they filmed the first episode of game of thrones at belfast.
they filmed the first episode of game of thrones at belfast.
where did they film the first episode of game of thrones?
belfast
"the spoils of war" was directed by matt shakman. this was shakman's first episode of "game of thrones", but he had previously served as a director for several other television series, including "fargo", "the good wife", "mad men" and "it's always sunny in philadelphia", among others. the battle sequence at the conclusion of the episode, which was nicknamed "the loot train attack" by hbo, set an industry record for the most stuntmen set on fire, with real fire being used, rather than special effects, to simulate the dragon fire being emitted by drogon. there were 73 "fire burns," in addition to 20 people being set on fire for a single shot. filming of the attack sequence took approximately 18 main-unit days, five second-unit days, and several weeks for the effects-unit. in an interview with "the hollywood reporter", shakman spoke about the first time he read the script of the battle, saying "i was reading the script and this battle began and i kept turning pages and the battle kept going on page after page after page! the excitement, the stress and the fear all built at the same time, mirroring probably what was happening on screen. it was a huge opportunity and a challenge. i spent the better part of six months working on that one sequence." the "loot train attack" was filmed in cáceres, spain, and emilia clarke, who portrays daenerys targaryen, was filmed riding a motion base on a stage in belfast in front of several green screens.
the spoils of war (game of thrones)
matt fowler of ign wrote in his review for the episode "'dragonstone' sublimely set the stage for "game of thrones" season 7 with some righteous revenge, a new alliance, a dramatic (and quiet) homecoming, and a surprisingly great sequence from the hound as he began to atone for his old life." he gave the episode an 8.8 out of 10. erik kain of "forbes" similarly gave praise to the episode, writing "this was easily one of my favorite season premieres of any season of "game of thrones". it's a testament to the show's staying power and quality that even this far in, a season's first episode could be so good. so much of it was just setting the stage, and yet i was reeled in, hook, line and sinker, from the opening moment to the closing credits." jane mulkerrins of "the daily telegraph" also praised the episode, writing "one might wonder whether the biggest, bloodiest, most dragon-heavy show on television would still have the ability to shock and surprise. the answer, happily, is yes." matthew gilbert of "the boston globe" said "the season premiere of game of thrones was thoroughly satisfying, a transporting hour that brilliantly reestablished the chessboard for the new, penultimate season."
dragonstone (game of thrones episode)