One Shot: How 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' made its climactic battle so 'sinister'

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“The script was such a horrifying read because I thought our hero was going to die,” says cinematographer Gustav Danielsson of the climactic Season 1 battle in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” which sees Duncan (Peter Claffey) defending his honor in a cloud of dense fog — which Danielsson suggests intensifies the “claustrophobic feeling” of a fight that’s “out of control.” So too does the perspective from inside Duncan’s helmet, a look pulled off practically by placing a visor in front of a Ronin 4D camera.The idea “was to create a sinister feeling that this may not end well,” he says.

“We envisioned this narrow field of view where his enemies suddenly pop out of the fog, and this type of shot adds to the disoriented feeling.” The nearly 10-minute sequence used handheld camerawork to intensify the stakes.“We wanted to show that Dunk is not a good fighter.

So being close to him and having longer takes handheld, it’s almost like you have to hold your breath,” Danielsson explains.In contrast, composed framing of his loyal squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), underlines a different emotion.

“What makes this different from, say, ‘Game of Thrones,’ is it’s a much smaller world … It was important for us to show the relationship between him and Egg, who is watching from the stands.” It’s an instrumental decision that moves audiences to shout, “Get up!”Get exclusive awards season news, in-depth interviews and columnist Glenn Whipp’s must-read analysis straight to your inbox.By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service, which include arbitration and a class action waiver.

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