Game of Thrones

 Game of Thrones is a HBO fantasy drama based on the conflict and politics of the main families/houses of “Westeros”. Each of the areas have their own distinct characteristics in game of thrones as it is has such a diverse set of scenarios spanning from “beyond the wall” (Iceland) to “Kingslanding” (Dubrovnik, Croatia) these places have been adapted to take form of the medieval fantasy realm by Gemma Jackson the production designer.

The places I am going to focus on are “Winterfell” (house seat of the Starks) and “Kingslanding” (house seat Baratheon) these places are completely different and this is made apparent whilst watching at no point is there any confusion of which geographical region the characters are in.

“Winterfell” like the other northern houses is heavily inspired by the northern European castles with thick stone (Granite) walls and a rather dull faded appearance this portrays the change of climate in the north as it is much more prone to harsh weather conditions these factors are all made obvious to create a visual that shows that the people of the north live in smaller homes with thick walls and fur trimmings around the houses to keep them insulated. The buildings in “Winterfell” also are made out of wood as the wooden frames of the houses are made obvious; this was chosen as it is next to the “Wolfs Wood” which is a large forest that runs alongside “Winterfell” so wood is easy to get hold of.  “Winterfell” is one of the only castles  in “Westeros” that still has a “Gods Wood” which contains a white tree with red leaves and a face carved into it this is called a “Wierwood Tree” in the HBO adaptation the face in the in the tree does not appear to be carved into the tree it looks more as if it is the way the tree grows itself, the reason I would think that this choice had been made it to safe time from deviating into a storyline that is not quite relevant in the current seasons (1-2).

“Kingslanding” is the capital city in “Westeros” the city stands on three hills and on the largest stands the “Red Keep” which is named after the pale red stone it had been built from the keep also fits a Mediterranean style with how everything appears lavish and grand, in the streets of “Kingslanding” there is a strong theme of the sea on buildings with the slate roofs looking like scales this also shows in the clothing of “Kingslanding” too. The “Red Keep” has many towers one of the key towers is the “Tower of the Hand” which is a tall circular tower that is beside the outer walls. Another key part to the red keep is the “Great Hall” this is where the “Iron Throne” is the throne is made out of melted swords the shape of the throe isn’t very conventional and is much more bulky than the everyday wooden thrones I think this is an important feature as the “Iron Throne” is the kings seat so it important for it to stand out.

Overall I believe that Gemma Jackson and her team have achieved their goal of giving every geographic region of “Westeros” its own feeling and style and will carry on doing so as in each series they introduce new locations that will only enhance the diversity of “Westeros” and new story lines.