It seems like the world is currently building up excitement for the next series of Game of Thrones. Perhaps it’s a good time to think about why everyone loves the show so much. What is it about Game Of Thrones that makes it so popular?
The simple answer: Excellent writing, excellent acting and excellent production.
A lot of Game of Thrones fans are not the usual people you would associate with fantasy fiction… Lots of Game of Thrones fans are not the usual people you would associate with drama and sex either… The point is, there’s something for everyone. People from all walks of life and people with different interests can enjoy the show. For all the parts of the show that don’t usually interest them, they’re written so well that they become enjoyable.
The drama is unbelievably tense. The show’s writers have managed to give us a personal connection to a multitude of characters, even when they’re only on screen for a few minutes each episode. This is done with clever exposition (story telling through dialogue). Usually, when writers want to tell a story through dialogue they’ll make it painfully obvious. So much so that the dialogue feels forced. Game of Thrones doesn’t do this. Game of Thrones tells background stories through proper drama. You’ll be listening in on a heated argument or heartfelt moment and your subconscious will be learning things about the plot all the time. This makes the show easy to understand, something usually unbecoming of the drama/fantasy genre.
Next: the acting. Game of Thrones is home to a very talented cast. Many of the actors come from working on stage, and this is one of the reasons for the show’s effective drama. Stage plays are very intimate and drama has to be done perfectly to create the right atmosphere. We’ve seen the skill of the cast recognised in award ceremonies. Peter Dinklage who plays Tyrion won an Emmy for his performance.
It goes without saying that the scenery in Game of Thrones is breathtaking. This is owed to both the filming locations and the excellent FX team behind the show. Northern Ireland is the best possible place to film the show’s “Northern” scenes, the environment and a lot of the architecture fits with the lore of the Game of Thrones series. For the snowier areas beyond The Wall, they make excellent use of the icy, glacier filled areas of Icelandic plains. The scenes in King’s Landing are generally filmed in the Dubrovnik section of Croatia – an area with much nicer weather than the other two I’ve mentioned.
Here’s one that might not be as obvious as it should be. George R R Martin’s novels were already very successful before the show was released. Having this – comparatively small now – fan base come to the show to get the ball rolling is actually significant to Game of Thrones’ popularity. Most people probably started watching the show after the pilot had been aired, but the fans of the books were likely there from the beginning of the show. This gives Game of Thrones a massive advantage over shows with brand new scripts and a much smaller community of followers.
Brit Movie Tours have launched a Game of Thrones Tour which runs from April 2014 and takes you on some of the filming location in Northern Ireland.
