Anatomy of a Scene: The Battle of the Bastards (Video)

Whenever Game of Thrones stages a sequence the production is particularly proud of, it does an extra behind-the-scenes breakdown with the folks who made it happen. From discussing the costumes and props at Joffrey and Margaery’s wedding in Season 4, to diving deep into the VFX that went into the creation of such violent battles as the Massacre at Hardhome and the attack on Daznak’s Pit, these “Anatomy of a Scene” videos are often times as fascinating to watch as the episode itself.

Despite Season 6 containing some of the most talked-about and action-laden sequences of the series so far, this is only our second “Anatomy of a Scene” featurette this season. (The first was for the “Cave Battle” sequence in episode 5’s “The Door.”) But we knew that there was no way the show wasn’t going to deep dive into what went into creating one of the most ambitious battles ever staged for the smalls screen in this week’s “Battle of the Bastards.”

Over the course of Sunday night through Monday morning, I watched and rewatched the battle sequence in the episode on the order of four-five times. What really struck me about it, each time, was the sudden and complete descent into chaos on the field after Davos and company rush in, and particularly after Ramsay performs the “double envelopment” style “pincher move” with the shield wall.

So when director Miguel Sapochnik explains that the production ran into problems during filming, and that due to circumstances out of its control, including the state of the field, the weather, and the time crunch, that scene was basically a complete improvisation, it was a revelation. Up until that point, you can feel that the action consists of scripted moments, and that once those shields close in, something changes. It’s the difference between choreography and improv. I’ve heard more than one fan say that it’s a part they really love, because it feels very real, and shows something most heroic fantasy tales don’t: how chaotic war battle really is.

The explanation as to how they pulled the sequence off is just fascinating. I wish the show did one of these for every episode.