1
00:00:05,714 --> 00:00:08,758
The scale is unlike anything
I've ever seen before.
2
00:00:08,758 --> 00:00:10,635
♪
3
00:00:10,635 --> 00:00:12,178
But that set's a beautiful set.
4
00:00:12,178 --> 00:00:13,304
Come on.
5
00:00:13,304 --> 00:00:16,474
We set fire
to a lot of people.
6
00:00:16,474 --> 00:00:18,810
Everybody loves
to fire a scorpion.
'Cause why?
7
00:00:18,810 --> 00:00:20,145
You can kill dragons!
8
00:00:20,145 --> 00:00:23,606
Emma never complained.
I was freezing.
9
00:00:24,190 --> 00:00:27,318
Spoiler alert...
I ride a dragon.
10
00:00:28,695 --> 00:00:31,698
(epic music playing)
11
00:00:46,004 --> 00:00:48,006
(music fades out)
12
00:00:48,006 --> 00:00:51,051
(tense music playing)
13
00:00:53,345 --> 00:00:55,180
(dragons roaring)
14
00:00:55,180 --> 00:00:58,892
Episode 207
begins on a beach,
a desolate beach,
15
00:00:58,892 --> 00:01:01,478
and Rhaenyra meets
Addam of Hull
16
00:01:01,478 --> 00:01:04,981
who, somehow, has claimed
the dragon Seasmoke
17
00:01:04,981 --> 00:01:09,194
that belonged
to Rhaenyra's husband, Laenor.
18
00:01:09,194 --> 00:01:12,655
How did this happen?
Who is Addam of Hull?
19
00:01:12,655 --> 00:01:14,699
♪
20
00:01:16,868 --> 00:01:18,870
(dragons screeching)
21
00:01:18,870 --> 00:01:20,163
The opening of 207,
22
00:01:20,163 --> 00:01:22,665
we had always
set on the beach.
23
00:01:22,665 --> 00:01:25,001
We really wanted that
kind of vast landscape
24
00:01:25,001 --> 00:01:26,544
that you have at Driftmark.
25
00:01:26,544 --> 00:01:28,505
I swore after season one
that we were never
26
00:01:28,505 --> 00:01:31,049
going back
to a coastline again.
27
00:01:33,468 --> 00:01:35,845
And we found ourselves
there for that scene,
28
00:01:35,845 --> 00:01:38,223
thankfully,
for just a brief day.
29
00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:45,522
Toby Ford:
Beautiful beach
when the sun's out,
30
00:01:45,522 --> 00:01:48,692
and we were filming
right on the tideline.
31
00:01:48,692 --> 00:01:51,361
The problem there, of course,
is the continuity of the tide.
32
00:01:51,361 --> 00:01:53,238
It doesn't sit
and wait for you,
33
00:01:53,238 --> 00:01:55,573
so you're chasing
down the beach
34
00:01:55,573 --> 00:01:57,367
and back up the beach.
35
00:01:57,367 --> 00:02:00,078
Loni Peristere:
So when you're scheduling
a scene like that,
36
00:02:00,078 --> 00:02:03,581
you have to work out
exactly what direction
works for what time.
37
00:02:03,581 --> 00:02:05,083
So, you schedule
based on
38
00:02:05,083 --> 00:02:07,627
how the tide comes in
and tide goes out.
39
00:02:08,586 --> 00:02:10,255
Now what
we didn't anticipate
40
00:02:10,255 --> 00:02:13,299
is that we were gonna be
in the worst of Welsh weather.
41
00:02:13,299 --> 00:02:15,802
(wind gusting)
42
00:02:15,802 --> 00:02:18,763
The rain was falling,
the wind was howling,
43
00:02:18,763 --> 00:02:22,100
the sand was blowing,
the waves were crashing.
44
00:02:22,934 --> 00:02:26,980
And the tide was comin' in
quicker and harder than
we could've ever thought.
45
00:02:26,980 --> 00:02:28,481
crewmember:
Let's go again!
46
00:02:28,481 --> 00:02:30,442
The tide's coming closer!
47
00:02:30,984 --> 00:02:33,445
- (thundering)
- (waves crashing)
48
00:02:33,445 --> 00:02:37,615
(shouting)
You stand before the Queen
of the Seven Kingdoms
49
00:02:37,615 --> 00:02:40,869
with a dragon
of House Targaryen!
50
00:02:42,162 --> 00:02:44,998
I'd actually hoped for a storm
51
00:02:44,998 --> 00:02:46,916
because you can just
sort of see it, can't you?
52
00:02:46,916 --> 00:02:48,626
This sort of face-off.
53
00:02:48,626 --> 00:02:50,587
I honestly loved it.
54
00:02:50,587 --> 00:02:53,673
And it was the first time
me and Clinton got
to shoot together.
55
00:02:53,673 --> 00:02:56,301
Emma never complained.
I was freezing.
56
00:02:57,886 --> 00:03:01,139
I filmed with Seasmoke
the day before
I filmed with Emma,
57
00:03:01,139 --> 00:03:03,600
so it was
really sunny, beautiful.
58
00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:06,853
I was running
all day with Seasmoke
and it was beautiful.
59
00:03:08,438 --> 00:03:10,607
And then...
60
00:03:10,607 --> 00:03:13,610
the tide and the storm came in
for the scene with Emma,
61
00:03:13,610 --> 00:03:17,280
which really
influenced the scene.
62
00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:19,074
(shouting)
You kneel quickly...
63
00:03:19,991 --> 00:03:22,869
for a man
so suddenly elevated.
64
00:03:22,869 --> 00:03:26,289
This dragon came to me.
65
00:03:26,289 --> 00:03:28,166
Thomas Horton:
It's a beautiful dragon line
66
00:03:28,166 --> 00:03:29,834
to open that episode,
67
00:03:29,834 --> 00:03:32,462
you know,
in terms of wonderful,
68
00:03:32,462 --> 00:03:35,006
you know, opportunities
for our dragons to kinda
step forward
69
00:03:35,006 --> 00:03:37,509
and kinda be part
of that drama.
70
00:03:38,343 --> 00:03:39,969
Dadi Einarsson:
It's pretty big
and it's pretty vast.
71
00:03:39,969 --> 00:03:41,971
You know, Loni put a lot
of kinda passion
72
00:03:41,971 --> 00:03:44,849
and prep into just,
uh, establishing
73
00:03:44,849 --> 00:03:47,352
an epic scale and look.
74
00:03:47,852 --> 00:03:49,646
And then we had
our dragon performers.
75
00:03:49,646 --> 00:03:52,357
We had our guys in blue suits
with a dragon head.
76
00:03:54,859 --> 00:03:58,029
Ford: For all of
the weather issues
that we had,
77
00:03:58,029 --> 00:04:00,073
it really did look epic.
78
00:04:00,073 --> 00:04:03,910
And, I think,
when you've got two big
dragons in there as well,
79
00:04:03,910 --> 00:04:06,913
I think it's gonna be
a fantastic opening
to the episode.
80
00:04:06,913 --> 00:04:08,873
Do you think you can
get him to Dragonstone?
81
00:04:10,542 --> 00:04:12,168
I can try.
82
00:04:12,168 --> 00:04:14,212
♪
83
00:04:16,381 --> 00:04:18,174
Peristere:
One of the things
I loved in 207
84
00:04:18,174 --> 00:04:19,843
is that we had a lot of
different vignettes
85
00:04:19,843 --> 00:04:21,720
that took place
in a lot of cool places
86
00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:23,847
and one of those cool places
is the godswood,
87
00:04:23,847 --> 00:04:26,391
which is at the foot
of Harrenhal.
88
00:04:28,893 --> 00:04:31,730
That particular
godswood is unique
89
00:04:31,730 --> 00:04:34,232
because just across
the God's Eye,
90
00:04:34,232 --> 00:04:36,568
there's the Isle of Faces.
91
00:04:36,568 --> 00:04:38,069
Like so
if you know mythology,
92
00:04:38,069 --> 00:04:40,572
you know that
this island is important.
93
00:04:40,572 --> 00:04:43,199
This is the godswood
that's fallen into disuse.
94
00:04:43,199 --> 00:04:44,909
Um, you know, we know
that Harrenhal was built
95
00:04:44,909 --> 00:04:47,620
on a felled orchard
of weirwood trees,
96
00:04:47,620 --> 00:04:48,913
and then the weirwoods
were chopped up
97
00:04:48,913 --> 00:04:50,915
and used as lumber
to build the castle,
98
00:04:50,915 --> 00:04:54,419
which possibly led to, uh,
some of the experiences
that people have there.
99
00:04:54,419 --> 00:04:56,588
♪
100
00:05:00,008 --> 00:05:03,053
The Harrenhal godswood
went through various processes
101
00:05:03,053 --> 00:05:05,722
of what it should be,
what scale it should be.
102
00:05:05,722 --> 00:05:08,475
And so, ultimately,
it came back to the backlot,
103
00:05:08,475 --> 00:05:10,894
and it became
part of the ruined garden
104
00:05:10,894 --> 00:05:13,772
with the weirwood tree
standing on a, a rockscape
105
00:05:13,772 --> 00:05:15,482
at the end of the garden.
106
00:05:17,442 --> 00:05:20,945
This is a much darker,
sort of more mysterious,
107
00:05:20,945 --> 00:05:23,656
kind of almost,
almost nightmarish
108
00:05:23,656 --> 00:05:25,950
sort of version
of the godswoods.
109
00:05:25,950 --> 00:05:27,786
To evoke the Harrenhal
sort of vibe of,
110
00:05:27,786 --> 00:05:30,080
"This, this is
a ruined castle."
111
00:05:30,789 --> 00:05:32,332
Ryan Condal:
Unlike the Red Keep godswood,
112
00:05:32,332 --> 00:05:34,626
which was, generally,
well-tended and kept,
113
00:05:34,626 --> 00:05:37,629
this one
has fallen into total,
you know, disarray.
114
00:05:37,629 --> 00:05:39,089
I mean, the first time
Daemon walks in there,
115
00:05:39,089 --> 00:05:40,965
there's a bunch of broken carts
all scattered around.
116
00:05:40,965 --> 00:05:43,635
I mean, it seems like
a, a back garden storage
117
00:05:43,635 --> 00:05:45,970
for the people at Harrenhal.
118
00:05:45,970 --> 00:05:48,515
♪
119
00:05:51,643 --> 00:05:54,437
It was a great
dramatic concept.
120
00:05:54,437 --> 00:05:58,191
Lake behind,
rocks with the walls
coming up to it,
121
00:05:58,191 --> 00:06:01,152
and then these
enormous great roots
from this giant tree
122
00:06:01,152 --> 00:06:04,197
just breaking it
all to pieces.
123
00:06:06,199 --> 00:06:09,327
That was weeks
and weeks and weeks
working with Conrad.
124
00:06:09,327 --> 00:06:11,871
From a maquette
to the real thing,
125
00:06:11,871 --> 00:06:14,165
as it was polysculpted.
126
00:06:14,165 --> 00:06:17,002
There's a, a metal
armature in there.
127
00:06:17,002 --> 00:06:19,045
Conrad Lindley-Thompson:
A lot of metalwork inside it
128
00:06:19,045 --> 00:06:22,465
to keep those branches
from falling.
129
00:06:22,465 --> 00:06:24,592
We had quite a lot of real
branches in amongst there.
130
00:06:25,343 --> 00:06:26,720
Roger Holden:
And then it's all taken apart
131
00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:28,388
and it was
transported down here
132
00:06:28,388 --> 00:06:30,181
and then put back
together again.
133
00:06:30,181 --> 00:06:31,975
There's also all
the, the leaves.
134
00:06:31,975 --> 00:06:34,686
They have to be painted
first into that color,
135
00:06:34,686 --> 00:06:36,730
then attached
to those branches,
136
00:06:36,730 --> 00:06:38,356
so lots and lots of work.
137
00:06:40,191 --> 00:06:41,693
Horton:
But that set's
a beautiful set.
138
00:06:41,693 --> 00:06:45,321
Uh, our big visual effects
challenge is the godswood tree.
139
00:06:45,321 --> 00:06:47,198
So, they've built
the base of the tree
140
00:06:47,198 --> 00:06:48,700
and then we're extending it.
141
00:06:48,700 --> 00:06:51,036
And again,
what's lovely about the show
142
00:06:51,036 --> 00:06:52,537
is everything's
so character-based
143
00:06:52,537 --> 00:06:55,832
that even the tree
is a character.
144
00:06:55,832 --> 00:06:57,751
Condal: And, uh, yes,
I think there is a face
145
00:06:57,751 --> 00:06:59,502
that people may
or may not recognize,
146
00:06:59,502 --> 00:07:02,005
uh, but I'm going to require
you to go to the videotape
147
00:07:02,005 --> 00:07:04,049
and figure it out for yourself.
148
00:07:04,049 --> 00:07:06,384
There's a new face in there.
149
00:07:06,384 --> 00:07:09,596
I don't know
if I'm allowed to-to talk
about who the face is.
150
00:07:09,596 --> 00:07:12,182
Yeah, we've got quite
a famous face in there
151
00:07:12,182 --> 00:07:14,726
that might be recognizable.
152
00:07:14,726 --> 00:07:17,479
- The face
on the weirwood tree is...
- George R. R. Martin.
153
00:07:18,396 --> 00:07:19,397
Yes, George.
154
00:07:19,397 --> 00:07:21,066
Is it?
I didn't know that.
155
00:07:21,066 --> 00:07:23,193
Oh, that's good.
I like that.
156
00:07:23,193 --> 00:07:25,403
Uh, which Ryan wanted
to do as a bit of a tribute,
157
00:07:25,403 --> 00:07:28,865
and the idea was
that it gradually
started to disappear
158
00:07:28,865 --> 00:07:31,076
back into the bark
of the tree.
159
00:07:31,076 --> 00:07:33,745
The brief was to make it
feel enough like him,
160
00:07:33,745 --> 00:07:35,288
but you're never really sure.
161
00:07:35,288 --> 00:07:37,374
The idea is that
you don't look at it
162
00:07:37,374 --> 00:07:39,584
straight away and say,
"That's George R. R. Martin."
163
00:07:39,584 --> 00:07:43,630
You do a second take and say,
"Ooh, is-is that?"
164
00:07:43,630 --> 00:07:47,258
This is really cool, guys.
Thank you.
165
00:07:48,968 --> 00:07:52,138
♪
166
00:07:52,138 --> 00:07:54,891
Kieran Bew:
The dragonseeds come
into the Dragonmont,
167
00:07:54,891 --> 00:07:56,976
which is this huge cavern
168
00:07:56,976 --> 00:07:58,895
with, I guess,
what could be described
169
00:07:58,895 --> 00:08:02,273
as a mounting block,
10 meters high.
170
00:08:03,650 --> 00:08:06,986
The scale is unlike anything
I've ever seen before.
171
00:08:06,986 --> 00:08:09,489
You go into these
huge sound stages
172
00:08:09,489 --> 00:08:11,449
and they've built a gantry,
173
00:08:11,449 --> 00:08:13,618
a perfect, huge gantry.
174
00:08:13,618 --> 00:08:16,287
And at the end of that,
there's a dragon.
175
00:08:17,497 --> 00:08:18,957
It's not actually
a dragon there.
176
00:08:18,957 --> 00:08:21,334
That-- They do that
post-production.
177
00:08:21,334 --> 00:08:23,128
♪
178
00:08:23,128 --> 00:08:25,255
Peristere: In 207,
we're working with dragons,
179
00:08:25,255 --> 00:08:28,091
so a lot of the preparation
that we did was looking into
180
00:08:28,091 --> 00:08:31,803
how do we burn people,
and how do we eat people?
181
00:08:31,803 --> 00:08:36,433
And that was a collaboration
that began in visual effects.
182
00:08:36,433 --> 00:08:39,019
It was the, uh,
"Why did I ever take this job"
183
00:08:39,019 --> 00:08:40,854
(laughs) moment.
184
00:08:40,854 --> 00:08:42,605
"What was I thinking?"
185
00:08:42,605 --> 00:08:45,483
Massive cavern,
dragon the size of a jumbo jet
186
00:08:45,483 --> 00:08:46,818
so no hiding here.
187
00:08:46,818 --> 00:08:50,655
And then,
45 dragonseeds on a platform
188
00:08:50,655 --> 00:08:54,159
that was off the ground by
at least a story and a half.
189
00:08:57,829 --> 00:09:02,125
Well, we wanted it to start
in a similar way to 206,
190
00:09:02,125 --> 00:09:05,628
so you know that
you're coming to a place
you've been to before.
191
00:09:05,628 --> 00:09:08,048
Then, when, uh,
all hell breaks loose,
192
00:09:08,048 --> 00:09:11,509
and the dragon starts
burning everybody
and eating everybody,
193
00:09:11,509 --> 00:09:13,803
then we wanted to feel
completely different
194
00:09:13,803 --> 00:09:15,555
and switch
to something very dynamic.
195
00:09:15,555 --> 00:09:17,891
Most of that scene
was shot handheld.
196
00:09:17,891 --> 00:09:19,017
Einarsson:
It's a massive scene,
197
00:09:19,017 --> 00:09:21,019
and it was just
hugely enjoyable
198
00:09:21,019 --> 00:09:23,021
to plan that with Loni.
199
00:09:23,021 --> 00:09:25,523
Vanja Cernjul: We had
a very detailed storyboard
200
00:09:25,523 --> 00:09:27,484
and very detailed previs
201
00:09:27,484 --> 00:09:30,528
to know where the dragon is
and what the dragon is doing.
202
00:09:30,528 --> 00:09:33,365
Ide O'Rourke:
You can previsualize
with your lenses,
203
00:09:33,365 --> 00:09:35,158
your camera, your blocking,
204
00:09:35,158 --> 00:09:36,993
and then, when you
arrive on set,
205
00:09:36,993 --> 00:09:39,037
everyone knows
what they're doing.
206
00:09:43,041 --> 00:09:46,211
Adam Lawrence:
We had a big, blue proxy,
uh, nose made
207
00:09:46,211 --> 00:09:47,879
for Rhaenyra to interact with.
208
00:09:47,879 --> 00:09:49,839
Not only we just
build this head,
209
00:09:49,839 --> 00:09:53,718
we also had puppeteer
animating it,
210
00:09:53,718 --> 00:09:55,595
looking exactly
what's motion dragon,
211
00:09:55,595 --> 00:09:56,888
what's the motions gonna be,
212
00:09:56,888 --> 00:10:00,433
so the actor can
actually interact with it.
213
00:10:00,433 --> 00:10:02,227
They're a character themselves.
214
00:10:02,227 --> 00:10:04,771
And Loni
got them performing,
215
00:10:04,771 --> 00:10:07,315
bending down, subjugating.
216
00:10:08,650 --> 00:10:11,903
Peristere: It was
extraordinary to see
217
00:10:11,903 --> 00:10:15,907
Emma D'Arcy put their hand
on the blue screen buck,
218
00:10:15,907 --> 00:10:19,703
knowing that when you see it
in all of fandom,
219
00:10:19,703 --> 00:10:21,371
you will be like,
"That is one of the scariest,
220
00:10:21,371 --> 00:10:22,914
coolest moments
I've ever seen."
221
00:10:22,914 --> 00:10:25,458
Because you know what
Emma D'Arcy felt?
222
00:10:25,458 --> 00:10:27,460
You know what Rhaenyra felt?
223
00:10:28,044 --> 00:10:31,172
They felt power.
224
00:10:32,924 --> 00:10:36,261
What this is gonna be
is when Rhaenyra turns around
and looks at the seeds,
225
00:10:36,261 --> 00:10:39,764
it will evoke that exact
poster frame of Rhaenyra
226
00:10:39,764 --> 00:10:41,808
in front of the dragon.
227
00:10:44,436 --> 00:10:46,521
(dragon growling)
228
00:10:47,105 --> 00:10:49,107
Who among you would be first?
229
00:10:52,652 --> 00:10:54,446
Someone's gonna die today.
230
00:10:54,446 --> 00:10:56,281
Someone's gettin' set on fire,
231
00:10:56,281 --> 00:10:57,949
and I'm so excited.
232
00:10:57,949 --> 00:11:00,452
- crewmember: It might be you.
- It's not me.
233
00:11:00,452 --> 00:11:04,873
Spoiler alert...
(laughs) I ride a dragon.
234
00:11:05,540 --> 00:11:07,542
♪
235
00:11:09,294 --> 00:11:11,129
Peristere: Historically,
in "Game of Thrones,"
236
00:11:11,129 --> 00:11:15,633
what makes the dragons real
is that our fire is real.
237
00:11:21,473 --> 00:11:23,475
(flames whooshing)
238
00:11:24,768 --> 00:11:28,313
We continue that legacy,
so when you see this episode,
239
00:11:28,313 --> 00:11:30,774
it is not CGI fire
that you are seeing.
240
00:11:30,774 --> 00:11:32,984
It is real fire
with our real actors
241
00:11:32,984 --> 00:11:34,486
in front of the real fire.
242
00:11:34,486 --> 00:11:37,864
And that was done through
very meticulous planning
243
00:11:37,864 --> 00:11:41,034
with the stunt team,
with the special effects team,
244
00:11:41,034 --> 00:11:42,327
hair and makeup,
and wardrobe
245
00:11:42,327 --> 00:11:45,497
to figure out how are we going
246
00:11:45,497 --> 00:11:47,832
to burn this many people?
247
00:11:48,583 --> 00:11:51,127
(quietly) Basically,
all of the smartest
people in the room
248
00:11:51,127 --> 00:11:55,006
are deciding how
to shoot people on fire.
249
00:11:55,882 --> 00:11:57,550
And we're just muckin' about.
250
00:11:58,176 --> 00:12:01,638
crewmember (shouts):
Three, two, one, action!
251
00:12:01,638 --> 00:12:03,682
(dragonseeds screaming)
252
00:12:07,352 --> 00:12:10,188
It's a big, big fire event,
and there's a lot happening.
253
00:12:10,897 --> 00:12:12,816
There's the full burn mask,
which is a pretty
254
00:12:12,816 --> 00:12:14,693
spooky-looking thing
when you see it.
255
00:12:14,693 --> 00:12:16,528
That's not really camera-ready.
256
00:12:16,528 --> 00:12:19,989
So those ones,
we definitely have to do
a face replacement.
257
00:12:19,989 --> 00:12:21,533
A kind of half-burned mask.
258
00:12:21,533 --> 00:12:23,660
They're actually, like--
They look fantastic,
259
00:12:23,660 --> 00:12:26,204
so we're having to do
very little to those.
260
00:12:27,789 --> 00:12:29,082
Waldo Mason:
When we're doin'
the partial burns
261
00:12:29,082 --> 00:12:30,583
and people aren't
being engulfed,
262
00:12:30,583 --> 00:12:34,379
we'll just apply sort of
s-silicone bald caps
263
00:12:34,379 --> 00:12:38,383
with pre-painted on
and pre-sculpted burns
that cover their ears.
264
00:12:38,383 --> 00:12:40,051
And then we've got a piece
that covers their neck,
265
00:12:40,051 --> 00:12:41,845
and we have some pieces
to cover their faces,
266
00:12:41,845 --> 00:12:43,263
so we're keeping
all this clear,
267
00:12:43,263 --> 00:12:45,557
which should not be
in the fire anyway.
268
00:12:45,557 --> 00:12:48,560
So you get to see
the fire just lickin' up
around their ears,
269
00:12:48,560 --> 00:12:50,061
around the backs
of their heads.
270
00:12:50,061 --> 00:12:51,855
And it looks like,
"How are they tolerating it?"
271
00:12:51,855 --> 00:12:54,232
But it does the job,
at least for the 15 seconds
they're on fire,
272
00:12:54,232 --> 00:12:55,692
and then, obviously,
273
00:12:55,692 --> 00:12:57,610
the guys with
the fire extinguishers
come in.
274
00:13:01,406 --> 00:13:04,784
Peristere:
In 207, we burned 45 seeds
in various different ways.
275
00:13:04,784 --> 00:13:06,202
The biggest of the burns,
276
00:13:06,202 --> 00:13:09,080
we had a 16-man burn
that happened all at once.
277
00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:11,624
And in that burn,
we see Vermithor,
278
00:13:11,624 --> 00:13:14,127
essentially,
unleash his biggest blast.
279
00:13:14,753 --> 00:13:16,755
(screaming)
280
00:13:17,797 --> 00:13:20,550
Condal:
But that particular set
is five meters in the air.
281
00:13:20,550 --> 00:13:23,094
Uh, and there was a danger
in having people who were,
282
00:13:23,094 --> 00:13:25,138
first of all, on fire,
and second of all, blinded,
283
00:13:25,138 --> 00:13:27,390
because you have to be
to protect your eyes.
284
00:13:27,390 --> 00:13:29,267
So for all of those
very good reasons,
285
00:13:29,267 --> 00:13:31,644
we did it outside
on an eight-inch-high
286
00:13:31,644 --> 00:13:34,064
approximation of the platform.
287
00:13:34,064 --> 00:13:35,648
Peristere:
And we've created
a safe environment
288
00:13:35,648 --> 00:13:39,110
where we could use
Tamar ignition devices
289
00:13:39,110 --> 00:13:40,945
to put these people on fire.
290
00:13:41,654 --> 00:13:46,826
crewmember (shouts): Ready!
And three, two, one, action!
291
00:13:50,205 --> 00:13:52,332
Okay, you just witnessed
a major burn on the set.
292
00:13:52,332 --> 00:13:55,835
Open air this time,
which is, which is
a lot easier for us.
293
00:13:55,835 --> 00:13:59,464
We put charges into the ground
to ignite the stuntmen
294
00:13:59,464 --> 00:14:01,675
who were drenched
in a fire gel.
295
00:14:01,675 --> 00:14:03,760
On cue, we sequenced it
so it looked like
296
00:14:03,760 --> 00:14:05,637
a, um, a dragon run,
297
00:14:05,637 --> 00:14:08,139
and it took them all up
nicely, I thought.
298
00:14:09,516 --> 00:14:11,434
It looked very good, very hot.
299
00:14:11,434 --> 00:14:13,269
And it worked amazing.
300
00:14:13,269 --> 00:14:16,314
I got, uh, got my hand
shook by the producer,
so I'm good, I'm happy.
301
00:14:16,314 --> 00:14:18,608
I'm gonna go home
and go to bed now.
See you later.
302
00:14:18,608 --> 00:14:22,529
crewmember (shouting):
Ten, 11, 12, out, out, out!
303
00:14:23,988 --> 00:14:25,990
♪
304
00:14:27,659 --> 00:14:29,661
Peristere: In 207,
we claim two dragons.
305
00:14:29,661 --> 00:14:31,538
Hugh claims Vermithor.
306
00:14:32,831 --> 00:14:34,332
Ulf claims Silverwing.
307
00:14:34,332 --> 00:14:37,669
These two claiming moments
are very, very different.
308
00:14:37,669 --> 00:14:40,630
Hugh takes us on a journey
from the top of the gantry
309
00:14:40,630 --> 00:14:43,842
down into the bowels
of the Dragonmont.
310
00:14:43,842 --> 00:14:45,969
And what we wanted to do
is we wanted to sort of
311
00:14:45,969 --> 00:14:48,638
distinguish Hugh's journey
312
00:14:48,638 --> 00:14:52,517
from the mass amount of chaos
that happened up on the plinth.
313
00:14:53,893 --> 00:14:57,605
We decided to do that
by taking away cuts.
314
00:14:58,857 --> 00:15:01,484
I always love
the subjectivity of a great,
315
00:15:01,484 --> 00:15:03,194
well-staged Steadicam shot
316
00:15:03,194 --> 00:15:07,365
that takes a single character
through an abyss of action.
317
00:15:07,365 --> 00:15:10,368
We looked at the best
of the best of the long takes
318
00:15:10,368 --> 00:15:11,870
that happened in action scenes,
319
00:15:11,870 --> 00:15:13,747
and what made
those scenes great
320
00:15:13,747 --> 00:15:17,042
is that there's always
something happening in layers.
321
00:15:21,629 --> 00:15:24,382
One of the challenges
was that Hugh is running
in the scene,
322
00:15:24,382 --> 00:15:27,344
so just being able
to run with him
323
00:15:27,344 --> 00:15:28,678
and still see
what's going on
324
00:15:28,678 --> 00:15:31,056
because of the choice
of handheld camera means
325
00:15:31,056 --> 00:15:34,059
that, also, you're going
to have a very shaky image.
326
00:15:34,059 --> 00:15:36,895
We still wanted to see
what's going on.
327
00:15:36,895 --> 00:15:38,730
Horton:
There were so many
moving elements
328
00:15:38,730 --> 00:15:40,440
in terms of the size
of the dragon
329
00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:42,025
and the scale of the dragon
330
00:15:42,025 --> 00:15:44,569
that we had--
everyone had to hit
their marks precisely.
331
00:15:44,569 --> 00:15:47,197
And we couldn't
cheat the framing.
332
00:15:47,197 --> 00:15:50,241
Cernjul:
And also coordinating that
with all the stuntwork.
333
00:15:50,241 --> 00:15:52,535
We literally had stuntpeople
334
00:15:52,535 --> 00:15:54,245
falling from the,
from the ceiling, on fire,
335
00:15:54,245 --> 00:15:56,623
which added the,
as you can imagine,
336
00:15:56,623 --> 00:15:58,917
another layer of complexity.
337
00:16:01,836 --> 00:16:03,463
Condal:
It's a tremendous
amount of work,
338
00:16:03,463 --> 00:16:05,799
and then, lots
and lots of layering
339
00:16:05,799 --> 00:16:08,301
and visual effects
to get it to come together.
340
00:16:08,301 --> 00:16:13,098
It is very complicated scene
because it's all one shot.
341
00:16:13,098 --> 00:16:14,891
So, in order to achieve it,
342
00:16:14,891 --> 00:16:19,979
we had to split it
to pieces and do invisible,
uh, transition.
343
00:16:19,979 --> 00:16:22,107
Einarsson:
Hugh runs along, he looks up,
344
00:16:22,107 --> 00:16:23,942
the camera looks up
to see what he's looking at.
345
00:16:23,942 --> 00:16:25,568
Vermithor's blasting someone.
346
00:16:25,568 --> 00:16:28,154
We come back
and that's then another take,
347
00:16:28,154 --> 00:16:30,782
comes around to the rock,
we look over the rock,
348
00:16:30,782 --> 00:16:32,450
as we look at
what he's looking at,
349
00:16:32,450 --> 00:16:34,911
and then come back down,
that's another take.
350
00:16:34,911 --> 00:16:38,081
So we've designed all these
stitch points into the shot.
351
00:16:38,081 --> 00:16:41,001
Peristere: So it is a oner
that you'll see no cuts in
352
00:16:41,001 --> 00:16:43,461
that was made out
of seven or eight pieces
353
00:16:43,461 --> 00:16:47,465
that includes
dragons, burns, feedings,
354
00:16:47,465 --> 00:16:51,261
and, eventually, a bonding
all in one moment
355
00:16:51,261 --> 00:16:54,931
where Vermithor takes a knee
with a small man, Hugh,
356
00:16:54,931 --> 00:16:56,975
who puffs his chest
and says--
357
00:16:56,975 --> 00:16:59,310
(yelling)
Come on!
358
00:17:05,150 --> 00:17:07,360
David Hancock:
Vermithor is called
the Bronze Fury
359
00:17:07,360 --> 00:17:09,154
because he's bronze
and he's furious.
360
00:17:09,154 --> 00:17:12,991
He's nearly the size of Vhagar,
and he is, famously,
361
00:17:12,991 --> 00:17:15,869
one of the most vicious
dragons in the kingdom.
362
00:17:20,498 --> 00:17:24,669
♪
363
00:17:24,669 --> 00:17:28,006
Peristere: My background,
I come from visual effects
and animation,
364
00:17:28,006 --> 00:17:30,842
so any time I get
on a blue screen with actors
with fake things,
365
00:17:30,842 --> 00:17:33,053
I'm like,
"Oh, this is like home."
366
00:17:34,179 --> 00:17:36,890
And I got to basically
play dragonriding
367
00:17:36,890 --> 00:17:38,516
with Tom and with Ewan
368
00:17:38,516 --> 00:17:40,352
in the kind of
penultimate sequence,
369
00:17:40,352 --> 00:17:45,231
which features Vhagar chasing
Silverwing to Dragonstone.
370
00:17:47,609 --> 00:17:49,319
(roars)
371
00:17:49,694 --> 00:17:53,823
The main challenge
for the buck work
this season was
372
00:17:53,823 --> 00:17:58,495
we wanted to really add
element of handheld
to the buck work,
373
00:17:58,495 --> 00:18:01,414
so that you feel like
you're sitting on the dragon
with the rider.
374
00:18:01,414 --> 00:18:03,875
So, we had to come up
with a way
375
00:18:03,875 --> 00:18:06,211
of shooting something
that feels handheld,
376
00:18:06,211 --> 00:18:08,505
uh, but it's actually
remotely operated.
377
00:18:08,505 --> 00:18:10,256
Michael Carstensen:
I'm working with
the ball tech's arm
378
00:18:10,256 --> 00:18:12,258
that's sort of rigged
on top of a container,
379
00:18:12,258 --> 00:18:14,219
and then,
we're working with the buck,
380
00:18:14,219 --> 00:18:17,889
and it almost feels like
the camera's attached
to the dragon itself.
381
00:18:17,889 --> 00:18:21,434
Ford:
The buck is moving
to a set computer program,
382
00:18:21,434 --> 00:18:23,436
and the camera is
doing that as well,
383
00:18:23,436 --> 00:18:25,605
as it has already been
designed in the previs.
384
00:18:25,605 --> 00:18:27,649
♪
385
00:18:32,737 --> 00:18:34,739
♪
386
00:18:34,739 --> 00:18:37,367
The putting the pieces
together was quite easy.
387
00:18:37,367 --> 00:18:40,203
The fun part was actually
working with Tom and Ewan
388
00:18:40,203 --> 00:18:42,122
to actually see the dragon.
389
00:18:42,122 --> 00:18:45,375
We tried to create a sense
of a lack of anticipation,
390
00:18:45,375 --> 00:18:48,962
so when the dragon turns right,
it's like a trust fall.
391
00:18:48,962 --> 00:18:51,297
They have to not anticipate
anyone being there,
392
00:18:51,297 --> 00:18:53,550
and then they have
to kind of counter that fall
393
00:18:53,550 --> 00:18:54,759
with a drastic movement.
394
00:18:54,759 --> 00:18:57,387
So, when you see them,
what makes it real
395
00:18:57,387 --> 00:18:59,764
is this sense of,
like, unpredictability,
396
00:18:59,764 --> 00:19:03,852
despite the fact that
we're working in a very
predicted manner.
397
00:19:04,436 --> 00:19:06,938
You're effectively
suspended on-- in the air
398
00:19:06,938 --> 00:19:08,606
on this mechanical
bucking bronco.
399
00:19:08,606 --> 00:19:11,818
You've got wind,
you've got atmos.
400
00:19:11,818 --> 00:19:14,612
And you're in a backbend,
and you're 43,
401
00:19:14,612 --> 00:19:17,949
and there's blokes shooting,
uh, leaf blowers at you.
402
00:19:19,451 --> 00:19:21,327
- crewmember:
Fantastic hairdo now.
- Thank you so much.
403
00:19:21,327 --> 00:19:23,663
- (laughter)
- And your, your work
will only make this better.
404
00:19:23,663 --> 00:19:24,956
crewmember:
It's because you're worth it.
405
00:19:24,956 --> 00:19:26,624
- (laughs) I am.
- (laughter)
406
00:19:26,624 --> 00:19:28,293
(roaring)
407
00:19:31,379 --> 00:19:34,758
Condal: You get that
beautiful tableau of Rhaenyra
408
00:19:34,758 --> 00:19:36,134
and her dragon army,
409
00:19:36,134 --> 00:19:37,594
and, literally,
the dragon queen
410
00:19:37,594 --> 00:19:39,095
coming out of the Dragonmont
411
00:19:39,095 --> 00:19:40,430
and we see that it worked.
412
00:19:40,430 --> 00:19:42,265
Uh, whatever
challenges were, were,
413
00:19:42,265 --> 00:19:45,477
uh, were put to her
and, uh, whatever questions
she was faced with,
414
00:19:45,477 --> 00:19:49,481
she was right in the end,
and was able to assemble
this army of dragons.
415
00:19:49,481 --> 00:19:51,149
(roaring)