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Read on for all the stories behind these all-timeThronesshots.
There are green screen and split-screen shots in this sequence, but there was no CGI bear.
This is 100 percent bear, and when the bear hits Brienne, that is a real hit.
Both sides of the cut are close-ups and miles from the epic sweeps that are synonymous with the show.
Iain Glen heading into make up at 1:30 a.m. with not the slightest grumble.
Meeting after meeting over months for one fleeting moment.
Thats why I loveGame of Thrones.
And then Jorah, Daario, and Missandei all similarly stunned step up to watch, too.
The murder of Jon Snow at the end of the previous season was the definition of a cliffhanger.
And the viewers reaction to it all over the world was, I think, without precedent.
The moment had to come as a surprise.
Kit played it beautifully.
The moment is powerful and thrilling and, if fan reaction videos are any indication, entirely satisfying.
Genuine screams of shock and delight?
What more could a director want?
There were weeks of preparation for the gag.
Finding a viscous material that could be colored gold and that we could pour like molten metal.
A molded gold skullcap that would be switched as if the gold had cooled into a golden helmet.
How he would fall, wired to a rig of air tubes.
How Jason Momoa would lift the cauldron and pour the melted metal out onto Harrys head.
Seemingly small details, but everything needed to go like clockwork.
Removing the paint, changing, cleaning and re-wigging the actors would be impossible.
The special effects team prepped the molten gold and smoking, bubbling wig on Harry.
Jason rehearsed the pouring move in pantomime, then with an empty caldron.
Harry rehearsed his fall.
Then, finally, we crossed our fingers and set out to do it.
Jason came to me and showed me his trembling hands.
He is unflappable, but this had him rattled.
Something was wrong, didnt feel right his grip, his approach, something.
Hes pretty shook up and makes apologetic eyes to me across the set.
We reset to go again.
Harry dropped to the ground and Jason laughed a hearty belly laugh.
The crew cheered and Jason (maybe) took a victory lap.
Harry got golden goop in his eyes and the hair and makeup team swarmed around him.
We all huddled around the playback monitor to watch it back.
All three cameras got beautiful shots and we all sighed a huge sigh of relief.
Not much explanation is needed the picture itself tells the whole story.
It was a chaotic vista, soon to be replaced by the stunning visual effects artistry of BlueBolt.
The peace process unlocked the door to change that, butGOTkicked it wide open.
What are the rules here?
The act of this execution is Neds burden and he must do it alone.
Suddenly, we understand this world and these characters a little better and we want to know more.
There was nothing in the script about it.
If anything, it acted as a transition between two existing scenes.
The seeds were sown the moment I walked into the Castle Black set.
So, if this represented the what and the how, then came the question of why?
So what was the motivation for such a shot?
And more importantly, how could I sell the need for it to the producers and writers?
The answer was geography.
Understanding geography within an action sequence is integral for the audience to get fully involved.
On the night in question, wed scheduled this shot as first up.
We rehearsed the moves for an hour or so, then nailed the shot in seven takes.
Thats when you smile to yourself and say,I love this job.
But when asked to pick a favorite shot, my mind goes to something very simple a transition shot.
Jon Snow has been captured north of the wall.
We see him being lead by his captors, to join up with a band of wildlings.
The shot is brief, but it means a lot to me.
We had been scheduled to shoot the scene on the shore of a small lake in Iceland.
When we arrived, the lake had frozen over.
We walked out to scout the new terrain a mixed crew, Icelandic, English, and American.
When we were about a hundred feet out, the ice flexed and made a sound like distant thunder.
Instead of shooting by the lake that day, we shot ON it, in amongst the mini icebergs.
Nature can often create problems when shooting on location.
This was one of those wonderful occasions when it improved on our plans.
