Yes, we will have a post-season discussion of sets and locations, where they review whatever we submit. These creative content sessions are to get direction/feedback from the Hosts on what they are looking for. So, certainly, we can ask them what they have in mind for Himring and Minas Tirith (also Gondolin and Nargothrond, which will both appear before the end of the season!)
I'm thinking we'll also want to discuss how to handle time skips. They've made it clear they don't want '100 years later' flashing up on the screen (or 'First Age 260') for the finale.
Here's the timeline of the Season, with the fixed events/dates in bold.
FA 1-5: Episode 1-2
FA 6-7: Episode 3
FA 8-19: Episode 4
FA 20: Episode 5 - Mereth Aderthad
FA 21-59: Episodes 6-8
FA 60: Episode 9 - Dagor Aglareb
FA 61-259: Episodes 10-12
FA 260: Episode 13 -Glaurung escapes
One of these things is not like the others
. In the early episodes, we're not being too specific about time. It passes, but we're not having characters saying things like 'it's been x years since...' Tolkien specified a timeline for some of those events, but we're not calling attention to the year in which Fingolfin was crowned High King (for instance). The construction that takes place in Episode 4 (Of Beleriand and its Realms) makes it clear that time is passing more swiftly, so that the Mereth Aderthad is years later, and not weeks later. So, I think we have the passage of time covered for Episodes 1-5. It's generic/nebulous, but indicated to the audience sufficiently.
But what about Episodes 6-9? Do we intend to indicate in some way that more than a year passes between the Mereth Aderthad and the Dagor Aglareb? The events happening on screen are not necessarily time sensitive. The Kinslaying reveal/Ban and the capture/torture of some elvish prisoners could happen over the course of a few months. There's nothing inherent in what we're portraying that would suggest the passage of 40 years. Do we want to make that clear...and if so, how?
This becomes much, much more pertinent in the end of the season. Finrod and Turgon have their dreams from Ulmo in episode 10. By episode 13, Turgon is moving his people from Nevrast to the newly-constructed Gondolin. Gondolin was not built over night....that is meant to take a hundred years. We need to indicate a time leap at some point in these episodes. Not just a generic 'time passes' but more like 'and then a century passed, and everything was at peace and there's nothing to report'. Do we open an episode with a chronicler writing down a history of the Noldor in Beleriand? Do we introduce Pengolodh right before the move to Gondolin? I know he's born in Nevrast, but he doesn't have to be a child in FA 260. And if not that, then how?