Lord Of The Rings: 10 Movie Mistakes They Hoped You Missed
1. During The Edoras Wide Shot Smoke Goes Backwards
In order to create the land and cityscapes of Middle Earth, Peter Jackson used a number of techniques. Keen to use CGI as little as possible, he instructed Weta Workshop to create vast, detailed miniatures of the key location. They were built with such attention to detail that a camera could sweep over them, and they would appear as the real thing. But Jackson also build many sets on location.
The capitol of Rohan, Edoras, was partially constructed in the windy Rangitata Valley in the South Island. The Golden Hall of Théoden was built on top of a huge rocky hill, and portions of the wall and many houses were constructed around it. Jackson wanted a sense of authenticity for the huge sweeping helicopter shots, so he even lit fires in the chimneys to create the sense of a lived-in city.
When it came to editing the film together, however, the decision was made to reverse several shots, to give some variety to the camera movements. But it seems someone forgot about the smoke... If you look closely in the extended version of the film, an early shot of Edoras shows the chimneys sucking in smoke rather than expelling them.