1
00:00:05,672 --> 00:00:09,217
I think that's what really gives
this the proper kind of scale.
2
00:00:10,510 --> 00:00:12,178
This used to be my favorite set.
3
00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:15,015
Like, that's, that's it.
4
00:00:16,808 --> 00:00:19,811
I was nearly crashin' the car
'cause it was just so beautiful.
5
00:00:20,562 --> 00:00:21,646
Blows my mind.
6
00:00:22,313 --> 00:00:23,523
Someone told me that in Spain.
7
00:00:24,274 --> 00:00:25,525
It gets messy.
8
00:00:25,525 --> 00:00:27,861
It just makes everything
a little bit more excitin'.
9
00:00:52,344 --> 00:00:55,055
Episode five is called "Regent."
10
00:00:55,055 --> 00:00:58,266
And it's, you know--
That, obviously, refers
11
00:00:58,266 --> 00:01:00,894
to Aemond taking control.
12
00:01:02,020 --> 00:01:04,731
And cut. Thank you, guys.
Thank you very much. Thanks.
13
00:01:04,731 --> 00:01:08,068
This episode is very much a power grab.
14
00:01:08,068 --> 00:01:10,278
People vying for power,
15
00:01:10,278 --> 00:01:14,115
but also, it's very much about
that happening through grief.
16
00:01:22,248 --> 00:01:25,460
So, when we meet Corlys
in episode five, he's devastated.
17
00:01:25,460 --> 00:01:27,253
She gets the death,
I guess, that she would want,
18
00:01:27,253 --> 00:01:30,256
in the sense that-- I think Baela says it,
you know, she dies by dragonfire.
19
00:01:30,256 --> 00:01:32,676
But, of course, that doesn't
take away the pain.
20
00:01:32,676 --> 00:01:35,261
Sitting in the Hall of Nine,
but it means nothing to him anymore
21
00:01:35,261 --> 00:01:36,429
because she's gone.
22
00:01:37,138 --> 00:01:39,516
Steve is an incredible actor.
23
00:01:39,516 --> 00:01:44,437
He has such deep soul
to all of his performances.
24
00:01:44,437 --> 00:01:46,439
When you're dealing with grief,
25
00:01:46,439 --> 00:01:48,900
I don't really talk to them
that much about it.
26
00:01:48,900 --> 00:01:50,694
It's such a vulnerable place
27
00:01:50,694 --> 00:01:53,154
to be mining your grief
of your own personal life,
28
00:01:53,154 --> 00:01:54,823
which is kind of what you have to do,
29
00:01:54,823 --> 00:01:58,743
and then, let them find it
and you see what they bring.
30
00:01:58,743 --> 00:02:00,495
And, with Corlys,
31
00:02:00,495 --> 00:02:03,998
I had no clue that he was
gonna have this tear.
32
00:02:03,998 --> 00:02:06,126
Like, this silent tear roll down his face.
33
00:02:06,126 --> 00:02:09,212
It was incredibly moving to see it.
34
00:02:13,508 --> 00:02:15,093
Yeah, that was a beautiful scene.
35
00:02:15,093 --> 00:02:18,471
Corlys was shot in the Hall of Nine,
which had to be a blue screen
36
00:02:18,471 --> 00:02:21,683
because the original big set,
we don't have it anymore.
37
00:02:24,894 --> 00:02:28,606
So what we did is we built part of it
and then everything else was blue screen.
38
00:02:28,606 --> 00:02:30,817
So that was a nice challenge.
39
00:02:30,817 --> 00:02:33,111
The advantage was
we had shot on season one
40
00:02:33,111 --> 00:02:36,031
so we knew what the set was,
we knew how the set felt.
41
00:02:36,031 --> 00:02:38,575
And also, the actors, or Steve himself,
42
00:02:38,575 --> 00:02:40,910
obviously, had worked
in that set extensively on season one
43
00:02:40,910 --> 00:02:44,914
so he knew kind of where he was,
even though 90% of it was blue.
44
00:02:45,373 --> 00:02:48,376
So, this used to be my favorite set
45
00:02:48,376 --> 00:02:49,794
and I don't know what
they've done with it.
46
00:02:49,794 --> 00:02:53,715
It's now a warehouse,
and I'm embarrassed and hurt.
47
00:02:53,715 --> 00:02:57,302
Personally offended by it,
but I'm sure with the CGI stuff,
48
00:02:57,302 --> 00:02:59,220
it'll look wonderful.
49
00:02:59,971 --> 00:03:02,474
The Cyclops was really helpful,
especially in sets like Hall of Nine,
50
00:03:02,474 --> 00:03:06,728
because the cameras and us understand
exactly what we're seeing
51
00:03:06,728 --> 00:03:09,647
wherever we place the camera
in that environment.
52
00:03:10,148 --> 00:03:13,693
The Cyclops the visual effects guys use
is enormously important
53
00:03:13,693 --> 00:03:15,945
and, especially, for directors
and actors as well
54
00:03:15,945 --> 00:03:18,782
to be able to look around
a blue screen stage
55
00:03:18,782 --> 00:03:21,576
and then see what the final image will be.
56
00:03:23,161 --> 00:03:24,788
Rolling!
57
00:03:29,209 --> 00:03:30,835
That's brilliant!
58
00:03:35,006 --> 00:03:36,383
This is the best set, you know?
59
00:03:36,758 --> 00:03:42,472
We had a fully textured scan of the set
and I remember opening the scan and going,
60
00:03:42,472 --> 00:03:44,182
"Like, that's, that's it."
61
00:03:44,182 --> 00:03:47,060
You know, like, literally,
the kind of the fine detail.
62
00:03:47,060 --> 00:03:49,521
So it was a pretty
straightforward rebuild for us
63
00:03:49,521 --> 00:03:50,897
'cause we had all of the material.
64
00:03:51,564 --> 00:03:54,609
The cost of rebuilding
the whole set for that,
65
00:03:54,609 --> 00:03:57,278
as opposed to picking
our angles and saying,
66
00:03:57,278 --> 00:04:00,115
"Right, we need this angle,
we need that angle, we don't need that,"
67
00:04:00,115 --> 00:04:02,575
we worked it out what
was essential to build
68
00:04:02,575 --> 00:04:04,619
and what could be put in digitally
69
00:04:04,619 --> 00:04:07,914
to recreate the set and not have to build
the whole thing again.
70
00:04:07,914 --> 00:04:10,667
And that, hopefully,
has proved very successful.
71
00:04:11,126 --> 00:04:12,961
Cut. Thank you.
72
00:04:21,469 --> 00:04:25,015
Behold! The traitor dragon Meleys!
73
00:04:25,682 --> 00:04:28,393
Parading Meleys's head,
it's sort of grotesque.
74
00:04:28,393 --> 00:04:31,146
It's also a reminder of a battle gone bad.
75
00:04:31,146 --> 00:04:34,399
And also, Cole perceives quite quickly
76
00:04:34,399 --> 00:04:36,443
has the reverse effect
of what is intended.
77
00:04:36,443 --> 00:04:38,903
It's intended to be
a sort of rallying call
78
00:04:38,903 --> 00:04:41,948
to the people of King's Landing
and, "Look how we're doing."
79
00:04:41,948 --> 00:04:44,784
But, of course,
the people of King's Landing
80
00:04:44,784 --> 00:04:49,664
see the beginnings of nuclear warfare,
and they're like, "I wanna get out."
81
00:04:49,664 --> 00:04:51,958
'Tis an abomination.
82
00:04:51,958 --> 00:04:54,377
Don't they realize we won the battle?
83
00:04:55,337 --> 00:04:56,755
Strange victory.
84
00:04:57,922 --> 00:04:58,923
Yeah, I mean, it was amazing.
85
00:04:58,923 --> 00:05:02,385
Any time I get to work
with Clare Kilner is a joy.
86
00:05:02,385 --> 00:05:04,471
And she makes me laugh very, very much,
87
00:05:04,471 --> 00:05:06,723
and I think she takes
some sort of small pleasure
88
00:05:06,723 --> 00:05:09,392
in watching me and Freddie
struggle on these horses.
89
00:05:09,392 --> 00:05:11,728
It was really, really great.
90
00:05:11,728 --> 00:05:15,023
The way we shot it is big parade,
streets of Spain,
91
00:05:15,023 --> 00:05:17,776
streets of Trujillo,
and streets of backlot,
92
00:05:17,776 --> 00:05:20,445
and the whole procession.
And it's Meleys's head,
93
00:05:20,445 --> 00:05:25,408
which it was just, like,
a big, blue head.
94
00:05:25,408 --> 00:05:27,494
But I think once
the whole scene is finished
95
00:05:27,494 --> 00:05:29,621
and once you can actually
see that dragon head,
96
00:05:29,621 --> 00:05:30,997
it's gonna be quite amazing.
97
00:05:30,997 --> 00:05:32,624
Rhaenyra will answer this.
98
00:05:32,624 --> 00:05:35,418
So that obviously will be
a fully CG dragon head,
99
00:05:35,418 --> 00:05:37,796
kinda more complicated
than some in that, you know,
100
00:05:37,796 --> 00:05:39,381
lot of blood and guts and gore.
101
00:05:39,381 --> 00:05:42,926
In all of our sequences, the starting
point is always an incredible concept.
102
00:05:42,926 --> 00:05:44,844
And so, there was a lot of iterations
103
00:05:44,844 --> 00:05:47,972
that went through to get
the right type of dragon head,
104
00:05:47,972 --> 00:05:49,349
the right amount of gore and blood
105
00:05:49,349 --> 00:05:51,434
and we'll, literally,
be taking that, you know,
106
00:05:51,434 --> 00:05:53,228
those concepts and, you know,
making them real
107
00:05:53,228 --> 00:05:56,481
but the dragon head was created
from our real dragon head model
108
00:05:56,481 --> 00:05:58,191
and then scaled down a little
109
00:05:58,191 --> 00:06:00,860
and we had the horns
on it because it's got massive horns
110
00:06:00,860 --> 00:06:03,113
and it's a big show, big dragons.
111
00:06:04,989 --> 00:06:09,536
Slain at Rook's Rest by your king.
To Aegon!
112
00:06:11,663 --> 00:06:13,832
The victory parade with the dragon head
113
00:06:13,832 --> 00:06:18,086
was a massive amount of wagons and horses
114
00:06:18,086 --> 00:06:20,964
and characters that needed
to march through the streets.
115
00:06:20,964 --> 00:06:24,259
It was a challenge to move
that parade back and forth.
116
00:06:24,259 --> 00:06:28,930
You could never turn it 'round and reset
back to a first position easily.
117
00:06:28,930 --> 00:06:30,640
You had to unhitch all the horses,
118
00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:32,767
push the wagons back,
push the horses back,
119
00:06:32,767 --> 00:06:34,477
re-hitch again.
120
00:06:36,438 --> 00:06:38,023
It was 15 minutes before you could roll
121
00:06:38,023 --> 00:06:39,899
the cameras again,
so that was challenging.
122
00:06:46,865 --> 00:06:49,242
Trujillo was built
for medieval parades for sure.
123
00:06:49,242 --> 00:06:52,662
A lot of our street, street-based shooting
was actually done in Trujillo
124
00:06:52,662 --> 00:06:56,124
'cause it offered these wider streets
and these grand squares
125
00:06:56,124 --> 00:06:57,917
and the right looks of the buildings.
126
00:06:57,917 --> 00:07:01,588
So definitely lend itself, you know,
very well to staging this action.
127
00:07:01,588 --> 00:07:03,423
The dragon Meleys!
128
00:07:03,423 --> 00:07:05,675
I thought the dragons was gods.
129
00:07:05,675 --> 00:07:07,469
It's just meat.
130
00:07:07,469 --> 00:07:08,887
Shooting in Spain was surreal
131
00:07:08,887 --> 00:07:11,264
because the set is just--
It's just there, you know?
132
00:07:11,264 --> 00:07:13,433
I can understand why they shoot there.
133
00:07:13,433 --> 00:07:15,643
The other thing about Spain
is it was an opportunity
134
00:07:15,643 --> 00:07:19,439
to spend time with some of the cast,
and it's always nice to meet your costars.
135
00:07:20,190 --> 00:07:22,942
But I find the stuff that they
manage to do when we're away
136
00:07:22,942 --> 00:07:25,570
like dressing up Cáceres--
137
00:07:25,570 --> 00:07:27,989
That's how you pronounce it.
Someone told me that in Spain.
138
00:07:27,989 --> 00:07:31,743
Don't tell anyone. Pretend camera.
139
00:07:31,743 --> 00:07:35,580
You know, to look like
the "Game of Thrones" film set
140
00:07:35,580 --> 00:07:37,999
or Trujillo, which we shot in
as well, or, you know--
141
00:07:37,999 --> 00:07:40,251
I find that stuff pretty amazing.
142
00:07:40,251 --> 00:07:44,255
I think that's the key factor,
to shoot on real locations.
143
00:07:44,255 --> 00:07:48,009
It has the feeling of reality, of course,
but once you arrive here,
144
00:07:48,009 --> 00:07:52,806
it feels like the birth of the sets,
where all of these locations started here,
145
00:07:52,806 --> 00:07:56,601
so you really feel that
you are in King's Landing.
146
00:07:56,601 --> 00:07:58,103
And action.
147
00:07:58,103 --> 00:08:00,438
And also, going back to the stage,
148
00:08:00,438 --> 00:08:06,111
back in England, it's weird because
you can feel that this is there, somehow,
149
00:08:06,111 --> 00:08:10,156
so you kinda feel both worlds in
the different locations.
150
00:08:11,324 --> 00:08:14,035
I think you always go through that process
right at the very beginning.
151
00:08:14,035 --> 00:08:15,453
Should this be a location?
152
00:08:15,453 --> 00:08:20,083
So it had been my ambition on this season
to build part of King's Landing.
153
00:08:20,625 --> 00:08:24,504
So, everything that you're
about to see is season two.
154
00:08:24,504 --> 00:08:26,214
So let's walk through.
155
00:08:26,756 --> 00:08:32,762
And you can see the colors of the Red Keep
now blend into the sandstone
156
00:08:32,762 --> 00:08:35,890
of Cáceres and Trujillo
with streets going off
157
00:08:35,890 --> 00:08:39,436
and, clearly, blue screens goin' behind
the background there
158
00:08:39,436 --> 00:08:43,023
so we can extend and put in the streets
that we filmed in Spain.
159
00:08:43,940 --> 00:08:46,443
King's Landing, large set,
160
00:08:46,443 --> 00:08:48,903
now occupying several acres
on the backlot.
161
00:08:48,903 --> 00:08:51,197
This section still remains dressed.
162
00:08:51,197 --> 00:08:54,159
We complete photography
in three more days
163
00:08:54,159 --> 00:08:56,202
and then, all of the dressing will go
164
00:08:56,202 --> 00:08:59,080
and the sets will weather
their way through the winter.
165
00:08:59,080 --> 00:09:04,377
And now if we look back from here,
you can see the approach to the Red Keep
166
00:09:04,377 --> 00:09:06,463
and how this set all ties together.
167
00:09:07,464 --> 00:09:11,801
So it's quite an expansive set
and allows us to play a lot of action out
168
00:09:11,801 --> 00:09:15,597
and to change it and dress it
and replicate the areas
169
00:09:15,597 --> 00:09:18,516
of King's Landing to flesh out the story.
170
00:09:31,654 --> 00:09:33,990
Aegon's story here is absolutely tragic
171
00:09:33,990 --> 00:09:37,118
so they hide Aegon's body.
172
00:09:39,162 --> 00:09:43,625
I wanted to really shoot Aegon's litter
173
00:09:43,625 --> 00:09:46,961
and really get the sense
that he is dead, you know,
174
00:09:46,961 --> 00:09:48,797
so that when they pull him out,
175
00:09:48,797 --> 00:09:51,257
it's a shock, one, that he's alive
176
00:09:51,257 --> 00:09:55,261
and then to see the state
of disrepair that he's in,
177
00:09:55,261 --> 00:09:57,347
how burnt he is.
178
00:09:57,347 --> 00:10:00,684
We also elongated
that journey from the script
179
00:10:00,684 --> 00:10:05,605
because we wanted to follow him
with Steadicam into the Red Keep,
180
00:10:05,605 --> 00:10:08,983
up the steps, through the hallways,
and into the room.
181
00:10:09,651 --> 00:10:13,279
Then, I wanted to sort of
see the lid come off
182
00:10:13,279 --> 00:10:15,740
but still not see what was inside.
183
00:10:15,740 --> 00:10:17,659
So, really sort of tease the audience
184
00:10:17,659 --> 00:10:20,328
with the mystery
of what's inside that box.
185
00:10:20,328 --> 00:10:22,372
We always thought about it
as a dark scene.
186
00:10:22,372 --> 00:10:23,957
It's really gritty.
187
00:10:23,957 --> 00:10:26,668
Even the script talks
about curtains being closed.
188
00:10:26,668 --> 00:10:29,504
It's supposed to be a grim and dark scene,
so we always saw it that way.
189
00:10:29,504 --> 00:10:31,589
We wanted to leave a lot
for the imagination
190
00:10:31,589 --> 00:10:34,509
so somebody that's been--
half the body's been burned,
191
00:10:34,509 --> 00:10:37,429
you can only imagine his wounds.
192
00:10:37,429 --> 00:10:38,722
Dracarys.
193
00:10:40,890 --> 00:10:43,309
No, no!
194
00:10:45,020 --> 00:10:47,981
Things like breastplate
being stuck to the flesh
195
00:10:47,981 --> 00:10:50,859
or, you know, things like that
that we wanted to show,
196
00:10:50,859 --> 00:10:53,319
but not too much,
so the dark environment helped
197
00:10:53,319 --> 00:10:57,490
but it was a lot about the amazing
prosthetic work that they did.
198
00:10:57,490 --> 00:10:58,908
It looked really, really good.
199
00:10:58,908 --> 00:11:03,163
I think people are gonna be
a bit in shock when they see Aegon.
200
00:11:04,789 --> 00:11:07,083
When we did the return
to the Red Keep with Aegon
201
00:11:07,083 --> 00:11:08,626
after he's been burnt,
202
00:11:08,626 --> 00:11:11,629
him coming back
and everything being peeled off him
203
00:11:11,629 --> 00:11:13,631
and I see what's
actually happened to him
204
00:11:13,631 --> 00:11:15,050
was, yeah, a big one for Clare
205
00:11:15,050 --> 00:11:18,595
so we wanted to make sure
we sold that enough
206
00:11:18,595 --> 00:11:21,056
and made it kind of disgusting enough.
207
00:11:21,890 --> 00:11:24,267
So we start with
our kind of pussiest version
208
00:11:24,267 --> 00:11:25,935
because he's been brought
straight off the battlefield.
209
00:11:25,935 --> 00:11:28,229
So that would've been time
for infection to set in
210
00:11:28,229 --> 00:11:30,690
so we've got a lot of pus
going on, a lot of wetness.
211
00:11:30,690 --> 00:11:33,943
Then we kind of reveal,
in stages, how burnt his chest is
212
00:11:33,943 --> 00:11:35,779
and how extensive the damage is.
213
00:11:35,779 --> 00:11:38,031
- It's all fuckin' melted.
- What's happenin' here?
214
00:11:38,031 --> 00:11:40,075
What's this? Oh, psoriasis. Sorry.
215
00:11:40,742 --> 00:11:42,243
I don't like that bit.
216
00:11:42,243 --> 00:11:44,496
My self-esteem is rock bottom.
217
00:11:44,496 --> 00:11:46,081
Move it there.
218
00:11:46,081 --> 00:11:47,749
It was great.
Tom was really into it as well.
219
00:11:47,749 --> 00:11:50,502
The whole thing of his burn is
it's not a direct burn.
220
00:11:50,502 --> 00:11:55,090
It's not a burn from the flame.
It's where his armor has become super hot
221
00:11:55,090 --> 00:11:57,967
and it's burned into his face
like a hot plate.
222
00:11:58,635 --> 00:12:02,847
Valyrian armor, in "Game of Thrones" lore,
is flame-resistant,
223
00:12:02,847 --> 00:12:05,600
as opposed to a normal armor,
which will just melt.
224
00:12:07,018 --> 00:12:12,399
So that was a big breakdown job for Tim,
our chief of breakdown.
225
00:12:12,399 --> 00:12:13,650
And so, he blackened it.
226
00:12:13,650 --> 00:12:16,194
He did some really
lovely techniques on it.
227
00:12:16,194 --> 00:12:20,990
And then, David, who does
sort of specialist jewelry
228
00:12:20,990 --> 00:12:23,576
and he made some
of the chainmail look like it was melted,
229
00:12:23,576 --> 00:12:27,914
tried to make it look as real as possible
of somethin' that had been up in flames.
230
00:12:28,623 --> 00:12:30,583
We love getting to those
moments in the script.
231
00:12:30,583 --> 00:12:33,211
And you see that
and you think burns and think,
232
00:12:33,211 --> 00:12:36,548
oh, well, you know there's gonna be
burns in a story like this.
233
00:12:36,548 --> 00:12:38,717
With dragons, there's gonna be some burns.
234
00:12:38,717 --> 00:12:41,511
And it's great because that's allowing
us to play
235
00:12:41,511 --> 00:12:45,181
and to find those characters
and to research.
236
00:12:45,181 --> 00:12:47,267
We've gotta think about
the shooting schedule as well.
237
00:12:47,267 --> 00:12:50,770
It's gotta be viable
that it can work every day.
238
00:12:50,770 --> 00:12:52,897
With the severe burns,
it's a six-hour makeup.
239
00:12:52,897 --> 00:12:56,234
You can't sustain that over the course
of a whole show.
240
00:12:56,234 --> 00:12:58,319
Tom's been brilliant. He's been amazing.
241
00:12:58,319 --> 00:13:01,072
He's sat there and allowed us to do it.
242
00:13:03,783 --> 00:13:05,952
It's amazing.
The team I have around me is--
243
00:13:05,952 --> 00:13:07,412
are just phenomenal.
244
00:13:07,412 --> 00:13:08,621
They're an absolute dream team.
245
00:13:08,621 --> 00:13:12,917
The detail they can see that they go,
"Oh yeah, this needs doin'."
246
00:13:12,917 --> 00:13:14,461
I just can't see that sort of thing.
247
00:13:15,045 --> 00:13:16,296
But we've all got to know
each other very well.
248
00:13:16,296 --> 00:13:17,714
There's been a lot of time in the chair.
249
00:13:17,714 --> 00:13:20,300
We had a day where it
was, like, close to seven.
250
00:13:20,300 --> 00:13:23,219
It's a process, but these guys
are so good at what they do.
251
00:13:23,219 --> 00:13:25,263
If it looked rubbish,
then you'd be devastated
252
00:13:25,263 --> 00:13:27,098
that you were in the chair
for that long, but it doesn't.
253
00:13:27,098 --> 00:13:28,558
It looks incredible.
254
00:13:28,558 --> 00:13:30,935
These guys put
their heart and souls into it.
255
00:13:30,935 --> 00:13:32,145
Blows my mind.
256
00:13:36,524 --> 00:13:38,860
The hour is late and my dragon is hungry.
257
00:13:38,860 --> 00:13:40,820
Our terms are simple, Lord Bracken.
258
00:13:40,820 --> 00:13:43,782
Renounce the false king Aegon as a usurper
259
00:13:44,574 --> 00:13:46,076
and bend the knee to me.
260
00:13:47,452 --> 00:13:49,120
Or your house burns.
261
00:13:52,457 --> 00:13:55,210
These are not a people that
can be forced into submission.
262
00:13:55,210 --> 00:13:58,171
And then he's shocked here
to learn that the Brackens
263
00:13:58,171 --> 00:14:01,549
would rather burn in dragonfire
than submit to the Blackwoods.
264
00:14:01,549 --> 00:14:03,510
And he's frustrated, but he also says,
265
00:14:03,510 --> 00:14:06,888
"Hey, I kinda like these guys and I could
use people like this on my team."
266
00:14:06,888 --> 00:14:08,598
We really believed in that scene.
267
00:14:08,598 --> 00:14:10,767
We really thought
the tone of the scene
268
00:14:10,767 --> 00:14:13,144
can be really fun,
but yet really sarcastic.
269
00:14:13,144 --> 00:14:14,562
We created a lot of tension
270
00:14:14,562 --> 00:14:16,731
but it was just, like,
a really nice acting scene.
271
00:14:16,731 --> 00:14:19,442
I would sooner be
the Lord of Bones and Cinders
272
00:14:19,442 --> 00:14:23,238
than bend my knee before
some heathen Blackwood cunt.
273
00:14:23,238 --> 00:14:25,115
There was a lot of help from VFX.
274
00:14:25,115 --> 00:14:27,826
We previs'd that scene
because that dragon was,
275
00:14:27,826 --> 00:14:29,619
you know, played such
a big role in the scene
276
00:14:29,619 --> 00:14:32,914
and it's just a dragon standing,
which we haven't seen much.
277
00:14:32,914 --> 00:14:35,458
So it was very challenging
but it was really cool.
278
00:14:36,126 --> 00:14:37,502
We choose fire.
279
00:14:40,839 --> 00:14:43,299
It was storyboarded
by Alejandro and Clare
280
00:14:43,299 --> 00:14:46,386
and with the Cyclops
there on the day of,
281
00:14:46,386 --> 00:14:49,264
that was quite kind of involved
in setting up
282
00:14:49,264 --> 00:14:50,765
just the staging of the scene.
283
00:14:50,765 --> 00:14:53,268
How big is Caraxes in that space?
Is he gonna fit?
284
00:14:53,268 --> 00:14:54,853
We kind of previs'd that.
285
00:14:54,853 --> 00:14:56,730
And on the day, it just, with every shot,
286
00:14:56,730 --> 00:14:59,232
it's kind of, you hand over
the iPad and you can line it up.
287
00:14:59,983 --> 00:15:02,569
So we talked with Matt about this buck,
288
00:15:02,569 --> 00:15:06,656
so he could sit really,
really high up in the saddle
289
00:15:06,656 --> 00:15:09,951
on this mechanical buck
that would move as he moved.
290
00:15:09,951 --> 00:15:13,705
Yeah, that was an interesting one where
we started as a blue screen,
291
00:15:13,705 --> 00:15:14,873
you know, shot at the studio,
and we were like,
292
00:15:14,873 --> 00:15:16,207
"No, no, we wanna do it there."
293
00:15:16,207 --> 00:15:19,377
And the location was just stunning, so,
294
00:15:19,377 --> 00:15:20,920
you know, the performances
were all heightened,
295
00:15:20,920 --> 00:15:22,380
I think, because of that.
296
00:15:22,380 --> 00:15:24,924
It was very different from
our usual buck work.
297
00:15:24,924 --> 00:15:27,427
Matt, he enjoyed it. He loved it.
298
00:15:27,427 --> 00:15:29,971
Every location gave the show the scale
299
00:15:29,971 --> 00:15:32,098
and these amazing landscapes,
so it was great.
300
00:15:32,474 --> 00:15:35,602
I just love being on a big,
grand location like that.
301
00:15:35,602 --> 00:15:38,855
It was lovely to be outside.
And it was raining and I was on a plinth.
302
00:15:38,855 --> 00:15:40,899
And it was, like, sideways rain.
303
00:15:40,899 --> 00:15:44,652
I think that's what really gives us
the proper kind of scale,
304
00:15:44,652 --> 00:15:48,531
those beaches and those vistas,
and it's a show that really needs that.
305
00:15:48,531 --> 00:15:50,158
And so, it's good.
306
00:15:50,158 --> 00:15:51,826
I think as much location
as we can have, really,
307
00:15:51,826 --> 00:15:53,370
I think really adds to it.
308
00:15:58,792 --> 00:16:02,170
Having North Wales as this
really dense set of locations
309
00:16:02,170 --> 00:16:04,839
that could play Dragonstone
and the Riverlands
310
00:16:04,839 --> 00:16:06,716
and the Crownlands was really useful.
311
00:16:06,716 --> 00:16:08,843
And I, honestly, I don't know that
we would've been able
312
00:16:08,843 --> 00:16:13,181
to produce a season two as we did
without the abundance of North Wales.
313
00:16:13,181 --> 00:16:14,766
It just opens up the doors
314
00:16:14,766 --> 00:16:17,477
'cause, you know,
as wonderful and as beautiful
315
00:16:17,477 --> 00:16:18,978
as these sets are and designed,
316
00:16:18,978 --> 00:16:21,439
you can't fit a dragon in Dragonstone,
but you can definitely fit it
317
00:16:21,439 --> 00:16:22,982
on the Welsh countryside hillsides.
318
00:16:23,983 --> 00:16:26,569
I spent a lot of time on the Welsh shoot
319
00:16:26,569 --> 00:16:29,280
but any time you're shooting on location,
320
00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:31,282
the thing you're gonna come up
against is the weather.
321
00:16:31,282 --> 00:16:34,285
And Wales gets every
kind of weather there is.
322
00:16:34,285 --> 00:16:37,372
And I think that we have been,
overall, very lucky
323
00:16:37,372 --> 00:16:42,127
in that the weather we've got
seems to have perfectly matched
324
00:16:42,127 --> 00:16:44,170
the scenes that we had to film it in.
325
00:16:44,629 --> 00:16:46,464
This rich scenery.
326
00:16:46,464 --> 00:16:49,759
You know, we're on top of mountains
with the wind in our hair.
327
00:16:49,759 --> 00:16:51,177
Like, you can't fake that.
328
00:16:51,177 --> 00:16:52,846
There'd been torrential rain
329
00:16:52,846 --> 00:16:56,141
but we were lucky not to be
in that torrential rain.
330
00:16:58,852 --> 00:17:01,438
Locations are a big logistics operation.
331
00:17:01,438 --> 00:17:05,316
Just creating the facility to be able
to shoot what you want
332
00:17:05,316 --> 00:17:06,943
and build what you want there.
333
00:17:06,943 --> 00:17:11,197
They are headaches and those places
are often inaccessible to equipment
334
00:17:11,197 --> 00:17:13,450
and we are not a small footprint.
335
00:17:13,450 --> 00:17:16,161
We have heavy equipment
and cranes that we haul everywhere.
336
00:17:16,161 --> 00:17:17,954
Some of these locations
are quite tough in that
337
00:17:17,954 --> 00:17:19,414
they are special places.
338
00:17:19,414 --> 00:17:24,836
A lot of them are SSSI locations,
which means they are protected.
339
00:17:25,754 --> 00:17:28,006
And so it limits some of the work,
you know.
340
00:17:28,006 --> 00:17:30,967
Some of our greatest ideas,
you can't achieve them.
341
00:17:30,967 --> 00:17:32,886
And action.
342
00:17:35,638 --> 00:17:38,433
There was a lot of
remodeling, recontouring
343
00:17:38,433 --> 00:17:40,685
of the landscape to get those sets in.
344
00:17:40,685 --> 00:17:43,855
Other problems there is they're all SSSI,
345
00:17:43,855 --> 00:17:47,317
which is, you know,
special sites of scientific interest.
346
00:17:47,317 --> 00:17:52,781
So, certain plants you can't move,
you can't touch, you have to protect.
347
00:17:52,781 --> 00:17:55,533
So, there was a lot, a lot
of juggling going on there,
348
00:17:55,533 --> 00:17:57,702
right, and that was just like
a bit of a playground for us.
349
00:17:57,702 --> 00:18:01,414
Clearing, leveling,
bringing in, redressing,
350
00:18:01,414 --> 00:18:04,376
just changing it to what
we required really.
351
00:18:04,834 --> 00:18:08,213
I think whenever you go to
a different space, it informs you.
352
00:18:08,213 --> 00:18:14,886
You know, the history is ingrained
in the woods and the stones of a place
353
00:18:14,886 --> 00:18:18,098
and that just influences you.
You can't help it.
354
00:18:18,098 --> 00:18:20,100
When I saw the work and I saw the artwork
355
00:18:20,100 --> 00:18:23,186
of season one, I said to guys,
"You have to go to Wales.
356
00:18:23,186 --> 00:18:26,648
"The mountains are bigger.
It's visceral.
357
00:18:26,648 --> 00:18:28,733
There's something magical about it."
358
00:18:29,359 --> 00:18:32,028
This does not belong to humans.
It does not belong to us.
359
00:18:32,028 --> 00:18:36,491
And I think that fits in the world
of "House of the Dragon" so well
360
00:18:36,491 --> 00:18:41,246
about what is ours and what we can claim
and what is bigger than us.
361
00:18:41,246 --> 00:18:44,708
Staring into nothing
but landscape and nature
362
00:18:44,708 --> 00:18:47,711
with no man-made things,
it does something to ya.
363
00:18:51,339 --> 00:18:52,841
It's amazing shooting in Wales.
364
00:18:52,841 --> 00:18:55,010
I mean, first of all, it's incredible
365
00:18:55,010 --> 00:18:57,137
that those kind of landscapes,
366
00:18:57,137 --> 00:19:00,932
we don't have to fly a million miles away.
They're right here.
367
00:19:01,516 --> 00:19:03,601
I remember I was driving up
and I was like a tourist,
368
00:19:03,601 --> 00:19:07,605
you know, I was nearly crashin' the car
'cause it was just so beautiful.
369
00:19:08,231 --> 00:19:12,110
Unimaginable how they got
an entire crew of,
370
00:19:12,110 --> 00:19:15,405
I don't know, maybe 2,000 people
up a mountain
371
00:19:15,405 --> 00:19:20,160
that was kind of almost impassable,
I don't know, yeah, brilliant.
372
00:19:20,910 --> 00:19:25,206
It makes you feel like
you're in that period of time.
373
00:19:25,206 --> 00:19:31,421
There's not really any cars.
There's no roads. It's all just scenery.
374
00:19:32,839 --> 00:19:34,382
It's nice to have a change of scenery.
375
00:19:34,382 --> 00:19:38,595
I think if we was all in the studio
for the whole shoot,
376
00:19:38,595 --> 00:19:40,055
we would start to go a little bit crazy.
377
00:19:41,765 --> 00:19:44,351
It's like going to school
and goin' on a school trip
378
00:19:44,351 --> 00:19:47,103
because it just makes everything
a little bit more excitin'.