Would you like to see scenes not shown in the books?

[Andhaira]

There are certain scenes alluded to in the books but not show. An example:

SPOILER: AFFC

Loras's storming of Dragonstone.

Now would you like scenes like these to be shown, or only alluded to like they are in the books?

[TrevorLahey]

I'd like to see the Lannisters' sack of King's Landing. I think it's highly likely that casual viewers might zone out a bit if these events are just related through dialogue, and there's way too much going on here for them to miss. It'd be easier to understand just how wicked Gregor and Tywin really are if the viewer actually sees their dark deeds, instead of just hearing someone talk about it. I also think Jaime's actions there should be seen rather than heard about.

A brief glimpse of Robert and Rhaegar at the Trident is a necessity.

[Padraig]

A brief glimpse of Robert and Rhaegar at the Trident is a necessity.

Hardly. Nice scene and all, which it is, but its simply a fight.

There's several scenes that would be a lot more interesting to see. Seeing how Jaime interacted with Aerys. That tells us something about character.

[Harry101]

The battle at the Tower of Joy. Not Ned's version or a dream version but the real thing as it actually happened.

[The hairy bear]

What works on a written page doesn't necessarily work onscreen, and a single POV perspective wouln't make an interesting show. I am eager to watch many scenes not shown in the books that will have to be filmed.

That said, I don't think that battles are particularly needed. Filming them is expensive and money might be better used elsewhere. In the books the Trident is a thing of the past, we hear about the battle of Riverrun through the report of a messenger, and we start seeing the battle against the lamb men when only a burning field is left. I think it works, so I wouldn't change those and save my budget for other things.

[Silverstar]

What I want to see are more little scenes that weren't included in the books, but that probably happened and just flesh out the characters even more. Things like the scene with Tyrion in the brothel, and the conversation between Catelyn and Cersei at the feast, that were in the leaked script. I'd love to see a little more interaction between the Starks before they all scatter, for example - see Ned and Catelyn being loving parents, and the Stark kids actually happy before everything goes wrong. I'd like to see more interaction between Tyrion and Jaime too.

[Frank Stark]

I'd be ok with a few of them, as long as no "big reveal" is given away too soon. For example, the scene mentioned by the OP has, at least in the fan community, a large open question. Something like the fighting at the ToJ would be ok, as long as it was cut off before Ned went into the Tower.

And I agree with the others above who preferred NOT showing huge pitched battles, esp when they occurred off-screen in the books. If it happens, fine, but none of them HAVE to be filmed.

[TrevorLahey]

I never implied I wanted the entire Battle of the Trident on-screen. It would indeed be a waste of money. Just a glimpse, a brief glimpse, of the one-on-one with Robert and Rhaegar. I still stand by my belief that the casual viewer will zone out and simply not care about major historical events being relayed entirely through dialogue. When Robert arrives and starts complaining about people and places the viewer has never heard of, and the viewer is left trying to keep track of all these names, I can certainly picture a lot of them turning it off. It would be helpful if there were images of the two of them in their pretty armor, battling it out. That's all. Wouldn't be that expensive.

It's certainly not a necessity for the story, but to keep the casual viewer engrossed, I think it would go a long way.

[Rumarumo]

There's too much important information that's not actual dialogue in the books, and in some cases voiceovers would just be cheesy. Obv some of this info could be injected into dialogue for new scenes, but things like an Aerys and Jaime scene would go a long way. Maybe a brief glimpse of Aerys cowering beneath the throne as Jaime's shadow falls across him to make him seem a monster for season one, and in later seasons (here's hoping) the Rickard/Brandon burning with a horrified young Jaime looking on scene could show the other side of it, as we see in Jaime's PoV.

As I said, long-winded rants on the history of a fictional world are likely to make most viewers go dancing on their remotes in the attempt to change, whereas an actual dramatic scene showing the event, even if just a glimpse, has much more impact.

Edit: My bad, probably should have read the above posts before obliviously going on to repeat everything that's already been said :P

As for battles, because this is a character drama showing the aftermath of such an event and the effect it has had on the characters can be just as good to watch, if not more so. Something alá the Caeser/Pompey confrontation in S1 of Rome (don't remember the name of the battle) It's just as effective, if well done. That said, no need to deprive us of all the epic fights that take place during the course of the books.

[Frank Stark]

That said, no need to deprive us of all the epic fights that take place during the course of the books.

Yeah, if we can get 1 big battle per season, I think that'd be great. Of course, this is almost like what happens in the books "on screen" anyway. Game: Green Fork, Clash: Blackwater, Storm: Castle Black.

Of course, there could easily be a fair amount of smaller scale fighting.

For example, and to the original topic, the training yard sparring between Robb and Joff could be put into the pilot, even though it's not depicted in the book. Perhaps even with the live steel that both boys were hoping for. Good way to squeeze in a few moments of action and to highlight the tension between the 2 houses. I've purposefully avoided reading the leaked script and the related topic here; maybe that's what they've done.

[Colder Hands]

there are a few. however, even more, i'd love to see a prequel to the books. given the time it is taking for the series to be finished, this is a huge pipe dream.

but i'd love a book about the sword of the morning, ned, robert, the smiling knight... all the favorites mentioned throughout the books.

[Padraig]

I never implied I wanted the entire Battle of the Trident on-screen. It would indeed be a waste of money.

I'm still not sure. Compared to other "talked about scenes" Rhaegar and Robert fighting is not hard to visualise. Certainly not compared to other similar scenes.

But then I think having a surfeit of flashbacks would be confusing in itself. People will begin to be confused about what time the story is taking place in.

[Scotty Kent Myrick II]

I'd like to see the Targareyen king drinking wildfire to "transform" himself into a dragon.

[LordNedsHead]

Not sure they'll get to Aerion Brightflame, but it would be a very amusing scene to see King Robert drinking everyone under the table on the trip down the King's Road or in KL.

Depending on when (if) Dance is released, it might be possible to include additional scenes to help bloster events that happen later on in the series that are only alluded to in the earlier books. To clarify, the example that comes to my mind might be some scenes showing what happens to Benjen after he disappears. It could fill in some story gaps without neccesarily spoiling any twists, while strengthening the character if indeed he survies to take a larger role in Dance.

I'd also like to see a bunch more of the skirmishes in the Riverlands. You could produce some cheaper battles that are only hazily mentioned in the books. In a series you are going to need to show the chaos that erupts by Robert's death. Talking about this battle and that battle incessantly will wear very thin to a general viewing audience.

Lastly, this idea is perhaps my thinnest, but if done well, I might like to see a few of Old Nan's stories come to life through story telling pseudo flashbacks. Perhaps Bran could have some dreams featuring the Rat Chef ect. Would it be neccessary to the story? Definately not. Would it add spice to the plot? Yup. Again, hearing Bran mention all these stories from Nan will get boring. I want to see them. btw I realize alot of the stories are exaggerated if not entirely fanciful, but if the flashback occurs around a firepit or at a bedside with Nan weaving the tale, or during the dreams of the Stark kids here and there, it wouldn't have to be seen as an actual flashback.

[LordNedsHead]

Not sure they'll get to Aerion Brightflame, but it would be a very amusing scene to see King Robert drinking everyone under the table on the trip down the King's Road or in KL.

Depending on when (if) Dance is released, it might be possible to include additional scenes to help bloster events that happen later on in the series that are only alluded to in the earlier books. To clarify, the example that comes to my mind might be some scenes showing what happens to Benjen after he disappears. It could fill in some story gaps without neccesarily spoiling any twists, while strengthening the character if indeed he survies to take a larger role in Dance.

I'd also like to see a bunch more of the skirmishes in the Riverlands. You could produce some cheaper battles that are only hazily mentioned in the books. In a series you are going to need to show the chaos that erupts by Robert's death. Talking about this battle and that battle incessantly will wear very thin to a general viewing audience.

Lastly, this idea is perhaps my thinnest, but if done well, I might like to see a few of Old Nan's stories come to life through story telling pseudo flashbacks. Perhaps Bran could have some dreams featuring the Rat Chef ect. Would it be neccessary to the story? Definately not. Would it add spice to the plot? Yup. Again, hearing Bran mention all these stories from Nan will get boring. I want to see them. btw I realize alot of the stories are exaggerated if not entirely fanciful, but if the flashback occurs around a firepit or at a bedside with Nan weaving the tale, or during the dreams of the Stark kids here and there, it wouldn't have to be seen as an actual flashback.

[Ser_not_appearing_yet]

In the battle of Green Fork scene, with Catelyn, the whole battle is told through her with her eyes shut listening to the sounds. I'm not saying thats not an interesting way to tell a battle, because it is, but i'm not sure how well it would translate onto tv.

I think the strict pov structure of the books may have to be broken up to allow a wider view of events in each scene.

[Andhaira]

The duel between Gegor and the Viper better be cool as hell though.

[Silverstar]

In the battle of Green Fork scene, with Catelyn, the whole battle is told through her with her eyes shut listening to the sounds. I'm not saying thats not an interesting way to tell a battle, because it is, but i'm not sure how well it would translate onto tv.

If they have a good actress playing the part, that might actually be a pretty cool way to tell it, considering it would show far more the effect the battles have on those left behind, and that's what Catelyn's chapters were all about.

[Frank Stark]

The Green Fork isn't with Cat, it's the one we see in all it's full glory because Tyrion is right in the middle of it. That's why I thought it would be the 1 mega-battle shown in season one (if they had to pick just 1).

For the Whispering Wood, how about showing Cat fretting, surrounded by a few guards, occasionally stopping to listen or peer through the trees, then cut that with very short, up-close flashes of the battle itself? Like she's picturing it in her mind's eye. 1 flash showing the first Lannister men falling to arrows, another showing the first crossing of the swords, another with Jaime calling for Robb and cutting down the Karstark sons, etc and so forth. Each of the flashes lasting only 5-10 seconds or so.

Just a thought. Like I said, if they can afford it, I'm happy to see long attention given to each, throwing in Robb raising the seige at Riverrun for good measure. But in the event of a minimalist approach that honors the POV-style of the book, I suggest the above.

[spikebrennan]

I think that the default choice ought to be to respect George's choice of POV, to the extent practicable. For example, take the Battle of Whispering Wood (Robb v. Jaime). We don't get a direct description of the battle; it's in a Catelyn POV chapter and we hear her listen to other people delivering an after-action description of what happened.

George didn't describe the battle that way as a budget measure; he made a deliberate narrative choice-- and it worked very well.

Sometimes limited budgets can lead to some pretty cool storytelling. There was an episode of Battlestar Galactica (I forget which one) in which there was a space battle, but all the audience got to see was the CIC bridge during the battle, with Adama and the rest of the bridge crew listening to the battle and reacting to the sounds. We didn't even see the battle, but the scene was MADE OF AWESOME.