Saying Goodbye: Behind the Scenes of Episode 309

By Cat Taylor

 

There are moments on 'Game of Thrones,' when you know something coming up in the filming schedule will be different. The apprehension in the days leading up to the filming of the Red Wedding was a palpable feeling – this scene, this moment was one that would shift the direction of so many of our main storylines, and for some, it was the coming of an abrupt end. Readers of the books have known the Red Wedding was imminent, but followers of the show would only know that something, something was reaching a climax.

Before we get to the filming days in the hall at the Twins, let me tell you a few facts from the episode you might find interesting. The Great Hall at the Twins, where Robb Stark holds audience with Walder Frey, was also the Council Chamber at Riverrun where Edmure claimed his victory at the Stone Mill – much to Robb's disgust in Episode 303. The set was completely reworked so that the light and airy rooms of House Tully became a dark, menacing and oppressive space; the walls were refinished, the Tully fish removed, the balcony added and the windows covered. Then Set Dec went to work to bring in the finished elements in just under two weeks, from start to finish.

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Leeches, Dragons and a Bear: Behind the Scenes of Episodes 307 and 308

By Cat Taylor

One of the things that I’m always amazed by when I watch the show is how easy it is to forget the amount of work that goes into creating each set. The tent in which Robb learns he’s about to be a father was actually built on ‘A’ Stage, one of two new sound stages at the Paint Hall Studio in Belfast. It was designed by Gemma Jackson and then decorated by Set Dec and the Props departments with fabrics and furniture brought in from as far away as India – each piece was specially chosen to reflect the feel and style of House Stark. The scroll Talisa is writing was actually written in the Valyrian language, translated by our wonderful language creator, David J. Peterson.

In the same way that so many departments are involved in a short scene, many locations are often used to tell a single storyline. By now you will have seen the spectacular Ice Wall climb in Episode 306 and so much of Iceland's stunning scenery in the wildlings' approach to it. But by the time we see Orell and Ygritte in the woods, we are back in Toome, Northern Ireland. The scene was filmed back in September, six weeks before we went north of the Wall.

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Faking, Baking and Quaking: Behind the Scenes of Episode 304, 305 and 306

By Cat Taylor

Poor old Jaime, having to fight with only one hand. Don’t worry – those three men taunting him weren’t extras with vicious natures, but rather part of the stunt team.

As for Varys' special delivery, our man in the box required no stunts. The sorcerer was played by a local actor and the crate he arrives in was specially made – as so many of the props are – to a finish of appropriate roughness. One of a few designs, it was eventually chosen for its sturdiness.

On the other end of the scale is the perfect finish and grandeur of the Sept of Baelor. The Sept is actually a little over half a sept; the appearance of a full circle was created using camera angle tricks and VFX. The massive space where the Sept was built in is shared with something unexpected, that you don’t get to see until Episode 306: the huge ice wall that Jon and Ygritte must climb with the wildlings.

The ice wall was built by our amazing construction team and it took six weeks of testing and sampling to find a construction method and materials that worked. This was then tested by stunts for safety, and once filming of the climb began, we had crews working through the night to repair the damage done during the day's shooting.

In Westeros, the Wall and King's Landing are thousands of miles away from each other, but things are a little different in the real world. In Belfast, you’ll find the Wall sandwiched between the Throne Room and parts of the Red Keep, and more specifically Tywin’s new chamber, where Cersei confronts her father.

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Behind the Scenes of the First Three Episodes

By Cat Taylor

It’s here, it’s finally here! We are a few episodes into the third season of Game of Thrones, the season that David Benioff and Dan Weiss were determined to get to from the beginning. For those amongst you that have read the books, you know that Season 3 features some of the most game-changing, event-filled storylines to date. For those who haven’t…brace yourselves.

In Belfast, preparations have already begun on the next season, but before I get to that, let’s look back at some of the behind the scenes action for the three episodes that have aired so far. After every few episodes, I’ll be filling you in on some of what went on behind the camera and, hopefully, a few little extras you may have missed.

If you've been following the blog, the opening scene may have seemed a little familiar. An ending for us was the beginning for you—that opening was shot on the very last day of filming in Iceland.

Other travellers: The first time you see Daenerys, she is on the deck of a ship sailing over open water. In reality, the ship was built in Banbridge for a very different purpose. Because Production Designer Gemma Jackson and her team have super powers, you probably didn’t notice that ship spent a good deal of the Battle of Blackwater on fire. It was the only scene that Emilia Clarke shot in Belfast this season; everything else was on location in Croatia and Morocco. It took one day.

In the second episode, "Dark Wings, Dark Words," Bran has a dream in the woods. It was a two-splinter-units-in-one-location day, which always makes things crazy. That's a real raven Bran is chasing, brought in especially for the scene by our team at Birds and Animals. (From not quite as far as our white raven in Season 2— that bird had to be brought in all the way from Austria!) The main unit was just down the road in Gosford Castle, where we were filming a scene in Littlefinger’s brothel—one from this Sunday's episode. Daniel Portman (Pod) was having a very busy day indeed with several new friends, including the very bendy Pixie Le Knot. Two ends of the kingdom on a single driveway. What luck.

Season 3 introduces us to several new and important characters and I don’t mind admitting that one of my favourites is Lady Olenna, played by the incomparable Diana Rigg. There was palpable excitement in the office on the day she was confirmed, and more than a few extra people came to set on her first filming day. We also get to meet the Brotherhood Without Banners; we’ll see more of them as the series progresses. What I can tell you is this: The day we filmed that meeting between Arya, Gendry, Hot Pie and the BWB was not nearly so pastoral and spring-like as it appeared. It was just bloody wet.

Did you spot someone in a cameo? The soldier singing lead in "The Bear and Maiden Fair" is local boy Gary Lightbody, of Snow Patrol fame. He taught the song to the extras before they rode down the track, a song that we’ll certainly hear again. If you were wondering, Jamie and Brienne really were riding back to back on a single horse—the dismounting was something of a process.

Speaking of horses, did I mention the ring the White Walkers laid out got covered by a snowstorm the night before filming? The Art Department had to take an industrial blow torch (also known as a flame thrower) to the horse models to defrost the "flesh." The blood then had to be re-splattered onto the snow so that it was visible. That’s a fun day at work, but all our days are. If you're a regular reader, you’ll know what was happening the day Melisandre and Stannis said goodbye on the beach– and not a tractor track to be seen!

The Greens Department—the crew that insures the scenery is as it should be, adding trees and vines, or flowers and hedges— is also responsible for things like the beach. But the most amazing transformation I saw firsthand was the Master Torturer's chase of Theon through the woods. The chase was actually filmed over several locations, on the open grounds of Tollymore Park and in the woods of Shane’s Castle. When we first scouted the woods, the ground was thick with foliage that stood taller than our heads. There was no clear space for our tracking vehicle and the ground was unsafe. In days, the team had cleared it to a flat forest glade and placed our stunt branch. The difference was amazing. Almost as amazing as one of our stunt riders yelling, "WEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!" at the top of his lungs as they thundered over the steep open fields at the start of the chase… I’m not sure, but I don’t think he was at all scared of speed.

Season 3 Wraps on a Frozen Mountain

By Cat Taylor

Photo Credit: Helen SloanAfter months of working long hours, in multiple countries and on different units, sometimes things blur together. The start of shooting feels like years ago, the end of last season even further back, but it’s all come rushing back because here we are, on the very last day of shooting, and the scene we are filming is from the very beginning of the first episode, directed by Dan Minahan. We have come completely full circle in 6 months.

We are filming by special permission at the power station in Krafla, high on the top of a mountain with steam plumes from a geothermal spa nearby twisting into the sky. Every so often a waft of the sulphurous waters blows by. It’s not really a welcome visit.

We have lost 7 minutes of light per day since arriving in Iceland. Winter is coming – and seems to be on a tight schedule – so every moment counts. It’s always hard to keep to time when you are also shooting a big stunt, something that has to be done right the first time, as there is no time to reset the scene (or in this case, the stunt). When that stunt also involves VFX, it’s even more important to get it right. Added to that, on the other side of base camp a small splinter unit with a single camera is filming some insert shots, so cast members are running between the two areas to make the best use of the day.

Finally, it’s time to film the big scene. Anything involving fire is always going to be one of the most dangerous things to shoot, and when it’s fire and a person everyone is on high alert. The stunt and safety teams are close at hand, and all non-essential crew are moved back to base. When the flame drops, there is only a short window of maybe 20 seconds to get the shot, and once the stunt man is lit, that’s all the time you have, whether you get it or not. Let me just say this: We got it.

It’s then a race against time as the sun begins to set over the mountains, and the very last shot of the season is a tough one. Our extras are knee deep in the heavy snow and must trudge through it repeatedly, with the light dwindling overhead. It’s an epically beautiful, haunting shot, and for me, it will be how I remember Iceland this year. Well, that and the Hakka-like chant of the Night's Watch extras when the final cut was called.