Some Ideas For Game Of Thrones Season 2

This is a somewhat spoiler-free post that will outline a few ideas for the second season of Game of Thrones, slated for next Spring. It boggles the mind they can get this to air in 10-12 months from now. The season being 10 hours, roughly 5 movies. I’m in awe of that production.

I just finished reading A Clash Of Kings, the second book from A Song Of Fire And Ice series, and the basis for season 2. A few sites have already surmised that a number of tertiary characters could be nixed, and I am in agreement with that. That would avoid doubling-up on the cast, which would dilute the show a bit. I don’t want a bunch of cameo characters taking away from Tyrion and company.

Here are some more ideas I’d like to see with the show:

1. Theatrical release featuring a few adjoined episodes. Without spoiling anything, it gets pretty epic near the end of Season 2. Even scaling down the scope would still make for a couple of pricey episodes - perhaps even surpassing the series’ pilot (which cost a reported $12-$15M, more than Lost’s $11M pilot episode). So to help offset the higher production costs, I think HBO should bundle up two episodes and release them in theaters for a limited engagement. This is an approach Universal is taking with the Dark Tower films - 3 movies that are bridged by an ongoing TV show.

I recommend a bargain admission ticket, in the neighborhood of $5. This is for a few reasons: A) to offer incentive for fans to check it out, perhaps appeal to newcomers, B) Because this film is not a $100M Hollywood production, the price should reflect that, and C) This isn’t a cash grab. Merely a means to help cover production costs and grow the audience.

These episodes can air shortly after the theatrical run. I think it would be a hit, as Thrones fans can get together and celebrate the show. And with this show potentially being at least 7 seasons long, and containing many epic set pieces, the odd film release would be beneficial to the fans, the story, and to HBO’s bottom line.

2. Some of the more…walky…parts could be annexed. Minor spoiler: Both Arya and Daenerys do the Lord of the Rings thing and march forward for a good portion of their narratives. I really think we can jump to some of their destinations. They could exclaim “What an exhaustively long journey!” to start the scene. See? I’m saving HBO mad cheddar. To be fair, in the book we catch up with them at certain intervals, so it’s not too LotR-ish.

3. An abstract approach to some of the storytelling. This is an idea that probably won’t go over very well: some of the scenes could be told using other mediums, like animation. Hear me out! A dream sequence or vision could be told using artistic license, and if done right this could look amazing. I think the show-runners might want to keep the audience guessing - is this a dream, or real? If they opt to discard this ruse, animation could be a more showy and cost-effective means to tell small portions of the story. But if you thought those Anime sequences in Kill Bill were too jarring, then you’ll probably hate this idea.

4. That map in the title sequence - use it in the show too. When I was reading the book, I was constantly checking the map in the front page - so they are…here! With so many locales and so much talk of strategic movement and tactics, it may be best to use the map as a visual aid. Do this in two instances: when we are joining a character in a new locale, we can pan to that location in the map, then fade to character. The other time is when characters talk of strategy and movement. You know when Dr. House talks about a medical condition, and they use CG graphics to show what he is talking about (flying through the blood streams, organs)? You do the same when a character is talking about how they’ll advance or their strategy: a fly-over of the map, with chess pieces to represent each army. The chess pieces could slide about to telegraph what they are talking about.

You could even use the map visuals to show a character’s travels, like the Indiana Jones technique. Or even show the map prior to each scene, just to set the table - like an establishing shot.

That map is a beautiful representation of the show. It can become a character in it’s own right.

If I have any more ideas I’ll post them here.