My discussion with one of the producers

[The Anti-Targ]

[quote name='Rimmer' post='1715986' date='Mar 11 2009, 22.50']Not worth posting a new thread over, but here's a little bit of hearsay from [url="http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=15072249&posted=1#post15072249"]another board[/url]. Pretty tame, so I doubt he's just making it up:



If the people involved are this enthusiastic about it then it can't be bad.[/quote]

[quote name='Myrddin' post='1716284' date='Mar 12 2009, 05.30']I don't believe this...

You go to [i]other [/i]boards?
Does Ran know you're running around on other forums behind his back?

:stunned:[/quote]

Hey at least the thread was in their "Off Topic" sub-forum, so they aren't upstart pretenders tring to usurp this forum's ASOIAF primacy. Still, a shame we didn't "see it here first".

[Valyrian-Steel]

[quote name='Sernotapearinginthiseries' post='1630221' date='Dec 25 2008, 11.48']I have been asked to keep the details of this quiet, but it turns out a good friend of mine 'may' be working as a producer for the pilot version of game of thrones. I talked to her last night about it (i was in total fanboy shock, as you can imagine) and i have to say she wasnt enthusiastic about it.

This is essentially what im able to disclose, we discussed other aspects too, but im not posting them since she requested i didnt.

Her main issues is that the series is just too big.. and if they cut it down shes worried the story wont hold up. The other major concern she seemed to have was that the characters were in general too black and white to get emotionally invested in (at least for an american audience: see lost, sopranos etc). Of course i was immediately like 'WTF? JAIME?? TYRION??? THE FRIGGIN HOUND???' But unfortunately it didnt seem to change her view, and she clearly knows far more about it than me.

Anyhow, the good news is its not her decision, and hbo may make the show simply because they have no other option(:D), but it did make me think about it all more deeply.

The question is (and i dont really post here much so i dunno if you people have already discussed this), can song of ice and fire really connect with a large enough audience? She argued that rome got the audience mostly due to the actual relevence of the historical characters, while soiaf (obviously) doesnt have this.[/quote]

I would question if she read the same books we did.

[fitheach]

Tyrion hasn't been named as cast? Frustrating to say the least.

I'm glad HBO is taking this seriously, I thought they would. The whole idea of some 'producer' finding this story too black and white- was unbelievable in every sense. I found it hard to think that someone with some farseeing talent would see this project as long winded... Done right, this show will be mentioned in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and every other newspaper as well as many relevant blogs and editorials- just as Battlestar Galactica was written about. There is important and IMPORTANT as media culture goes.

[Ser_not_appearing_yet]

(Vague series spoilers below)


Hey, your resident series mole checking in.

Good news and bad news. Bad news is my producer friend is no longer working on soiaf, however her business partner has taken over and so she can still get fairly reliable info for me. :thumbsup:

So.. i can confirm that the shooting of the pilot will take place in the autumn (octoberish), and they will be shooting in Northern Ireland, parts of Scotland, and Morocco (!!). The first episode ends with Bran being cast out of the window by Jaime, which sounds like an interesting ending. No director yet, or casting. I wanted to somehow get a job as a member of the crew, but ive got uni during the shooting period, so thats out. I'll keep trying to recover inside information though.

Things are looking promising anyway.

[Brude]

To rehash a comment I made on Winter is Coming comments (which has linked to this new update from Sernotappearinginthiseries), is N. Ireland and Scotland at all snowy? I have always been under the impression that despite being so far north, it's not terribly snow-bound up there, even in Winter. I ask only because in the books there is snow on the ground, even though it's not the coldest time of year yet.

Clearly Morocco is for the Daney scenes, which are set in one of the Free Cities in the pilot (forget which just at the moment). think the locale fits very well. I am guessing that if/when they get to shooting scenes on the Dothraki Sea they will need to use yet another locale, probably either Mid-Western Canada or either the Russian or Ukranian Steppes. Both Canada and Eastern Europe have great film crews, so either is quite likely, but I think Eastern Europe is more likely if everything else is being shot in that Hemisphere of the world.

[Werthead]

Scotland is more snowy than Ireland. The snow tends not to settle in the parts of Ireland I've been in due to the winds off the Atlantic, but I know there's some other parts which get it. Scotland also has much bigger mountains.

It is odd though. Pentos is about the same latitude as King's Landing, maybe even further north, so a southerly desert location doesn't seem right. I could see Morocco standing in for Qarth, the red waste, Dorne or Volantis, but none of them are needed in Season 1, let alone the pilot.

Scotland would make sense for the Vale or maybe the area around the Wall, but whilst they [i]do[/i] appear in Season 1, they're not in the pilot. So I'm at a loss, unless HBO have basically said fuck it and are going to announce they're doing the full season instead of just the pilot (which would be a very HBO thing to do and would track with their apparent enthusiasm over the series).

[Padraig]

[quote name='Werthead' post='1752411' date='Apr 11 2009, 22.04']Scotland would make sense for the Vale or maybe the area around the Wall, but whilst they [i]do[/i] appear in Season 1, they're not in the pilot. So I'm at a loss, unless HBO have basically said fuck it and are going to announce they're doing the full season instead of just the pilot (which would be a very HBO thing to do and would track with their apparent enthusiasm over the series).[/quote]
Yes. I was thinking that having 3 locations for just a pilot was rather surprising. Especially since Morocco is a long way from Ireland/Scotland. So perhaps they are going to film more than just the pilot. Or these are the locations they are considering if they film the whole first series but the pilot will still be only filmed in Ireland?

For the pilot, Dany scenes can be done in a studio after all. It might get complicated later but not so initially.

And whatever about snow in Ireland (Northern Ireland would get more than the rest of us), there is practically no chance of seeing any in October. I doubt Scotland gets any snow either at that time of the year. I suppose they can fake it. :)

[Ser_not_appearing_yet]

I'm not certain about this, but im prepared to go out on a limb and say that the reason for shooting in ireland/scotland is the production costs. For whatever reason (travel, taxes, who knows) its almost certainly the main reason for the choices.

As for snow, cgi is your friend im afraid.

[The hairy bear]

[quote name='Werthead' post='1752411' date='Apr 11 2009, 23.04']It is odd though. Pentos is about the same latitude as King's Landing, maybe even further north, so a southerly desert location doesn't seem right. I could see Morocco standing in for Qarth, the red waste, Dorne or Volantis, but none of them are needed in Season 1, let alone the pilot.[/quote]

Morocco is far more than desertic wastes. There's a wide range of different landscapes, and the zone close to the High Atlas have great zones virtually untouched by men. In fact I think that by itself it could offer more diversity than Ireland (I've never been in Ireland, though). The [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Atlas"]photo gallery[/url] by then end of the wiki article might give an idea.

You could pic locations for the entire geography of the Seven Kingdoms: [url="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Graze.jpg"]The Dothraki Sea[/url], [url="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tizi%27n%27Toubkal.jpg"]the North[/url], [url="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oum_Er-Rbia.jpg"]the Riverlands[/url], [url="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lixus.jpg"]Oldstones[/url], [url="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chauen.jpg"]the Vale[/url], [url="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kasbah_des_A%C3%AFt_Benhaddou.jpg"]Astapor[/url], ...

[Tyrellius]

[quote name='shewolf85' post='1638554' date='Jan 5 2009, 22.15']Sounds like someone, shouldn't be a producer of the pilot. There is no way that audiences won't be captivated if this is done right. I say cut the books apart into multiple seasons, that could def be done. And no one in ASOIAF is black and white, isn't that the point of the story?[/quote]

The term producer is thrown around a lot in the industry. I wouldn't sweat it too much as her insight into the series is far from astute. She sounds more like a bean counter in producer's clothing...

Edit to add before I get flamed: Yes, costs are part of a producers purview but so is insight :)

[Ser_not_appearing_yet]

[quote name='Tyrellius' post='1753829' date='Apr 13 2009, 23.15']The term producer is thrown around a lot in the industry. I wouldn't sweat it too much as her insight into the series is far from astute. She sounds more like a bean counter in producer's clothing...

Edit to add before I get flamed: Yes, costs are part of a producers purview but so is insight :)[/quote]
Thanks for that.

How many films, tv series have you been credited for btw? ;)

[williamjm]

[quote name='Padraig' post='1752427' date='Apr 11 2009, 22.34']And whatever about snow in Ireland (Northern Ireland would get more than the rest of us), there is practically no chance of seeing any in October. I doubt Scotland gets any snow either at that time of the year. I suppose they can fake it. :)[/quote]

There's not much chance of significant snow in Scotland in October either. Even in the middle of winter you couldn't really rely on there being significant snow cover in Scotland except high up in the mountains - there might be plenty of snow but there might not be. However, making fake snow is probably one of the easier special effects tasks in the show.

[Fat Belwas]

I could see this being Pentos.

[url="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/A%C3%AFt_Benhaddou1_(js).jpg"]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...addou1_(js).jpg[/url]

[Tyrellius]

[quote name='Sernotapearinginthiseries' post='1753892' date='Apr 14 2009, 00.36']Thanks for that.

How many films, tv series have you been credited for btw? ;)[/quote]

Point taken dude,

Not trying to drag your friends name through the mud,(since she's anon for now) but you gotta admit, that her views on this series are rather skewed and don't show vision.

Right now only you know the extent of her pull or power of insight.

Stay forthright :)

[Ser_not_appearing_yet]

[quote name='Tyrellius' post='1753957' date='Apr 14 2009, 01.29']Point taken dude,

Not trying to drag your friends name through the mud,(since she's anon for now) but you gotta admit, that her views on this series are rather skewed and don't show vision.

Right now only you know the extent of her pull or power of insight.

Stay forthright :)[/quote]
Lol, no problem; I share your opinion about the views. Her business partner is working on it now, so everyone's happy. :thumbsup:

[Halfhand]

Well if there was any doubt as to the legitimacy of ser's source, I would say today's press release should erase any of those. The release states that filming is confirmed for Northern Ireland.

Nice job ser, keep the info coming!

[Ser_not_appearing_yet]

Hey everyone. *whisper whisper*

I'm currently staying with my family (and the producer friend ;) ). I've already had a VERY interesting conversation with her, although i've had a lot of wine, so it didn't last long. As said before, my friend isn't producing the pilot, but her partner IS (I'm not saying who, I'd rather not get in trouble), and she's pretty knowledgeable on how HBO tv series pan out, plus her own views on Game of Thrones are fairly illuminating.

So this is what i got tonight.

1) She really likes the script, and thinks its very promising.

2) *big news* She sounds almost certain that at least one season of Game of Thrones will be produced. From how she told it, HBO uses pilots (particularly in this instance) more as a way of testing the show, and seeing what they can improve/change. Due to the amount of effort already invested, she seems very sure about the idea that the series is getting picked up regardless of the pilot, though aspects may well change.

Things she is not so happy/sure about.

1) The director. She thinks McCarthy is a mistake, at least in terms of filming the entire series. According to her, he is a director who specialises in small casts, with low-budet production costs, and will simply not be able to manage A Game of Thrones, with its huge cast and epic fantasy feel. He will probably get the best out of the actors, but she feels strongly that he's the wrong choice in terms of a long term series director. He doesn't take on the views of the other producers enough.

My views: I think for the most part this is good news. My friend IS knowledgable about the industry, and was briefly involved with producing game of thrones, and so her opinion has merit here. Most of her view of McCarthy probably comes from her partner (who is producing), and i am hopeful that McCarthy will prove them wrong. Certainly he is a good character director, but with such a huge cast he may struggle. We will have to see. The fact that she really likes the script, whereas before she was much more iffy about the whole venture is definitely good news.

More will hopefully follow tommorow. Sorry about any spelling/grammar mistakes, had a lot of alchohol.

[iheartseverus]

*whispering* Lovely input on Part 2-- a bit iffy on the McCarthy input. But hell, put those two things on a scale, and Part 2 waaay outbalances the other. Cripes, if we were pretty much assured GoT will continue a full season, I wouldn't care if Daffy Duck was directing it. (Well, you know what I mean...)

Have another drink, Ser. You're entitled...

:cheers:

[Werthead]

2) *big news* She sounds almost certain that at least one season of Game of Thrones will be produced. From how she told it, HBO uses pilots (particularly in this instance) more as a way of testing the show, and seeing what they can improve/change. Due to the amount of effort already invested, she seems very sure about the idea that the series is getting picked up regardless of the pilot, though aspects may well change.

This is the feeling that I think a lot of people have had as well, although it is possible that it might not be the case with GoT. However, GoT is easily generating more talk online and buzz than Treme and Boardwalk combined, which HBO must be paying close attention to. And not just on fansites, but with Time Magazine, The Watcher blog, TV Guide and so on. These are influential organs (so to speak).

1) The director. She thinks McCarthy is a mistake, at least in terms of filming the entire series. According to her, he is a director who specialises in small casts, with low-budet production costs, and will simply not be able to manage A Game of Thrones, with its huge cast and epic fantasy feel. He will probably get the best out of the actors, but she feels strongly that he's the wrong choice in terms of a long term series director. He doesn't take on the views of the other producers enough.

Hmm. I remember some people were concerned about Michael Rhymer being brought in on BSG, as he was a feature director not used to being a team player as such. The only difference is that some of his movies had sucked. Then of course Rhymer knocked it out of the park with BSG.

McCarthy's two movies have been great but also, and I think this might have been overlooked, he has experience on TV shows in front of the lens, particularly on The Wire. I find it hard that he'd not have picked up a lot of ideas from there about how TV shows are made and the different levels of collaboration required to a movie.

The more interesting news I took from this is that McCarthy is being considered to direct some of the TV episodes beyond the pilot? Interesting.

[Ser_not_appearing_yet]

*whispering* Lovely input on Part 2-- a bit iffy on the McCarthy input. But hell, put those two things on a scale, and Part 2 waaay outbalances the other. Cripes, if we were pretty much assured GoT will continue a full season, I wouldn't care if Daffy Duck was directing it. (Well, you know what I mean...)

Have another drink, Ser. You're entitled...

:cheers:

Oh I've had quite enough. :P Fortunately, it allowed me to ask questions i wouldn't have otherwise. Bugging her about this really makes me feel like a geek. :leaving:

This is the feeling that I think a lot of people have had as well, although it is possible that it might not be the case with GoT. However, GoT is easily generating more talk online and buzz than Treme and Boardwalk combined, which HBO must be paying close attention to. And not just on fansites, but with Time Magazine, The Watcher blog, TV Guide and so on. These are influential organs (so to speak).

Yeah. I'll try and find out more tommorow, but from what she said, more often than not pilot = series accepted for HBO. Particularly with something as big as Game of Thrones, which has obviously already created buzz. Unless the pilot is reeeeeeeeeally bad. I wouldn't be surprised if they made some big changes after the pilot though.

Hmm. I remember some people were concerned about Michael Rhymer being brought in on BSG, as he was a feature director not used to being a team player as such. The only difference is that some of his movies had sucked. Then of course Rhymer knocked it out of the park with BSG.

McCarthy's two movies have been great but also, and I think this might have been overlooked, he has experience on TV shows in front of the lens, particularly on The Wire. I find it hard that he'd not have picked up a lot of ideas from there about how TV shows are made and the different levels of collaboration required to a movie.

The more interesting news I took from this is that McCarthy is being considered to direct some of the TV episodes beyond the pilot? Interesting.

Hopefully he knows what he's doing. She didn't think he does, but was ready to be proved wrong. I think a lot of us have forgotten just how large the cast for Game of Thrones is. This show is friggin BIG. McCarthy certainly has no experience with battles, CGI etc. We will see. And yeah, i didn't ask about that but she seemed to be assuming he would be a longterm director. Could change of course.