Extract Essay: Game of Thrones

The director of the Game of Thrones extract that we were given seemed to convey a message of truth and power throughout the scenes we watched. With my prior knowledge of the show I understand that it is based off of kingdoms and characters in a fantasy almost like a mythical world where we learn through the show all about the powers and truth in each character. In the extract I noticed immediately the costumes each character wore. The two sailors that were on the boat sailing to the bank wore tunics and lots of leather from the boots, belts, and gloves. The bankers wore similar outfits and made me feel as if I was watching a show that revolved around the medieval era. After watching the extract I noticed that the scenes we watched showed the disagreement between the the main banker that was sitting in the middle chair and the sailors over the truth. The shot-reverse shot between the sailors and the bankers going back and forth with each other shows the tension between both of them which could be fueled later in future scenes. The overall location and set design of the boat and the meeting room in the bank and all the embroidery and details added to that fantasy theme I was feeling when watching, especially when the aerial shot showed us the large standing statue of the man in armor and all the green landscape and the building felt like a whole different place no one has ever seen.

I love the director’s vision so far even though I never watched the show. I am a huge fan of the medieval era especially in shows and movies and I was able to feel that through the location, set design, costume, and aerial shot. I can see that the director’s vision was to have all these different kingdoms that have different values in ruling over the people and their kingdom. We get to see the power of each of the kingdoms grow or fall and we get to experience how power can lead to prosperity or even corruption.

In the ending of the extract I noticed that the sailors have 32 ships filled with 4,000 loyal men that don’t have food since they don’t have the resources such as barley and wheat to sustain them, which is why the bank couldn’t give them the money knowing sooner or later those 4,000 men will turn against each other and the king for food and a better life. Overall the dialogue shows us this through their conversation when meeting up with the bankers. The two shot of the two sailors on the boat and the camera zooming in on them looking our in the distance creates suspense and shows us that this might be something private between them and the bank. The diegetic sound of the seagulls flying over the boat, the pacing of the footsteps, and the double gold doors opening makes the scene feel more real in contrast to the fantasy the director wanted us to feel in the scene.

The director’s vision for something so broad and generalized can be difficult to pinpoint but I watched a fair amount of shows and movies similar to grasp the idea and concept of kingdoms wanting to go against each other and the fight to figure out the truth and power. The fact that the banker in the extract believes in the story and not the truth said by the supposed “king” which is one of the sailors proves that this scene could be important in future scene. The extract ended with both of the sailors walking away and a close up of one of the other banker that looks guilty or against the fact that the main banker guy that was sitting in the middle chair refused to give them the money. It almost seemed like he wants to help them out and maybe in future scenes he turns against the bank. This goes to how that the two main characters on the boat introduced will be of importance in future scenes or episodes.