by C. A. Taylor
WWW.HBO.COM
Copyright © 2014 by HOME BOX OFFICE, INC.
All rights reserved. HBO and related trademarks are the property of Home Box Office, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data available.
ISBN 978-1-4521-2218-2 (HC)
ISBN 978-1-4521-3047-7 (EBOOK)
Designed by Ryan Corey for Smog Design, Inc.
CHRONICLE BOOKS LLC
680 Second Street · San Francisco, CA 94107 · www.chroniclebooks.com
— CONTENTS —
* * *
FOREWORD 4
IN THE WRITER’S ROOM 6
PLANNING FOR A SEASON 8
FINDING WESTEROS 10
WRITING THE THEME 12
CREATING THE TITLE SEQUENCE 14
CREATING VALYRIAN 16
* * *
SEASON III 18
PART ONE: BEYOND THE WALL 21
PART TWO: WARS IN WESTEROS 55
PART THREE: THE MOTHER OF DRAGONS 79
PART FOUR: THE RED WEDDING 93
* * *
SEASON IV 110
PART FIVE: RESETTING THE GAME 113
PART SIX: ON THE ROAD 145
PART SEVEN: BECOMING A QUEEN 157
PART EIGHT: A DIFFERENT WAR 175
* * *
EPILOGUE 192
— acknowledgments —
It’s a strange thing to know in the moment that you are part of something very special. Working on Game of Thrones was, without question, one of the best experiences in my career, due in large part to the exceptional cast and crew that I feel genuinely honored to have worked with. For everyone I bothered repeatedly for quotes, stole time from in the height of the insanity and then returned to with more questions, thank you. I would have included every word if the pages could hold them. I have seen the artistry that goes into every element. I remain in awe.
Particular thanks must go to Frank Doelger, Bernie Caulfield, Chris Newman, Michele Clapton, Tom Martin, Deb Riley, and Tommy Dunne who went above and beyond for me. Special thanks also to Joanne Hall, Ide O’Rourke, Adam Chazen, Donna Hughes, and Terry Palmer for helping me with constant queries and pulling the most fantastic visuals.
Alanna Riddell, William Simpson, Annick Wolkan, Naimh Currie, Kate McLaughlin, and Steve Collins: You kept me caffeinated and kept me sane.
Helen Sloan and Bryan Cogman: This book would not exist without you and is better for you. You have my marker and my gratitude.
Cara Grabowski at HBO and Sarah Malarkey at Chronicle, who gave me more patience and guidance then I probably deserved.
Lastly, but never least: George R. R. Martin, for creating this epic story and then giving me far more time than you ever needed to help me explore it, I am truly thankful. David Benioff and Dan Weiss, you gave me an opportunity and invited me in to a world I never expected to see. For everything I have learned, I owe you a debt.
I dedicate this book to my mother, Ruth.
* * *
Special thanks to: Joshua Goodstadt, Janis Fein, Cara Grabowski, Stacey Abiraj, Tommy Finkelstein, Vicky Lavergne, Susanna Felleman, Robin Eisgrau, Sarah Malarkey, Michael Morris, Lia Brown, Jeff Campbell, Dean Burrell, Beth Steiner, and Johan Almqvist.
Game of Thrones series photographs by principal unit photographer, Helen Sloan.
Additional photography by unit photographers Macall Polay, Keith Bernstein, Neil Davidson, and Nick Briggs; and by Robert Boake, Niall McEvoy, Colin McCusker, Aoife Warren, and Barrie Gower/BGFX.
Costume illustrations by Michele Clapton.
Game of Thrones main title composition by Ramin Djawadi.
Sheet music visual by Ramin Djawadi and William Marriott.
Concept art by Tobias Mannewitz, Anthony Leonardi III, Nick Ainsworth, and Peter McKinstry.
Sept set model by Aoife Warren.
VFX images by Elastic, Pixomondo, SpinVFX.
Slaver’s Bay map by Jacob Taylor.
* * *
— foreword —
by david benioff and d. b. weiss
David and Dan observing the filming of a key King’s Landing scene.
* * *
With every great story there is a beginning. For Game of Thrones, it began with David Benioff and Dan Weiss reading a series of epic novels by George R. R. Martin and, with his hard won blessing, putting together a pitch for the only network they thought could bring the project to life: HBO.
Now, at the end of their fourth successful season, David and Dan revisit that letter and look back over the milestone moments for the series.
* * *
C. A. TAYLOR: Reading the pitch letter you sent to HBO in 2006, it’s clear you knew you had found something special in George R. R. Martin’s books. You went as far as to bet your careers on the series’ success. (I think you may have won.) Did you ever imagine that it would be as huge a phenomenon as it has been?
DAVID BENIOFF AND D. B. WEISS: No. We imagined a few different kinds of phenomena that it might be. A “thing that would have been really cool if the only place in the world that could do it didn’t just say no” phenomenon. A “well, we just wasted three years of our lives and a thousand gallons of hope on a pilot that tanked and was not picked up” phenomenon. A “we made a show watched by about a third as many people who would need to watch it to justify its expense” phenomenon. But “huge phenomenon” never seemed a likely contender.
CT: Was there a particular moment when you realized what the show was becoming?
BENIOFF AND WEISS: When (HBO CEO) Richard Plepler first told us, in confidence, that he needed advanced copies of a season’s episodes for the President of the United States. And when a friend sent us a video of the line outside the GoT exhibition in New York. And when our mothers stopped asking if we’d found another job yet.
CT: You have often been quoted as saying that one of your main goals for the show was to make it as far as the Red Wedding. What was it about that moment that made it such a key milestone for you?
BENIOFF AND WEISS: Well, the effect it seems to have had on people watching it was the exact same effect it had on us when we first read it. It was perhaps the most powerful feeling a fictional event had ever caused in us. And the thought of bringing that feeling to the screen was very compelling. Basically, we wanted to ruin a lot of people’s months.
CT: Looking back over the first four seasons, is there any key episode, scene, or moment that stands out for you as something you are particularly proud of how it turned out?
BENIOFF AND WEISS: It’s impossible to pick one, or two. We’ve been lucky enough to work with a ridiculous number of ridiculously talented people, and their combined efforts have provided the show with an embarrassment of riches.
CT: You both directed episodes for seasons three and four. Was this something you always planned on trying and was it difficult to approach the episode as both writer and director?
BENIOFF AND WEISS: The arguments with the writers were very uncomfortable. Those guys are monumental assholes.
We had always planned on trying it, yeah, if we got to the place where the show was working well and we felt comfortable stepping away for the time it took to do it. And it’s been a tremendous amount of fun. By the time we did it, we were lucky enough to be working with people we knew, loved, and trusted. So it was like being tossed into the deep end—but with arm floaties.
CT: Looking to the future, what do you think your biggest challenges will be with the upcoming series?
BENIOFF AND WEISS: Well, every year things get bigger and more ambitious, on the production level. So moving forward, the challenge will always be to see just how much we can shoot and post in time for next year’s premiere air date. As far as the story go
es . . . the cast list changes on this show. In the first three seasons, it was largely an issue of dealing with expansions, and how to keep an increasingly large number of characters vital and in-play. From the end of season three, the challenge has changed, somewhat—we’re in the contraction phase, moving slowly but surely toward an endgame. Now it’s more about the ways the show evolves in light of the departures of those characters that are no longer with us. Joffrey’s death, for instance—that changes the dynamics of the show’s world drastically.
CT: If you could bring back one person from the dead, who would it be?
BENIOFF AND WEISS: We’d have Khal Drogo haul Joffrey, Robb, Cat, and Ned from the underworld on his back. He can probably manage. He’s bulked up since he died. If he can’t quite do it, Tywin can carry one of them.
— in the writer’s room —
interview with bryan cogman
The contents of The Histories of The Lord Commanders of the Kingsguard are accurate to the show canon and hand crafted by artist Michael Eaton.
* * *
Bryan Cogman began working as an assistant for David Benioff and Dan Weiss several years before Game of Thrones was greenlit. With his encyclopedic knowledge of the show, Bryan acts as the keeper of the Game of Thrones bible, offering insight into the backstory and characters when needed. Bryan has written episodes, worked as story editor, and is now co-producer.
* * *
C. A. TAYLOR: You are actively involved in adapting the story from the books to the screen, starting with creating the season outline. How do you approach such a massive task?
BRYAN COGMAN (CO-PRODUCER AND WRITER): For seasons one and two, when we were doing a book a season, I would sit down and summarize each chapter beat by beat and create documents outlining the various character arcs in the book. In later seasons, that changed into me summarizing chapters from various books. After we all digest the book material, David and Dan assign each of the writers a few characters. So I wrote out an outline of Arya’s season three—adapting book scenes and coming up with some of my own. Now, 80 percent of this stuff might not ever make the show, but it gives us a starting point. Then, between seasons, we meet in the writer’s room for a few weeks, read each other’s first outlines, merge them together, throw stuff out, come up with new stuff, and put the main beats up on a board—a rough season emerges from that. From there, we collaborate on a polished and detailed outline on the season, which David and Dan eventually take over and finish up. After this, scripts are assigned and written.
CT: Is there a particular line or scene that you wish you had written?
BC: Yes, it’s a scene that I’m credited with writing! Yoren’s monologue to Arya in “What Is Dead May Never Die” [season two, Episode 203], in which he relates the story of killing his brother’s murderer before joining the Night’s Watch and plants the idea in Arya’s head of reciting a “vengeance prayer” each night of people she wants to kill. Fantastic piece of writing, penned late in pre-production by David and Dan and included in my episode. So I’m credited with writing it, but I didn’t. And, of course, it’s the best scene in the bloody episode.
CT: Do you have a favorite character?
BC: My favorite is Jaime. I find his arc so fascinating—watch the Jaime of the first episode and compare him to the Jaime of the finale of season four. It’s an astonishing transformation. Jaime’s story going forward, for me, is summed up in a line from “Oathkeeper” [season 4, Episode 404]. He’s showing Brienne the White Book, where all the glorious deeds of Kingsguards past and present are recorded. Entries for other knights are full of heroics, but his small entry: shame and ignominy. He says to Brienne: “It’s the duty of the Lord Commander to fill these pages. And there’s still room left on mine.”
Jaime Lannister reviews his limited accomplishments in the White Book.
CT: Do you have a particular line or speech that is your favorite?
BC: There’s an absolutely gorgeous scene between Theon Greyjoy and Maester Luwin at the close of season two [“Valar Morghulis,” Episode 210], the highlight of which is Theon’s tortured memory—beautifully acted by Alfie Allen—of being raised as a hostage: “You know what it’s like to be told how lucky you are to be someone’s prisoner? To be told how much you owe them?” I don’t know if it’s my favorite, but it’s a great example of the empathy the show has for its most despicable characters, and Theon had been pretty despicable up to that point.
CT: Part of your role is to be on set to observe filming and advise the director when needed. Do you have a favorite moment from season four?
BC: There was one day on set I found pretty thrilling. Again, it was a “small” character moment, but that’s where I think the show lives. It’s a scene from the seventh episode of the season [“Mockingbird,” Episode 407], where Littlefinger finally gives in to his desires and kisses Sansa in the snowy garden of the Eyrie. It’s a hugely disturbing scene—mainly due to Sansa’s reaction to the kiss . . .
— planning for a season —
Chris Newman spends much of his time on set, overseeing filming and troubleshooting.
* * *
At the start of a new season, before the production staff have returned to the office, work has already begun trying to figure out how to coordinate filming in four countries with five directors, two units, and a cast and crew of over seven hundred people. The only way to produce ten episodes a season is with very careful planning. It is down to producer Chris Newman to fit the puzzle pieces together.
* * *
CHRIS NEWMAN (PRODUCER): During season one, we had no plan to have two units on the show. But it soon became clear that having a Malta unit working in parallel to the Belfast unit was the most efficient option. The main aim is to not have an asset—a director, director of photography, or cast member—spread over two locations at once. In the beginning the only way to make things work was to instigate an episode color-coding system, cut out scene strips, and move them around on a board like chess pieces. Anyone who works in the industry knows there is no such thing as a perfect schedule. It’s simply a series of distillations that you go through until you get to the one that you think is the best plan.
Generally speaking, I’ll get the outline about February, and I’ll spend about a month thinking about it. As a template, you try and work in episode order, but there may be a single scene in a later episode that requires a set you want to replace. You’ll move that forward, if you can. You don’t want to be in a situation where a director is in town for one scene and then nothing for a few weeks. We try and have a preliminary schedule early. If there are issues with build times or actor availability, the earlier we find out, the better chance we have to negotiate things like dates. Every so often you’ll have an incident that will throw things off—when Kit [Harington] broke his leg, we had to push the scenes with Jon Snow back so he was able to perform his stunts—though he probably would have done them anyway if we would have let him.
An excerpt of the real schedule from Season 3. Different colors show different episodes; the first column gives the scene, the last the cast numbers.
— finding westeros —
* * *
From the cliffs at Dragonstone to the battlefields of the Riverlands and even beyond the Wall, Northern Ireland has provided a huge portion of the locations seen on Game of Thrones. Locations manager Robbie Boake is responsible for finding Westeros in the real world, including King’s Landing in Armagh and Castle Black in Larne.
* * *
Ballintoy is mostly known for the Iron Islands harbour, but the beach on the other side of the track plays home to Dragonstone.
ROBBIE BOAKE (LOCATIONS MANAGER): Initially, I’ll look at the outline when it comes out and break down what I feel will be on an interior set or in another country, things we can’t replicate here. I will generally have about a month to scout as much as I can. Finding the actual locations is all legwork. I drive around for hours and hike up hills and through forests.
&nbs
p; At that point the producer’s scouts will begin. It’s true that on Game of Thrones you have a single designer, but unlike a film we have multiple directors who may all have different ideas. As the scripts evolve, the options for suitable locations will naturally reduce. They are going in with a clear idea of what direction characters are going to be traveling from or how a stunt might play out. Once you are into that detail, you begin to look at the logistical elements—do fences need to be taken down, or are there houses visible that need to be screened off? Is there an area for unit base within a manageable distance of set, and can any animals manage the terrain?
Soon you reach this stage where a multitude of other departments become involved: construction could be building sets, SFX could be smoking an area up or snowing it up. Then we need to secure government permissions. In a public area, safety and security is always the main concern. We want to protect the intellectual property of the show until airing and maintain the mythology of the show. It’s not as magical if you can see a set looking like a set in the middle of some beautiful countryside. On private land, it’s incredibly important that people don’t trespass in order to find a set.
We endeavor to leave every location we use as we found it, and in many cases in better condition—we’ll do repairs to roads to improve access or buildings for safety. We want to be able to continue filming, particularly at locations we may want to revisit—not everyone realizes how many places like Shane’s Castle have been used repeatedly. From the first moment it became the Winterfell crypt, and it has since been reused as many dungeons. It’s been Ned Stark’s cell, a Dragonstone cell, and even part of the Twins receiving room. This season, Shane’s will also play host to the Red Keep Forge. The grounds have hosted well over twenty scenes, ranging from the tourney grounds in season one to some of Theon’s most recent scenes. Cairn Castle also has hosted a huge number of key scenes, from the first execution in Episode 101 to Ygritte shooting Jon, as well as playing host to the King’s Road and all the parties that travel upon it.
