Kara Wagner of MTV rounds out her initial round of Game of Thrones coverage with an interview clip with executive producers and writers David Benioff and Dan Weiss. They (or rather Benioff) talk about why this show is different than Lord of the Rings.
Wagner has promised much more coverage of Thrones to come. These videos were just clips of longer interviews conducted at TCA and were posted to get the general public interested in the show. Expect the longer interviews closer to the show’s premiere on April 17th.
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53 Comments
Great! these are EXACTLY what this showe needs to get people who would normally dismiss and ignore this to tune in to the premiere because they are intruiged.
As long as spoilers are kept more or less under wraps (barring the odd slip like Emilias that most people wont remember by April 17th let alone when they come to pass). Cant wait to be able to sit in the corner smirking knowingly while my friends who have not read the books are discussing this show!
Crotalidian (Paul)Quote Reply
I don’t understand why they aren’t comparing this to 300 instead of LoTR. In everything but cinematography I would think that is closer to what we expect to see.
Dark, brutal, sexy.
DigDougQuote Reply
Here are the youtube-link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzvUslT-wco
AbyssQuote Reply
Here IS the youtube-link:…
AbyssQuote Reply
Because 300 is ridiculous visual effects porn without a story to speak of and which therefore doesn’t appeal to most people who watch quality television from HBO – you know, smart television with quality acting and quality writing?
Just a thought…
Herr FickQuote Reply
DigDoug,
I agree with Herr Flick,
If all you have is dark, brutal, sexy — you have the template for Spartacus: Blood in the Sand. While GOT has plenty of DBS moments, half the story is about kids. KIDS!
The really groundbreaking work for HBO won’t be the fantasy; it will be telling a very weird, dark, and brutal coming-of-age story. I’m trying to think of any TV show that has told such an adult story from a child’s perspective.
Which makes the LOTR comparison more apt, if you accept that hobbits are basically children.
Mr. FreyQuote Reply
Who is making all the “umph umph” sounds? Is it Dan or the interviewer? Sounds either perverted or bad bowel problems.
Otherwise the interview pretty much continues on the road that it has already been travelling. “No magic nor monsters, but human drama and shades of grey”. Nice for those who don’t know the show but some fanlove would nice too. Waiting for the full interview. Though still feels good to get even something.
rorschach-Quote Reply
I get the feeling Dan Weiss is hating the promotional circuit thing.
izakmoQuote Reply
izakmo,
Yes, i have the same vibe. Look at his face ;) They seriosly need to go home and rest for some weeks!
SpartanQuote Reply
DigDoug,
People aren’t comparing it with “300″ for the same reason they’re not comparing it with dog crap.
Ser_GQuote Reply
izakmo,
Haha yeah!
BlyzzardQuote Reply
the reason they’re comparing this to LotR is because it is the most recognizable fantasy series of books that have been adapted for film.
just be thankful they’re not asking about Legend of the Seeker
OneTooFreeQuote Reply
LOL. lets dump on the hate!!
while i definitely love 300. I would definitely never use it to promote this series LOL. 300…is awesome. GOT….is awesome. but they are not comparable.
RocksteadyQuote Reply
Not to pick on a movie a lot of people seem to like, but aSoIaF is literally the exact opposite of 300 when it comes to historical-type stories. One is a sweeping and engrossing tale with amazing story-telling , deep characters, great twists, and that loves to turn genre conventions on their heads (this description alone would sell aSoIaF very short). One is an incredibly predictable, near-mindless action flick with a bit of style and brushed-on abs. I don’t think they’re the best things to compare.
fevredreamQuote Reply
That MTV intro is the worst thing ever.
corbobQuote Reply
It’s easy to forget just how hard it is to make these books sound good. I’ve been going through it for the past 5 years. It’s called a “song of ice and fire?” that’s gay. The guy’s name is George RR Martin? Who does he think he is, Tolkien?
It has been incredibly satisfying to finally get people to read them and eat their mocking words.
The thing that sucks is that I can’t read fantasy books anymore, nothing can compare.
Brad VillaneQuote Reply
I just found the best fanmade GoT trailer on YouTube ever. You should really check this out:
marzmanQuote Reply
sorry here is the link
marzmanQuote Reply
marzman,
That’s pretty good. It does peter out towards the end though as they try to pad out the trailer to match the length of the song. It’s more impressive for tying huge amounts of material from different trailers and behind-the-scenes videos together into one piece.
Adam WhiteheadQuote Reply
Adam Whitehead,
yeah.. I agree. But the atmosphere is spot on. It must have been done by somebody who knows how to do stuff like that.
Anyway, there are a couple more fanmade trailers on YouTube. I thought those fans, who put so much effort into it, deserve a little praise ;-)
marzmanQuote Reply
The best of the cut-together-trailers from before the HBO series was produced is spellonca’s. Sadly, it is no longer available on youtube due to (several) copyright infringements… Spellonca, who’s real name is Martin Gruber, has produced a short animated film with the Wall which is very impressive, too.
Herr FickQuote Reply
Brad Villane,
I always argue that the R’s are a product of the fantasy rating system, FRS. It’s a scale from zero R (not very fantastic fantasy) to the mythical triple R author. The FRS looks at the RRR as a theoretical limit.
Mr. FreyQuote Reply
Herr Fick,
I also like the Castle Black trailer. This one, as well, is from the times when a screen adaptation of ASOIAF was nothing but a dream.
marzmanQuote Reply
Wow – I loved the bit about how in Westeros, magic is not ‘believed-in’, and how the people of GoT are filled with awe/dread at the sight of magic/the supernatural, much like we would be IRL. I think that describes PERFECTLY why you’d want to watch it, even if you’re not into fantasy.
I always thought that that was one of the coolest aspects of the books – how REAL their reactions are to magic and how skeptical most ppl are of the existence of the supernatural – just like we are. Most fantasies exist in places where the magic is accepted as a part of life, and that can seem way too ‘foreign’ for some.
reedgirlQuote Reply
Here’s the truly tragic part in all this. My poor seven year old daughter, who listens to me and her dad discuss this daily, knows the WIC website whenever it’s loaded up on the computer screen (Dad, calling from the other room, asking: “Where’s your mom?” Daughter, after glancing at Mom’s laptop: “On the Game of Thrones website again!”), knows the names of all the characters from the trailers, having watched them many times, has her own opinions about all the ‘gates’, yet knows, sadly, she won’t be allowed to watch it when it comes out in April. Life is so unfair!!
purplejillyQuote Reply
Sorry, this is OT, I know.
Where did this picture come from and when:
http://winter-is-coming.net/wp-content/gallery/official-promo-images/sansa-at-table-lr.jpg
I’ve never seen this before. I’m a bit of a photo freak and I was so sure I had seen all of the released pictures.
agorQuote Reply
It was briefly used as the background of the HBO GoT website but was taken down (but not before WiC and lots of others grabbed it).
MormegilQuote Reply
Rocksteady, I agree.
300 is not a good comparison with GoT. But that doesn’t stop 300 from being great in its own way. No story? Just the story of the Battle of Thermopylae (albeit comic-book-action-movie-ized).
I saw 300 in the theater, with no “hype”, even though I knew very well who Frank Miller was as a life-long comics reader. I really enjoyed it. I had no idea there was such backlash from people who otherwise like fantasy / adventure as has been displayed by a few people in this thread.
Brad SheltonQuote Reply
Our first (behind-the-scenes) pic of the direwolf Summer, from the GoT Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=495484216548&set=o.74133697733
Cool.
Adam WhiteheadQuote Reply
Brad Shelton,
I suspect they’re people who can’t separate the good from the bad. They see something they can’t put the tag “intellectual” on and they immediately become unable to enjoy it. Not “highbrow” enough for them.
“Look at the stupid unrealistic effects” and so on; they can’t see it and\or accept it for what it is. Just a fun movie, with some pretty astounding comic book feel. Awesome profile shots as well :)
The same way some people’s minds go on strike when they see an indie artsy movie, these people switch off movies like 300.
We’ll be lucky indeed if our transition to the screen is as smooth as 300 was from its comic book format.
Why people can’t judge every movie by itself is beyond me though.
rtm1981Quote Reply
79 days! That is soooo awesome, sounds much better than 80 or 90!
NicoleQuote Reply
Your anti-intellectual rhetoric is as boring as your straw man fallacy is off the mark.
There are numerous films that do not aim at being “intellectual” or “highbrow” (whatever that may be… well, you seem to know it) which are both enjoyable and well crafted in their own right. 300 is neither of them. Except, of course, if you enjoy visual effects porn – which, by the way, is perfectly fine. But as I wrote above, most people who watch HBO series probably do not enjoy it as much as you do and thus it would be ridiculous to advertise Game of Thrones by favourably comparing it to 300. And most importantly, from what we have seen sofar, Game of Thrones has almost nothing in common with Mr Snyder’s film as A Song of Ice and Fire has almost nothing in common with Mr Miller’s comic, which makes the initial comparison even more absurd.
Herr FickQuote Reply
that’s gotta be Grey Wind…
OneTooFreeQuote Reply
I agree!
LexQuote Reply
Why?
LexQuote Reply
Mormegil,
Okay. Thanks!
agorQuote Reply
Lex,
process of elimination. we know it’s not Lady based on what WIC posted previously & we know it’s not Ghost based on the “The Game Begins” promo
i’m pretty sure it’s not Shaggy Dog who is supposed to be much darker in his coloring. i guess it could be Nymeria, but i highly doubt it
OneTooFreeQuote Reply
So why can’t it be Summer as stated?
MormegilQuote Reply
rtm1981,
I can’t speak for everyone who had a problem with 300, but for me it wasn’t that it was cheesy and light that made it bad. I was looking forward to the movie (though I hadn’t read that particular comic, I had read some of Sin City).
I was disappointed because of the blatant racism, homophobia and orientalism of the movie.
Even forgetting all that, although in the trailer it had looked well done, I also think it went waaaaaaay into overkill with the slow motion, to the point where it stopped being amusing and became boring. I think they had some interesting and fun ideas going, but the arrow landed short of the mark.
I agree that something doesn’t have to be artsy to be worth watching (although, to some extent, I would argue that this was Zack Snyder’s poor attempt to be artsy), but that doesn’t mean you have to throw solid writing, plotting, research, etc out of the window.
Steve Hugh WestenraQuote Reply
Regarding 300, I now can’t get the image out of my head of Sean Bean in a diaper and cape screaming WINTERFELL!!!! No, 300 was fun to watch but is completely unlike ASOIAF, although I think Strong Belwas would be quite at home in either.
ZarkQuote Reply
Mormegil,
because i was completely spacing on Summer… :-/
lol
OneTooFreeQuote Reply
The 300-trailer was by far better than the movie. Best movie trailer ever together with Kill Bill 1. Watched that trailer many many times and always got goosebumps at the “this is Sparta!”-part. The only good thing about the movie was the digital blood-effects which has been copied in tons of movies since.
I would believe that GoT is best compared to Rome if anything. Nothing like GoT has ever been made before.
I wonder if the many fantasy fans out there who likes Legend of the Seeker (I am surely not one of them even though Ive always enjoyed women in skintight outfits) will be disapointed of GoT? I have a feeling many of them will find GoT a bit dark and slow with too much dialogue and too many people and not enough wizards and goblins. Do you think GoT will be to heavy a meal for the teens out there?
CzarnianQuote Reply
Czarnian,
I had the opposite view on 300. When I saw the trailer I thought it seemed absolutely terrible but when I watched it, with no expectations, I was pretty entertained since the movie in my eyes didn’t try to be anything else than it was. It was just pure, intentional, over the top action, which I don’t think many movies are content being these days, and I think they delivered what they tried to do (if they actually had any other ambitions it didn’t show in my view). It worked better than movies like Troy or Kingdom of Heaven since they tried to be something they didn’t succeed in being.
As for Game of Thrones I see almost nothing similar between that and 300. I expect GoT to have far greater ambitions and I have big hopes they will deliver on them.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
Making of GoT update
How to Survive a Dothraki Hunting Party.
http://www.makinggameofthrones.com/production-diary/2011/1/28/how-to-survive-a-dothraki-hunting-party.html
MormegilQuote Reply
I see all the 300 hate and it’s sort of funny that I can see both sides of the views.
On one hand no you’re not going to see Yale students write a disrotation on the thing … and sure the plot isn’t all that diverse …
But on the other hand … to answer the whole things about the Homophoic and Racist, ect, ect.
Dude it would be historically accurate for them to be all those things … most people back then were enemies and felt that way about each other because they killed each other and warred with one another. Also being gay wasn’t natural to people back then. So yeah they would be that way … Sure spartans excepted homosexuality, but that was toward the end of the city state before it’s fell to Rome.
Also to say that the movie was mindless would be a lie.
Lena Headey was amazing as Queen Gorgo … there was something inspiring about her acting in it that makes something great, amazing (See Sarah Connor Chronicles)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOA7HDOJj-g
Watch that and tell me that this was a mindless muscle movie.
So yes there is flaws in the movie, but it’s not for people to go there and go “huh, my life is changed forever.”
It’s more of
“That was so cool when he killed that Rino with a spear!”
They left the acting to Lena and the rest to the visual effects.
Phantomwriter05Quote Reply
It was actually because I enjoy 300 so much that I knew Lena Headey would be great as Cersei Lannister.
The movie wants to be a visually memorable, exciting but brainless movie for guys.
Completely understand how it puts many people off. There’s nothing wrong with not appreciating that style.
ZackQuote Reply
People don’t get 300. It’s a frame story with a ton of embellishment. Dilios narrates an account of the 300 battle to troops preparing to fight the Persians in a different battle. Of course he’s going to tell a racist story; of course the other guys had trolls; of course their king was a total fag; of course everyone was totally ripped. The guy was telling a pre-battle story. It’s unbelievable how many people missed the point.
victarionQuote Reply
victarion,
Here here!
Phantomwriter05Quote Reply
What he said!! Good post.
People need to get over themselves.
EdQuote Reply
victarion,
Oddly enough, I suppose, I just assumed that was obvious to everyone. Guess not. I love storytelling as a framing device in movies. Big Fish is one of my favorites where this happens.
ZackQuote Reply
Steve Hugh Westenra,
Of course comparing 300 to asoiaf is completely off the mark. I didn’t imply otherwise.
rtm1981Quote Reply
oops.. that reply was supposed to be to Herr Fick..
rtm1981Quote Reply
anyone see the recent ‘additional casting’ page on Westeros ?
couple of minor roles confirmed
Galbart Glover
Jonos Bracken
etc
Jordan HealeyQuote Reply
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