I jumped on the Game of Thrones bandwagon a little later in the game. However what I most loved about the show is its Political Intrigue. Within the show, there are several sides vying for power and influence. I see the characters in my animation in a similar light.
What Id, like to do, is present a few clips from the show, specifically focused on scenes where several characters surround a meeting table and discuss. I will analyze their body language and how the camera help reinforces the relationships between characters in the scene.
Small Council Meeting – Oberyn Martell
In this scene, we see the small council with their latest member, the Outsider Oberyn Martell. Instantly his contrasting demeanour is clear. Whilst everyone else sits with astute posture and respect, Oberyn would prefer to lounge in his seats really spreading frame making him visibly unique.
First Pretty much every shot in this scene is beautiful. From the staging and arrangement of objects and actors within the room. This is probably more down to the set designers, but the way the environment creates this almost frame around the scene is really eye-catching.
Small Council Meeting – Olenna Tyrell and Kevan Lannister
Now in this sequence, what first caught my eye instantly was how much the lighting and shadow played to the staging. In the opening shot of the meeting, you have the focus instantly drawn towards the meeting table. This is largely due to how dark the scene is. Surrounding the cast is once again a strong set design which draws focus to the well-lit table. It also helps that all light sources seem to point towards the table.
Additionally, I loved how the scene clearly conveys conversations between two characters. Most of those at the table are in talks with Kevan Lannister who leads the small council. Whenever he is being talked to, he always appears on the edge of the screen, cast in almost complete shadow. But with this, he frames the scene giving the characters talking to him full focus. You can see this is the two below images, especially in the Ollena Tyrell shot where much of the screen is in shadow except her, creating this really unique shape.
Small Council Meeting – Dragonstone
What different about this clip is the scale of the room and the distance between the characters, whereas in the previous scenes the small council meetings were more intimate. Here a large table representing Westeros distances the outsider Jon Snow from Danys personal counsel.
I think the staging here once again is very strong as the lighting creates these dark areas which help frame the lighter ones focusing the viewer’s eyes.
Whenever Dany speaks she gains the respect of all in the room, all attention goes to her. Another note of relationships in this scene is how Jorah Mormont is by Dany’s side because he’s in love with her but also because he’s deeply loyal to her.
Bandersnatch Designs 