Taking on Game of Thrones

DIRECTOR Jeremy Podeswa has helmed a number of episodes in many of HBO’s Emmy-winning original television series over the years.
The list includes Carnivale, Six Feet Under, Rome, True Blood, The Newsroom, Broadwalk Empire, True Detective, Here & Now, and Game of Thrones.
In Game of Thrones, he had a hand in several episodes spanning from seasons five to seven.
They include season seven’s premiere that saw Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) return home to Dragonstone and also the episode where she and Jon Snow (Kit Harington) meet for the first time, as well as the season finale where the grand meeting at King’s Landing took place and the army of the dead reached the wall.
Podeswa also directed the second episode of season six that saw Snow being brought back to life by Melisandre (Carice van Houten).
During a recent tele-conference interview from Singapore where Podeswa was invited by HBO Asia to present a workshop for young directors, he admitted that Game of Thrones was by far the most challenging work he has ever done.
“I would say it is the most complex production I have ever done,” he said. “Logistically, it is very complex because we had to shoot in so many different countries, so much visual effects and an enormous cast.
“Every episode has some very specific challenges but it is a great thing to do. We are working with amazingly awesome people at every level and it is amazingly well run.”
He said the biggest contributions he makes as a director is to bring to life what is not described in detail in the script such as the dramatic scene with the Night King flying on a dragon, and the events that led to The Wall coming down in season seven’s finale.
“Your job as a director,” he added, “is to tap into that and get inside the creator’s head. It is not only to do a good show but also elevate what the show is.”
Already a fan of this series, Podeswa said he was supposed to work on an episode in season three but had to decline due to family commitments.
“I always loved Game of Thrones and wanted to be a part of it. So I was happy to be given the opportunity to direct episodes on seasons five, six and seven.”
Podeswa, who has worked with HBO for over two decades, said his first HBO television series was Six Feet Under where he was given well-written scripts that contained very emotional material, and that Rome was his first large-scale production that eventually prepared him for Game of Thrones.
As to how he familiarised himself with the characters and stories of each series in order to make it seamless with episodes directed by other directors, Podeswa said: “I think when you get involved in a show, you become a student of that show.
“For me, it is important to study the show and find out what makes it tick so you know the storyline and be intimately familiar with the characters.
“You also have to understand the show’s cinematic language and what makes it very specific.”
Asked about the appeal of the HBO shows he has worked on, Podeswa said it helps that the shows have very strong story creators.
“[The shows] have characters who have a universal appeal and what the characters go through is very relatable. The shows themselves are worlds that you can fall into.
“Six Feet Under and Game of Thrones could not be any different in terms of content but what they do have is an authentic style and vision that is true to each show.
“It is the quality of the storytelling and complexity of the storytelling that draws people in. You really care about these characters because they are so real to you.”
In Game of Thrones, Podeswa said he was aware of the chatter on social media about the resurrection of Jon Snow after the cliffhanger in season five when the character was killed, and again about Snow being brought back to life in season six.
“For me, it is fun to be in the dialogue. I think the audience was quite satisfied about how it was handled. I think the fact that the audience was so affected and had such strong feelings is very exciting. For the most part, I am excited about what fans think.”
All seven seasons of Game of Thrones are now available for catch up on Astro GO.