Show Notes
DOP Gustav Danielsson, FSF on shooting HBO's A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms with naturalistic firelight, practical battlefield fog, and in-camera POV shots
Podcast highlights include:
-How Gustav and director Owen Harris planned the show's night time, fire-light-driven look. -Beginning their shoot day at dusk to catch the natural blue hour light in the wide shots before moving into closer setups. -Pulling off the massive dueling tournament in Episode 5, using practical fog and mud to set the mood. -The sinister gray mist was chosen as a practical solution to use fewer extras, and added to the atmosphere of dread as it obscured the combatants. As for the mud, it looked great, but the production team had to adjust as it quickly became hard as concrete when it dried. -Using a Ronin 4D rigged to an operator's chest for the helmet POV shots. Rather than adding digital effects, the second unit shot the visceral mace-impact perspective entirely in-camera. -Shooting the flashback sequences on a Panavision’s T-Series Anamorphic lenses to distinguish it from the present-day story without adjusting the color grade.
Find Gustav Danielsson: https://gustavdanielsson.com/ Instagram: @gustavdanielssson
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is currently streaming on HBO.
SHOW RUNDOWN: 02:39 Close Focus 10:44-01:04:42 Gustav Danielsson Interview 01:05:10 Short Ends 01:14:26 Credits
The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social
More from The Cinematography Podcast
Cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh explains how natural light, practical sources and an invisible camera shaped Netflix’s East of Eden, shot in New Zealand with director Garth Davis.
Cinematographer Matheus Bastos on shooting Gazer and Anima on 16mm with little money, how handheld and zooms track character, and why focusing on the work beat chasing an agent. This episode is a candid look at how limitations, story and trust shape a career, from a scrappy $80K film shoot to the call that changed everything.
Scott "Smitty" Smith, the IMAX camera technician behind Oppenheimer, Sinners and The Odyssey, on large format film, servicing cameras and why film costs less than you'd think.
Furious DP Doug Emmett breaks down how the production team aligned on tone, lighting a penthouse with floor-to-ceiling windows, and creating a red-lit party scene.
Director Dave Boyle and DP Patrick Ouziel on making the ghost story Never After Dark in Japan: a 28-day shoot, a backlit zoetrope mirror, and in-camera magic.