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. 

Final Post

Martin's adaptation of this book into a tv series really bring life into his book. The scenes for the most part are spot on and the additions really help the show flow together for those who can't fill in with imagination in the book. This really helps me get ideas in terms of how to visually present the research I've conducted in my paper with additions of understanding etc.
Other than that I feel like the first episode is moving too slow in terms of introducing the characters, it just seems like a lot of filler is taking place and there is no true significance to any of the characters. I'm not entirely impressed with anything but the great detail in terms of visuals etc.
While the show does line up, it does in my opinion miss out on one key detail and that has to do with the "introduction"of Jon Snow. The readers know Jon Snow for his first big scene as he was introduced as the "bastard" at the party. Well generally, this is the first time the readers had seen Snow fall so far in terms of confidence etc. He was almost the one to look up to after Ned. In the novel Jon broke down and had to leave the party, in which afterwards Tyrion and him discussed making sure that he holds his head up with confidence and embraces who he is. This is where the readers essentially gain their strength because each reader has their own flaw they need to embrace. Other than the conversation with Tyrion, they skip out on the entire feast introduction to Jon and take away, in my opinion, some of his value. So altogether I did not really appreciate that part being taken out and it cuts out the ability for the viewers to watch and relate.

GOT due 4/26

There are definitely pros and cons to the book and the show, but overall I am going to side with the book. My reasoning is simply for personal preference, as I know the show has had major success. When a book is made into a show, most of the time the show loses the detail in the small elements that made the book so good in the first place. In Game of Thrones’ case, I feel as if it didn't fall into that category one bit. The TV show does an amazing job from the very first scene in depicting the details that were brought forward in the book. For example, the freezing temperatures are easily recognized within the first scene of the first episode. Another is the large scale of land in which the book and show take place. The book obviously gives us a good idea as to the scale of land, mountains and buildings, but in the show I think it does a great job as well in giving up an up close visual. One thing that I do not think the show depicted very well we’re the ages in which the children are in the book versus the show. Martin describes the children to be much younger than HBO portrays them. Although the reasons behind the change are probably reasonable, the young age of the children really added significance to the plot of the book. While reading the book I often skipped the passages describing killings. The morbid scenes were often too much for me in the book and were over looked. Obviously watching the show, it was harder for me to avoid the murder scenes. Thus, by watching the show I got a much more violent feel for Game of Thrones all together. 

I think to TV show does an excellent job staying close to the book. The biggest difference between the show and the book is the children's ages. In the book the characters are so much younger than what they seem in the tv show. I understand the change though because having 12 to 16 year old children running around killing and sleeping with each other would make for disturbing TV. The next thing i noticed after watching the first episode again is that when Dany and Khal first have sex is that she is crying. In the book she resisted it at first but then seemed to want it but in the show she seemed to dread it and almost feared it. Even in later episodes Dany constantly looks for mental support through the dragon eggs where as in the book she seems so much more independent and accepting of Khal after the wedding. The theme of Dany being sold as a child bride is still present in the TV show and actually is seem more serious. Theon also plays a much larger role in the TV show than he does in the book. Finally the largest difference is the amount of nudity in the show. I think the writers put the nudity in to attract a larger audience and draw more attention to the show itself. The nudity isnt necessary at all but i understand why the writers would put more of it in the show.

GOT Final

When I first saw the Game of Thrones TV series in class, I could not believe what an amazing job HBO did to turn it into a TV series. I am starting to watch the series now because I loved the book and the way the series is made is just unbelievable. The HBO series does a great job with going along with the book and how each character dressed and resembles the house they were born into. The one scene that caught my attention and which I thought was different was when Khal and Dany were getting married. To me HBO made it seem like Khal had all the power and looked like he was raping her. This made me a little uncomfortable because in the show she was scared and crying and in the book it was different and seemed like she knew this is what she was born to do. In the show you can sense that Dany does not want to this to happen, she is scared for her life and her brother is forcing her to do this. During the scene I think HBO does a good job on setting up the characters of Dany and Khal. I had the same image as Khal being a big, strong guy who looked like a badass warrior. Overall, I think HBO did an amazing job setting up the series and having all the different settings and pulling the book into the series. The whole episode got me really into the series and now I will be watching it and seeing how else the book and the series are.  

GOT 4/26

As I first started to watch the game of thrones, I couldn't believe how well the TV show resembled the book. I thought the book was quite hard to follow since i didn't find it particularly interesting, but the TV show was 100 times better. I don't think anything can compare to the very first scene when the nights watch leave and discover the white walkers. This was a great intro to the book because it grabbed the readers attention right away and left them wanting more. It also left many unanswered questions, who are the white walkers? why did they fear them? An action packed beginning is the best way to start a book because its not just a boring introduction to characters. The more suspenseful and action packed a beginning is, the more the audience is willing to continue watching. I believe Martin did an amazing job capturing this scene and making it come to life. We can see exactly how cold it is there, how tall the wall is, and how terrified the citizens are of the white walkers. The camera angles did a great job focusing on the stuff Martin wanted to emphasize, such as the limbs being sprawled out among the snow and showing how tall the trees are resulting an eerie affect. This opening scene created the mood for the rest of the book and kept the audience engaged through out the series.

GOT adaptation

So the first episode of GOT went along with the book for the most part.  I think the most interesting scene was the one where Dani and Khal Drogo consumate their marriage because it is portrayed so differently in the book  than it is in the episode.  In the episode it is almost portrayed as a rape scene where Dani is extremely uncomfortable and crying.  In the book she is more comfortable with it and its more of a connecting scene where you can see how connected the two characters are going to get and already are.  I think this was a smart choice because it really sets up the character progression of Dani which is an amazing character progression.  I think it would have been confusing if they portrayed it as it went in the book.  Dani needed to be scared because she was in a new place being controlled and looked at as an object and for her to break down and really play into that role makes the audience feel a lot of sympathy for her and really adds to her transition.  She goes from so low to so high and I think that this scene made that transition really successful in a this film adaptation.  Besides that I really do love this adaptation thats why I wrote about it.  I think it is done just so well, especially the acting.  Looking at some interviews with the actors seeing how they got into their character was really fun because they are all so good and they all embody the characters so well and they add some twists to them, put their own backstory to them and I think that these actors really make the adaptation come to life, as well as all the other things, but the acting is superb.

G of T eps

After watching the beginning of the first episode of Game of Thrones I really want to watch the whole series. The one thing though that I didn’t care for very much was how old they made Robb & Jon look. I don’t know why, but I always pictured them much younger appearing and they literally look like they are 20 some years old. I found it interesting though how they created the scene with Cersei & Jaime with the funeral going on in the background. They discussed Jon Arryn’s life and then mentioned something about him telling which was definitely not in the book and I think if it was it would have made more questions arise because I personally did not see that none of Cersei’s kids were from Robert until late almost when Ned outright said it. So it creates some suspense for the entire season now for people to wonder what exactly he knew about those two. I'm sure the rest of the series is just as good as what I have seen so far, it really was made very well. Even the direwolves were all multicolored and then there was Jon’s who was white as snow and just a little runt. I think it played pretty closely to the books and most likely is exactly what Martin wanted when he decided to finally allow his books to be made into a visual media. I am actually excited to see Daenery’s and how they portray her even though I know some parts will probably be very extreme. I have heard that the show really is bold and I guess that is what you have to expect when you create something for people to watch. That is what sells and really makes people want to watch it. Overall I really enjoyed the book and can’t wait to watch more of the show.