There’s A Cool Story Behind Rings Of Power’s Intro

After his twitter thread blew up, the creative director of the team responsible for the credits, Anthony Vitagliano, responded by saying, yeah, that’s exactly what they were, before saying that the reason this process was chosen for the sequence was related to Tolkien’s works.

As this blog about the credits explains:

Taking inspiration from J.R.R Tolkien’s Ainur, immortal angelic beings that sing such beautiful music that the world is created from their very sound, we conceived of a main title sequence “built from the world of sound.”

Cymatics is a natural phenomenon that makes sound visible to the eye. Vibrations of fine particles on a flat surface display striking symmetrical patterns that reflect audio frequencies. Cymatics are understood by physicists and mathematicians, but to us mere mortals, they are nothing short of magic.

The sequence conjures an ancient and invisible power, struggling to be seen. Symbols form, flow, push, and disappear as quickly as they came. The unknowable realms of sound create fleeting visions of conflict and harmony that move in lockstep with Howard Shores’ opening title score. 

There you go. If you thought they were a little slow, or dull, maybe this week you can approach the credits armed with this deep cut and appreciate them a little more?