Last Sunday night, HBO aired its ‘Game of Thrones: A Day in the Life’ special, bringing fans into the real world of the critically acclaimed fantasy drama TV series. The 26-minute special showed the complex phases that the cast and crew go through to come up with an intricate plot and a dramatically impressive presentation.
Crews were shown filming in various locations, including Croatia, Ireland and Spain as producers Chris Newman, Peter Welter Soler and Duncan Muggoch were in charge of overseeing and providing their own understanding of the process.
"It must be like parachuting," Newman points out. "Don't worry about the height you're jumping – just make sure the parachute works."
With five countries being chosen as filming locations, the fifth season was shot in 151 sets with 166 cast members, 5,000 extras and 1,000 crew members, making it an incredibly large production. Interestingly, 85,000 individuals from America, Europe and South Africa auditioned as extras for the show.
When it comes to season five spoilers, the documentary did not disappoint. One of the scenes show a meeting between Cersei, played by Lena Headey, and the High Sparrow, portrayed by Jonathan Pryce. The two characters supposedly met at the Water Gardens of Dorne, which was filmed at the famous Alcázar of Seville castle in Spain.
While the lavish palace is known to attract approximately 8,000 tourists per day, the entire site was closed to the public during the ‘Game of Thrones’ filming.
With the desert land of Dorne being featured, this further points out to the unveiling of many new characters in season five, including Oberin Martell’s three daughters, more known in their kingdom as the Sand Snakes.
To ease the tensions that are typically present in King’s Landing, Headey and Ian Beattie (Sir Meryn Trant) were shown taking a break from playing their unfriendly characters and goofing around the set.
The HBO special briefly presents new locations for the upcoming season, such as the Hardhome fishing village which was filmed in Ireland’s Magheramorne Quarry - the same quarry where Castle Black was placed in the first season and where the Battle of the Blackwater was carried out in the second season.
‘Game of Thrones’ is now being watched in over 193 countries and its fifth season will hit the small screens on April 12.
While waiting for the highly anticipated series, fans can still go through the season’s official “Justice Has A Price” trailer which shows Tyrion Lannister, Sansa Stark and Littlefinger, and Daenerys Targaryen in different, equally nail-biting scenes.
