House of the Dragon

Well….. I’m in Warner Brothers film lot. I’ve never seen such a huge production. Walked through makeup and there are dozens of women getting out into the most elaborate wigs. The costumes are amazing. Very influenced by Italian 15thc style, lots of silks and huge sleeves! I’m in the holding area after a superb fry up and porridge! More anon!

Update no2!!

Well I’m no longer a gold cloak!!! Shock horror but I’ve been promoted from a guard to a Knight. The costume is lighter and is pretty bloody amazing!! Getting fitted for it today, for filming next week! Excited again!!!

You can’t steal a warehouse….

Well 2 days on set and I am wasted!! 2 long days….

Up at 5 and on set by 630, quick breakfast and then the ordeal of getting into costume! First comes the very thick black t shirt then the green velvet trousers, then a heavy brown tabard, tucked into the trousers. Next the soft leather boots in a light kind of blue leather which are a bugger to put on!! Then the hacketon or long quilted jacket. Next comes the armour proper back and breast plates with armour for the upper arms. Then the lower arm armour over soft black leather gloves and finally the helmet in a combed barbute style. It looks amazing but doesn’t fit particularly well and I’ve been tightened into too much. We clamber into a mini bus and drive past tanks, missiles silos and American streets…. It’s all very surreal. Outside the stage we are then given swords girded upon our loins by beautiful thick double belts. At first I’m given a foam one but as I’m in the front I’m given a real sword. It’s well made from spring steel and feels very nice in the hand. Next comes sword drill!! We have to unsheath our swords and step forward looking aggressive and with evil intentions!

There is the usual wait so I fill up with lots of cups of tea. We are called into special effects and I enter a trailer and I’m told to stand on a marker on the floor. Surrounding me are hundreds of canon cameras, for 360 degrees I’m 3D scanned and digitised, to be used as they see fit I suppose!! We are called in to the set! The bridge is still there but in a strange way it all feels real now, we face other men who are our enemies! Men in red armour sworn to protect their Queen! I see a man wandering around talking to himself and yes it’s Rhys Ifans!! Then another man in a white wig and flip flops looking a lot like Matt Smith wanders across ‘Alright lads’…. It is indeed Doctor Who himself! There are about 100 people on set, siting behind cameras of sitting in towers or behind enormous booms!

The dragon is projected onto the stage. There is Kings Landing and I am standing on a bridge waiting for the arrival of the princess! The wind machines kick in and to left and right I can actually see the waves crash against the rocks. It’s unbelievably surreal. I am there. I am a Knight of the Hightower and Rhys Ifans is my boss! Who is that in the long blond wigs?? One is Matt Smith looking rather creepy. As all the filming is for Rhys, Matt wears red socks and flip flops! The Princess is played by Emma Darcy, looking ethereal, proud and beautiful. For one instance she looks like R and my heart twitches. For gods sake. Am I to spend 2 days watching her walk past me countless times? And the scene is played out countless times, from every angle. I am right behind Rhys, I’m hoping I’m in shot. The princess walks past me and looks at me briefly, she is a marvellous actor! The scene is edgy. Swords are drawn and the dragon roars behind us, the wind battering us rather realistically!! One of the takes Rhys turns around and says ‘Right lads, back on the bus!’ Another time he claps me on the shoulder and says ‘Sorry about all this’ referring to the 20thtime we drop to our knees ‘Don’t worry Mr Ifans’ I reply ‘You’ll get it right eventually!’ Thankfully he laughed and said ‘I fucking hope so!’  In the scene Rhys has the hand of the king badge ripped from his breast and thrown to the floor. For one brief moment in time I was The Hand as I held the badge to my armour! Emma Darcy was waiting to get past us and I stopped and let her through with ‘After you your majesty.’ ‘Don’t start all that’ she said smiling. She still went first though!

The armour although light was very uncomfortable. The first day and I ended up with a bad shoulder and a lump appeared on my throat where the armour had been rubbing. Trying to eat was fun, I dropped more on the floor than I managed to get into my mouth. Quite a few people had dropped out because of problems wearing the armour. Luckily the medic on site was able to provide me with some painkillers to get me through the day.

The second day was all from the point of Matt and Emma so we were merely points of contact, giving them something to look at. I still can’t quite believe I have been part of GOT ( The House of the Dragon) Being a huge fan of the books and the series it’s been a real privilege to be a part of the process. It’s been fascinating, watching all of the technicalities of making  a world come alive. After filming Rhys Ifans thanked us all as did Matt. All through filming I was so tempted to ask Rhys to do his famous line from the sublime film Love Honour and Obey, ‘You can’t steal a warehouse Trevor. It’s big and heavy and fixed to the ground!’  I have heard horror stories of megalomaniacal directors screaming and shouting but on this production received nothing but professionalism and respect. I hope to be part of the filming again!