when (spoiler alert) the gods sink Númenór below the waves! A. THE BRANDYFOOT CART IN THE HARFOOT ENCAMPMENT, THE WILDS OF RHOVANION. ILLUSTRATION DONE IN PHOTOSHOP BY JAMES CARSON. B. THE BRANDYFOOT FAMILY TRAVELING THROUGH THE WILDS OF RHOVANION. (HARFOOTS). PRODUCTION STILL. C. SADOC'S CART, HARFOOT ENCAMPMENT. ILLUSTRATION BY SIMON MURTON. D. HARFOOT ENCAMPMENT, THE WILDS OF RHOVANION. PRODUCTION STILL. E. ELENDIL'S SHIP, NÚMENÓR (HUMAN) ILLUSTRATION DONE IN PHOTOSHOP BY ANDREA DOPASO BASED ON 3D MODELS BY RON MENDELL. F. NÚMENÓREAN SHIPS RACING ALONG THE COAST OF NÚMENÓR. PRODUCTION STILL. E F