With 22 Emmy nominations this year, we all had high hopes this would be a good night for Game of Thrones and spoiler alert: it was. The 2018 Creative Arts Emmy Awards were partially presented this evening at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, and Game of Thrones took home some well-earned prizes! That’s right, not all of the categories were presented, because it’s a two-day affair for the techies, with awards being presented on two consecutive nights, tonight and tomorrow night. Tonight was focused on comedy and drama programming, while tomorrow’s celebrations will focus on reality, game show and variety programs.
The main Emmy Awards event, with the biggest awards including Outstanding Drama Series and major acting prizes, will be awarded live on Monday, September 17, on NBC. Be sure to tune in then to root for your faves!
Where did Game of Thrones score this evening? Season 7 picked up wins for:
Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score): GoT composer Ramin Djawadi wins a well-deserved Emmy for “The Dragon and the Wolf”!
Outstanding Production Design For a Narrative Period or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More): “Dragonstone”, the season premiere episode that reintroduced the title location, adds another trophy to the Game of Thrones shelf.
Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes: “Beyond the Wall” represented GoT in this category, with the best of Westerosi winterwear!
Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for Series/Limited/Movie/Special: “The Dragon and the Wolf” was the episode submitted for consideration.
Outstanding Special Visual Effects: Episode 6, “Beyond the Wall” represented the show here- a good choice as the frozen lake battle was packed with effects.
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour): The technical wizardry of “Beyond the Wall” bags another win!
Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series or Movie: Rowley Irlam accepted the prize for coordinating the show’s amazing stunts. Thank you to the incredible stunt crew for your fine work at being beaten, drowned, set on fire, and so much more, all for our viewing pleasure.
And that wraps it up until September 17th, when we get a proper red carpet and then find out if Game of Thrones takes home prizes for writing, directing, and acting!
Finally! Ramin won an Emmy. I’m really happy. 🙂
RAMIN DJAWADI!!! AN EMMY WINNER FOR GAME OF THRONES AT LONG LAST!!!
This is supremely well-deserved and long, long, LONG overdue. But if it was going to take this long, at least he won for his superlative work on “The Dragon and the Wolf”, which includes “Truth”, one of the very best pieces of music he’s ever composed for this series!
I’ll be watching him perform live in concert on September 28 for the second time. If there was anything that could have hyped me up for that even more for that experience, this is it!
Congrats to Ramin, and to all of the other winners!
Don’t get me wrong. These were all well-deserved. Yet, the absence of S7e4 “The Spoils of War” is conspicuous.
Just for that brief scene of the Dothraki firing arrows while STANDING on their horses, that episode deserved an award.
Congrats to all the winners. Shame Spoils of War didn’t win anything and same for Rigg. I don’t think Thrones is going to take home any primetime hardware this year. The actors branch loves Handmaid’s. They’ve never lost an acting category they’ve been nominated for yet.
Congratulations! 👍👍✌
I was so hyped over Ramin finally winning that I missed the fact that Diana Rigg didn’t win for her amazing performance in “The Queen’s Justice”. That’s a damn shame. I really thought it could be her year, especially considering that it was her swan song and she left on such a high and memorable note. Alas.
With luck, Lena, Peter, and/or Nikolaj will fare better next weekend. Ditto for Alan Taylor, Jeremy Podeswa, David & Dan, and the show itself. I agree with Jack Bauer 24 that The Handmaid’s Tale represents stiff competition in all categories – I think GoT will have a better chance of winning next year for its final season (assuming that HBO airs it in time for the eligibility cutoff … please God). But I’ll hold on to hope, especially for Nikolaj …
One other note: the seven wins tonight bring Game of Thrones’ total Emmy count up to 45. The cast and crew behind the show continue to set the bar at a height it will be very difficult for any other dramatic series to ever reach …
I am very glad, that Ramin finally won. And that despite splitting the votes with his Westworld contribution (Akane no Mai). I was very disappointed when he had not been even a nominee for “light of the seven” and winds of winter.
Game of Thrones still reigns as King.
Amen to that
Ramin and all of these wins are most deserving, but uggggh, was Diana robbed! That should’ve been hers easily. The word “iconic” has become so overused, but her final scene is truly worthy of it. Pulling for the show again next week, especially Nikolaj.
Shame about “Spoils of War,” too.
Congratulations to all!
And finally Ramin wins an Emmy. Talk about long overdue! So well deserved!
The music is such a big part of the show in telling the story, it’s almost a character on it self. To me it is just as iconic as John Williams’ work on Star Wars.
To continue on for a bit.
What I really appreciate and where you can see his talent is his work on the big action sequences. In most action movies I find the music during those scenes uninspiring and unimaginative and doesn’t stick out. If they even use music. But he uses so many great melodies and really lets the music carry the action that keeps you engaged in what is on screen. After the episode the music is always still in my head.
“Blackwater”, “Watchers on the Wall”, “Hardhome”, “Battle of the Bastards”, “The Door”, “Spoils of War” and “Beyond the Wall” have so many great pieces. Thats what really stood out to me during the live concert. How good the music is during those scenes.
And of course I love the softer music as well.
Jack Bauer 24,
I think you are right – things don’t look that promising for GoT in the acting department but as I said on another thread I’ll be glad if I am proven wrong. I’m pleased the show did so well in the departments mentioned in the article above.
Why is the Guest Actor/Actress included in the technical awards? Doesn’t seem logical to me.
I see Nina Gold won the Emmy for casting, but for “The Crown”.
Pleased to see “The Assassination Of Gianni Versace” get four awards in Limited Series category. My fingers are crossed for Darren Criss who was superb in this.
Congratulations to everyone who won but especially Ramin Djawadi, Ser I bend the knee🤗
Finally! Ramin <3
Congratulations to all the GOT Emmy winners, especially Ramin Djawadi, at long last!
I feel the directing, writing and especially acting categories have an element of “popularity contest” and “politicking”, so I’m not holding my breath for a Nikolaj win. I don’t actually care much about awards, though of course it’s nice for the recipients to be recognized for their work, especially in the technical categories. Even a nom will look good on a CV and help in finding future work.
Aye, Ten Bears. And so much else. It’s easily one of my Favourite Five episodes ever. Perhaps it was too concentrated and perfect at 50 minutes to seem as epic yet intimate as it was. But…
THREE CHEERS FOR RAMIN DJAWADI!!!!!! It’s about bloody time!
Alas, I shall miss the Emmys as I shall be flying toward that green and pleasant land I love. I hope the GoT cast shows up en masse to support their joint baby. Next year will be GoT’s year for Gongs.
Stark Raven’ Rad,
A few disjointed thoughts….
1. I confess I have no ear for music. I envy those who can identify character or House themes, and notice when there are variations and mergers.
However, what I do know and can appreciate is that Ramin’s scores are not obtrusive or manipulative. What I mean is that unlike in some movies (eg some of the Star Wars films), the music doesn’t “tell” me how I should feel. In fact, the way Ramin scores scenes, the music is so subtle and natural that it “feels” like it’s mirroring the emotions I’m feeling from the scene itself. The “soundtrack” of the King in the North scene in S6e10 is a good example. It was only after i’d rewatched it several times that I realized how the modulation of the volume; interludes of silence; and “swelling” crescendo corresponded perfectly but unobtrusively with the build-up of the emotional developments of what I was watching and experiencing (eg, Lyanna Mormont’s speech; the shamed lords’ confessions, knee bending and declarations of allegiance; and then the entire assembly’s sword-raising and cheering.
I hope that makes sense. I’m sure there are musical and dramatic terms to explain what I mean; I just don’t know what they are. (When it comes to music, I feel like Tyrion trying to understand his beetle-smashing cousin Orson; he knows there’s some explanation there but it’s as if he’s trying to read a page written in a language he doesn’t understand. I just hope some donkey doesn’t kick me to death for being an artistically-challenged dummy.)
(to be cont. in five min)
Stark Raven’ Rad,
(Cont. from 4:47 pm)
2. While I don’t bash the Emmys as a cheap popularity contest, I have to acknowledge that shows with the most “buzz” get the most recognition. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen most of the “favorites”: I have yet to sign up for Netflix, Hulu, etc. (And I don’t spend as much time watching TV as I used to, ever since I started seeing this weirdly gesticulating, non-stop bloviating bloated Bozo the Clown clone on the screen on just about every channel 90% of the time about two years ago.)
So I am not qualified to judge who or what should win what category. It’s all subjective anyway. I don’t like depressing dramas, no mattter how well-written or well-acted, so I doubt I’d want to invest my time and attention to “The Handmaid’s Tale.” I do love Taryn Manning so someday I’ll probably binge-watch Orange is the New Black. I was a fan of Winona Ryder back in the day, so I’ll likely check out Stranger Things at some point. (Though I understand she behaved like a space cadet on stage at the Emmys a couple of years ago…)
I was going somewhere with this…. Oh yeah: My point was and is that the only Awards show that matters is the Annual Watchers on the Wall Awards.
3. In fact, I’m hoping that after S8 the site (and fans) would be interested in adding a few categories. My personal wish list:
(a) Ranking each character’s best scene out of all 73 episodes. It’s an entertaining exercise; I’ve found myself surprised with certain (personal) results, eg, Tyrion’s #1 scene – so far. [Of course, I’ve got at least ten Arya scenes and thus far have been unable to justify downgrading any of them from the top slot.]
(b) Selecting the very best guest star. Probably Karsi (Birgitte H-S in a cakewalk, though Lady Crane (Essie Davis) was fabulous.
(c) Choosing the best show-only, non-books scene. (I guess some fans would also want a least successful divergence category as well.)
(d) Overall “best” episode out of all 73.
(e) Overall best scene from any episode. [Sorry: I would riot if the last nine minutes of S4e1 aka “Every F*cking Chicken in this Room” doesn’t win in a landslide]
(f) Best adaptation of book character. (I have not read the books; however, I’ve noticed that many commenters considered show!Margaery a pleasantly surprising, more fleshed out character than book!Margaery.)
(g) I suppose there could be some “nice try but no cigar” type categories too….. Personally I didn’t mind the Dorne detour, though I’m pretty sure a substantial segment of the fandom was relieved when that story line was euthanized.
Me, too. Moreover, it’s a #MeToo kind of year. Now, if the meme had been TakingAKnee (per Colin Kaepernick), Game of Thrones would have been right up at the top!
Grandmaester Flash,
I think she got it a few times already for GOT. And if you ever watched the Crown, you can see how good se was at that as well!
Ten Bears,
Oh I so agree with you. There was a movie I saw recently can’t remember which, but the music was jarring, totally disconnected with what was happening. Seems to happen more often than not. Ramin knew just what to do, and I am so thrilled that he finally got an Emmy!
Jared,
I was at his concert last night and he told us that he had just found out he won. He had such an amazing smile on for whole the concert. It was awesome!
Could you kindly guide me toward it? I’m a spoiler hound, but still unsure as to how Reddit works exactly…
Yes, I’ve seen ‘The Crown’ and there was some brilliant casting, although I found a few were a bit off. The Queen Mother, for one. And I didn’t like John Lithgow as Churchill.
It’s a shame Diana didn’t win. Samira plays the same character every show (herself, I guess) and was especially lackluster in Handmaid’s tale in season 2, barely even being present.
A couple of AV Club interviews
Ramin Djawadi talks composing the soundscapes for Game Of Thrones and Westworld
https://tv.avclub.com/ramin-djawadi-talks-about-creating-the-soundscapes-for-1828938027
Game Of Thrones composer Ramin Djawadi breaks down two of season 7’s biggest musical moments
https://tv.avclub.com/game-of-thrones-composer-ramin-djawadi-breaks-down-two-1828948582