Trevor Hogg chats with art director Paul Inglis about ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Prometheus’…
“What’s great about the way Dan [Weiss] and David [Benioff], the show’s creators and main writers, adapted the books was that there was a concrete feel on the page, of what those environments needed to be,” states Paul Inglis who served as the Supervising Art Director for Game of Thrones (HBO, 2011 to Present), a television adaptation of the fantasy series of novels A Song of Ice and Fire written by George R.R. Martin. “HBO chose Gemma [Jackson] to design it for she had won an Emmy for them on John Adams [2008].” Inglis enjoyed working with Jackson who gave him his first major break by hiring him to work on Bridget Jones Diary (2001). The third member of the team was Set Decorator Richard Roberts (Wanted). “It was just the three of us having a lot of fun with [making] these worlds.” The originator of the material was readily accessible, with the script editor serving as the go-between for all those involved with the production. “If we had issues we could always raise the question and [it would] go right back to the author.” The expectations of the fans were kept in mind. “We were sensitive of what they would be expecting but at the same time, with George R.R. Martin’s blessing, we felt we could change something to make it better or clearer.”
As for the TV creators of Game of Thrones comparing it to a previous TV series, Paul Inglis believes, “They mentioned The Sopranos [HBO, 1999 to 2007] because it’s a reference point for people in America. They wanted to say it’s not as [much a] fantasy as a lot of other fantasy shows are. George R.R. Martin admits himself that there are many different historical figures and events that he’s borrowed from or been inspired by in the writing of the books and in creating the worlds.” Even with all the preparations and research, which included reading the original book, the native of Britain still had to deal with a number of concerns once principle photography commenced. “We started the shoot in July and finished just before Christmas in December. We had issues with snow and with trees looking very wintry, conditions the world of Westeros shouldn’t have been going through. That forced a few last minute changes to the way that we approached things. Being a smaller team on that production and not having a studio overlooking us, it was easy to arrive at those decisions.”
The fantasy television series provided Paul Inglis with his biggest creative test. “We were creating nine hours worth of visuals rather than two hours worth. And we had four different Directors, three different Directors of Photography, and two different First Assistant Directors, so just the number of people who were involved who had to all dovetail together was extraordinary. We also had limited space. We were very creative revamping one set, making it become another set, to using locations well.” Inglis adds, “The other exciting challenge was trying to create enough different-looking worlds within one tale so that they hang together as part of the same world.”
To create the various worlds involved a marriage between computer generated and practical effects. “With a show like Game of Thrones we had a lot of set extensions, and a lot of exterior shots and environments being completely digitally created,” says Paul Inglis. “The producers were eager for Gemma Jackson to have final say on the visual effects plates so that the whole design look was achieved, from both what we shot for real and what was created later.” Inglis is proud of a particular set design of a structure that was meant to be at the top of a 4000 foot mountain. “Some worlds like a place like The Eyrie had to have their own identity but on the page it was very much a place which is just another great hall in a castle. It’s another rectangular room in essence.” The decision was made to have a staircase spiral around it, and to have the action happen across different levels of the set so as to give it more of a vertical appearance. “It was a set that a lot of people really liked. It is the middle of the 10 episode run that it comes in. At that point you have already seen a lot of the environments already. The great thing about coming up with that slightly over-the-top environment was that it freshened the pallet again.”
“I read all 10 episodes when I sat down to do the pilot. I knew it was coming,” reveals Paul Inglis as to his reaction to the untimely death of Lord Eddard Stark played by Sean Bean (Ronin). “If you are very cynical you can say you could see it coming because he’s quite a big actor to commit to five years of doing an HBO show year in and year out. He’s known for doing diverse films, a lot of roles, fitting a lot in.” Inglis admits, “Dramatically it packs a punch. It’s a great way to finish that film.” Comparing his involvement with fantasy series as to previous assignments, Inglis says, “Game of Thrones is much more about raw creativity. It’s about having to come up with ideas, images and solutions, time and time again. So yes I’m very proud of it.” However, a creative change was in order. “Although Gemma was doing the second season, for various reasons some personal [and] some professional, I decided I’d rather do some work in London for a bit and try to find some more diverse projects.”
One of the diverse projects turned out to be a much anticipated movie shrouded with secrecy. “UK producer Mark Huffam, who was on Game of Thrones, moved on to Prometheus [2012],” explains Paul Inglis as to how he became involved in the science fiction tale helmed by the man responsible for Thelma and Louise (1991) and Gladiator (2000). “Ridley Scott has a lot of ideas he throws into the mix; his mind is incredibly energetic, he is very good at clearly describing what he wants and why he wants it. At the same time he’s happy for people to bring ideas to him, to integrate them into what he’s already doing. He is by no means set in his ways; he is more collaborative than you might expect. But at the same time he brings such a wealth of good ideas to the table that it can look a bit like a one-man show.” As to how one devises an imaginary world, Inglis states, “If it’s something quite futuristic science fiction like Prometheus, the Alien prequel, we have concept artists working in conjunction with the Director and the [Production] Designer creating looks for spaceships and environments, whatever they may be. From that we will add our layer of authenticity because some concept art can be quite esoteric and impressionistic, or sometimes it can be more complex than it is possible for us to make no matter what the budget.”
Questioned about what a Ridleygram is, Paul Inglis answers that Ridley Scott “at every meeting will call for a sheet of paper and a thickish 5-point pen and he’ll start doodling. Sometimes it’s framed, sometimes it acts like a storyboard panel, sometimes it’s more of a sketch of an item or a piece of an environment. He’ll do literally hundreds and hundreds of those throughout the course of pre-production. Very often off-the-cuff, and they’re beautiful. You absolutely get the sense of what he’s after, and how he draws them is brilliant.” Inglis is not the only one amazed by the artistic talent displayed by the former graduate of the Royal College of Art in London; Ashton Gordon who was the Production Designer for Legend (1985) once told him “that Ridley Scott is one of the only people he knows who can draw upside down.”
Working with Ridley Scott on Prometheus are two key collaborators, Production Designer Arthur Max (Se7en) and Cinematographer Dariusz Wolksi (Dark City). “I think with Ridley and Arthur they’ve been working together for 25 years, through commercials and then through feature films. There is an absolute trust there,” observes Paul Inglis. “Dariusz fits in so well with Ridley and the way Ridley wanted to shoot this film.” The cinematographer and the production designer were collaborative not only with Ridley Scott but also with each other. “Arthur and Dariusz discussed quite a few aspects of the set before they filmed but even so discussions aren’t the same as doing something on both sides. Sometimes you can find even heavily discussed sets ending up looking very poor; the execution of either or both sides may not be exactly what they both had in mind when they were discussing. These guys are connected and it works in their relationship. The evidence is on the screen.”
Honouring his confidentially agreement with 20th Century-Fox, Paul Inglis chooses his words carefully when discussing specific details regarding the highly anticipated picture scheduled to be released in June 2012. “What I can tell you is that it is going to look fantastic. With Ridley Scott returning to science fiction I think it will be worth the wait. With the amount of anticipation there is amongst fans, I wouldn’t want anything spoiled by me. I think it’s more interesting to go in not knowing anything and letting whatever story there might be unfold around you in the way they would have done for Alien [1979] and Blade Runner [1982] the first time around.” Inglis confirms that Prometheus was shot in 3D. “It will have its share of spectacular imagery, exciting action, [and] wonderful storytelling.”
Many thanks to Paul Inglis for taking the time out of his busy schedule for this interview. For more on the art director and for samples of his work, visit his website and check out the first part of this interview, Constructive Concepts: A conversation with art director Paul Inglis.Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada.
