Filming continues on Game of Thrones and the reports and set photos continue to come in slowly but surely. This past week we’ve had reports that the production has filmed, or will film, at Rowallane Gardens, a private estate near Saintfield, and Saul in County Down. The pic on the right shows Rowallane Gardens which to me would make a perfect Red Keep godswood.
We’ve also had word that Luke McEwan and John Bradley West are both heading to Belfast, which suggests that there will be more filming of Castle Black scenes at Magheramorne quarry soon. In addition, Miltos Yerolemou has revealed he will be heading to Belfast at the end of the month, presumably to film his encounter with the soon-to-be cast Meryn Trant.
And of course, as the post title mentions, we have new set photos courtesy of WiC reader Martin. Both from sets we have seen before, but these photos provide a better and more detailed look. Included is an interesting (as well as gruesome and not safe for work) discovery made at the Tollymore set of what are hopefully props, and not some unlucky extras. Hit us up after the break to view the photos!
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63 Comments
Whoa nice body parts!
dizzy_34Quote Reply
Oh and THAT SNOW LOOKS FAKE!!!!!! :)
dizzy_34Quote Reply
Those parts surely belong to the wildlings who attack the kids in the woods and then are gutted by the wolves? Because Jon’s dead man walking experience is in book two, isn’t it?
Joe AnnaQuote Reply
Joe Anna,
No that’s book one where he takes on the wight and burns his hand. You could be right about the parts though, the others don’t leave parts lying around.
dizzy_34Quote Reply
Ouch. Frak. What scene are those poor devils from? I’m sure I’m forgetting something, because I don’t remember carnage like that cropping up much until Arya’s wanderings in CoK.
InkasrainQuote Reply
I shouldn’t be so excited about severed limbs, but in this case, I am :D
PoggyQuote Reply
dizzy_34,
Really? I thought that happened after Baelor’s steps, but I must have mixed it up with Mormont’s sword present. Thanks for the correction, anyway ;)
I think the thing about the parts gets more likely since these pictures all seem to be from the Winterfell-Set, and the wood where the wolves gut Osha’s fellows is just outside of Winterfells walls…
Joe AnnaQuote Reply
first photo looks more likely to be A garden at Magister Ilyrio’s Household. or possibly water gardens in Dorne for a flashback? Godswoods to me would and should always be somewhat bleak and foreboding with none of the bright flowers seen there. may just be me though.
CrotalidianQuote Reply
Since the various appendages are next to the snow[gate] I guess it’s logical they’re either to do with the prologue (though I don’t remember such carnage) or Osha’s introduction/Grey Wind’s munching.
The only other explanation would be Clegane & co.’s assorted Riverland pillaging, I think…
MurfQuote Reply
Woah, forgot spoiler covering.
Just in case: SPOILERS ABOVE! :(
MurfQuote Reply
Joe Anna,
Baelor’s Steps were about 80% of the way through the book as I recall.
dizzy_34Quote Reply
Yup I don’t remember there being as many bodys in the prologue section – they would be either the remains of a Wildling skirmish, or more likely from another segment all together.
Of course, they could just be the remains of the last people trying to grab a few photos of the set.
Martin
MartinQuote Reply
If they are filming in Rowallane in the next few weeks – doen’t forget it is heading into Winter, so unless they plan on populating the gardens with lots of plastic roses it is going to look a bit sparse.
I suspect they could be filming the godswood scenes there (amongst others) – there are quite a few famous trees there that would be very suitable.
Martin
MartinQuote Reply
Martin,
You have a damn good camera!
And thank you for sharing this with us :)
The RabbitQuote Reply
very nice pictures, the light was good and you know how to compose a photo… I’m drooling to see these landscapes coming alive on screen !
AltaïrQuote Reply
I fully admit that I know nothing of film making, but I hoped they wouldn’t need to blow up quite so many balloons to make this show…
ManBearSquidQuote Reply
Thanks, wasn’t just me my other half (pam) took some of them too (probably the better ones).
Martin
MartinQuote Reply
The camera may be excellent, the photos would’nt be that good without a good photographer behind it :)
AltaïrQuote Reply
cool photos! thanks!
Damryn of DorneQuote Reply
Altaïr,
Yeah, probably :)
But you can not take such a nice and clear photos with mobile phone camera neither.
The RabbitQuote Reply
My money is also on those body parts belonging to the unfortunate wildlings in the Wolfswood that attack Bran and Robb, of whose band Osha is a part. That’s where the most serious direwolf carnage appears in the books. The only other serious possibility is the Battle of the Whispering Wood, where Grey Wind acquits himself admirably on the battlefield. Don’t think they’re filming that yet, though, while the first option is a much closer fit.
Ser_GQuote Reply
New Joe Campo video!
Great pics, btw. The severed limbs are shocking! I think I might start avoiding these set pics, though, so I don’t spoil too much for myself.
Who am I kidding, I don’t have that kind of will power. :)
LexQuote Reply
*funny*
But it does make me wonder what all the helium (assuming that’s what’s in there) is for.
SleekyQuote Reply
Attention iPhone/iPad users
I have had some trouble reading comments on my iPad because it’s hard to get through the spoiler protections. I found a way to solve the problem and I thought I would share it with you all. This is probably useful for some other platforms as well.
The following is a javascript “bookmarklet” that will reveal everything inside the spoiler tags. You can test it by clicking on the link (DON’T do it if you don’t want to see spoilers).
I’ll let you google for how to install the bookmarklet in your bookmarks, as it can be a little tricky.
Bookmark this link
pualoQuote Reply
pualo,
Okay, the forum software messed up my link. Let me see if I can get it in here in text form:
javascript:styles=’b%20{color:%20white%20!important;}’;%20newSS%20=%20document.createElement(‘link’);%20newSS.rel%20=%20′stylesheet’;%20newSS.href%20=%20′data:text/css,’%20+%20escape(styles);%20document.documentElement.childNodes[0].appendChild(newSS);%20void%200
pualoQuote Reply
And if that didn’t work, just go to this site and create the bookmarklet yourself. The style I used is just this:
b {color: white !important;}
Note to site admins: you might want to consider adding a link on the story pages that has this javascript in it. That way people could just click (touch) it instead of having to create a bookmarklet.
pualoQuote Reply
Guys… It is the fake snow – it is pressurized in those canisters. Like an aerosol spray – or silly string.
OhDanyBoyQuote Reply
OT:
New podcast from George over at Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy via io9:
http://io9.com/5656513/geeks-guide-to-the-galaxy-a-song-of-ice-and-fire-hbo-clifford-the-big-red-dog
He talks about ASoIaF, HBO’s GoT, his other recent works, and more!
Stella MarisQuote Reply
Oh, and one other thing…since I work with a lot of these things in a scientific capacity, I do feel like I can contribute something to the speculation…
Those cylinders do contain helium and not any other kind of inert gas. See the EU gas cylinder color codes. Helium is a brown cylinder.
I have no idea why they would need helium specifically to spread artificial snow or have it snowing during a shoot. Helium is, comparatively, very expensive in relation to other pressurized inert gases (air, nitrogen, etc.) If it truly is used for the artificial snow, any reason why it is used as opposed to some other gas that would justify its extra expense?
Probably WAY more than you needed to know, but just putting it out there.
Stella MarisQuote Reply
Those are some gnarly looking wounds on those props. I’m no forensic expert but those don’t look like they were caused by swords. I would agree with the guess that it is for the wildling attack on Winterfell but who knows… maybe they wanted to add some carnage to the prologue or maybe it is some scene that we don’t know about…
Looks pretty gruesome either way. I wonder if all the props are used or if just a bunch of things they can choose from… seems like a lot of dead bodies if they are all being used.
ChrisQuote Reply
pualo,
I just hit the “quote” and the spoiler goes away, then just hit the “back” arrow.
OldGranQuote Reply
The body parts don’t look that real to me, and even if it is because they have been somewhat frozen and leathered, with that much carnage, shouldn’t there be a whole lot more blood on the ground? Well, unless the body parts were carried there after death and freezing, anyhow.
Kai Alexis PriceQuote Reply
Kai Alexis Price,
you’re kidding right?
KnurkQuote Reply
Can’t wait to see the Winterfell godswood. Want to see something amazing.
In the preview though it didn’t look like Ned was cleaning his sword in the godswood. I dunno.
houndQuote Reply
Pretty sure the pic is just of them lying there before being used in an actual scene: so they won’t look like that. They will be clothed, with a bunch of special effects added (fake blood, etc).
OhDanyBoyQuote Reply
I doubt the pictures of the body parts are finalized set shots. Before shooting, they will probably be partially covered in snow, and yes, they can always add more blood to the scene. Likely, they were still setting up the scene and trying out different arrangements of the parts.
They look plenty real enough to me, especially considering that they are in full view and without any Hollywood magic to put on the finishing touches in post-pre.
Jaqen H’GharQuote Reply
Hmmm… is it possible they used the helium to fill large balloons/tarps to block out light from above? The only reason helium would be used (considering the expense) is for its buoyancy. So, something is floating…
Whether that would be a light-block, or even something to do with the snow (maybe something to make the snow fall from above?), is anyone’s guess. Unless one of our extras has any insight?
OhDanyBoyQuote Reply
Stella Maris,
Looks like they are more seriously considering doing ASoS over 2 seasons, although he also mentions HBO’s variable-length seasons so a super-long third season is also possible. He also suggests that ACoK/Season 2 could be 11-12 episodes.
He also responds to the age-old, “What if they catch up? ARRGH!” question in an interesting manner. Second time that he’s said that his goal for Books 6-7 is 2.5-3 years each, which will keep him ahead of HBO.
Adam WhiteheadQuote Reply
This is pure speculation on my part about the helium as I have no experience whatsoever but could it be used to aerate the fake snow in order to make it lighter thus causing it float and drift down in a more cinematically pleasing fashion?
gofalconsQuote Reply
Bahahahah…. Severed-Limb-Gate is already underway, I see.
Anyway, the new Joe Campo video is hilarious! Check it out if you haven’t seen it yet.
LexQuote Reply
boobies!!
c0venantQuote Reply
That was my gut reaction too.
OhDanyBoyQuote Reply
Incorrect. The fake snow is in the pile of bags.
Seen here
They are not in the canisters of Helium.
However would you really need something lighter than air as an aerosol? Why not just a regular air compressor?
gofalcons has a point that it could be used to make the flakes fall more slowly, but that just seems like a rather large expense for something that I imagine could be added in post with CGI. Especially considering what HBO was able to accomplish with John Adams:
Seen here
SleekyQuote Reply
Sleeky,
Alright, glad that’s clarified!
So now the real speculation begins…what the heck is the helium for? Maybe Martin could help out?
Stella MarisQuote Reply
Lol, he’s very funny :D
Joe AnnaQuote Reply
Aww heck. Just make him one of the extras.
Blind begger #4 in Kings Landing. :)
SleekyQuote Reply
Or they use the helium to create the voice of the Other and make a comedic character of him, Waymar laughs at him and then gets gruesomly killed.
KnurkQuote Reply
Regarding the body parts.
I’m not sure they are from the Direwolves Vs Wildings battle/slaughterfest for one there seems to be too many bodies if we go by the books and second the bodies seem too weathered rather than fresh as they would be.
To me the condition and numbers of the bodies suggest they are from the prologue or possibly another new scene from north of the Wall.
Of course the show may have upped the numbers in the D vs W scene and the props look weathered because they’ve been left out in the Irish weather. ;)
MormegilQuote Reply
My guess is the helium has nothing to do with the fake snow.
It’s a night scene and they might be using it to fill up some sort of lighting balloon to float over the trees to simulate moonlight. There are many such balloons in use in film and it’s a great way to light an outdoor set at night.
BrudeQuote Reply
Brude,
Neat! Learn something new everyday.
I definitely thing that would make a lot of sense. Thanks, Brude.
Stella MarisQuote Reply
I am currently rereading GOT and just went through the attack on Bran/Robb in the wolfswood by the wildlings/Osha. The intestine hanging out is a dead give away that a direwolf , I believe it was Summer, was having his way with Hali.
CaesarSnowQuote Reply
While Brude’s suggestion of lighting balloons may seem like the likely answer, I have it from confidential HBO sources that they’re actually filming the snow scenes up-side-down and filling millions of tiny, white balloons with helium so the snow “falls” in the right direction.
I was assured that each of the millions of balloons was crafted in a unique shape. Just another point proving how dedicated HBO is to the series!
ManBearSquidQuote Reply
Wow! Getting suction cups for all the actors to walk on the ceilings must be a real pain.
Guess Robert wasn’t red-faced from all that drinking after all.
SleekyQuote Reply
Couple of things:
The body parts were definitely not ‘placed’ they were just grouped together off to one side (not even on the main part of the set) I didn’t want to go trampsing over any part of the set.
I don’t think the helium is necessarily for balloons to block the light – the trees are pretty tall (by UK standards anyway) – if anything they would have to add lighting, even during the day. There were a lot of lighting rigs dotted around the place.
I suspect it is something to do with creating a snow fall effect. Sure you can do that with CGI, but I guess it is probably a lot cheaper to simulate it on set, plus you would get a more natural snow fall on the bodies.
It also looks as though they have been filming there over a course of a few weeks now, that would suggest that the sequence may be longer than just the prologue.
I would love to get down there during shooting (again today passed a lot of TV vehicles heading back towards Belfast from Tollymore direction when I was on the way back from work). I think their security will be a lot better during filming though.
I too thought the bodies looked a little unrealistic, but they were lacking any dressing – and they may only be viewed from a distance.
Martin
MartinQuote Reply
Great grafic pics:)
Petter Kristian VikestadQuote Reply
Thanks for the great pics Martin!
OllieQuote Reply
New dispach from HBO on the Making Game of Thrones site.
http://www.makinggameofthrones.com/production-diary/2010/10/6/dispatches-from-the-seven-kingdoms.html
GrimtuesdayQuote Reply
in the wildings/direwolves fight in the forest there wasnt that many wildlings, unless they only use a few of those parts thats outta the question, and in the prologue Will said they looked as though the bodies were sleeping, not butchered, they couldnt have been those wildlings. :)
MuSeQuote Reply
Why are they naked?
schpatQuote Reply
schpat,
Cool photos!
Pic 17 is Two Feather’s Blacksmith’s shop!
RimshotQuote Reply
schpat,
sorry, forgot to add. The mannaquins are ‘naked’ because they haven’t been dressed and placed yet. Probably just arrived from the FX workshop.
Don’t know what the helium is for. I doubt if it’s anything to do with lights as they use cranes for overhead lighting.
RimshotQuote Reply
Adam Whitehead,
I love GRRm, but if that is his goal, I’d start to get worried ;P
Lord ned’s HeadQuote Reply
Under the sea, the snow falls up. I know, I know, oh oh oh.
pualoQuote Reply