Game of Thrones

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the TV series. For the novel, see A Game of Thrones. For other works of the
same name, see A Game of Thrones (disambiguation).

Game of Thrones

Genre
Created by

Fantasy
Serial drama

David Benioff
D. B. Weiss
A Song of Ice and Fire

Based on

by George R. R. Martin
Starring

see List of Game of Thronescharacters

Composer(s)

Ramin Djawadi

Country of origin

United States

Originallanguage(s)

English

No. of seasons

No. of episodes

40 (List of episodes)
Production

David Benioff
D. B. Weiss
Frank Doelger
Bernadette Caulfield
Carolyn Strauss
George R. R. Martin

Oral Norrey Ottey

Frances Parker
Martin Nicholson
Katie Weiland

Executiveproducer(s)

Editor(s)

Location(s)

Croatia
Iceland
Malta
Morocco
Northern Ireland
Scotland
Spain
United States[1][2][3]
5065 minutes

Running time

Broadcast
HBO

Original channel
Picture format

1080i (16:9 HDTV)

Audio format

Dolby Digital 5.1

Original run

April 17, 2011 present

External links
Website
Production website

Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series created for HBO by David
Benioffand D. B. Weiss as showrunners and main writers. It is an adaptation of A Song of Ice and
Fire,George R. R. Martin's series of fantasy novels, the first of which is titled A Game of Thrones.
Filmed in a Belfast studio and on location elsewhere in Northern
Ireland, Malta, Scotland, Croatia, Iceland, the United States, Spain and Morocco, it premiered on
HBO in the United States on April 17, 2011. Two days after the fourth season premiered in April
2014, HBO renewed Game of Thrones for a fifth and sixth season.[4]
The series, set on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos at the end of a decade-long
summer, interweaves several plot lines. The first follows the members of several noble houses in a
civil war for the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms; the second covers the rising threat of the
impending winter and the Southerners' fear of the legendary creatures and fierce peoples of the
North; the third chronicles the attempts of the exiled last scion of the realm's deposed ruling dynasty
to reclaim the throne. Through its exploration of the ambitions and morals of its many characters, the
series explores issues of social hierarchy, religion, loyalty, corruption, civil war, crime, and
punishment.
Game of Thrones has attracted record numbers of viewers on HBO and obtained an exceptionally
broad and active international fan base. It received widespread acclaim by critics, although its
frequent use of nudity, violence and sexual violence has attracted criticism. The series has won
numerous awards and nominations, including a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding
Drama Series for its first four seasons, a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Television Series
Drama, a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation in both Long Form and Short Form, and
aPeabody Award. Among the ensemble cast, Peter Dinklage won the Primetime Emmy Award for
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting
Actor Series, Miniseries or Television Film for his role as Tyrion Lannister.

Contents
[hide]

1 Plot
2 Cast and characters
3 Production
o 3.1 Conception and development
o 3.2 Adaptation schedule
o 3.3 Title sequence
o 3.4 Filming
o 3.5 Costuming
o 3.6 Sound
o 3.7 Visual effects
o 3.8 Language
o 3.9 Effect on location
4 Availability
o 4.1 Broadcast
o 4.2 Home video
o 4.3 Piracy
5 Other media and products
o 5.1 Soundtrack
o 5.2 Accompanying material
o 5.3 Merchandise and exhibition
o 5.4 Other works based on the series
6 Reception
o 6.1 Cultural influence
o 6.2 Critical response
6.2.1 In general
6.2.2 Use of sex and violence
o 6.3 Fandom
o 6.4 Viewer numbers
o 6.5 Awards
7 References
8 External links

Plot
Main article: List of Game of Thrones episodes
See also: Synopsis of A Song of Ice and Fire

Power and violence are central themes of Game of Thrones, and the great number of weapons made for the series
some of which are shown in this exhibit reflects this.

Game of Thrones roughly follows the three storylines of A Song of Ice and Fire.[5] Set in the fictional
Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, the series chronicles the violent dynastic struggles among the realm's
noble families for control of the Iron Throne. As the series opens, additional threats emerge in the icy
North and in the eastern continent of Essos.[2]
The novels and their adaptation derive aspects of their settings, characters and plot from various
events of European history.[6] A principal inspiration for the novels is the English Wars of the
Roses[7] (145585) between the houses of Lancaster and York, reflected in Martin's houses
of Lannister and Stark. Most of Westeros, with its castles and knightly tournaments, is reminiscent
of High Medieval Western Europe. The scheming Cersei, for instance, calls to mind Isabella of
France (12951358).[6] She and her family, as depicted in Maurice Druon's historical novel
series The Accursed Kings, in particular, inspired Martin.[8]Other historical inspirations for elements of
the series include Hadrian's Wall (which became Martin's great Wall), the fall of Rome, the legend
of Atlantis (ancient Valyria), Byzantine "Greek fire" ("wildfire"), Icelandicsagas of the Viking
Age (the Ironborn) and the Mongol hordes (the Dothraki), as well as elements from theHundred
Years' War (13371453) and the Italian Renaissance (c. 14001500).[6] The series' great popularity
has in part been attributed to Martin's skill at fusing these disparate elements into a seamless whole
that appears credible on its own terms as an alternative history.[6]
"The Sopranos in Middle-earth" is the tagline showrunner David Benioff jokingly suggested for Game
of Thrones, referring to its intrigue-filled plot and dark tone combined with a fantasy setting that
incorporates some magic.[9] In a 2012 study, the series was listed second out of 40 recent U.S. TV
drama series by deaths per episode, with an average of 14.[10][11]

Cast and characters

Main article: List of Game of Thrones characters

Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister) leads the principal cast from season two onwards.

Like the novels it adapts, Game of Thrones has a sprawling ensemble cast, estimated to be the
largest on television.[12] During the production of the third season, 257 cast names were
recorded.[13] In 2014, several of the actors' contracts were renegotiated to include the option for a
seventh season, and included raises that reportedly made the cast among the best-paid on cable
TV.[14] The following overview reduces the list of characters in Game of Thrones, describing only
those played by the actors credited as part of the main cast in any season.[15]
Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark (Sean Bean) is the head of the Stark family whose members are involved
in most of the series's intertwined plot lines. He and his wife Catelyn Tully (Michelle Fairley) have
five children: the eldest, Robb (Richard Madden), the dainty Sansa (Sophie Turner), the tomboy
Arya (Maisie Williams), the adventurous Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) and the youngest, Rickon
(Art Parkinson). Ned's hostage and ward Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) used to live with the Starks

before encountering the sadistic Ramsay Snow (Iwan Rheon). Robb's wife is the healer Talisa
Maegyr (Oona Chaplin), and Arya has befriended the blacksmith's apprentice Gendry (Joe
Dempsie). Ned'sbastard son Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and his friend Samwell Tarly (John Bradley)
serve in the Night's Watch under Lord Commander Jeor Mormont (James Cosmo). The red-haired
Ygritte (Rose Leslie), one of the Wildlings led by Tormund Giantsbane (Kristofer Hivju), is Jon
Snow's romantic interest, and Sam cares for the young Wildling Gilly (Hannah Murray). Catelyn is
served by the tall warrior Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie).
Ned's old friend King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) shares a loveless marriage with Queen Cersei
Lannister (Lena Headey), who has taken her twin, the "Kingslayer" Ser Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj
Coster-Waldau) as her secret lover. She loathes her younger brother, the clever dwarf Tyrion
Lannister (Peter Dinklage), who is attended by his mistress Shae (Sibel Kekilli) and the sellsword
Bronn (Jerome Flynn). Cersei's father is the fabulously wealthy Lord Tywin Lannister (Charles
Dance), and her oldest son, the cruel Joffrey (Jack Gleeson), is guarded by the scar-faced warrior
Sandor "the Hound" Clegane (Rory McCann).
The king's "Small Council" of advisors includes the crafty Master of Coin, Lord Petyr "Littlefinger"
Baelish (Aidan Gillen) and the eunuch spymaster Lord Varys (Conleth Hill). Robert's brother Stannis
Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) is advised by the foreign priestess Melisandre (Carice van Houten) and
the former smuggler Ser Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham). The wealthy Tyrell family is
represented at court by the ambitious Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer).
Across the Narrow Sea, siblings Viserys (Harry Lloyd) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) the
exiled children of the king overthrown by Robert Baratheon are on the run for their lives, trying to
win back the throne. Daenerys has been married to Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa), the leader of the
nomadic Dothraki, and is guarded by the exiled knight Ser Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen).

Production
See also: Season 1, Season 2, Season 3, Season 4 and Season 5

Conception and development

Showrunners D. B. Weiss and David Benioff created the series, wrote most of its episodes and directed some of
them.

George R. R. Martin, the author of A Song of Ice and Fire, is attached to the series as an executive producerand
writes one episode per season.

According to David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, the two came up with the idea of adapting George R. R.
Martin's novels to the screen in 2006, after Benioff began reading the first novel, A Game of
Thrones. He called Weiss to share his excitement, and Weiss finished the thousand-page book in
"maybe 36 hours".[16]They successfully pitched the series to HBO, and convinced Martin a veteran
screenwriter himself in the course of a five-hour meeting in a restaurant on Santa Monica
Boulevard to agree to the idea. Benioff recalled they won Martin over with their answer to his
question: "Who is Jon Snow's mother?"
The series began development in January 2007.[17] HBO, after acquiring the TV rights to the novels,
hired Benioff and Weiss to write and executive produce the series, which would cover one novel's
worth of material per season.[17] Initially, Benioff and Weiss were to write every episode save one per
season, which Martin, who also joined as a co-executive producer, was attached to write.[17][18] Jane
Espensonand Bryan Cogman were later added to each write one episode of the first season.[2]
The first and second drafts of the pilot script, written by Benioff and Weiss, were submitted in August
2007[19] and June 2008,[20] respectively. While HBO found both drafts to their liking,[20][21] a pilot was
not ordered until November 2008,[22] with the 20072008 Writers Guild of America strike possibly
delaying the process.[21]
The pilot reportedly cost HBO between US$5 and 10 million,[23] and the total budget for the first
season had been estimated at US$5060 million.[24] In the second season, the show obtained a 15%
budget increase to afford the most important battle in "The War of the Five Kings", the civil war
central to the season.[25] The season 2 episode "Blackwater" had an increased budget of US$8
million and the average episode has a budget of US$6 million, which is two-to-three times more than
a typical network or cable series costs per episode.[26]

Adaptation schedule
Showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss intend to adapt the entirety of the still incomplete A
Song of Ice and Fire novel series, if HBO permits it. They envision the series to have a scope of
some 80 hours, about eight seasons' worth of material.[27]
In 2013, producer Frank Doelger said "[w]e'll probably get through to seven seasons".[28] Benioff and
Weiss said they do not want to pad Game of Thrones out so as to wait for George R. R. Martin (who
has taken up to six years to write an installment of A Song of Ice and Fire) to finish writing the last
two novels. Knowing the broad outlines of Martin's intended ending for A Song of Ice and Fire, and

concerned that extending Game of Thrones to ten seasons would kill its sense of momentum, they
consider it possible (but not preferable) that the TV series ends before the last novel is published.[29]
As of April 8, 2014, six seasons have been ordered and four have been filmed, adapting the novels
at a rate of about 0.8 minutes per page.[30]

Season

Ordered

Filming

Premiere

Novel adapted

Season March 2,
1
2010[31]

Second half
of 2010

April 17,
2011

A Game of Thrones

Season April 19,

2
2011

Second half
of 2011

April 1,
2012

A Clash of Kings

Season April 10,

3
2012

Second half
of 2012

March 31,
2013[32]

About the first half of A Storm of Swords[33]

Season April 2,
4
2013[34]

Second half
of 2013

April 6,
2014[35]

The second half of A Storm of Swords, and some

elements from A Feast for Crows and A Dance with
Dragons[36]

Season April 8,
5
2014[4]

Second half
of 2014

2015

A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons[37]

Season April 8,
6
2014[4]

TBA

TBA

TBA

Seasons 1 and 2 each adapted one novel. For the later seasons, the creators conceive of Game of
Thrones as an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire as a whole, rather than of individual
novels.[38] This gives them the liberty to move events back and forth across books according to the
requirements of the screen adaptation.[39]
The four seasons filmed so far each consist of ten episodes. Most episodes from the first and
second season run for about 52 minutes, while many of the third season's episodes are 56 or 57
minutes long. The series' pilot and the second, third and fourth season finales run for more than an
hour apiece.[40]

Title sequence
Main article: Game of Thrones title sequence
The series's title sequence was created by production studio Elastic for HBO. Creative
director Angus Wall and his collaborators received the 2011Emmy Award for Main Title Design for
their work on the sequence.[41] It depicts a three-dimensional map of the series's fictional world,
projected onto the inside of a sphere, which is centrally lit by a small sun contained within

an armilla.[42] As the camera swoops across the map and focuses on the locations in which the
episode's events take place, complicated clockwork mechanisms let buildings and other structures
emerge from the map and unfold. Meanwhile, accompanied by the title music, the names of the
principal cast and creative staff are displayed. The sequence concludes after about one and a half
minutes with the title card and brief opening credits indicating the episode's writer(s) and director.

Filming

The walled city of Dubrovnik stands in for King's Landing from season 2 onwards

Ballintoy Harbour was redressed as Lordsport on the Iron Islands

The Azure Window in Malta was the site of the Dothraki wedding in season 1

Principal photography for the first season was scheduled to begin on July 26, 2010.[2] The primary
location was the Paint Hall Studios in Belfast, Northern Ireland.[43] Exterior scenes in Northern Ireland
were filmed at Sandy Brae in the Mourne Mountains (standing in for Vaes Dothrak), Castle
Ward (Winterfell), Saintfield Estates (the Winterfell godswood), Tollymore Forest (outdoor
scenes), Cairncastle (the execution site),Magheramorne quarry (Castle Black) and at Shane's
Castle (the tourney grounds).[1] Doune Castle in Stirling, Scotland, was also used in the original pilot
episode for exterior and interior scenes at Winterfell.[44] The producers initially considered shooting
the whole series in Scotland, but eventually chose Northern Ireland because of the availability of
studio space.[45]

The first season's southern scenes were filmed in Malta, a change in location from the sets
in Moroccoused for the pilot episode.[2] The city of Mdina was used for scenes in King's Landing, and
filming also took place at Fort Manoel (representing the Sept of Baelor), at the Azure Window on the
island of Gozo (the Dothraki wedding site), and at San Anton Palace, Fort Ricasoli, Fort St
Angelo and St. Dominic monastery (all used for scenes in the Red Keep).[1]
For the second season, shooting of the Southern scenes shifted from Malta to Croatia, where the
city ofDubrovnik and nearby locations allowed exterior shots of a seaside walled medieval city.
The Walls of Dubrovnik and of Fort Lovrijenac were used for scenes in King's Landing and the Red
Keep. The island ofLokrum, the St. Dominic monastery on the island of Trogir, the Rector's Palace in
Dubrovnik and theDubac quarry a few kilometers to the east were used for scenes set in Qarth.
Scenes set north of the Wall, in the Frostfangs and at the Fist of the First Men, were filmed
in Iceland in November 2011, on theSvnafellsjkull glacier and
near Smyrlabjrg and Vk on Hfabrekkuheii.[1]
For the third season the production returned to Dubrovnik in Croatia. The Walls of Dubrovnik, Fort
Lovrijenac and nearby locations were used for scenes in King's Landing and the Red Keep. One
new location Trsteno Arboretum is the garden the Tyrells use in King's Landing. The third season
also returned to Morocco (previously used in the pilot episode), including the city of Essaouira, to
film Daenerys's scenes in Essos.[46] The production employed three units ("Dragon", "Wolf" and
"Raven") filming in parallel, six directing teams, 257 cast members and 703 crew members.[13] One
scene featuring a live bear, Little Bart, was filmed in Los Angeles.[3]
The fourth season returned to Dubrovnik and included new locations in Croatia, such as Diocletian's
Palace in Split, Klis Fortress north of Split, Perun quarry east of Split, Mosor mountain and Baka
Vodafurther down to the south.[47] Filming took 136 days, ending on November 21, 2013.[48]

Costuming

The costumes of Ygritte, Jon Snow and Tormund Giantsbane reflect the harsh climate in which they are worn.

The rich dresses worn at the royal court in King's Landing advertise their wearers' wealth and status.

Functional weapons and armor, likeBrienne of Tarth's (left), were manufactured for the series.

The show's costumes are inspired by many cultures, such as Japanese and Persian. Dothraki outfits
resemble the Bedouin's (one was made out of fish skins to resemble dragon scales), and the
Wildlings wear animal skins inside out like the Inuit.[49] Wildling bone armor is made of molds taken of
real bones and assembled with string and latex resembling catgut.[50] While extras who portray
Wildlings and the Night's Watch wear hats as would be normal in a cold climate, main actors usually
do not so viewers can identify the characters. Bjrk's Alexander McQueen high-neckline dresses
inspired Dormer's unusual funnel-neck outfit, and prostitute costumes are designed to be quickly
removed.[49] All clothing, whether for Wildlings or for women at the royal court, is aged for two weeks
to improve realism on high-definition television.[50]
About two dozen wigs are used for the actresses. Made of human hair and up to 2 feet (61 cm) in
length, they cost up to $7,000 each and are washed and styled like real hair. Applying the wigs is a
lengthy process; Clarke, for example, requires about two hours to style her brunette hair with a
platinum-blonde wig and braids. Other actors such as Gleeson and Turner receive frequent
haircoloring. For characters such as Clarke and her Dothraki, hair, wigs, and costumes are
processed so they appear as if they have not been washed for weeks.[49]

Sound
Unusually for television shows, the sound team receives a rough-cut of a full season to work on, and
they approach it like a ten-hour feature film. Season 1 and 2 each had a different sound team, but for
the third, fourth - and going into the fifth - season, the same team has been working on the
sound.[51] For the show's blood and goo sounds, the sound team often uses a shammy. For dragon
screams, they have used the sounds of two tortoises mating, as well as dolphin, seal, lion and bird
sounds.[52]

Visual effects
For the large amount of visual effects in the series, HBO hired the British VFX company BlueBolt for
season one. Most of the environment builds were done as 2.5D projections, to give the viewer a
good sense of perspective, but also to keep the amount of programming from becoming too
overwhelming.[53]The season one finale "Fire and Blood" was nominated for an Emmy Award for
Visual Effects in 2011. Due to the effects becoming more complex in the upcoming seasons,
including CG-creatures, -fire, and -water, BlueBolt, which had only been established a few years
before being offered the position, passed the job on to German-based Pixomondo. Pixomondo
served as lead VFX producer for seasons two and three. Nine of its twelve facilities contributed to
the project, with Stuttgart serving as the lead.[54][55] The episodes "Valar Morghulis" and "Valar

Dohaeris" won the Emmy Award for Visual Effects in 2012 and 2013, respectively. For season four,
HBO again switched VFX companies, this time to Mackevision, also based in Germany.[56] The
season four finale "The Children" won the Emmy Award for Visual Effects in 2014.

Language