I know I mentioned this in my last post, but I thought it was worthy of its own post. Below is the first promotional image from Game of Thrones. It looks to be the opening scene of the pilot episode.
Snow drifts across the bodies of the fallen dead. Eight corpses lie frozen on the ground– men, women, and children, wearing heavy furs. The wind whips through their long hair.
At the edge of the clearing, WILL (20), a young ranger dressed all in black, surveys the grim scene from the back of his gelding. He gathers his reins and guides his horse south.
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289 Comments
Still, it's hard to believe that this is happening. I honestly thought it would fall through at the end. Very cool.
David MooreQuote Reply
AWESOME!!!! That is so the prologue to the first book when Ser Waymar Royce gets killed. I can't wait to see the Others! It is going to kick so much ass.
axia777Quote Reply
So that's Bronson Webb (Will), not Jamie Campbell Bower (Royce)?
MauberlyQuote Reply
Kick.Ass.
…Quote Reply
So it is Will then not Royce. WOW. They are making for fast filming!
axia777Quote Reply
It has to be Bronson Webb (Will), since when Ser Waymar arrives the bodies are gone.
His cloak looks fancy though. Is he wearing a black cap, or is that just the way the hood sits?
About Yea HighQuote Reply
I can see it come to life in front of my eyes… Can't get enough of this still. It looks awesome!!!
NymeriaQuote Reply
I want the poster now.
Think of how much better it might have been if they did it from behind. The dark figure on his horse gazes down the embankment at the bodies strewn about in the powder. "Why is it so cold…"
ecudanQuote Reply
I have been an avid follower of this site for a long time now, so I am just so glad that I got to read the pick-up news on this site, and didn't stumble across it on one of the (now) many sites that have the news. I wouldn't want to read the story anywhere else.
It's been said before, but I will say it again – sincerely thank you WiC for all your work… trust that I (and no doubt countless "others") will continue to appreciate this site for a long time to come now…
HostylQuote Reply
Wait until you see Ned with Ice….
- Sourcenator
SourcenatorQuote Reply
Okay all you in-the-know people. There must be some juicy tidbits you can give us now that it's a green.
pualoQuote Reply
thrilled, just thrilled.
educatedponyQuote Reply
crickets….
ecudanQuote Reply
this is just so exciting i'm downright giddy. x3
can't wait to see more pictures!
LaurenQuote Reply
im not sure if it would be will sitting so openly on his horse back like that because in the prologue hes all sneaky…maybe this is after he realizes theyre dead and goes in fora closer look? or is simply just a promototional shot from a staple mark chapter of the series?
holyeffhbotookitQuote Reply
There will be more.
How could there not be? :-)
SourcenatorQuote Reply
oh man that picture goes quite nicely with your background WiC!
@wabawangaQuote Reply
I'm so excited!! I bet GRRM has been grinning non stop for hours now!
RerQuote Reply
Woohooo! This is great news.
Glad I saw it here first, instead of part of my usual mucking around on the boards.
Congrats to winter and a thousand thanks for all his hard work.
Peter JørgensenQuote Reply
Dear me!
I have to start working now…and I litteraly can not stop look at that photo!
The RabbitQuote Reply
I bet GRRM had trouble working today too.
spacechampionQuote Reply
thank you WiC!!
hell yea
feyrbandQuote Reply
Correct. GRRM has a higher-resolution version of the image on his website. You can definitely tell that it's Bronson Webb.
furreverQuote Reply
I think it's interesting that they filmed a scene that is only alluded to in the book (Will finding the bodies). Makes sense though. That visual certainly will be a more powerful first impression than a sarcastic Royce (as good as he is).
cmsQuote Reply
Admidst all the happiness, is it wrong of me to mention that i don't like how the fake snow looks?
Exept for the road, it should be smoother. Snow just doesn't lay down like that.
sjweningsQuote Reply
So, was most of that snow added in post production you think or did they go to all that trouble just for the day it took to shoot the prologue?
Ingemar SvenssonQuote Reply
in response to wabawanga's comment. here is a real quick wallpaper that i whipped up in paint.
http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/5108/wallpaper…
feyrbandQuote Reply
completely agree
patQuote Reply
I dunno. Does it matter?
sjweningsQuote Reply
That is EXACTLY how snow looks in Westeros. Prove me wrong.
the goatQuote Reply
It doesn't hurt saying it once more: a great photo :) feels thrilling to know exactly what the scene is. For the outsiders it's not so exciting or epic, but so what. Really looking forward to all the good stuff coming now, it is going to be a short year!
Marko HladnikQuote Reply
Yes, the snow looks fake to me as well. As my house is surrounded by piles of real snow, the difference is all too obvious.
Otherwise, I'm not complaining.
AnnikaQuote Reply
It is fake snow?
Yes, I see, but I do not really care!
Hope, we ll see some more pics soon.
The Rabbit – raving in the office, instead of coordinating end od month activities.
The RabbitQuote Reply
My heart is racing!!!
I'm so happy that this is really happening, we're going to have so much fun!
Sandra GomesQuote Reply
have you ever seen a snow in woods? really thick woods? thats exactly how it looks like.
Piotr PetelskiQuote Reply
@holyeffhbotookit: if by "staple mark chapter" you mean, the very first scene in the series, then yes. This is almost certainly a production still, especially given the aspect, but it is without doubt depicting one of the first, if not the first, shots we will see of this glorious creation.
@about yea high: it looks like his hood is down, so I'm guessing that's just his hair. Also, if you look at the very bottom of his cloak on the right side, it actually looks like it might be frayed. Not sure how you can tell its "fancy" anyway, looks like a guy in a dark cloak to me.
the goatQuote Reply
Oh I agree, it looks very cool and epic. Mostly I'm probably going "uh, hrm" about the snow because I'm forced to stare at it for so many months out of the year that little differences that most people wouldn't notice I'd pick up right away. Trust me, it's probably not a good thing you can pinpoint problems with fake snow because you have to live with the real thing so often!
I think the series will be wonderful and be beautifully shot, and I really don't mind that the snow isn't going to look "right"… again, for artistic value and working with a snow machine they've done a great job from what I can tell in that promo.
Sarah CushawayQuote Reply
Not to be apologetic or anything, but it may look a whole lot different on camera than on a still. I see no big difference between the still and the first photo linked to, except for the temperature. The still is colder, so the snow is more powdery.
Marko HladnikQuote Reply
Fantastic News that the series got the green light.
Is there anyway to disable the Intensedebate comments though as most times I click the link to look at the comments the whole thing freezes up trying to load Intensedebate comments.
MormegilQuote Reply
If you are using firefox just get the No Script add-on and don't authorize intensedemate.com scripts.
spacechampionQuote Reply
touché ;)
LaurenQuote Reply
When the series comes out methinks the snow will fall by the wayside with the torrent of nitpicking that'll be unleashed. (and I'm aware no one here specifically was making a big deal out of it)
@WateredDownQuote Reply
Thanks.
MormegilQuote Reply
Well, I didn’t want to criticize the picture released because it looks awesome and I am so thrilled about the whole project I don’t want to spoil the moment. But, I’ll give in, just a bit.
@ Sarah Cushaway
They didn’t use a snow machine. The snow came in bags, so it is definitely synthetic material which explains the powdery look. We got that information with the pictures from the direwolf mom.
I agree the way the snow is sticking to the bottom sides of the trees as if it were blown upward or dropped in bunch creating a big cloud before setting down looks unnatural to me. But I love the fact that they took time to whiten the branches of the trees to make it look realistic. It adds a lot to the atmosphere.
I can live with the powdery look. Being Canadian, I’ve seen all sorts of snow: the nice puffy one, the wet one, the ice crusted one, the powdery one… I’m pretty sure I won’t mind that much if this one is different when I see the pilot. I’ll just classify it as yet another kind of snow, this one perhaps more common in Westeros.
What could bug me though would be the sound it makes when the horse or men walk on it – sometimes, you can just tell it’s not right.
Or if the snow rolls at their feet or puffs in the air when they walk on it instead of compacting.
Or if it doesn’t stick to their hair, clothes, mitts and boots and melt there when they touch it or when it’s snowing.
And if we don’t see their breath, especially since powdery snow means it has to be really cold.
But guess what. I’m used to seeing fake snow all over the place on TV. I’ve seen much worse than this set, really.
I think they did a pretty decent job and I mostly approve of it.
NymeriaQuote Reply
Re: the snow sounds. Hopefully they have a good foley artist so that we can hear a convincing snow crunch.
Stella MarisQuote Reply
BTW, there was no mention on Entertainment Tonight yesterday. That was a complete waste of my time.
NymeriaQuote Reply
I've seen all sorts of snow too and, yeah, maybe it doesn't climb up the sides of the trees quite like that. Eh, big deal.
The rest of the scene looks fantastic.
What about the REAL question?
…which will have to be answered in the first couple of minutes of the pilot…
WHAT WILL THE OTHERS LOOK LIKE??!?!
ChrisQuote Reply
srsly
nicoleQuote Reply
It's a pity they didn't filmed those scenes here last month or the month before. The forests used for filming were completely covered in real snow (some still are)!
BTW – The word is definitely out!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/85475…
Rimshot44Quote Reply
I dunno, depending on how they filmed this, it could be very ominous done like this. Almost like we're looking through the eyes of the others.
Gregory KeltonQuote Reply
And now he's just "Sourcenator". Sigh…
Gregory KeltonQuote Reply
It keeps spreading! http://www.tv.com/game-of-thrones-is-on/story/216…
will be fun to watch the spike on google trends in a week or so :)
@AshandereiQuote Reply
Any chance a photoshop artist wants to take that picture and make it an awesome desktop wallpaper? Maybe with a cool "Game of Thrones" logo somewhere? I'd be eternally grateful.
Gregory KeltonQuote Reply
I'm as excited as the rest of you – huge fan – but that snow does look especially fake. I have to look out my window 6 months of the year and see forest and deep snow. That's not how it looks. Firstly, snow does not "powder" across trees and a path like that …not even light snow. It literally looks like someone tossed powdered sugar around in that promo.
Secondly, the only time you see snow powdered against trees in any manner is when it has been -very- windy. And then it's LESS on the bottom of the tree and more against the main trunk and branches. One side of the trees would have no snow at all if that were the case (the side shielded from the wind). Thirdly, trees will have a small "pocket" without snow right at their base – makes them look like they're sitting right in snow.
Not to nitpick, I'll put the badly done snow down to "they're working with a snow machine in a region that doesn't usually get snow" and also "artistic interpretation". It -looks- cool…just not all that accurate. Here are some better pictures of a real forest in winter to compare:
http://www.winterwanderland.com/wp-content/upload…
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/184/403337435_e01b…
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4…
I'll shut up now though because I am really excited and a silly thing like fake snow won't stop me from watching!
Sarah CushawayQuote Reply
The nice thing about post-production effects is that they can add the breath. Heck, they might even be able to make the snow more realistic, although I don't know if they will go that far. Hopefully the actors will be doing well enough that the audience won't be staring at the snow trying to figure out if it looks real instead of watching the action.
I understand that this is completely different than staring at a still that we all wish would come to life before our eyes, and I will forgive everyone for making every comment on it that their minds can conceive. It is only our hunger for more.
I have no opinion on the realism, or lack thereof, of the snow, since I have only ever seen accumulated snow three times in my life. I can see how that could be irksome, though, when one wants to be transported away, and something tiny is weighing down your disbelief, interfering with its suspension.
KyleQuote Reply
I likes this article
http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2010/03/03/hbo-says-w…
More interesting than a rewording of the original news release
NymeriaQuote Reply
"Looks like Sean Bean was always a bit miffed his character was the first to die in Lord of the Rings and wants more fantasy and sword action."
http://www.filmshaft.com/a-game-of-thrones-gets-f…
huh, not sure the author of this article really read the books…
NymeriaQuote Reply
AHAHAHA :D the irony!!
Marko HladnikQuote Reply
Having grown up in Utah, I can attest that, yes, Snow does lay down like that–when they are particularly large, wet flakes, you can get very rough surfaces in the snow pack. In wooded areas where snow may be falling off the trees in larger chunks, you could definitely get a mottled look like the one in the picture.
Trust me. It looks like real, dirty, messy snow. Gritty scene for a gritty series.
ebvQuote Reply
I cannot even believe some of you are complaining about the snow?? Oh nooo the snow looks fake…the series is ruined!!!
ChrisQuote Reply
That is pretty funny, but hey, at least Sean will be around for 5 to 7 more hours than he was for LotR.
Tyler MetcalfeQuote Reply
see http://www.google.com/trends?q=game+of+thrones&am…
TPFKA Thoros of MyrQuote Reply
Chris, you came here today? :D
We are bounch of very sensitive fans, and we just love to complain about everything: snow, stone wolf who looks like fox, a scotsman in a skirt…and so on, and on. :D
I am just joking. Do not care about the snow.
I like snow, I like the whole still.
I am even more positivly suprised by the costumes – look at that photo with higher resolution, and you ll see every detail.
Nightwatchs costume looks richer than I thought it would. (after the traumatic experience with clanyard member in a long skirt :D)
The_Rabbit01Quote Reply
thinnk this adress might work better http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2010/03/03/hbo-says-w…
TPFKA Thoros of MyrQuote Reply
Yes, that's a good one – I like the "read it before it hits TV"-part best.
DunkeltrollQuote Reply
A few more details from this Irish newspaper.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010…
NymeriaQuote Reply
"On other fronts, I hit page 1311 yesterday. No, not done yet."
Haven't really kept an eye on Martin's blog but 1311 pages?! AFFC was only 800ish
JohnQuote Reply
I didn't notice anything wrong with the snow until you showed those pictures. Indeed it is a bit different from "real" snow. But I really don't care (I am not an eskimo). I like The Goat's explanation: "this is how snow looks like on westeros".
Instead of focusing on the snow not looking exactly like reality I am just excited about how awesome the whole image looks. It is a lot better than my own imagination while reading the books.
DahnQuote Reply
Those are manuscript pages.
He said it is now the second biggest book of the series and he hopes to wrap it up before it reaches 1521 pages of Storm of Swords.
Then again, he, or his publisher, might still chose to move some chapters to the next installment.
NymeriaQuote Reply
For Gregory & others. I turned the image into a desktop pic with added text. It is obvious that I am no Photoshop expert! ;) http://www.flickr.com/photos/jacmac/4403752101/
@JacMac30Quote Reply
People are complaining about SNOW when the entire series could have been turned down and canceled before it was even started? Man, people need to lighten up and be grateful that HBO gave the green light! Otherwise we would have no show, supposed bad snow or no. Nit pickers SUCK.
axia777Quote Reply
I live in Alberta,Canada so believe when I say this snow looks very real to me.
ButterbumpsQuote Reply
from the BBC–some info here about filming and its effect on the economy in the UK
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_irela…
nicoleQuote Reply
This is a minor issue and in the end I don't care, I'm just stating that the snow looks fake to me. I live in Finland, close to the arctic circle, and have seen more snow in woods and fields than I'd actually care – and this snow seems like randomly spread powdery sugar compared to the real thing.
But you see it differently and that is perfectly fine :) Game of Thrones got greenlighted, yay :D
AnnikaQuote Reply
I know that the snow doesn't look like real snow but do you think the dragons will look like real dragons? Wait a second, it's a tv show…
Javier FoxQuote Reply
Looks perfect.
LexQuote Reply
Much love! Thanks!
Gregory KeltonQuote Reply
No one said the snow ruined the series, a few of us commented that it didn't look quite right, but all of us went on to say "meh no big deal". Next time, read a little more carefully?
Sarah C. Quote Reply
Excellent, beautiful and exciting pic, and the first confirmation that this thing is happening for real?!?!?! I still have a hard time believing all this! I died and gone to heaven….LOL!
Kudos to HBO for taking a chance on this wonderful, wonderful project! Congratulations to all parties involved in the present and future making of this series, the writers, directors, producers, actors and everybody else!
Congratulations to George RR Martin and all his people, I wish him the best as always!
Congratulations and thank you to all the fans of these books, the bloggers, critics, journalists and everybody else that worked with such dilligence in maintaining the well deserved attention and recognition of this wonderful work of art that is "A Song Of Ice And Fire"!
Thank you Winter, for all your work and for your effort to keep all or us informed, excited and hopefull all this time! I can't wait to see what you have in store next!
Winter is coming indeed….
loco73Quote Reply
Well, theres a difference in that snow isn't some made-up fantasy thing.
Still, i don't think fake looking snow is THAT big a deal.
sjweningsQuote Reply
The thing that bothers me about the picture, assuming it is the prologue, is that I pictured the dead in a more open area with a camp rather than scattered in the woods. I'm not sure about the horse. It's color doesn't really bother me.
Also, I believe the three knights stayed back from the bodies and the younger one scouted the scene from above.
Suddenly, I worry that the scenes I have envisioned may not translate into film. Still, you can bet I'm going to watch it.
ToddQuote Reply
seriously? I don't understand how anyone could look at that picture and be bothered by it. There is just no way that the show is going to look like how you envisioned the scenes in your head. Remember that this is an 'adaptation' of the book and is not required to follow the books exactly (although we hope that it will).
nicoleQuote Reply
When you look at the bottom left there is a tentpole. So the Wildlings definately made camp there.
And for people complaining about people complaining about snow: I haven't seen any complainging, only some die-hard fanbase discussion. This picture is all we got now, so every detail will be discussed until the next one comes around (remember the wolf in the stone wall?). Personally I think the picture looks fantastic, as long the snow isn't pink I'm ok with whatever they make of it.
Btw, long time no post from my end, but just as excited as everyone else!
KnurkQuote Reply
It looks absolutely great, I don't care about how authentic the snow is compared to how it is outside your house.
Every person I've shown it to has been impressed with the quality.
You nerds need to lock it down.
shadallionQuote Reply
I'm optimistic, I'm just saying that based on that lone picture — it doesn't hold true to the prologue. But who knows, the rider could just be heading into the camp, or a million other things. Can't judge it by itself.
I'm excited by the news, but there's got to be some trepidation to go along with the enthusiasm. As fans, we owe it to make sure those in the hierarchy know we aren't reduced to a crowd of of slobbering fools standing before the gibbet.
I am as excited and enthused as the next person, but I remain reserved as to whether or not the producers, writers, actors and all else will be able to pull this off.
Make us proud HBO.
ToddQuote Reply
the irony! xD it tastes so good!
LaurenQuote Reply
pic cropped to landscape with added text
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v490/mormegil99…
MormegilQuote Reply
Another sold reporter!
http://tunedin.blogs.time.com/2010/03/03/hbo-pick…
NymeriaQuote Reply
Felicia Day mentioned the green light on Twitter, which is really cool since she has 1.7 million followers :)
@AshandereiQuote Reply
I'm not a snow expert. I can only say I've peed in it on several occasions. It turns yellow.
The photo above is amazing. I love the way they made the snow going up the trunks of trees.. it looks very atmospheric and a little magical, almost like there are wisps of snow licking off the ground.
On the other hand, I remember an episode of Sopranos where Chris and Paulie get lost chasing a Russian ex-pat into snowy New Jersey woods. That was real snow. And it was plain, real snow. Snow going for miles. Acres and acres of real snow. And.. it looks like plain real snow. It didn't look magical or theatrical, it just looked cold.
SteveQuote Reply
Knurk, you just made my eyes open.
Thought it is tree – :shame:
It is deffinitly a part of a tent.
The_Rabbit01Quote Reply
FYI: The quote is actually, "you WIN or you die." (entire quote: "When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground."
It's not "you live or die;" in case you want to change it.
BrudeQuote Reply
Irish Minister of Culutre speaks!
He mentions producer Mark Huffam , as part of the team (at least that I way I understood it :D)
The_Rabbit01Quote Reply
To those who are worried about the look of the snow, don't get to nitpicky over this pic, I have seen a high rez version and the look of the scene is outstanding, the snow looks far better in high res. You also get a sense of money being spent on just this shot when you see the high rez version, it just screams quality. Thank you WiC for creating this discussion board and I better get back to rereading Games since I erred last week, and by the way AINTITCOOLNEWS is having a discussion too, so far it's been very positive, but I warn those who haven't been to that site, if vulgar language offends you, don't visit.
I luv you HBO suits for giving us fans this gift, and if you read this, I just finished reading a liitle book I discovered at a antiquarian store titled "The Captain from Castille", you might want to consider a mini series for it, I thought it was that good.
JonasQuote Reply
I recently read a flyer in Spanish. It think it was about hot dogs and donuts (I can't read Spanish). I think it would make a great movie on HBO.
SteveQuote Reply
Maybe they can fix the snow before they air the episode. Wasn't this just a pilot thrown together to show to HBO execs? They probably still have more editing, touch-ups, etc. to do. Also, did Will pass a wildling village first before spying on the other wildlings? It says there are women and children's bodies, but I thought the ones he was looking at from the tree were warriors or fighters. I'll have to check my book when I get home. Either way, I love it already and can't wait for the rest!! I know it will be great!!
JeannineQuote Reply
The snow looks fine…__By the way theonering.net gave WiC another shout out. Thought that was cool of them.
dizzy34Quote Reply
So excited ! The image looks great ! Lets keep in mind that we're going to be seeing scenes in the show that dont mirror the book exactly. What works in literature doesnt always translate on screen. I'm expecting changes, and I'm rather excited to see just what those changes are ^^
@RahBurQuote Reply
hehe! Hope it keeps climbing!
NymeriaQuote Reply
Yeah, hopefully he doesn't get a smile-related jaw injury. The pain might slow down his writing!
DemokritosQuote Reply
I think the potential fraying may actually be fur lining: look at the left edge, and it has a similar fuzzy look.The fur could be what AYH means by fancy. Of course, with the Night's Watch, fur's probably not such a hard thing to come by, especially for patrollers with the opportunity to hunt north of the wall. So it doesn't seem unlikely at all that Will would have fur lining. Agreed about the hair. Wonder if it's dyed or if it's just the (lack of) lighting on it?
DemokritosQuote Reply
Interesting what the Irish Minister of Culture says (good find Rabbit): budget is 30 million pounds for each series. That's around 45 million dollars. Anyone have an idea what the budget was for a season of Lost or The Sopranos for example?
KnurkQuote Reply
Best episode of the Sopranos ever!
KnurkQuote Reply
Hahaha. I do love the articles that were clearly written by someone who hadn't read the books :)
Alas, poor Ned…
KangaQuote Reply
£30 million/$45 million budget? That's similar to what they had on The Tudors, isn't it? Maybe a wee bit more. I was hoping for more, like $75 million, but if they can get it done with that and it looks good, hey, I won't complain.
BrudeQuote Reply
By your own logic, you should be hanged for incompetence. In the book, the first scene is Will explaining to Gared and Ser Waymar that he found a clearing full of dead wildlings. In the pilot script, the first scene is Will finding the clearing full of dead wildings (the scene details WiC posted below the pic are taken directly from the script). So it is absolutely true to the prologue, as well as a perfect example of how the television version of the story can be different from the books, yet still remain faithful to the source material..
the goatQuote Reply
and notice http://www.google.com/trends?q=game+of+thrones%2C…
TPFKA Thoros of MyrQuote Reply
You stole my reply!
But to answer your question…I think the creators will do their very best to make imaginary dragons seem realistic. Sadly, however, judging by this whole discussion regarding snow, I would estimate there will be approximately 738,318 posts, tweets, comments, etc on various media platforms complaining about how the dragons do not look right. The sheer amount of time that will be wasted on this subject will be mind-boggling. On the upside, the more people bitch about the dragons, the more people have to look at the dragons, so that at least bodes well for a second season pickup.
the goatQuote Reply
For reference, the first season of Rome had a near $100 million dollar budget… so we have significantly less to work with. However, the Tudors had a $3.5 million budget per episode (with 10 episodes in season one)–so we are looking at similar budgeting, production values, etc (Tudors is also shot in Ireland). I definitely feel confident that the GoT budget will suffice.
nicoleQuote Reply
You really think, that while they're pinching every possible penny to get this show made, they are actually going to spend time and money to go back and digitally, or otherwise, "fix" the snow? Honestly.
You're correct about the children, though. In the book, they are chasing raiders, although Will does mention there was one woman in the trees around the clearing (Royce assumes she was a lookout). No children are mentioned.
If it was a group of wildings running south to escape the Others, then they would certainly have children with them, but that doesn't explain why the Watch would be tracking them.
the goatQuote Reply
I think that the snow on the tree branches looks perfect! I grew up on a dirt road off a dirt road in the woods of Maine where we often had snow so deep I had a hard time finding my dog in it, and i don't think anything looks wrong about the snow; the still actually made me think back to playing in fresh snow in the woods as a child when I would notice the sun is starting to go down and hight tail it back to the house to get there before dark.
anonymousQuote Reply
I thought part of the deal included free use of the Paint Hall, provided they employ a certain number or percentage of Irish labor. Not to mention several tax breaks. Creative accounting? Besides, who ever believed a politician's statements about a budget? "Around 30m" could mean so many different things. Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeit.
the goatQuote Reply
I've never seen a "real dragon" have you?
jjsQuote Reply
I have a feeling that should the first season of the series does very well HBO will give the second season a lot more cash. But then, in the end, large amounts of cash do not always equal quality. Hollywood gives many many films 50+ million and they turn out to be utter trash.
axia777Quote Reply
The second season will certainly require more money if they are going to film the Battle of the Blackwater in equal scope as it is portrayed in the book.
The first book has the Battle of the Green Fork as the only significant engagement from a first person point of view, but that will likely involve only a few minutes of screen time (despite the massive amount of extras and days, possibly weeks, of shooting involved), and pales in comparison to the Blackwater.
Obviously, I'm also curious as to how they plan to handle the Whispering Wood, but my first guess, given this budget, is that it will stick close to the book and occur off-screen, with some quick flashback scenes. I truly hope this doesn't alienate people, but I fear it will. In fact, I foresee a long and vehement thread on this topic in the future, but we'll burn that bridge when we come to it.
the goatQuote Reply
Nice FAQ Adam!
http://ow.ly/1dJV0
I suppose WiC should update his FAQ too…
NymeriaQuote Reply
Done and done. :)
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
Dude, just stop. You had your fun. It has become obvious to me now that you are full of it. If you really are a fan of the books, then just join the rest of the fans in speculation and discussion and stop it with the "inside info."
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
@Winter
*applaud*
Stella MarisQuote Reply
Wow, Adam, that is a really nice FAQ. Definitely bookmarked so I can share it with curious friends. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Nym :)
Stella MarisQuote Reply
I think the snow looks great. Living in Upstate NY, I've seen lots of different kinds of snow (and unfortunately, not much sun!) The snow there looks like powder laid down very recently in very cold weather. When it's that cold, the snow tends to be lofty and kind of lumpy, and it also spackles the bases of trees like that.
In any case, I really don't care. The composition and colors of the shot are gorgeous and if the snow is a little "off", it doesn't make me any less giddy!
Stella MarisQuote Reply
The shot looks great and reminds me of band of brothers, another big budget mega successful HBO series. Lets hope AGOT can hit the same level or even beat it!
Brian MurphyQuote Reply
Re: the 1300 pages GRRM has for Dance– that's manuscript pages, which seemingly get condensed when printed. For example, he's said that Storm was around 1500 or so, and that ended up being something like 1100 printed, right? So, right now, Dance is somewhere around Clash of Kings, but heading onward and upwards to the size of Storm. My main concern is that he's able to get to where he wants to go in a single volume, and we don't have the infamous "splitting of books" situation again.
Still, he seems pretty confident currently on his blog, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Progress definitely seems to be getting made. :)
Steve BQuote Reply
This is just too vague – again. Combined with the "Oh, they got there before me with the greenlight news" comment, you are officially busted.
sjweningsQuote Reply
The Goat just made me choke on my Diet Dr. Pepper. (It's not a myth!) I just had a flashback of my days working the streets of Baltimore.
Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeit.
About Yea HighQuote Reply
impressive!
NymeriaQuote Reply
Just wanted to drop by and let everyone know…
Agents are being queried. A lot of big actors want in now that it's been greenlit. Oh, and HBO went nuts for the second cut, which is why they ordered so quickly and came out of nowhere.
SourcenatorQuote Reply
Which high resolution version are you speaking of? The largest I have seen is linked to this page. Are there other larger versions floating around?
Also I just noticed the tent pole after you guys pointed that out. Thought it was some kind of weapon propped up against a tree at first glance. Everything looks awesome!
DanielQuote Reply
@ Winter
Amen.
HunterQuote Reply
Not to be completely off-topic (hey, we're talking images, right?) …
Here's a few nice new ones of our Daenerys.
The Tudors, Season 4 promo.
(Looks like I'm keeping Showtime too.)
About Yea HighQuote Reply
I'm sure some of the news sites have posted it, but we have the high rez image in our post, including the photo caption and credit along with the rest of HBO's full publicity sheet (just click through the still there to download the high rez version).
@westerosorgQuote Reply
so we are looking at similar budgeting, production values, etc (Tudors is also shot in Ireland)…..
Tudors is indeed shot in Ireland but GoT is being filmed in Northern Ireland a totally different country.
RoryQuote Reply
Was I the only one to notice that Mo Ryan listed Donald Sumpter cast as Master Luwin? Mo Ryan has since confirmed this via Twitter. More info on Donald at IMDB http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0838910/
Just thought I'd point out and see if the topic can be turned away from the snow ;)
@JacMac30Quote Reply
OK, I forgot there had been an HBO pick up topic before this one and see it was mentioned. There was a time this would have been huge news! ;)
@JacMac30Quote Reply
I think that the politician's statement is reliable, because the producers probably made the Northern Ireland deal with him. So when he made the deal I assume he wanted to know how much money the producers are given to spend in his country.
So with free use of the Paint Hall, there is still 45 million to spend! Sounds fine to me.
KnurkQuote Reply
No prblem, the credit goes to WiC, who twitted it :)
NymeriaQuote Reply
But we have known that … for a long time. The unknown one is Grand Maester Pycelle …
Marko HladnikQuote Reply
We knew Donald Sumpter was Luwin back before the pilot filmed.
RoryQuote Reply
what do you mean? Didn't we know this one already?
NymeriaQuote Reply
So, what will be the next big news do you think?
I say the director for the rest of the series, or at least for the second episode if we go by Adam's theory that they'll pick a different director for each episode. (or did I get that wrong?)
Also, did we hear anything from Esme?
I doubt the big news that made her "so happy she could die" not long ago was the greenlight for the series… I mean, even GRRM and the Stark kids didn't know before Tuesday…
HBO didn't confirm the minor credits, probably in case they scratch or add someone to the pilot, so we can't confirm she's still involved as Ros…
NymeriaQuote Reply
sorry, didn't mean to rub it in… I see you had plenty replies already.
NymeriaQuote Reply
How can you tell that it's a tent pole. All I see is a branch…
NymeriaQuote Reply
his blog entry from 2/15 when he was at 1261 pages he had mentioned taking some of these chapters and moving them to winters.
feyrbandQuote Reply
OK, it's been pointed out that Luwin is OLD news ;) It's probably because I've been watching him in Being Human and read Werthead's comments regards him (I thought he was wishing he'd be Luwin) that made me think it was new news! Crawling back under a rock now!
@JacMac30Quote Reply
If you look at the top of the branch you can see some cloth, and if it was just a branch it's placement would be kind of weird. I even think you can spot a dead hand coming out of the tent (left bottom).
KnurkQuote Reply
Here's some new information.
http://www.iftn.ie/?act1=record&only=1&ai…
"The series will make use of many local historical buildings and rural areas such as Tollymore Forest Park (pictured) in Co. Down, Shane’s Castle in Co. Antrim and Co. Down’s Castle Ward. As previously mentioned a lot of filming will take place on set in Belfast’s Paint Hall also."
Did we know about Shane's castle?
NymeriaQuote Reply
oh! So we see the actual tent! I thought that was a tree! Thanks Knurk!
Are you sure it's a hand? looks like a head to me…
NymeriaQuote Reply
I don't believe so.
I notice the article is still making the mistake that Sophie Turner was in Doctor Who.
MormegilQuote Reply
Yes, I saw that too. You've seen the same mistake before?
We also see a lot of "Thomas McCarthy will direct…"
And a lot of "Alfie Allen, Lily Allen's brother" (although in this case the information is correct, but it's just irritating)
NymeriaQuote Reply
A hand, a head, it's pretty vague. Let's assume it's a dead wildling haha.
KnurkQuote Reply
yeah somebody should contact them about that.
LaurenQuote Reply
Yes, I saw that too. You've seen the same mistake before? …
It goes back to the original Press Release I think.
There is a Sophie Turner who was in Doctor Who but she's somewhat older. The mistake is being carried on because someone has added Sansa Stark to the older ST's IMDB page.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1909961/
MormegilQuote Reply
We should ask Sophie's permission to create an IMDB account for her. Addind her place and date of birth or any other information she'd like, this could clear things up a bit. I'm not on Twitter, but perhaps someone else would like to ask her.
NymeriaQuote Reply
It's ok Jac. Apparently I was under the same rock. ^^ Donald Sumpter is excellent (old) news !
@RahBurQuote Reply
Esme twittered about the news:
"GREAT NEWS!!!! HBO have officially greenlit Game of Thrones!! I'm over the moon :D…"
It's been nice to share in the excitment of the actors involved. :)
@RahBurQuote Reply
Taking it personally, are we? How about explaining how that photograph is a clearing? Looks more like a trail through the woods to me. Maybe you need glasses.
I don't appreciate being called incompetent for criticism. If you can't keep it cordial, then don't respond.
ToddQuote Reply
Don't you think it is a tentpole on the left? I think I have stared too much at it to see things clearly now.
KnurkQuote Reply
It looks like a tentpole. Not totally sure though. I'm sure we'll be able to see it from a longer range PoV in the moving picture. Wasn't the camp against a rock face? My memory's a little fuzzy on that.
ToddQuote Reply
You're seeing him from the perspective of the camp obviously. For all you know the entire area behind the camera is a clearing with a giant rock face next to it. He could be coming out of the woods into the clearing in the picture. You can assume all you want but it's still a one-angle picture where you definitely can't see all the information you need to make assumptions.
Let's not turn our happiness into undue doubt about minor details like whether the camp is in a clearing or under some trees. The show is not going to be 100% how you see it in your head, and it won't be 100% how it's described in the books. Directors are going to add their own personal flair and there's going to be many scenes that a director thinks would look better on television if it is portrayed slightly different than is described in the books.
If you come into this show thinking it's going to be your imagination on screen you ARE going to be disappointed. You will not be happy with the series if that is what you think is goign to happen.
ScottQuote Reply
I realize all of that. This is just discussion amongst fans about the only official visual we have thus far.
ToddQuote Reply
Re: Shane's Castle. I also notice they didn't mention Cairncastle
NymeriaQuote Reply
"Suddenly, I worry that the scenes I have envisioned may not translate into film. Still, you can bet I'm going to watch it. "
You say you realize it, but in your initial you post you say you worry. Worry only needs to warts and more worries. Just let it come and enjoy it. Try not to nitpick at minuscule details.
ScottQuote Reply
you were a hooker in baltimore?
Who Is Jacopo BelboQuote Reply
Nice find!
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
So was the $45m budget for the entire production, or for the production going forward from here? In other words, does the cost of the pilot come out of the $45m, or does it count separately since it was already spent. I hope this question makes sense…
Gregory KeltonQuote Reply
Check this out from BBC N.I.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/85485…
Includes a short clip with producer Mark Huffam
It also shows a large set – an external circular 'hall' being built in a forest – though I supect this might be from 'Your Highness' and used to pad out the report.
KinnygrahamQuote Reply
From the minister's blog http://theministerspen.blogspot.com/2010/03/game-…
"it is expected that each series will be one year in production, with an overall budget for each series of around £30m. ($45m)"
Phrased like that, I would say it includes the pilot. And this would explain why some other sources talk about £20m for this show's contribution to the economy this year (£30 minus the pilot budget).
But that's just my itnerpretation.
NymeriaQuote Reply
Interesting stuff!
A big hall in a forest ??? It could be easily from the Your Highness.
The_Rabbit01Quote Reply
The only thing I could see that hall being is Crasters Keep which (unless there is additional stuff set there) would not be needed for season 1. So it is probably for something else.
The Arts Minister may get a shock when he sees the series :)
MormegilQuote Reply
Oh yeah that's much larger than all the others I've seen. Thanks
DanielQuote Reply
Great video!
KnurkQuote Reply
The circular hall was interesting indeed. Could it be Casters' house? I can't remember exactly but I didn't think it was in the first book. What else could it be (besides from Your Highness)?
DahnQuote Reply
Speaking of Sumpter, here's a great picture of him that might give us an idea of how he'll look on the show:
http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/galler…
BrudeQuote Reply
One thought I had was, is $45 million the total budget for the series, or the amount they plan to spend in Northern Ireland. The Dany shoots will have a considerable budget too, of course.
BrudeQuote Reply
I just looked at a bunch of pictures of Shane's Castle, it's mostly a ruin but there are sections that are intact. It will be interesting to see how it is used.
BrudeQuote Reply
Creating an IMDb page just happens when a new actor is added to the site. I already tried to submit a fix for this months ago, and for a little while IMDb did create a new page for her I think based on my submission, but somehow they went back and messed it up again.
Now the system glitches when I try to submit fixes and it will only let me make changes to VIserys – no other names come up. Not sure what's happening there. At this point, I think I'll just let the production submit changes. I'm done with the frustration of their antiquated database system.
BrudeQuote Reply
Can you provide us with some links?
The_Rabbit01Quote Reply
I'm pretty certain they didn't get to Craster's until Book 2. I think the last Jon chapter is when he tried to leave the Nightswatch and his Brothers stopped him and convinced him to come back.
The Dothraki pavillion for the wedding would have been done in Morocco, so I think that was probably a set for something else.
BrudeQuote Reply
John : this is before editing. Also, some text may go into the next book.
Awesome pic, awesome news.
pKpQuote Reply
That's an interesting point. I hope you're right.
NymeriaQuote Reply
I think this really isn't for GOT. Saw an earlier BBC video about NI film production, and they were working on similar wooden structures in a forest for Your Highness.
Marko HladnikQuote Reply
Some pictures of Shane's castle
http://riverbannloughneagh.org/ShanesCastle.jpg
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/73312…
http://z.about.com/d/goireland/1/0/D/I/-/-/shanes…
http://www.well.com/~marlah/albumns/ireland/shane…
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_cEFlUn4MWg4/Sr6TOtWm1aI/AAA…
http://img3.photographersdirect.com/img/13886/wm/…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dickyhart/sets/72157…
http://www.stockphotopro.com/photo-thumbs-2/AK2TP…
NymeriaQuote Reply
We were happy to hear comments frome the youngest Stark, but there goes one form the other campus :)
Nikolaj Coster Waldau in a very short intervie, talks a little bit about his character (the part I do understand) and a little bit about the winter. (The part I do not understand at all!).
We need someone speaking danish, urgently, cause I have transleted it to my self by google translator and it is awful!
The_Rabbit01Quote Reply
Yes, it's from Your Highness.
Film producer Mark Huffam and willow weaver Clive Lyttle talk about working on Your Highness:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_irela…
MauberlyQuote Reply
Pictures of Shane's castle
http://riverbannloughneagh.org/ShanesCastle.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dickyhart/sets/72157…
http://www.well.com/~marlah/albumns/ireland/shane…
NymeriaQuote Reply
Another one
Still need some danish people overhere :)
The_Rabbit01Quote Reply
… and some more
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/73312…
http://z.about.com/d/goireland/1/0/D/I/-/-/shanes…
http://img3.photographersdirect.com/img/13886/wm/…
http://www.stockphotopro.com/photo-thumbs-2/AK2TP…
NymeriaQuote Reply
It occurred to me that the ruined parts of Shane's Castle might be perfect for Castle Black. Much like Castle Black, the grounds around Shane's seem to be a series of widely separated buildings. A tower here, a structure there…that sort of thing.
BrudeQuote Reply
Working on a translation from Danish with my knowledge of Scandinavian languages :P be back soon
Marko HladnikQuote Reply
You bean counters have forgotten Morocco, if the N. Ireland Budget is $45 mil, how much on top of that is Morocco, I figure another $10-12 mil, so $55-57 total for first season.
JonasQuote Reply
Coster Waldau says he hasn't received the script yet but they'll start filming around July 1.
MauberlyQuote Reply
I'm Swedish, which means I can understand some Danish if given enough time :) I took a shot at translating that article – a Dane could do it alot better I'm sure, some of it makes no sense to me :)
But here we go:
Coster-Waldau in big american tv-series
The people behind megahits such as Sopranos, Deadwood and Rome have started to produce the tv-series "Game of Thrones" and the danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is in it.
In november the pilot was made and HBO has now given the green light for the production of 10 episodes of the series, which is a kind of fantasy story set in a fictional version of the 16th-17th century England, without magic.
- There's not all this overnatural stuff going on, like it does in Harry Potter but the entire story takes place on the brink of winter. If nothing is done about it, everyone will succumb to the winter, NCW explains to DR Kultur.
The tv-series are based on the series of novels called "A Song of Ice and Fire", written by George R.R. Martin, and the books already have many lyoal fans that are waiting anxiously for the tv-series.
<The second headline does not make sense to me xD>
The chances of succes are not lessened by the fact that it is HBO that produces the series and that it is the same crew that has stood behind huge hits like Deadwood, Rome and especially Sopranos.
-"Game of Thrones" have a bit of the same stuff with rival families. I play the queen's twin brother, who is soon established as bad guy #1, but as we also see in Sopranos, characters are not simply black or white. They have a reason for doing the things they do, says NCW.
The first 10 episodes will air in one year.
@AshandereiQuote Reply
I feel like I missed something in the part about the winter :)
@AshandereiQuote Reply
Here's the translation (partially summarized) of the first one:
People behind hits such as The Sopranos, Deadwood, and Rome started working on the tv series "Game of Thrones" and the danish actor NCW is part of it. In November they shot the pilot and now they have been given green light to produce 10 episodes of the series, which is a kind of a downplayed fantasy story from a fictional counterpart of 16th/17th century England without magic.
Nikolaj's comment: There's not much supernatural happening such as in HP, but everything takes place under the threat of winter. If you don't do anything, you get exposed to winter.
The series is an adaptation of GRRM's novels which have a lot of fans now eagerly waiting for it. Block headline: Many layers to the characters. The chances for success are helped by the fact that HBO is doing it.
Nikolaj's comment: GOT is like these other HBO series, as there are rival families. I am playing the queen's twin brother, and he is presented as a bad guy number one, but as we were used from Sopranos, the characters are not simply black and white. There's a reason behind their actions.
American viewers will see it in a year.
Marko HladnikQuote Reply
was that in one of Rabbit's interviews?
NymeriaQuote Reply
Second: Same intro, they call his role a main one in this big series. He's looking forward to start shooting (again). NEWS: He says he know both other actors AND the director from the pilot already. It's a fantastic world being created. A very intense drama set in it. Not received the manuscript yet, starting 1st July. An expensive series, compared to Rome in size. Premiere scheduled for spring 2011.
Marko HladnikQuote Reply
Translation :) Not fluent in Danish yet, but I can get by!
Waldau a leading role in major American series
The Danish actor Nicolai Coster -Waldau has been given one of the leading roles in the American mega-hit, Game of Thrones.
The U.S. production company HBO will soon start filming their new mega-hit, medieval-fantasy series, 'Game of Thrones'. One of the leading roles in this huge production has been taken up by the Danish actor, Nicolai Coster-Waldau.
And he looks forward to getting started with the filming.
"I am totally game to get started. I know both the director (Tom McCarthy, Ed.) and the other actors from the pilot episode. It is a fantastic world that has been created. It is a very intense drama that takes place across parallel worlds,” he says to ekstrabladet.dk.
The actor agrees that it will be a huge hit.
"I have not received the script yet, but we will start around July 1, and I'll play one of the key roles in history. It is a relatively expensive series and can probably best be compared with the series 'Rome', when we're talking about size," he says.
The series premiere is scheduled for Spring 2011 for the first season, which will have ten episodes.
HBO has previously been behind shows such as 'Band of Brothers', 'Rome' and 'Deadwood'.
Stella MarisQuote Reply
What may be miniscule to one person could be a big deal to someone else. Thus, while thrilled, I still have my concerns but expect that everything will turn out fine. For instance, I'm still quite a bit perturbed about Faramir capturing and taking Frodo and Samwise toward Minas Tirith, but still find all three of those films enjoyable. What you call nitpicking, I call being critical. My opinion is just as valid as yours (unless you're George R.R. Martin).
ToddQuote Reply
It's from the latter, Avisen's article.
MauberlyQuote Reply
From what I gathered he means that he knows the actors/director because he worked with them on the pilot? Part about starting in July is interesting though
@AshandereiQuote Reply
Yes, but unless he was misquoted, this implies that McCarthy is going to direct more than just the pilot …
Marko HladnikQuote Reply
Was looking for danish, not slovenian.! :)
Thank you!
The_Rabbit01Quote Reply
So… he's going to direct the whole season 1? As far as I know they'll not shoot in chronological order. It'd be difficult to change the director in the middle of the season.
MauberlyQuote Reply
I w–
It–
I'm going to just be quiet now.
About Yea HighQuote Reply
Thanks to everyone for the translation!
It is interesting about McCarhy. Who knows?!
Maybe, he will do some more.
The_Rabbit01Quote Reply
I've no idea. Just trying to make sense of the quote …
Marko HladnikQuote Reply
Cool pics!
Thanky a lot.
This riverbank site is wonderfull – got a lots of ideas at once.
The_Rabbit01Quote Reply
=D
toddQuote Reply
It's possible that McCarthy will be directing more than one episode, but not the entire season. I can't remember any HBO series that had the same director for an entire season.
nicoleQuote Reply
Kind of off topic, but have TV zombies or anyone else contacted you, Winter, for another podcast or the like since the anouncement?
dizzy34Quote Reply
Haha actually not bad! I am not fluent myself (better in Swedish, I have to admit) but thank goodness it's in text because I sure as hell couldn't translate from a speaking Dane :P
The second headline means something like "Multi-faceted" or "Multi-layered" – it ties in with the whole not black-and-white thing.
Stella MarisQuote Reply
Thinking back to GoT, there is SOOO many more important characters to cast… Can't wait for the clues to start arriving!
Would be also nice to get another big name or two attached to the production, not because it needs it, but just to get more people watching – got to ensure we get seven seasons some how…
HostylQuote Reply
I wonder if Shane's Castle was used for the Winterfell crypts? I don't believe we ever knew where that scene was filmed (it was at least partly filmed before they filmed in the paint hall though).
The flicker page talks about tunnels under the castle/crypt
MormegilQuote Reply
caught this interesting tweet from chronarda_ru – a diagram comparing GoT's presumed budget per episode with other shows
http://7kingdoms.ru/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/di…
@AshandereiQuote Reply
Good thing I did not bother trying to translate that one then :)
"Flere lag i figurerne" my best guess was swedish "Flera lag figurerar" or something similar xD
Which translates into "Featuring several factions." Not untrue, but misses the mark by quite a bit :)
@AshandereiQuote Reply
From the article: "I've never been so excited for a project I know so little about. HBO picked up the rights to the fantasy novel series A Song of Ice and Fire three years ago, and pasty basement-dwellers like myself have been hitting refresh on our browsers ever since, just waiting for news on the project's status."
spacechampionQuote Reply
it's funny cuz its true :)
@AshandereiQuote Reply
I would like to see the pilot now please.
viewer/reader/fanQuote Reply
Typically, there are multiple directors, but it's common for one or a few directors to do many episodes. Michael Apted did the few two or three episodes of "Rome," which kind of set the tone for the rest of the series. Might be what they are doing with McCarthy.
BrudeQuote Reply
Just yesterday I was posting here, very happy indeed that the show got the go-ahead and had something good to look forward to watch on TV in a year's time more or less. Then I started reading the other comments here and what do you know, some people have already started complaining, only a few days after the effort and work put in to see this become reality by soo many other enthusiatic individuals. The complains range from the fact that the snow in the first official still released, does not look real enough, to the colour of the horse and the number of episodes HBO ordered for the first season…(PART I)
loco73Quote Reply
Are you f**king kidding me?!?!?! I am not saying that people can't express their opinions, for that is one of the reasons this website is here for, and of course everybody is entitled to their own take on all of this. But first wait to have something to critcize and complain about. The freaking pilot is not ever ready yet, it is still in post-production…principal photograpy for the first episodes is 3 months away, which means that in the meantime there will be quite a lot pre-production taking place to add and build up the resources that were already gathered for the pilot. Yet people complain before even a goddamn single frame of the show has even aired?! What the f*ck?!!? If the show airs and it truly blows, then yeah, have a field day tearing it down! (PART II)
loco73Quote Reply
For the snow, this is just a still, we have no way to say what it will look like once the pilot is polished and ready for release. I remember when I first saw some of the first stills from "John Adams", there were a few shots in winter, with Adams on his horse riding through the snow, and the look was almost the same as in this one. There was some real snow and some fake snow I guess. But once I saw the miniseries, everything was so well done the those details did not stand out at all. (PART III)
loco73Quote Reply
Then for the damn horse… For me the point of a successfull adaptation of a book into either a movie or a TV series, is to keep the spirit of it intact. If the aim of this series is to slavishly try and reproduce every single damn detail from the books just for the purpose of putting it on-screen, without taking into account the essence of the novels, then I'll tell you right now, this will be a very short lived effort, and will be aborted (pun intended) faster than you can blink. (PART IV)
loco73Quote Reply
Peter Jackson knew that and was very careful and meticulous about preserving the overall framework and including as much from the books as possible, but he also had to incorporte his own vision and his own interpretation of the LOTR trilogynot just Tolkien's. In contrast Chris Weitz who directed the first installment of "His Dark Materials", "The Golden Compass", a wonderful, wonderful series of novels, reproduced the environment of the first book quite faithfully, but he bungled the ideas, concepts and main points of the storyline and the characters, the end result was a mediocre movie, that was not engaging, memorable or interesting. I genuinely feel sorry that Philip Pullman and his outstanding work got shortchanged. (PART V)
loco73Quote Reply
Of course details are important, and I am quite certain that the creators of the show will strive for an authentic, vivid and complex look for this show. Every HBO series, miniseries and movies which I own on DVD, have never been a letdown in so far as production, special effects, sets, locations, soundtrack, costumes, visual effects and all the rest, nevermind directing, screenplays and acting. From "Spawn: The Animated Series", "OZ" and "The Wire", to "Carnivale", "Deadwood" and "ROME", "Six Feet Under" and "Sex And The City", from "Band Of Brothers", "Generation Kill" to "John Adams" and "Elizabeth I", "The Gathering Storm" and "Into The Storm" as well as many others, I got to say that HBO has never dissapointed (other than prematurely cancelling some of the shows). (PART VI)
loco73Quote Reply
. This 20+ episode concept per season is pretty much a phenomenon confined to North America (if you don't count telenovelas), in the rest of the world, including Canada, most large scale shows only last 10 to 13 episodes. Also the number of seasons is limited. As Ronald D. Moore showed with "Battlestar Galactica", you don't need 10 seasons to complete the storyarch you have in mind. While I would most definitely like "Game Of Thrones" to last the full 7 seasons, if they decide to combine some of the books and include let's say two in a season, bringing down the number of seasons to 5, I would not mind, provided that it covers the entire span of ASOIF. I would rather have 5 good seasons that deal with George RR Martin's complete saga, than a cancelled show (of course Martin has to yet complete the novels). (PART IX)
loco73Quote Reply
One last thing in this overlong and boring comment. This show's success and viability will significantly depend on attracting new fans and new admirers and expanding the audience as well as adding new readers and followers to Martin himself. No matter how many ASOIF fans there are, all of them combined are not enough to keep HBO producing the series if new audience members don't tune in. Comments such as some I've mentioned , do nothing but turn people off. Frankly if I were not familiar with George RR Martin's work and the development of this series, and I came here and read those postings with arguments from how the snow looks and the colour of a horse, I would think that there are definitely too many geeks and nerds with too much time on their hands. Considering what is going on throughout the world right this minute, even having the opportunity to have this show is a luxury and quite lucky beyond belief! (PART X)
loco73Quote Reply
I am not rich and don't have a lot of money, so for me the decision to subscribe to HBO will be quite contentious, but I will do it because I love ASOIF and think is worth it. Moreover I will most likely fork over more cash and buy the DVD set (hopefully sets) of the series… There is nothing more counterproductive and a sure as s*it way of turning away new fans than talking crap and spouting the kind of nonesense I've seen here in certain postings.
So please keep that in mind when vomitting that kind of meaningless drivel for all the rest of us who perhaps are not "superfans" and have no idea about every tiny detail of the novels! I am trying to put this as nicely as possible… Have a nice day :-) (PART XI)
loco73Quote Reply
Breathe in. Breathe out. Ahhh. Doesn't that feel better?
People are always going to nitpick. Always. Some people, just by the nature of who they are, prefer to see the minute flaws in everything rather than appreciate the big picture.
The best one can do is let them have their little nitpick party. You don't need to get wrapped up in that negative energy, you can just shrug your shoulders, shake your head, and move on. You sound very passionate about the series, and we need more positive passion here! :)
Stella MarisQuote Reply
Loco73…dude. Calm the *bleep* down. We're allowed to discuss both good and bad points about something – even a promo picture – even if we are fans of the series and are looking forward to the HBO production. Just because we're fans doesn't mean we can't dislike certain aspects of an adaptation. No one here made a big deal of it – we simply brought up a few points and a bit of a CIVIL discussion was had, at the end of which everyone pretty much said the same thing regardless of their opinion on the small issues they might have had: We look forward to the show despite them.
Now chill out. If you don't like or want to take part in a discussion that criticizes aspects of the series, that's fine – but we do have a right to our own opinions without having to endure name calling and spamming.
Sarah CushawayQuote Reply
"Considering what is going on throughout the world right this minute, even having the opportunity to have this show is a luxury and quite lucky beyond belief!"
well i have to agree… though i don't think anyone here was bad intentioned…let's keep the level of the discussions high guys…that's exactly why the wic family is so different and important after all
@JehphgQuote Reply
I can't handle myself: look at the nitpicker nitpicking at the nitpickers.
Why are some people seeing this snow-discussion as a negativity. I think about 8 people commented on it, and probably 3 said they were dissapointed. Do you really think new fans are scared away by those 8 comments, or will they get excited by the 250 "yeeeeeeeeeeeaahaaaaaaaaaaaa this is the best day of my life!!!" comments. Viewers don't get scared away by other viewers, they get scared away with pink snow. Hell, I personally don't even believe the new fans are reading the comments. I'd like to stay away from spoilers as much as I can.
Concluding: sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeit
KnurkQuote Reply
Sorry, it was not my intention to offend…just wanted to express my opinion, as everybody else did… Unfortunately I ended up with a very long comment and split it up in too many parts…I did not want to spam, not bring down the level or quality of postings here!
So, yeah I do nitpick the nitpickers, I know it is hypocritical to acuse other people of the very think you end up doing…still I ended up spilling the beans anyways…LOL! Yeah, of course I won't be deterred by a few comments from enjoying either the books or the series…I'm not saying that people are badly intentioned when they make certain comments (just as I wasn't), but still I am free to respond… They want to discuss some aspects, and I am entitled to answer and give my two, well in this case eleven cents!
That is all, I don't want to bring any negativity here, so sorry for some of my strongly worded parts of the message…I'll try to keep things in perspective next time…
loco73Quote Reply
While I've never read the LoTR books I'm assuming that what you mentioned didn't happen in the story, or happened differently. There's a difference between a changing of the plot and the changing of the scenery (wooded forest or small clearing or cleft of rock). I'll be as critical as the next guy if they start changing plot points and storylines…
ScottQuote Reply
I tend to agree that there is very little (if any) "new" fans that will be reading this site… more likely the "new" fans will not have even heard about this series yet, or (at most) seen the short articles confirming the series pick up… they wont become "new" fans until the series itself airs.
And the only reasons small nitpicky issues like snow are being discussed is:
1. Everybody is so excited to (finally) see a still picture of the production; and
2. There are many people like me on this board who look forward to checking WiC every day (well every half hour more precisely), and with no big news since the announcement, need SOMETHING to discuss. Until WiC puts up a new (blow-your-mind) topic, i'm sorry loco73, but you will be stuck with nitpicking.
HostylQuote Reply
LOL….I guess I am….anyways Mea Culpa..
loco73Quote Reply
they probably did then swung around for an approach.
iceQuote Reply
lets go with a light snow over mossy ground.
iceQuote Reply
Dude, the horse isn't even inaccurate. It's accurate. The book says Will has a "shaggy little garron" but not its color. Moreover no one would really care if it did. For example the details of the plot of the end of the prologue are all different, but no one much cares because it's the same idea, just simplified a little. The idea that the Watch all has black horses is ridiculous of course.
But we don't have much to talk about, so we have to talk about stuff like that.
pualoQuote Reply
Man. Still just taking that photo in… This is gonna be good! My thoughts on the capture.
First the snow. Call me kooky but I think it looks perfect. Remember in the scene how cold it is in the Haunted Forest that night. The unnatural cold of the Others is making things even chillier than they usually are. There would be no melt whatsoever at that camp. If the snow had just fallen (it looks like it has since the bodies are partly covered) then its entirely believable for the wind to sweep bits of powder onto the trees ect. There could be icy frost beginning to form on the trunks as well. It looks fabulous from where I stand.
By the way, do we know if this is a screen shot of the finished episode? If not there still may be some computer enhancement that comes with the post-production that might make it look more palettable to some of the nay-sayers (see John Adams), but again, to my eye it is just right.
Lord Ned's HeadQuote Reply
Next, the overall texture of the shot absolutely screams A Song of Ice and Fire. Its gritty, stark and maybe even a little (intentionally)out of focus. When I first saw the shot I had to do a double and triple take to make sure I was viewing a live image and not a painter's rendition of the scene. I don't know the first thing about cinematography and different lens types, lighting ect., but if the rest of the series looks this good, well…all I can say is that George seriously better get to writing because HBO may end up matching the written series book for season.
Its better than anything I could have hoped for (Please just keep this level of quality coming)!!!
P.S. @Michael S. Its great to see you joining in with some positive feedback for a change! I know you calls em as you sees (or hears) 'em but I just feel better when you are giddy rather than pensive!
Lord Ned's HeadQuote Reply
But, but, but…the Nazgul all had cool, black horses…
BrudeQuote Reply
Snow can look and behave very differently based on the temperature, region, altitude, and overall climate. Anyone who's been to both New England and Colorado would agree with me that even within the U.S. there are different types of snow. If someone looks outside the window of their house and then uses that snow as a benchmark to grade the realistic look of this snow, that person is an idiot.
It's called a "willing suspension of disbelief", and it's important to all books, movies, and tv shows. If you can find it in yourself to enjoy a story told in the fictional land of Westeros, you can probably just accept the damn snow.
Either way, stop critiquing this image as people involved in this project do read this blog, and if I were them I'd be less likely to release production images if they think they are only going to get nitpicked to death by an ungrateful fan base.
GeorgeQuote Reply
If Showtime can do it with "The Tudors" and even Starz with "Spartacus: Blood And Sand", I gather that HBO will do it with "A Song Of Ice And Fire". Plus let's not forget that the BBC is also involved!(PART VII)
loco73Quote Reply
As for the 10 episode format, I for one think that it is much better that way. For one, the available production budget can be better spent and allocated to a smaller number of episodes, meaning that each episoded will have on average more money available than if a season contained 12 or 15 episodes, and second the producers will be able to have a better grip on spending and escalating costs, which are usually one of the main causes for a show's premature demise. I like this format much better, if it guarantees a complete run for the series. (Part VIII)
loco73Quote Reply
This right here would make the most sense.
Stella MarisQuote Reply
So, off the snow and horse for a minute:
Quite awhile ago, some people were playing around with google insights, a tool that shows search trends, trying to gauge interest in GoT. Well… There is an interesting trend as of late.
Pretty well expected from the huge number of sites reporting on it, but it's yet another fact for the… uh… success pile?
On another note, seems like there's more productive nitpicking we could be doing. Not that discussing the snow and horse is wrong, but there should be at least a few incredibly tenuous and harebrained predictions to make based on the picture. Seems more interesting to me than debating whether something is slightly disappointing or not. For instance, we know how some wildlings and Will are going to dress. Looks like the costumes will be pretty sweet, but more than that it looks like there should be some good contrast between different groups. Granted, they'd have to go way off-book to NOT do that with the Watch and Wildlings (all black, motley furs respectively), but it could've been less distinctive.
I for one am hoping we get distinctive clothing styles for most major regions and groups: should help new viewers, for instance, if we can tell in seconds whether the random guard we're looking at is a Stark or a Lannister. It should also make the show more visually appealing if done right. Not talking full-on uniforms, but differing palettes and materials (duller, coarser=probably stark, brighter, finer=probably lannister) reasonably visible crests where appropriate, etc. In the books, we know people are Lannister or whoever guards because George writes "Lannister guards". On the screen, especially for new fans, it'll be good if the visuals serve the same purpose. The picture gives me some vague, tenuous reasons to think this might be the case.
DemokritosQuote Reply
So, off the snow and horse for a minute:
Quite awhile ago, some people were playing around with google insights, a tool that shows search trends, trying to gauge interest in GoT. Well… There is an interesting trend as of late.
Pretty well expected from the huge number of sites reporting on it, but it's yet another fact for the… uh… success pile?
On another note, seems like there's more productive nitpicking we could be doing. Not that discussing the snow and horse is wrong, but there should be at least a few incredibly tenuous and harebrained predictions to make based on the picture. Seems more interesting to me than debating whether something is slightly disappointing or not. For instance, we know how some wildlings and Will are going to dress. Looks like the costumes will be pretty sweet, but more than that it looks like there should be some good contrast between different groups. Granted, they'd have to go way off-book to NOT do that with the Watch and Wildlings (all black, motley furs respectively), but it could've been less distinctive.
I for one am hoping we get distinctive clothing styles for most major regions and groups: should help new viewers, for instance, if we can tell in seconds whether the random guard we're looking at is a Stark or a Lannister. It should also make the show more visually appealing if done right. Not talking full-on uniforms, but differing palettes and materials (duller, coarser=probably stark, brighter, finer=probably lannister) reasonably visible crests where appropriate, etc. In the books, we know people are Lannister or whoever guards because George writes "Lannister guards". On the screen, especially for new fans, it'll be good if the visuals serve the same purpose. The picture gives me some vague, tenuous reasons to think this might be the case.
DemokritosQuote Reply
Hi everybody. I just found this site yesterday from the TV Blogs What' s Alan Watching? and Mo Ryan's <i<The Watcher I'm generally not a fiction reader and so it's not surprising that I've never even heard of Game of Thrones. However, those blog write-ups have me thinking that I might want to read the book, but I'm kind of afraid that it might take a lot of the enjoyment out of the TV series for me. For example, my friend is a big fan of all the True Blood books, but can derive no enjoyment out of the HBO series because it's so different form the books, she says. I, on the other hand, having not read the books, get a kick out of the TV show.
Any strong feelings one way or the other from you Thrones experts on if I should read the book first, or wait and read it after the first season of the TV series airs? Thanks.
OaktownGirlQuote Reply
Point taken. I do think it is in the nature of fans to debate these minor issues at great length; I don't think the back-and-forth about the snow or the horse's color is meant as criticism but rather just fans comparing the vision in their heads to the vision on the screen – and then hashing over the cognitive dissonance.
As others have pointed out, it's really a matter of us just wanting to talk about the image in as much detail as possible. Since the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, on all fronts, it didn't seem that arguing about the snow was that potentially insulting.
So to whomever out there is the project's Snow Person, my apologies. I'm sure it looks awesome in the pilot and our comments here simply result from the fact that we only have the one striking production image to salivate over. Moreover, in the last few months some of us have gotten more then enough of the many kinds of snow to last a lifetime, and we've become a bit snowflake-twitchy. We all can't wait to see the series and please don't let 'Snowgate' convince you otherwise.
AnonQuote Reply
So, off the snow and horse for a minute:
Quite awhile ago, some people were playing around with google insights, a tool that shows search trends, trying to gauge interest in GoT. Well, There is an interesting trend as of late: http://www.google.com/insights/search/#q=%22game%…
Pretty well expected from the huge number of sites reporting on it, but it's yet another fact for the… uh… success pile?
On another note, seems like there's more productive nitpicking we could be doing. Not that discussing the snow and horse is wrong, but there should be at least a few incredibly tenuous and harebrained predictions to make based on the picture. Seems more interesting to me than debating whether something is slightly disappointing or not. For instance, we know how some wildlings and Will are going to dress. Looks like the costumes will be pretty sweet, but more than that it looks like there should be some good contrast between different groups. Granted, they'd have to go way off-book to NOT do that with the Watch and Wildlings (all black, motley furs respectively), but it could've been less distinctive.
I for one am hoping we get distinctive clothing styles for most major regions and groups: should help new viewers, for instance, if we can tell in seconds whether the random guard we're looking at is a Stark or a Lannister. It should also make the show more visually appealing if done right. Not talking full-on uniforms, but differing palettes and materials (duller, coarser=probably stark, brighter, finer=probably lannister) reasonably visible crests where appropriate, etc. In the books, we know people are Lannister or whoever guards because George writes "Lannister guards". On the screen, especially for new fans, it'll be good if the visuals serve the same purpose. The picture gives me some vague, tenuous reasons to think this might be the case.
DemokritosQuote Reply
Damn I wish the comment box had a "preview" function". Apologies for all the italicized text.
OaktownGirlQuote Reply
The head of HBO programming has already pretty much confirmed this to be the case, that each house will distinctive visually and have their own colours etc.. (its in a WiC post from a while back) and I agree that just looking at that picture the customes will be amazing!
AbstractPlainQuote Reply
saluk – thanks for taking the time to write such a thoughtful reply. Much appreciated.
OaktownGirlQuote Reply
Urk dont feed michael, winterscoming has already slapped him down for more unreferenced stuff that anyone could make up and told him to just join in the discussion and stop the 'let me say that they are talking to various people now' type stuff…..
Joss AttridgeQuote Reply
I always go in the other direction, watching adaptions without reading the books spoils the books as almost invariable the books are better than the adaption and if you see the adaption it colours your perception of the characters and activities to the spin the adaption has provided.
Reading the books first on the other hand allows your own imagination to run riot.
With this series the killer is less this (I think) but the fact that people are not going to be able to be surprised. I can easily see a person who has not read the books jumping on the forums to say OMG this just happened and then some idiot replying with well this happens next which explains it or just being smug about knowing what is going on.
Readers of the books will be well aware that early events can take on entirely differing meanings as later events unfold.
Joss AttridgeQuote Reply
I have to weigh in on the snow issue. This was my thought process as I saw the new pic – I was scrolling down so as it came into view I thought:
1) OMFG a member of the Night's Watch! Wooooooooooooo!
2) Oh no. What the hell is up with the snow?? Why isn't that one guy covered in snow AT ALL but the snow around him isn't rucked up with footprints and scuffling? This is going to drive me crazy, especially after a long winter in RL looking at TOO much snow.
I'm serious. I immediately wondered why there were no footprints or messed up snow when that one Wildling had clearly just laid down (and did not get covered in flakes). It's totally nitpicky on my part. But it's not that big a deal because I am SO fricking excited about GoT – it doesn't matter. I'd be lying, though, if I denied that I noticed the snow immediately, in dismay. I'm just saying.
But mad props to the project anyways, of course!
AnonQuote Reply
Having been at Doune while they were filming I can confirm that the Lannisters (red) and Starks (grey/blue) are easily identifiable. There were also people dressed in skins (viking like) who I assumed were the northern Lords.
@JacMac30Quote Reply
@ Lord Ned's Head –
I think that could be a viable reason why snow is on BOTH sides of the trees and seems to have been blown upwards in a rather unnatural way – I hadn't thought of that; what if the Others (who are known to bring cold and snow with them) walked past the trees on either side or something to that affect? Then the snow itself wouldn't look natural.
As for the production team reading these blogs and deciding not to release more promos because of a few discussions and critiques: I highly, highly doubt it. A lot. Especially since they weren't made in a nasty manner, even so – they have an agenda to follow and a handful of comments on a website are not going to stop them from their agenda.
Sarah CushawayQuote Reply
Not everyone is like your friend – it depends on how you will react to differences. If you generally don't read fiction, it might be possible that the differences wouldn't bother you as much – for many readers, the book is their main media, so they will always compare the conversion to it. I am one of those people who enjoy the differences, and like to see how the adaption is done, so I love to read the book first. Often, the extra details in the book can bring out depth that may be lacking from the screen version. You can infer it even if it isn't mentioned. There is a ton of backstory in the Game of Thrones, and it is doubtful it will all make the transition. So far, I think most fans are pretty hopeful that there won't be major changes plot or characterwise, so the extra knowledge you can get from reading the books may make watching the series a bit better than it would be without knowing that.
Still, there will always be moments where your brain cannot reconcile that what you just saw isn't quite the same as you remembered it. It can be confusing :)
I do not think Game of Thrones will steer nearly as far away from its source as True Blood, Dexter, or Legend of the Seeker; most of those took the gem of the idea but made almost completely different works from them. We are all hoping that doesn't happen here!
salukQuote Reply
How good the snow looks is probably not the most important thing that people should be arguing about. I mean, I live in Australia and it looks pretty good to me. :-)
Anyway, the number of episodes seems reasonable compared to the length of the book – ten hours for 800 pages. And the small(ish) budget might be a good thing, as very high budget shows tend to get cancelled.
The thing about A Game of Thrones is the central plot doesn’t have to be changed too much to be “suitable” for TV, so it should (hopefully) follow the books closely. The only problem is dealing with character’s internal thoughts the all the explanations about places and people and historical events, which can be pretty overwhelming.
JustinQuote Reply
Anyone remember Julia's tick from Tollymore?
http://juliasmexicocity.typepad.com/julias_mexico…
My guess its under the second wildling on the left ;)
@JacMac30Quote Reply
In this case, from what we already know from the executive producers and the pilot, they are trying to stay as faithful as possible to the source material. So if you read the books first, you shouldn't end up with the kind of disappointment your friend has with TrueBlood.
Personally, I would recommend reading the books first for the following reasons. The story is very cunningly written. It is complex and involves lots of characters. And it is so full of hidden clues and surprises that you will WANT to read it a second time as soon as you’re finished, just to find out what you missed the first time and how you were deceived. Some characters or details that might appear insignificant at first will become important later.
So by reading the books first, I guarantee you won’t ruin the TV experience (especially since the chances that the quality will be there are pretty good now) because you will enjoy it as you would a second read, and you will be able to get all the tiny details and clues a new viewer wouldn’t catch. Not that a new viewer won’t appreciate the series. But you will be able to enjoy it on a superior level. And you might find it easier to follow all the different plot lines, although I really hope for the sake of this project that they succeed in adapting the story without it being too condensed, overwhelming or confusing for a non-reader (like HP: The half-blood prince, which was ridiculous). But this is a TV series, not a 3-hour movie, so right there, the odds are better.
And I will add that the POV structure of the books is a wonderful aspect of the series you will never experience on TV. GRRM is truly a master.
NymeriaQuote Reply
Early photo's from the set of LotR had fans up in arms as not all the Nazgul had black horses. By the time they were seen on screen though they were all black.
MormegilQuote Reply
Talk about misinterpretation!!!
"According to ‘Game of Thrones’ producer David Beniof, the new series will not reflect the magical elements of Martin’s books and will instead be ‘a bit like “The Sopranos” set in the Middle Ages’."
From: http://www.cphpost.dk/culture/culture/122-culture…
NymeriaQuote Reply
Regarding the snow, I'm not even going to comment about it.
Regarding the horse, it makes so much sense that the horses of the Night Watch are white rather than black or other dark colours. If you're a ranger, you don't want to be seen by your enemy, so in a field full of white snow, it's much more intelligent to have white horses that will not be as easily detected in the snow as black horses would. If you're all dressed in black with a black horse, it would be like screaming "Hey, Other, ya' Wildling,…I'm here, can you see me?? I'm the only moving dark thing in the middle of the white snow!!"
It makes perfect sense to me. And I'm all in favour for things being changed when the changes being made make perfect sense or are improvements on the book.
Cristian ModestoQuote Reply
only in this case, there is no change because nothing in the book says the Night Watch all have black horses.
NymeriaQuote Reply
Yup, pretty sure they didn't get Beniof quite right there.
Marko HladnikQuote Reply
Hah! Well, if it gets people watching, I don't care what's said :P
Stella MarisQuote Reply
Re: 10 eps. I started rereading GoT yesterday (yay!), and was soon struck by just how much happens in the book. I think 10 eps will be fine, but man, every ep should be packed with awesome stuff. That's sometimes one of my gripes with shows– you get to an ep where nothing really happens, and you're sort of waiting around. The pace gets too languid. But GoT keeps it tight.
I think the critique could be made that some of Martin's other books are a bit overlong at times, but GoT is easily the most succinct. I think that will translate to a really intense, riveting 10 eps.
Steve BQuote Reply
Oaktown, I say read the books. First, they're sequential and building, so who knows how far the show will go? And if you'll get to see what the books shows. Also, I think, re: comparisons to True Blood– the problem with that series of books is that they're really too thin plot-wise for a 12 ep show. They're perfect for a movie. Thus, they changed a great deal, and expanded the world. Game of Thrones, and the rest of the series, is practically bulging at the seams, so I think it's more appropriate for a series adaptation.
If I were going to critique Martin as a writer, since you don't read much fiction, I'd say the one gripe is that he's a bit wordy. Game of Thrones is honestly pretty tight, but the editing gets a bit lax as the series continues into the other volumes, IMO. Still, so much happens, and the characters are so dynamic, changing, growing, etc. that the read is still wonderful. Also, in the beginning, Martin is more prone to using linguistic "colloquialisms" to make the world fit in an medeval setting– inversions of words, etc. but that sort of gets left behind more and more as the series continues.
Anyways, figured someone should give some sort of critique of Marin as well. I love him though, and don't really read much fantasy at all. His characters are just so dynamic, and he really puts them through the grinder emotionally. Good stuff.
Steve BQuote Reply
so, why were people complaining about the white horse?
CristianQuote Reply
oh god it took all of 5 minutes for the retarded “OMFG THAT SNOW LOOKS SO FAKE I WOULD KNOW IT SNOWED NEAR MY HOUSE ONCE AND IT LOOKED NOTHING LIKE THAT OMFG THIS IS GOING TO SUCK” comments to start. What’s next? “Will is not sitting on the horse right I saw a horse once and you would not sit like that on a horse.” or, “His cloak makes him look super rich not super poor WTF is this”, or “HAHA YOU CALL THAT TREES HBO SUCKS WHO DIRECTED THIS TRASH?”
Shut the fuck up, and stop being one of “those” people. Those people that obsessively masturbate over minutiae they believe (undoubtedly in their capacity as the local snow/horse sitting/fantasy clothing from afar/whatever guru) are incorrect. Shut up. Go back to writing Hilson fanficks.
Serves me right for reading comments I guess, I’ll just go back to pretending those people don’t exist now.
PhenomQuote Reply
That is the medieval arena from Your Highness at Clandeboye. I did a day's filming in that set and it is very impressive!
Rimshot44Quote Reply
"Serves me right for reading comments I guess"
-Yeah, you really should stop doing that.
sjweningsQuote Reply
What strikes me as ironic is the people being horrible and nasty about those who made a civil critique about a few things.____Really now, kids…grow up. You can discuss things that you like and dislike about a show without acting so immature about it. If you don't like the discussion…that doesn't mean it's invalid and doesn't mean you need to name call and curse and act like middle school kids with the silly insults. There is nothing wrong with discussion about things you like OR dislike about shows or books or anything else. No one is freaking out about it -except- a handful of posters (that are blowing it WAY out of context) who are being a little hypocritical and ranting about those who are having reasonable, mature, civil discussions and NOT resorting to such behavior…____The definition of irony, really.____*shakes head* ____
Sarah CushawayQuote Reply
Because they had a misconception that the Night Watch horses were all black. But the issue has since been clarified.
And though your justification for white horses is valid, I prefer what others suggested before: the Night Watch takes whatever it can get, in terms of men, equipment and horses. So the horses are most likely to vary in color, and a lot of them are probably old, in bad shape or with bad constitution, and in general they are probably no exceptional breeding material.
NymeriaQuote Reply
I would suggest to read the books first as well. I think you will be able to derive just as much enjoyment (if not more) out of the series as a fan of the book. Not to mention you won't be spoiled by reading this or other websites, which is likely going to happen to a lot of fans of the TV show who are watching without having read the books.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
I found this quote on a NCW fansite and thought it might be interested for those who struggle with the name. :)
"I have heard every pronunciation of my name possible over the past 10 days. The J in Nikolaj confuses people — it's pronounced as an I. Sometimes they skip the end and just say Nicola, which is a girl's name. Not good."
http://nikolajcosterwaldau.org/
NymeriaQuote Reply
You can add me to the people complaining about nitpickers moaning about the look of the snow. Enough already.
HunterQuote Reply
While this makes perfect sence, the idea of camouflage goes only so far if you conceal the horse but not the rider. And since their main line of defence is this huge wall of ice, it would be no bad idea to dress the night watch in white…
Meaning: no, they don't give a rats ass about how visible they are. The guy in his huge cape kind of drowns the small white horse.
DunkeltrollQuote Reply
Methinks it is time for a new post.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
Thanks everybody for the tips and insight. Very helpful indeed.
OaktownGirlQuote Reply
9 more episodes seems perfect for season 1.
The pilot episode ends on Bran's fall – which is page 85 in the book.
There are, I think about 820 pages in the book, which places Bran's fall at about 1/10th the way into the book.
9 more episodes, each taking up (very roughly) 85 pages in the book would cover the whole first season.
Dolorous DaveQuote Reply
One last thing. I too recommend reading the books first, ESPECIALLY if you plan to follow the production on blogs and such. If you spend any amount of times in these (or other) forums someone will invariably spoil something that they assume others already know about. DO NOT LET ANYONE SPOIL THESE BOOKS FOR YOU! They are simply incredible.
Gregory KeltonQuote Reply
And here is the kind of spoiler I was talking about above.
Gregory KeltonQuote Reply
Yep, you're right there. It makes perfect sense.
Cristian ModestoQuote Reply
http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/3159/53469062.jp…
Threw this together if anybody is still looking for a wallpaper, it's nothing special.
JohnQuote Reply
LOL…Thanks for that! I posted an (admittedly) overlong comment above on basically the same topic and got shredded for it…But reading a few of the other comments here…I guess I am not the only one who feels the way you do!
EVERYBODY gets to express their opinion, is just that some are not open to any criticism (even if it's strongly worded) and start the whole argument, that the quality of discussion will be brought down, that this damages the civility of people on this blog…..you catch my drift…
All I know is that I am very happy that this series will become a reality, and look forward to seeing it! As for the rest…well I, you put it way better than me :) !
loco73Quote Reply