Dave Hill, new screenwriter for Game of Thrones Season 5, has shared another Making Game of Thrones blog post. This one, entitled “Shivering for the Shot”, offers us a tiny insight into the gruelling task of waiting for natural lighting conditions to allow the perfect shot.
Day 77: From the bottom of a quarry, our VFX supervisor looks up at the ridge above us and shakes his head. As we all shiver in 4°C shadow, he’s praying the sun won’t rise over the ridge and bathe us in its loving warmth. Because we have some serious VFX elements in this scene and shadows are much easier to match than light. For VFX, hell isn’t other people – it’s the sunlight on their faces.
Season 5 speculation below the cut.
The Wall storyline has been getting a lot of attention lately, and that trend seems to continue with this MGoT. The image shared above looks quite similar to a shot of what fans are assuming is Hardhome in the teaser for Game of Thrones: Day in the Life. The theory is that Jon will personally lead a ranging to the wildling village. This may also be the scene that Kit Harington recently mentioned took a month to shoot. Judging by the footage and our own sources, it’s quite likely that Kit’s teases and a long battle scene are one and the same.
However, the location shown in MGoT seems to be similar to where Catelyn’s meeting with Ser Vardis Egan took place in “The Wolf and the Lion”, which was also shot in a quarry. This could point to that particular location representing the Vale in winter. However, the same locations have been used for shooting different Westerosi areas before in the show, and there’s no reason that practice would stop now.
Regardless of where it is, and as is always the case with GoT locations, it looks atmospheric and real. Hardhome, the Vale, or somewhere else entirely – what do you think?
HODOR
THIS IS CLEARLY HARDHOME AND IT UTTERLY RUINS THE ENTIRE NIGHTS WATCH PLOTLINE
EXTENSIVE ANALYSISES OF WHY IT IS HARDHOME AND WHY THAT MEANS WAR -> http://angrygotfan.com/2015/01/20/season-5-jon-snow-plot-destroyed-beyond-all-recognition/
Hardhome is supposed to be more town-like not a village
Am I the only one really looking forward to
I hope they make him “the sensible” Pycelle that he is in FeastDance, and that Cersei refuses to listen to him (even though he is giving good advice). And that they’ll kill him of in some way at the end (to stop him fixing the realm).
One wonders if these posters have English as a first language?
I can’t take anyone seriously who continues to watch the show while hating it. Even if it is meant to be funny, I can’t invest time in the ironic hate.
I do think this is Hardhome – question for all on this. Have any characters in the show actually referred to Hardhome or that area of Beyond the Wall yet (in S4)? Wondering if the town will be renamed for the show.
My fav storyline… Can’t wait!!
Boojam,
I think Mr Angry needs to calm down a little lest he have a seizure. I can’t remember where I read it but some bright spark (obviously not a book-purist) had made a quip about GRRM’s final ASOIAF books, when they are (hopefully) written being fan-fiction for the TV show.
As for making the odd mistake in language, English is my native language and I am not so rare and perfect that I’ve never made a “schoolgirl howler”. I once typed “Messers” for “Messrs” – fortunately I picked it up before the letter went out – just as well because a friend regularly “temped” for the firm it was addressed to. If it had gone out and she’d seen it I’d never have been allowed to forget it.
Lysa Tully: “Finish it Ser Vardis!”
Yeah. He finished it all right.
LOL
One of my favorite scenes in the series thus far is not the epic battle at the wall, or Ned at the Sept of Balor or all the other iconic moments. My favorite scene is when the Knights of the Vale come galloping down that road to meet Catelyn, their banners snapping in the breeze, the glint of sun on their burnished mail. That, to me is pure fantasy, and it makes me feel like a kid reading all those great fantasy books, from the Lord of the Rings to the Deryni novels to Gormenghast!
Are we sure that this is
and not
?
Do you even English, bro?
For clarity’s sake, I wasn’t questioning whether
What I am throwing out there is whether the header image in Dave Hill’s piece is from
GeekFurious,
Boojam,
Shellron,
Your satire detectors are broken, that was AngryGOTFan from Twitter who made that post.
https://angrygotfan.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/tumblr_nigfxfjktr1tf1ntio3_250.gif
To me, the moves look quite female… and the more I watch that gif the less I am sure about this being Jon.
Those saying that it’s too small for Hardhome… no, it isn’t.
Some people have a very limited understanding of how productions work —and that’s fine. Not everyone has to know how things are done. But it’s also good to be aware of our own ignorance. The fact is that they wouldn’t create the set of an entire town —it may be digitally enhanced or the shots may be carefully staged so that it appears larger than it actually is (probably a little bit of both.)
Nero Martell,
It’s Jon. Not just because of the hair (which is curly, as opposed to Yara’s.) There’s also his clothes. The fact that those are definitely wildlings, who have a very specific kind of clothing in the show, distinct from other Northerners and the mountain clans we’ve seen.
O I do the same.
I was thinking the syntax made the satire hard to parse.
Boojam,
YOU SPRECH THE COMMON TONGUE, SER
I know that the trailer will be released after the the imax screening but will we be getting any official pictures anytime soon? They released a batch of images from the last three seasons of old and new cast/character but i cant remember if they were before or after the trailers
Yep. And TV sets in studios are TINY compared to how they look when broadcast. I had no idea till I did a studio tour once.
Nero Martell,
Clothes match Jon’s, hair is curly like Jon’s, and the sword matches Jon’s. Yara would have less curly hair and an axe.
Agreed on the size of the set though. Also, I remember that after they moved the battle from Iceland to Belfast, they said they were still going to be doing location shots in Iceland, so I imagine there’s going to be a lot of big Icelandic scenery patched into these shots of their “little” Hardhome, too.
Such dramatic and graceful follow-thru after the swing and flop! It’s almost like Syrio has joined the northmen! No war is ever won without flair! En garde!
Looking at the pics in this article makes me think even more we’re getting
Luka Nieto,
I was thinking of the same thing regarding the size of this set being irrelevant to how a possible HH would look on screen. A few of “behind the scenes” documentaries for several shows have confirmed that what looked epic on screen is sometimes nothing more than a few spread out building facades and props.
Patchy Face,
I finished the first 3 seasons re-watch and as far as I can tell, no. I also don’t remember any mention of HH in season 4.
Darren,
This is clearly Jon. You can see his face in the beginning and the fighting style fits as well. – Oh wait, that was a joke, right?
Part of me hopes the “big battle scene” isn’t Hardhome. Sounds quite trivial (they even lost Hardhome in the book, no? Dead things in the water and all that), unless they made some changes to make it more important/interesting.
Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Abyss,
Kit Harington looks so good with a sword I must admit
Morgoth,
There’s no way Battle of Ice will take place this Season. 0%
We didn’t get any news concerning the battle unlike Blackwater and Castle Black.
I wouldn’t do such a big mess out of few scenes. We don’t know anything about it. The opponent of Jon could be a quick undead (after the children fast skeleton… why not?), or a wilding following Craster’s phyolosophy (let’s follow the WW and they will let us surbiving), or a group of wildings (Varamyr’s one?) believing death is better than bending their knees. All these possibilities could somehow take place in hardhome or anywhere else. I am quite convinced the Ides will not be in Season 5 even because the whole connection Bran-fArya-Theon-Ramsay is missing. Bran and fArya seem to not be on screen too. I know it has been said “Theon will be the hero he always wanted to be in Season 5” but this could mean anything. I guess the Umbers will replace the Manderly and Ramsay/Theon will meet there while Davos will be kept prisoner. The entire end of ADWD will be delayed to Season 6. There is no time enough anyway.
ANGRYGOTFAN,
While I love and totally get your humor, I still have a very strong urge to buy you ten kilo of Valium to help you get thru S5. You have my condolences.
Dame Pasty,
You do know what D&D are thinking in this shot, don’t you?
“Shit, we are really going to piss off ANGRYGOTFAN with this scene.”
Actually, I enjoy the Angry One. In a way, he/she allows us to maintain a sense of balance.
Imagine, Martin publishing the TWOW in 2017 or 2018. I know, I know, it’s not very likely, as he won’t finish it, but just imagine, just imagine. It’s not that hard to imagine Martin writing fiction, I know he writes everything but fiction lately, but if one tries, one can imagine it. Just imagine it.
So, to go further with this imagining, imagine Martin writing some scene or event differently than what we witnessed on TV. I know D&D are pretty faithful, but there is a lot of unchartered territory, regardless that they were given the full story, so I think you can imagine it. So, just imagine it, if you are able to use your wild imagination by imagining Martin actually writing fiction, you can imagine this too.
And then imagine some shmofo having a nervous breakdown screaming all over the internets, WHAT’S THIS, THE DEMENTED NFL-BLOGGER IS RUINING THE SHOW! WILL SOMEBODY STOP THIS AMATEUR!!! HE’S RUINING THE SHOW WITH HIS FAT FINGERS!
Well, that would be pretty idiotic, wouldn’t it. It damn would.
Well to be honest my satire feelers failed to pick up on that aspect of the posting too.
Hodor’s Bastard,
The director (Podeswa) looks jaded haha
The Hound,
🙂 Don’t D&D look like the ultimate helicopter parents in that shot?
Morgoth,
I always got the impression that Hardhome is important for reasons GRRM hasn’t shared yet.
Melisandre seems to have a vision about it.
Some disaster happened there that parallels the doom of Valyria.
It’s thought to be cursed. That’s likely for a good reason rather than wildling superstition.
From the letters Jon got, there’s major white walker action going on there. Being television, the show is naturally going to adopt a show not tell approach and put a character we know and care about there rather than someone who is a minor character in the books.
It makes sense to me why they’d film Hardhome. I’m looking forward to it and hoping for some TWOW spoilers.
WeirwoodTreeHugger,
Oh boy, I hadn’t even thought about it in that context, but yeah, that could be the main reason. We’re all Unsullied now.
Showing Hardhome can serve multiple purposes. We get to see the white walkers in action, the damage they can cause, and get some much needed action for the season.
Greatjon of Slumber,
I see this like you do. I’ll add to your comment, that if show is going to strip some storylines from book Jon such as:
You cannot have a “for the Watch” without a built up IMO. Previous seasons have established already the usual view that NW brothers hate helping wildlings. Hardhome (if this is it) will drive the necessary wedge in the NW ranks, since Jon no longer lets wildlings through the gate, or interferes and takes sides because of his family and friends.
On top of it, it certainly keeps the WW threat present in the mix, more closely.
Darren,
It’s a possibility, especially if the Wildings reinforce Stannis’ army in the place of the Hill Tribes. I hope we find out where Yara is at some point this season anyway and hope springs eternal we may see some Greyjoy uncles at some point.
Surely they have to
this season!
Hmm if HH is the big North/Wall climax for this season, how does everyone think Stannis will be handled?
I feel like at this point Samwell and Davos will have different things to do. Stannis’s main point in aDwD *could* be relatively easy to adapt for a season long arc (get Northern support in some shape or form, march on Winterfell), but I doubt HH and Battle for Winterfell will both be a thing this season. I suppose this also involves what the heck Reek & the Boltons will be up to for a season.
Hodor’s Bastard,
Yes! They’re thinking, ‘ANGRYGOTFAN is gonna put another horse’s head in our
bed!!!!!”
Greatjon of Slumber,
Tormund’s Woman,
The use of
Shorter me, I think you’re both right.
The fact that someone could for a nano second mistake Jon Snow for Yara, tells us Jon Snow is ina need of an image makeover.
Get rid of the curly emo hair and make him look like in the books!
TheTouchOfFrost,
The link that abyss posted shows a different angle than the picture in this post, so I’m convinced that I was wrong and that is Jon. Sorry for the confusion.
So what are we thinking for this storyline then,
Do you know why all the world hates a Lannister?
I’m not a greedy man, but regarding the North this season (and in the spirit of our “selfie” world), I want it all:
Fetch it, Edd!
Let’s count our vegetables and swine shanks in the cellar!
FPM
Aemon’s sad death
Wildlings in the Gift
HH reconnaissance
Stannis and Mance head southwest
Davos and Sam/Gilly head southeast
Mel & Jon get their prophesy on
Shireen greyscale shunning
Reek morphing back to Theon
Mance infiltrates WF
Bolton/Northerner mummery (who are the Stark loyalists?)
A lot of snow!
With the final scenes in the north being:
1) Theon/girl escaping & jumping from the WF wall
2) Stannis approaching WF
3) Wun-Wun & FTW (with a “reaction” by Ghost)
🙂
Is that too much to ask??? I purposefully left out Yara & Deepwood Motte because I have no clue.
She looks rather like my (former) boss.
I hate her already. 🙂
Darren,
Still want some Yara this season though!
I assume it must be Hardhome and they’ll do some elements of the Wall stroylines on the road trip. Just hope they’re not sacrificing the election, Stannis interaction and Slynt incident to force in a prolonged action scene.
Seen this on reddit , what would you guys think if this happens?
“In Episode 510, a change from the books is made and Jon Snow as Lord Commander leads a ranging party to Hardhome. He and his party get into an altercation with Wights and White Walkers and his men want to flee and Jon Snow doesn’t allow them to do so. As a result they revolt and stab him and leave him to die, as they run for safety. Then the White Walkers come, collect his body, throw it onto the back of their horse and gallop off into the darkness, as another season of Game of Thrones comes to a conclusion.”
Also seen from an apparent reliable source on /asoiaf someones friend plays a random whitewalker and says there will be some sort of fight between wights/walkers and wildings/black brothers.
NightsKing,
This looks really like a shitty adaptation
What I’m thinking is that this is not A Song of Ice and Fire anymore 🙂
Hodor’s Bastard,
Haha if this is you “not greedy”, then I’m afraid to see what you’d type when you are! :p
Also, you missed the
I’d be in awe if we get most of that list. I just don’t see it happening. Oh, and
NightsKing,
Da fuk?
Tormund’s Woman,
🙂
Hodor’s Bastard,
You mean
Hodor’s Bastard,
Hmm, I can do without the inventory. Usually I am all for “show, don’t tell”: but this would be an exception. Indeed, I could see it being counterproductive:
Along a similar line, I would rather that
Tormund’s Woman,
Oh, Miranda is hopeless and unsalvageable, imho.
NightsKing,
On ASOIAF reddit? Provide a link then.
Also, if what you’ve said pans out you REALLY should’ve spoiler-tagged it…
Someone call Nina Gold and have her cast Hodor’s Bastard as Wyman Manderly.
Hodor’s Bastard,
The one possible advantage of Miranda is that
(Also, I strongly suspect that this would be a precursor to the story in Season 6: it could be a little taste of what’s too come.)
I am not sure how I picture HB, but it’s definitely with at least 3 fewer chins. Still, prosthetics could do the trick. (But, then, I’d rather they spent the $$$$ on CGI’ing a giant….)
Cian,
Yes, Wimsey is correct. I would need a “Fat Bastard” suit….but I do know how to ride a horse! Considering the magnitude of Manderly’s worth to this tale, I will take that as a compliment. Thank you kindly.
Are they talking hypothetically or are they saying they know that’s what happens?
Sorry shouldve clarified a little bit , all that about the others taking jon was just a fan theory I wouldnt put any stock into it, the part about being some sort of battle between the nights watch /wildings and others/wights was just my own possible theory after reading this …
**POSSIBLE SPOILERS** http://www.reddit.com/r/asoiaf/comments/2npj40/spoilers_all_nights_king_in_season_5/
NightsKing,
I can buy everything up until
TheTouchOfFrost,
I’m sure she’ll have some scenes this season. They added scenes for her in Season 3 and Season 4 and I doubt they’d do that if they didn’t have bigger plans for her down the road, even if she’s not
NightsKing,
Ok thanks. We’d already seen that first bit about the NK actually.
Hollyoak,
OT: Ooooo! Loved those Deryni books as a teen. Almost named my youngest daughter Morgan. 🙂
Darren,
The whole Jon
is just a fan idea: the books don’t tell us this is going to happen. Personally, I have problems seeing it myself: it would be difficult for Martin to write the type of story that he enjoys writing (and that has been the “motif” of this series of stories) with a chief protagonist so indisposed. IF this suggestion is true, then it probably will be that
So, the show would just be taking a shortcut. Personally, I have difficulty envisioning even that: I suspect that Martin will first
The only thing I can say for it is this: at some point, we have to learn the why of the White Walkers. This isn’t Tolkien: they are not “evil.” They should represent some idea or cause that makes us (and, more importantly, some of the protagonists) understand and even sympathize with their goals. Maybe this is how Martin sets that up.
Wimsey,
I agree about the other wars being mostly resolved (at least the ramifications of the War of the Five Kings, if not necessarily the new Dance of the Dragons), but I expect that there will be some overlap. There are (supposedly) only two books left, after all.
I also agree about the White Walkers being more than they seem. ASOIAF has almost always featured complex characters and the subversion of genre expectations, so I definitely expect that the White Walkers aren’t as “evil” as they appear and the Children of the Forest aren’t as “good” as they appear. The individual characters are never as simple as they seem, so why would the supernatural races?
Hodor’s Bastard,
It will happen
#ItIsKnown.
All these rumors about Theon becoming the hero he always wanted to be come Season 5 cannot be for nothing. Plus some important character deaths have to happen (whether they are in or not in the books) or this will not be The Game of Thrones we came to love and hate!
EDIT: and love again.
Tormund’s Woman,
You bring up a great point. Who, of all the “characters who done bad and have so-called redemptive arcs,” will live to see their redemption through?
Theon? (No!)
Jaime? (Probably not)
Jorah? (No!)
Mel? (Maybe)
Cersei? (No!)
Hound? (Maybe)
Gregor/RS? ( 🙂 )
Lancel? (No!)
O&O Kettleblack? (No! Let ’em hang!)
BR? (Maybe! But PuppetMasters are always evil!)
Ser Pounce (Pussy Galore would be proud…Hell no!)
Given that this is ASoI&F, most likely all of these will only be narcissistic shadows at the end.
Darren,
Fingers crossed. Still hoping Euron shows up at some point but it is ever fading.
Hodor’s Bastard,
Where is your unrelenting optimism sir?
I believe that some of these characters will find redemption, and if so it will be in a tragic circumstance resulting in self sacrifice and death. I think Theon is primed for this. He has already made progress in this regard in saving fA. instead of killing Ramsay (unlikely) I see him saving yet others on his way out. Perhaps his sister, perhaps a Stark (or Snow).
Also, you forgot Tyrion (kinslaying whoremongering monster of the sorrows that he is)
Sister kisser,
Wow…I did forget Tyrion…I guess I don’t see his arc as redemptive. Although Theon has had an interesting journey, I think he is as doomed as Gollum….and yet Gollum did have a few moments of “selflessness”, so to speak.
Finally, oh northwesterner…the great deflategaters shall bombard your wildling 2-peat daydreamers. 😉
East Coast > West Coast.
DEEPWOOD MOTTE!
… or Hardhome, probably. Either way, I am happy. Can’t see how they’ll finish in seven seasons though (because this means the show isn’t going as far into ADWD and TWOW as we expected). I think a two part season 7 is likely.
NightsKing,
Is it really a fan theory I wonder or did they spoil something? The reddit thread you linked to, the OP nailed the Jon Snow/Mutineers story from season 4, months before it happened. He definitely told the truth last season. No reason to doubt the validity of this one.
So I don’t know what to think. I’m thinking there might be something to all of it.
The show has only dealt with Bran warging, not Jon or Arya. IF that’s what happens in book 6, they will change it on the show. And who is to say that while Jon’s body is laid out somewhere in book, The Others attack and steal his body? This is a shortcut to get to that point in the show without having to do the warg story.
I’m not so quick to dismiss this as a fan theory. I think you might have stumbled on two MAJOR spoilers for the fifth season that people in the know, leaked.
ANGRYGOTFAN,
Haha, reading through the comments it seems obvious that #NOONEUNDERSTAAANDS!!!!
Spoiler pic from Daznak pit scene
https://twitter.com/PeterDinklageES/status/559286771771781121
🙂
H. Stark,
Darren,
From all the pics that leaked about