Monday, March 30, 2009

Detailed Analysis of trailer for Season 2 of Steam Lords

In some alternate universe, Steam Lords isn't a pen and paper Steampunk version of Tolkien's Middle-Earth. It's a Space channel series as sweet and awesome as Battlestar Galactica. In that universe, the trailer for Season 2 was finally released. Load up this YouTube video which plays "Super Strength" by Two Steps From Hell, the people who did the music for the kickass third Star Trek trailer, to hear the music which accompanies this possible-worlds-trailer. Read along to see what happens.

0:01 - montage of slow motion shots of the Rangers of the North (a combination of Wild West outlaws and Aragorn as played by Viggo - a mix of swords and six-guns) riding on horseback, throwing sticky bombs to the sides of moving trains, trains derailing). These shots are played against  Saruman's shadowed face in profile. V.O. (Voice-over) by Saruman: "Too long have the Rangers of the North resisted us. Too long have they thwarted the completion of the Iron Dragon's path into the West. If we cannot stop them by land, we will crush them from the air." (Saruman's face fades out)

0:13 Tracking shot following a young boy as he runs through the streets of a ruined city (think Osgiliath in Jackson's Return of the King). It is likely Fornost, once the capital city of Arnor, a kingdom which fell under the onslaught of the Second Darkness. The boy is dressed in Victorian clothing with slight differences (think Oliver Twist). He is looking furtively over his shoulder at the sky.

0:16 Overhead tracking shot of the boy looking up. An immense shadow is falling over the ruined street behind him, catching up with him.

0:19 Very low tracking shot, looking up from the ground at the boy as he continues running. Overhead is a rigid airship, overshadowing the ruined spires of the once-great city.

0:22 Wide shot revealing many people running, the boy in the background but still center of the shot

0:24 Medium shot as the boy climbs a flight of stairs

0:27 - Wide shot of people running in foreground - we see the boy running along the parapet in the background

0:29 - Overhead view of Bay doors opening and bombs dropping down towards the city

0:32 - Closeup of the bombs falling, reflected in someone's eye

0:35 - montage of people running, the bombs exploding, buildings collapsing, people falling and dying, Rangers standing and firing at the airships

0:45 - More explosions, very close to the young boy, the parapet collapses

0:50 - A shot from below, framing the boy and debris falling as a silhouette against the sky

0:55 - a hand grabs the boy's, and we hear Sterling in voice over: "Got you!"

0:57 - circling helicopter shot of the Eagle's Eyrie high in the Misty Mountains, with the Great Eagles in flight around it. Once catches a glimpse of people on the rock platform beneath the nests, emerging from some underground shelter. V.O. of Thoron: "We've been hiding and waiting for the right moment to strike."

1:00 - A wide shot of a bright, naturally lit chamber wherein a Mallorn Tree is growing. A woman is facing the tree, her back to the camera, arms held out to either side. The blue skin on the hands and her white hair make this a fair bet it's a shot of Kari.

1:04 - A tracking shot of Jaa playing the stringed instrument built by Gimli and Jaa's father. He is seated outside with the sun setting in the distance. He smiles, looking content.

1:07 - on the fanfare, we see Maeliana, her arm held out - her normal eagle alights on her arm

1:10 - on the second fanfare, the new, but fully grown Great Eagle touches down beside Maeliana, and looks down at her and her little eagle as if for approval. She laughs.

1:13 - wide, fast tracking shot of Braith, Thoron, and Farson riding very fast while pursued by Gun-Wraiths: Ringwraiths with firepower - it appears Farson has the boy on his horse as well. V.O. of Farson: "Who is the boy?"

1:15 - another shot of the boy from the opening shots - the camera tracks towards him very rapidly, and he has a look of fear on his face. V.O. unidentified character: "His name is Earnur - he is the last king of Gondor."

1:17 Next begins a very rapid succession of 16 very brief clips which one has to pause to see details concerning. As best as we were able to make out, here's what they are:
- On the first cymbal crash, there is an explosion with a silhouetted figure shielding himself with a cape in the foreground - he appears to be wearing a gas mask and a wide-brimmed hat - Gandalf back from the dead, or something else?
- A low shot circling the entire group of heroes, who are standing in some sort of great wooden hall, surrounded by what appear to be the Rangers
- A fight between Braith, Farson? and Thoron with a man in a Nazi officer's uniform, who appears to be deflecting bullets with his arms (some sort of body armor) while dueling them with a great sword and a ball and chain. It appears they are on TOP of one of the rigid airships, as there is what appears to be an aerial battle in the background.
- A flying shot behind the great eagle with full flying harness - clearly the heroes are flying on the back of this thing - they appear to be in a city, and are pursuing what appears to be a dragon
- Jaa strapped to the bottom of the eagle's harness, firing a long-rifle - another character on the other side of the harness, but can't see who it is
- The cloaked figure with the gasmask and wide brimmed hat drops down into a crowded ballroom where lords and ladies are dancing, and act in shock when they see him
- A large group of people bow, revealing Kari, standing with her hands held out in blessing
- Geo's new character (couldn't remember name) standing behind two hanger bay doors, which are slowly opening to reveal him. He begins to grin.
- A figure in what looks like a Nazi officer's uniform, except that he wears a mask reminiscent of the Witch King's (Lord of the Nazgul) from LOTR steps onto the bridge of what is likely one of the rigid airships
- Unknown character with goggles on running across rooftops with the moon in the background
- Closeup shot of Maeliana with aviator's goggles on, hair flying in the wind, which zooms out just as she banks the Great Eagle into a barrel roll
- Kaa in the midst of the ballroom, pulling out his sword to duel with a man in noble clothing - there's a beautiful woman looking on in the background
- Kari wheels towards the camera, fangs? (holy shit!) bared and eyes blazing red
- Another shot of the great eagle flying, between the buildings of a city, with explosions happening behind them
- Sterling with arms out at her sides, drops from an airship platform and goes into a controlled dive
- A shot of the inside of the rigid airship hanger - some are clearly still being built, and a hand comes into the shot, covered in fire.

1:39 - The entire shot is a fiery sky (at sunset?) with clouds - a massive airship fleet can be seen moving through the sky - these are not rigid airships now, but lethal sky-juggernauts (see image above).

1:42 - same shot, but the great eagle flies up into camera view, its back to the audience. Maeliana can be seen clearly on top, and the gunners are also visible through the flapping wings on the underside of the harness, right before it dives towards the airships.

1:44: STEAM LORDS - SEASON TWO - Coming May 2009.