A View from Behind the Camera - GoT episode 6 X 9 - Battle of the Bastards part 5 - Courtyard
I have time tonight so I thought I would go ahead and do the courtyard scene for our behind the camera analysis. It’s a twofer day! On the last post we left off with Jon running down the battlefield toward Ramsey as he rode for Winterfell. We will start at that point in this post.
Let’s do a few specific trivia bits before we get right into the meat of the scene. The scene in the courtyard - Ramsey and Jon’s face off was originally supposed to take place on the battlefield. The Producers - the Ds and likely the director - decided that the scene would be more effective and meaningful in the courtyard instead. It all ties into the purpose of the Starks trying to retake their home, Winterfell. This makes it more personal. I think this is brillant change and I’m inclined to believe it was Sapochink we came up with the idea. We had massive battles and this scene feels more intimate this way, as it should.
Next interesting tidbit. The courtyard scene took ten hours to film. Kit Harrington actually punched Iwan Rheon in the face twice during filming. Stuff like that happens all the time actually. We take precautions as much as we can but sometimes stuff like that happens. Ok, now to the good stuff.
We cut from Jon running across the battlefield to a wide shot of Ramsey and two of his bannermen riding through the open gates of WInterfell. The camera pans forward as they ride in. We hold the shot as the gates are closed and Ramsey dismounts. Several new bannermen have entered the scene from various off camera positions. The extras remove the horses and Ramsey strides forward, one single solider with him, flanking behind him. We have Iwan centered in the shot and we have a walk and talk happening on “They’re army’s gone.” On the bannerman’s line Iwan is directed to stop, The camera going stationary for a moment and then turn. We cut to a profile shot of Rasmey as he squares off with his bannerman. “We have Winterfell”
We get Ramsey’s line “All we have to do is wait” and off screen we hear a pounding noise. The camera than cuts to the top of the wall for a wide shot into the courtyard and we see Ramsey and GoT Red Shirt number 1 standing in the center (Red Shirts are extras who usually end up dead and have no name in the script. It’s a joke that comes from the original Star Trek TV series) This is a great angle because it really illustrates just how small Ramsey really is in this moment.
We cut back to a closeup of Ramsey as he looks toward the gate, which shakes. The GA knows that WunWun is pounding on it on the other side of the gate and Iwan is clearly been directed to know as well. His face reads “Oh shit” We cut to an over the shoulder with a slow pan toward the gate as the pounding continues. a close up of the gate shaking comes next. Back to a closeup with a pan on Iwan’s face. He reads a nice mix of disbelief and annoyance as the door shakes. We then cut back yo the gate and we see WunWuns hand break through. There is a series of quick shots that center around WunWun and the archers on the wall of the Winterfell, they are a quick succession so the audience gets a series of how rapidly the Gate is starting crack. Finally WunWun’s hand breaks through completely and in the next moment we take a quick cut to a closeup of Ramsey as he turns away from the gate and walks through his flank of remaining archers. We cut to the archers firing toward the gate and then back to Ramsey walking away. Next we cut to a medium shot of WunWuns hand through the door, quick cut to an archer throwing a spear, quick cut to the spear planting in WunWun’s hand in a medium shot. We then get a close up of the hand and him pulling it free of the spear, tearing his palm in the process.
We get a succession of three action shots of several archers in different positions on the wall shooting arrows at WunWun below. Then a cut to WunWun, an over the shoulder shot, as he rams the gate. Finally we have a wide, long shot of WunWun coming through the courtyard
We have a quick cut to the archers and they are blocked to back up - WunWun is running toward then. In the next wide shot WunWun stops and falls to his knees. Close up of his face. He’s a pincushion at this point. Before we pull out for a wide shot we hear several more arrow sounds and w know it is implied that WunWun has been shot again. This leads into the a medium shot as he rears back in pain. The actor playing WunWun is in heavy facial prosthetic so his choices must mainly be physical in nature or the audience won’t be able to comprehend what is happening.
The next exchange is a series of shots dealing with WunWun, the archers continuing to shoot him and then Jon’s remaining forces pouring behind. We have Wildlings and Mormonts flanking around WunWun and we have several shots of Wildlings overtaking men on the battlements. All of this interplay takes approximately 10 seconds. Then we cut to Jon as he comes into the courtyard. He stops on WunWun’s left side and we have an over the head shot from Jon’s POV to the giant. We hold there for about 2 seconds before we cut to a medium of Jon looking up at WunWun. We hold there for about 1.5 seconds and then we cut to a wide shot of Jon, WunWun and Tormund.
Medium close up on Tormund, blooding and panting, as he looks around the courtyard. Cut to WunWun and Jon, over the shoulder POV. Cut to close up of Jon looking up at WunWun. He reaches out a hand, just before he touched WunWun the shot cuts to the same over the shoulder shot and we hear another arrow sound effect and the giant is shot through the eye. Jon gasps as we get another close up on his face for a reaction shot to what we know is the death blow for WunWun. WunWun falls. The music effects stop and we cut to a medium shot of Ramsey, bow in hand.
Now we get into the real meat of the scene. The final confrontation between our two bastards. We have an over the shoulder shot of Jon as Ramsey baits him about ‘one on one’ combat. This cuts to a shot of Ramsey who looks around the courtyard. We are give an action shot that scopes the courtyard and we see Wildings with bows knocked and ready. We are in Ramsey’s POV in this moment. We then cut to a profile shot of Ramsey as he ‘reconsiders’ What is a great layering element by the production design team are the flayed man banners behind the Wildlings/Mormonts ready to shoot.
I think at this point Iwan has been directed to believe that he will still be triumphant. He’s an excellent archer and that’s his hubris in this scene. He begins to draw an arrow and we do a quick cut to a close up of Jon’s face. It’s important to notice the difference in appearance in our two bastards at this point. Jon is bloody, dirty, and raging. Ramsey is clean and unblemished, he is cool and his typical smug self. What this plays into, and it is is deliberate by the makeup department and director, the symbolism that the darkest soul of the two of them is outwardly the cleanest.
We cut to the courtyard floor and a shield that is laying face down next to a body and a pool of blood. Jon scoops it up as he crouches into the shot from the left. We quick cut back Ramsey who shoots an arrow. Then back to Jon where he blocks the arrow. This is the first time we see the sigil on the front of the shield. It is the Bear. That’s right, 62 Mormonts in all and one managed to making it all the way into the courtyard of Winterfell. The shot holds with Jon and moves with him as he stalks forward toward Ramsey.
Quick cut to Tormund in a split section shot, then back to Ramsey as he fires again. Back to Jon as he blocks once more. Once more to Ramsay for a third shot and Jon for the block. Now we cut to a profile of Jon and we can see how close the two men are to one another. One more close up of Ramsey as he pulls for the fourth shot (It’s worth remembering here that the fourth shot before is the one that killed Rickon) We cut to Jon as he swings the shield with a grunt and then to Ramsey were we get a close up shot of fear. The first and only time we see real and total fear on Ramsey’s face. Jon knocks Ramsey to the ground and we cut to an angle up shot of Jon as he begins to pound the living hell out of Ramsey.
The beating scene which rotates back and forth between closeups of Jon and Ramsey, and medium shots of Jon lasts 23 seconds before Sansa shows up. 23 seconds. That is a lifetime in movie time. Kit has been directed to get more and more berserker with every blow. Jon is losing his humanity with each and every hit on Ramsey. The more blood he draws the more wild he gets. Then Sansa appears. We don’t see her until he sees her. Jon is not paying attention to ANYTHING but the bloody mess beneath him. Until she walks into the courtyard. Sansa is what stops him from killing Ramsey full stop. Sansa is what brings him back from the berserker rage he is in. This blocking and the angling is all intentional. We as the audience need to feel the hold she has over Jon in this moment. He stops for her. Because he understands that Ramsey needs to be her kill. The camera pans up from Ramsey’s shoulder and we get a POV shot of Sansa standing there. She is not focused on Ramsey but she is focused on Jon.
We cut back to a shot of Jon and his actions slow as he sees her. He stops and focuses on her. Cut back to a frame shot of her, she is still focused on Jon and in the last second she drops her gaze to Ramsey. Close up on a really bloody Ramsey, who has his attention focused on Sansa. We hold with him for about 1.5 seconds before we shifted to a medium shot of Sansa over Jon’s shoulder. She is framed here. Finally back to Jon in an extreme close up and he looks from Sansa to Ramsey and then rises.
Then comes one of my favorite shots in the scene. The over head shot. We have bodies littering the courtyard, Ramsey included. We have Sansa at the top right of the shot, Jon at the bottom right of the shot - in a triangular juxtaposition with Sansa. And we have Littlefinger on the top left hand of the shot. (Remind you of anything? *cough* waving goodbye after the crypts *cough*)
And that is where I will end for the night. Next up we have the Winter of Winds or as I like to call it “How I started to ship Jonsa” Forehead kiss, like winter, is coming.