The Hollywood Reporter has a terrific article exploring how different high-profile TV directors approach their craft. It’s a great read for anyone interested in what goes on behind the camera on their favorite shows, but for Game of Thrones fans, the most interesting conversation is with director Matt Shakman, a veteran of Fargo, Mad Men and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia (the later of which has a strange, ongoing relationship with Thrones). Shakman was brought in after longtime Thrones director David Nutter had to bow out. Some fans were skeptical whether he could step into the shoes of the guy behind the Red Wedding, but the “The Spoils of War,” arguably the best episode of season 7, speaks for itself.
According to Shakman, the experience of working on Thrones was very different from other TV gigs. He spent six months with the other directors on the season — Jeremy Podeswa, Mark Mylod, and Alan Taylor — talking through ideas and getting in sync.
It felt like camp. Of course, it was the hardest camp ever. And it was all very collegial. We were all going to the same sets, facing similar challenges. … I loved the opportunity to pick the brains of the veterans who had directed on the show before. It helped that all of the scripts get done months before, so we as directors take them and things can evolve.
Shakman will probably be best remembered for the Loot Train Attack, Daenerys’ fiery assault on the poor Lannister forces returning from the sack of Highgarden — he didn’t return for season 8.
Shakman also explained why the Thrones directors have to spend all the time together: the show is huge, and things have to look and feel consistent across every episode, even if they’re directed by different people. “You don’t necessarily want to bring a distinctive visual style to Game of Thrones,” he said. “If Guy Ritchie did an episode, for instance, it would feel dissonant from the series because of his particular way of directing.”
Coming into a show that’s operated for seven successful seasons, you’re more like an art student. You learn to paint like Rembrandt and get new tools you can add to your toolkit when you work elsewhere.
Incidentally, Ritchie did kind of direct an episode of Game of Thrones. It was called King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and everyone hated it.
Yeah, Shakman may have a point.
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