Overheard on Set: Into the Woods

By Cat Taylor

Photo by Helen Sloan

Ah, Craster’s Keep. Deep in the woods of a private estate north of Belfast, in at least six feet of mud (OK, inches), is the resilient set of the last wildling outpost before the Wall. It’s a strange set – with semi-permanent snow dressing, you do feel as if the temperature has dropped once you walk into the white-washed trees, even in the rare sun of late summer. 

We’re shooting nights again this year and sometimes that leads to unusual early-hour conversations.

"Just be aware there are two bodies in the car, yeah?"

"Careful where you step, you’ll rip the snow."

"They could really have their own show, ‘Chickens on Tour.’"

"Anyone seen the sword blood?"

Overheard on Set: The Pre-production Meeting

By Cat Taylor

The pre-production meeting is a chance for all the department heads to get together with the producers and discuss what are likely to be the challenges and requirements for a particular episode. Generally lead by the 1^st AD, the script will be broken down scene by scene and each one analysed for potential questions or difficulties. For example has the location be confirmed? Are there enough of a certain type of costume for the numbers in a scene, and will our cast need any training for a particular sequence. On a show like Game of Thrones, that tends to lead to some rather unusual conversations.

“We’re going to be killing the stuntmen 3 times each at least, so we’ll need to look at beards and hair.”

“They do say an owl is twice as hard to do as the eagle, and you know what that was like.”

“There is no silent wind, only noise wind.”

“We can’t tube the silent wind across?”

“No.”

GOT Wedding Planners . . . for Your Unforgivably Memorable Event

By Cat Taylor

Photo by Helen Sloan

By now many of you will have seen the interview with George R.R. Martin that confirms this season of ‘Game of Thrones’ will include another wedding (you know, because the last one was a roaring success!). This time, King Joffrey and Margaery Tyrell will be joining hands and houses. I was delighted to be able to attend because as we have all now learnt – a Westerosi wedding is not to be missed.

While the ceremony itself was filmed in one of our semi-permanent sets in Belfast, the Sept of Baelor, the reception was filmed in a beautiful outdoor set located in Parc Gradac in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The park was transformed by our new Production Designer, Deb Riley, and her team into everything you might desire from a Royal Wedding carnival, with elaborate decorations, an epic feast and the most creative and unexpected forms of entertainment for the guests. 

Filmed over a five day stretch, we waited with bated breath each day for the clouds to roll in and dampen our fun. Weather reports suggested imminent downpours at the end of the week, and only a few days before, water funnels had formed off the coast in the height of a rain storm. Aside from one short and dramatic burst where Costume scrambled to get all the extras under cover and everyone rushed to protect props, we were spared the worst of the predictions.

In terms of principal cast members in attendance, the Royal Wedding was one of the largest scenes we’ve filmed since the premiere season, with 23 named parts appearing on any given day. In addition, we were delighted to welcome 218 extras as guests to the event, some of them travelling from the other side of Europe and the United States to be a part of the experience. Lookout for some familiar faces in the crowds – Pixie Le Knot is back this year, and one of our crew makes an appearance with the entertainers.

A Fire Burns Bright in Belfast

By Cat Taylor

On a cloudy day in July, in a car park opposite the Paint Hall in Belfast, a group gathers by one lonely SFX truck. Tourists walking between the Titanic Museum and the Pump-House don’t even glance in our direction and a jogger runs down the road oblivious to our rag-tag bunch.

Then, on command, 15 feet of fire shoots through the air.

The first time, no one really notices the flame. SFX have a tight control on the rig and the fire is only coming in short bursts to give the camera crew and VFX team a chance to calibrate and get closer to the outlets.

Once the bursts come more regularly, a few begin people stop and point across the road and through the fencing. The flames, burning a hot bright orange are hard to miss – and that is what we want, because this is the dragon fire test for Season 4.

As the dragons grow and start to test their power, their fire breathing will get stronger and more powerful. The Dragons are legend for a reason and this season we will get a hint of why. The final tally, 22 canisters and 400 litres of gas – all for just one day in Essos.

An Eyrie Comes to an End

By Cat Taylor

Photo by Neil Davidson

For the last two weeks, one of the oldest sets in the studio has slowly been pulled down. On a show as large as 'Game of Thrones,' which spans so many worlds and cities, it’s not unusual for our Art Department and construction team to create a set that may only last one season, or is designed specifically to be made over after the shooting of one or a small number of scenes. Some of our sets have been made over so many times, they are now in their fourth incarnation. 

From the very beginning, one of the strongest sets – one of the most instantly recognisable and unique builds, has been the Eyrie. Designed by Gemma Jackson and constructed in one of the large cells in the old Paint Hall building, the Eyrie set was a full set. No trick shots or VFX were necessary to create the walls that stood in the round. They were built that way, in sections similar to pie slices, on a towering timber frame built with a raised platform to accommodate space for the moon door. 

Because of this, the set has to be torn down section by section, effectively reversing the building process for each part. Overseen by our marvellous Tommy “Tucker” Spence, four riggers, four stage hands and two carpenters are all working to bring it down safely. Each and every tile and step is broken down and taken away. The scaffold shell seems larger now that the walls are down; the winding stairs, suspended 4-feet off the ground, now lead nowhere. The circular tiled floor has had its slabs pulled up, and the doors and pillars have been salvaged for other sets in the future. The work only pauses on days when the cells next door are being used for filming. 

What is it making way for? That, my darlings, is a secret…for now.