Final post

Declan Konroyd

The first episode of Game of Thrones was very intense. The producer/director did an excellent job of conveying the scenery from the novel. I originally thought that the series would be totally different aesthetically. It was obvious that the creators had put a lot of time, money, and effort into making the series as true to the book as possible.  Everything from the Lannister’s body armor to the demeanor of Ned Stark matched my own interpretation of Westeros. There did seem to be some subtle differences from book to television. The violence seemed to be way more dramatic in the series. Blood would not simply pour out of a wound but rather it would cartoonishly spew in every direction. I realize that they might have adapted this violence to provoke a wider demographic of viewers. This would seem plausible because even the sex was crudely implemented. Episode one emphasizes the vulgarity and evil that inevitably coincides with sexuality.  Again, I’m assuming that they increased the amount of sex in the series to fit HBO’s demographics.  There is a lot of hidden sensationalism found in Game of Thrones. Every scene attempts to provoke an emotional response. I am generally fond of TV shows that cause excitement and contemplation but it comes at an expense.  Much of the accuracy in a story can be disemboweled when using sensationalism. I see this phenomenon occurring everywhere from News stories to violent video games. Although I admire fascinating stories, I always prefer the truth rather than arousal.  

Final Post

Watching the first episode of the series had scenes that I imagined would be in the first episode but also scenes I pictured differently. The Tyrion sex scene, which I don't think was even in the book, was a good way to introduce Tyrion as a character. Tyrion may be a dwarf and you wouldn't normally think of him as a sex fanatic. While the scene wasn't in the book, it was a cool adaption. This one particular episode seems to cover about 150 pages in one episode. I heard that the 1st season goes much faster to those who have read the book than to those who haven't. I think the tv show was necessary than a movie because you can expand on detail when having multiple hour long episodes. This allows for more details closer to the book. The change in character's age is for the better. I think both the show and the novel can have their own adaptions in that part and still get across the message. I can't wait to finish the season!

Final post

When asked to do this assignment I quickly tried to think of something in the novel that really was represented in the tv series. I tried to look at each character and see if I thought they were done well or not done very well. Then I started to look at the props to see if they were up to what I had imagined in the book. Then I decided to look at the set.
When looking at the set it really gave me an idea of what the book was trying to get across when looking at the north. I thought that it really showed what a medieval location would look like. it gave me a good idea of what these higher people would be living in. There were still just stone and candles which helped me really understand that though they were a rich family it was medieval times where things were not advanced yet.
The set also did a good job portraying the weather and how cold the north really was. Between the snow ice, and clothing I really got a picture of this cold land.
From the tables, to the curtains, to the houses, I was able to get a clear picture to go along with what my imagination had already thought up. I hadnt given much thought to what the places actually would have looked like but now I have an even clearer understanding of these people's lifestyle. I also feel like I have a better understanding of how people lived in the medieval period, poor or rich.
All in all I thought the tv series did a good job transforming the book into a picture without distorting too much of what Martin spent years creating.

Game of Thrones

The adaption from the Game of Throne book to television show was done very well. The show did not veer from the book and followed it very specifically. However there was one part that was very different, the age of the children. I believe more specifically the age of Dany. If there was an actual 13 year old girl getting raped on television there would have been a public outcry. There is no way the show would have been able to go on. The age of Dany in the television show looks to be around 20 maybe older. They do not address this but there is no way she is 13 like the book says. I understand why they made her older, yet I believe it takes away a little bit from the story. There is more sympathy to a girl getting sold than a woman. A woman getting sold to a man is a terrible thing, however, it seems much worse if it is a little girl, especially because the man buying her is in his 30's. All of the characters look older, including Sansa. I think that in most cases it makes sense to have them look older than what the book says they are. The characters deal with adult issues and it would be weird to see children that are 12 or 13 being apart of it. I know that they are younger in the books because in medieval times people did not live as long so the development for a child was much faster. I think the television show makes them older just for the audience they are reaching, a 21st century audience. 

FINAL POST!

I would have to say since I read the book first that I like it more than the show.  When you read a book before watching a movie or show on it, I feel like we all get this picture in our head of how things are supposed to look or be and it just doesn't end up that way.  I never picture Winterfell as somewhere without snow.  I'm not sure if  I missed that description in the book but that was definitely something that was new to me.  When Catelyn described it in the book she mentioned how it was cold but their room was over hot springs.  Then we saw the show and it looked somewhat warm and there was no snow anywhere, although they were in heavy clothes a lot of the time.  One thing I didn't like about the show is how they made the kids so much older than they were in the book.  I understand some of the roles may be a little unacceptable for a child to play but it kind of throws everything off for me.  The scene with Danny and Viseries really threw me for a loop.  Viseries was a grown man but in the book he's not supposed to be much older than Danny, definitely younger than 20 without manly features in his face.  Also, with Danny it is much easier for me to see her being married to Drogo in the show because she is older than just 12.  It doesn't seem as wrong or uncomfortable and it just gives off a different feeling or vibe because she is closer in age to him and at a point in life where she could get married.  We haven't watched much of the show so it is difficult to compare too much of the book and show together.  I guess the wall was a lot like I picture it when i was reading the book.  It looks very cold and the woods do not look welcoming at all.  It is a place where no one would choose to be.  Shows and movies usually lose a lot of detail that is portrayed in books.  Like the beginning scene one of the character i remember is supposed to be up in the trees and that's why he is supposed to not be killed by the white walkers.  In the show though, somehow he just makes it out alive and it doesn't really make sense.  Overall, I do prefer books over movies or shows but I would definitely be interested in watching the Game of Thrones series.

Adaptation

The first episode of Game of Thrones was a very great adaptation and offered a great view into the Game of Thrones made into real life. Obviously being that this an adaptation of the book I could not have seen every scene from the chapter, however there were several parts that I found to be perfectly enlightening about the characters without having to actually say the words. For instance we read constantly about Catelyn’s strong dislike of Jon Snow, because of the way that Ned brought him home. At several distinct points during the show we see Catelyn glare at Jon though he is not paying her any attention. The look that we see from Catelyn conveys all the dislike that she has for him in all of her sections in just one scene. Her attitude is also very telling as we watch Jon hack at a dummy and tell his uncle that Lady Stark thought that allowing a bastard to attend the feast would shame their family. All of these actions show how much she seems to hate Jon who’s only crime against her was being born and being brought to Winterfell. The scenes of the show accurately reflect the text that we’ve read.

GOT show/book comparison

            Prior to watching episode one of Game of Thrones, I was really interested in how they were going to portray all of the events that took place in the book. The dire wolves, the Wall, etc. all seemed to be impossible to put into a television show. After seeing episode one, I was fairly impressed with the way they were able to capture the books important features. What particularly interested me was how they were going to fit everything that happened in book one into season one. Once I finished season one I realized why everyone was so obsessed with the show but it also confirmed why books are much better than movies/TV shows. Yes they did successfully fit everything into the show but it seemed really, really rushed. For example, Bran’s fall happens on page 85 compared to season one when this event happens in the first episode. To people that haven’t read the book, season one didn’t seem rushed at all, in fact, it were perfectly well paced. However to me, events like Ned’s death and Dany’s wedding came up so fast.

            Another thing I took notice of was the dire wolves. In the book they constantly talked about how they were getting bigger and bigger but in the book they stayed the same size. I didn’t really expect the show to be able to portray their size realistically but I felt like the dire wolves played such an important role in both the book and the show. Finally, I was extremely impressed the way the season finale of Game of Thrones depicted what happened with Dany and the dragons. The dragons looked very realistic making the scene really similar to the book. Overall, I think that HBO did a wonderful job making the show very similar to the book.