The Others in the pilot: heard but not seen

[The Mance]

Not showing the others would be a cop out. I was hoping to see the full fledged duel Waymar had with the Other before it (and the rest) killed him. Like many others here I agree, establishing that this is a fantasy series is very important from the get go.

I'd be happy to get a good clear unambiguous look at an obviously inhuman Other, even if they just let us presume that Waymar gets killed by them. One lingering look at the face, hands and fluid movements of an Other would be much more reasonable to budget than a whole duel. I think the viewers need to know that the Others are not just the myths and legends they're reported to be later in the book, and they shoulf also be able to distinguish them from Jon's wights at CB.

[Guest Other-in-Law]

But trust me, having grown up watching movies in the '70s and '80s, it wasn't always so endearing. Not that that approach can't be done well, and Alien is probably one of the better examples, but more often than not it was a symptom of poor effects and a limited budget.

It seems to me like a lack of artistic discipline to blow one's wad to soon. "I paid $$9,000 for that rubber werewolf costume, so we're going to have it in every single damned shot!" Seeing it too much becomes a joke.

For that matter, an American Werewolf in London is another pretty good example of only seeing the entire monster briefly and very late in the film.

[The Mance]

It seems to me like a lack of artistic discipline to blow one's wad to soon. "I paid $$9,000 for that rubber werewolf costume, so we're going to have it in every single damned shot!" Seeing it too much becomes a joke.

Yes, well, "too soon" is obviously a subjective quality. And surely there's got to be some middle ground between too much and too little, no?

For me, being meted out brief little glimpses of the Feature Creature throughout the movie feels the same as being shown a highly anticipated fight scene from inches away. I get that the director is trying to heighten my feelings of suspense and anxiety, or tension or whatever the goal is. But it just feels cheap and condescending to be led through the encounter that way. If the fight is suspenseful, or frenetic or what have you, then show me. And not from the point pov of somebody's armpit where I really can't tell wtf is going on beyond a lot of arm waving and corresponding punching sounds. Spend the time to train the actors, spend the money on a choreographer, and show me the fight!

For that matter, an American Werewolf in London is another pretty good example of only seeing the entire monster briefly and very late in the film.

A good example. And, IIR, they were also guilty of that other crutch of the underfunded. Namely, the "show the scene through the POV of the monster rather than spend the $$$ to show the monster in the scene" :thumbsdown:

[Edward the Great]

Does anyone else remember wolfencam?

[DizoakiusMaximus]

Does anyone else remember wolfencam?

Do I ever!

That scared the crap out of me when I first saw it (I think I was 8)

EDIT: Regarding the werewolf costume in London :

I'm not sure it's fair to blame the amount of funds on the quality of the creature effects because that aspect of film was still being developed from a very early stage. Everybody who saw the first Star Wars in 1977 was enthralled with the creature costumes in the cantina scene, but nowadays the aliens look pretty weak in retrospect.

[Edward the Great]

Come to think of it, maybe Game of Thrones should use wolfen cam for the 2nd season when we get direwolf POV.

And I didn't know that Commander admiral Adama played the leading native American character!

[JWJ78]

I want to see those scary blue eyes staring out of the shadows of the woods and then the white-ish blur of the armor as they advance on Waymar. The fight scene could be shot from the Other's viewpoint looking at Waymar- imagine seeing the blade shatter and bust into his face!!!

Then maybe just a nice overhead wide-angle shot of them surrounding him and stabbing him with their crystal looking blades- no actual face shots but close enough to see their forms and know from their armor and weapons that they are not men.

I've always thought of them to be something similar to the Wraiths on Stargate Atlantis- but with chilly blue eyes. http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2009/04/14/wraith.jpg

[DizoakiusMaximus]

I want to see those scary blue eyes staring out of the shadows of the woods and then the white-ish blur of the armor as they advance on Waymar. The fight scene could be shot from the Other's viewpoint looking at Waymar- imagine seeing the blade shatter and bust into his face!!!

That would be great! I like it and now it must be so because I decree it!

[AxB]

Incredible Hulk (the Leterrier one) did Monster's eye view in the credits, 'hide the monster' in the first Hulk-Out scene with it being all dark, then did 'Hide the transformation' in the second one in a smoke-filled corridor leading to a battle in full daylight, showed the transformation in the third, had the Abomintion transform out of shot, and then the fourth Hulk-out happened off-camera in a crater. Leterrrier knew all the tricks, and what order to do them in.

We see Dragon Skulls long before we see Dragons. But it's made clear that they are actual real dragon skulls, not carved ornaments or anything.

[The Pita]

I always felt that Others should look like people, but without a face. Just eyes looking out of a blank slate. It's always seemed really creepy.