HBO’s Game of Thrones releases a trailer for the documentary special The Last Watch. Last March, the behind-the-scenes production was first announced, and will air one week after the series finale. Next weekend's Game of Thrones' episode will mark the end of the iconic series.
Directed by Jeanie Finlay, The Last Watch chronicles the production of Game of Thrones season 8. The British filmmaker documented the entire process, so fans will receive a unique look at The Battle of Winterfell, along with the battle at King’s Landing during the penultimate episode. Created for television by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, Game of Thrones is based on George R.R. Martin’s fantasy novel series, which began with 1996’s A Game of Thrones. Martin released four more books from 1998 to 2011, and fans have long been awaiting the final two releases, The Winds of Winter and Dream of Spring. Now, according to Game of Thrones actor Ian McElhinney (Ser Barristan Selmy), Martin has finished the last installments.
On YouTube, HBO's official Game of Thrones channel released a trailer of The Last Watch. In the description, the clip is described as “a farewell to Westeros with the people who built the realm.” The 70-second video begins with a wide shot of Titanic Studios, located in Northern Ireland’s capital, Belfast. The trailer then transitions to a cast shot with Kit Harington (Jon Snow) at the center of the frame, as he reacts to an unidentified moment during the final table read. Series creators Benioff and Weiss acknowledge the cast and crew as “family,” while rapid-fire edits show green screen footage and crew interviews. A full screen graphic reads “Witness The Sacrifice,” and a brief montage shows the construction of the King’s Landing set. The trailer frames the documentary as an “unprecedented” look at Game of Thrones season 8, and the final moments show director David Nutter describing the experience as a “dream job,” and that it saved his life. Check out the trailer for The Last Watch below.
In Game of Thrones season 8, Nutter helmed the season premiere “Winterfell,” along with the critically-acclaimed follow-up “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.” In addition, Nutter directed Game of Thrones season 8’s fourth episode “The Last of the Starks.” Throughout the series, Nutter has been praised for his ability to effectively connect the dots, and to depict how the characters relate to each other. Director Miguel Sapochnik has directed Game of Thrones’ most popular battle episodes, including “The Long Night” and “The Bells,” with the latter being the series’ penultimate episode. Series creators Benioff and Weiss wrote and directed the Game of Thrones series finale.
For Game of Thrones fans, The Last Watch will provide insight into the final season process. On one level, it may help explain the narrative pacing, and how the showrunners came to certain conclusions about what to keep, and what to cut. Game of Thrones season 8 is arguably the most controversial series installment, and some fans believe that more effort was put into the production aspects rather than the storytelling. Hopefully, The Last Watch will provide some extra closure after Game of Thrones officially ends.
Game of Thrones' series finale airs May 19 on HBO, while The Last Watch airs May 26.
Source: HBO