Game of Thrones is one of my favorite shows, and "The Battle of the Bastards" was one of the most stressful episodes of TV I've ever watched. What's your favorite episode? And what films or shows should I look at in the future?
Lessons from the Screenplay great video, as always! The last season was a great one, and it's hard to top the Battle of the Basterds. Rains of Castemere, and the episode when Jon fights the White Walkers with the wildlings last season were both epic and gut wrenching. My only gripe with the BoB was Rikon just running straight instead of doing a serpentine... Ramsay's death by dog was just oh so satisfying, and it truly goes to challenge whom I hate more, him or Joffrie. Kudos to both actors for being so evil and annoying. I'd love to see you do an analysis on the heavily underrated, The Leftovers. I just start this week, and I'm fully consuming it daily. As for some films: Drive, Heat, Get Out, Apocalypse Now.
Books and show/movie are two different things- you need to understand that before unfairly judging adaptations. Some things work for the book that don't work for the adaptation, and the other way around. Let's just say both are great on their on accords.
There are some absolutely WONDERFUL adaptations from book to screen/movie. It's totally possible to be done right. It's not unfair to take the showrunners to task for the decisions they made that make the story less interesting, the characters less compelling - often for no good reason.
Actually, even from the very first episode back in season 1, it's already heavily hinted that Rickon is not an important character. He named his wolf "shaggy dog"'; that means his story is long-winded without any meaning and ends anti-climatically.
The episode was so awesome also because of foreshadowing. They told us at the beginning of the episode that Rickon's going to die no matter what (Sansa) and that Ramsay will try to manipulate Jon into a trap (Sansa again) but we were like "This is Jon, he will be fine" and then everything she said comes true and we're shocked because we didn't want to admit it was true. The episode also shows that Jon is often driven by emotions (it's just a reminder, we were told it several times already) and Ramsay is a brilliant strategist who simply enjoys the game which makes him so brutal and gives him a big advantage. The show is always playing with us, they're not simply telling the story, the know exactly how to do it to engage us into it.
Piotr Nowak I personally find nothing shocking happened in the episode and the plot overall of the season was quite a mess really. Don't get me wrong, everything was great VISUALLY. But looking back, the plot was all over the place and predictable. The battle alone deserves an award itself for DIRECTING and VISUAL EFFECTS. It saved the storyline but it was not earned. They tried to push the plot so hard just so they could have an epic battle between the 2 bastards and ended up w/ a confusing plot but was made up for by a cinematic battle. But that's just my personal thought.
@@maestercraig3990 ppl weren’t upset because Daenerys kills a lot of ppl. They were upset because of the way the story was told. There was very little build up to her character losing it at the end. Which was probably because they rushed the entire last season. Not giving the time to really flush out the characters and the story as a whole. That’s why ppl were upset.
@@maestercraig3990 the ending was grimdark fantasy? Are you on crack? The good guys stab the evil zombie king Then the good guys stab the evil dragon queen Then everyone else gets a happy ending The end No one was just mad because they "already had an idea what was going to happen" lol. That has literally nothing to do with it. It was just lazy, bad writing People are mad because the show turned to shit. Not because theyre sad about what happened to the characters. Stop trying to make up reasons behind other people's opinions to try and invalidate what they're saying, it's an argument almost as lazy as the writing of the last few seasons were
Honestly, I think that one of the best cinematic moments in this show is the reveal of Jon Snow's parent(s). The lighting, the emotion and the music is simply perfect, all leading up to the transition that made all of us scream and cry at our screens.
i can't ever forget the battle of bastards. that's the most beautiful fights i've seen in the history also, the score on every episode in Game of Thrones is ridiculous. it's soooo good. and what i love about GoT, is that it knows when to put dialogues, and when to make viewers experience something in a perfect silence moment. movie is not a radio. i just hate when a movie uses dialogues too much and just ignore visual experiences, except for beautifully put like Before Trilogy
Lessons from the Screenplay Michael please make a video on either Black mirror or Better call Saul. Both has tremendous writing imo but get unfairly overshadowed by other shows.
The battle of the bastards always reminded me of the battle for helms deep in lord of the rings, about which the nerdwriter did an interesting analysis showing how it's basically a miniature 3 act story structure but this was a fresh interesting take as well, thanks!
Kristina Hood he basically pointed out how they were rushing him and orignally the battle was gonna be much bigger but they put ridiculous timeframes on him.
The Battle of the Bastards made me care for a character that not only I never cared about, but that I had always found extremely annoying and useless. Yes Rickon was one of the heirs to the title of Warden of the North, Lord Stark of Winterfell, but I always found him annoying and expected him to die early to end all the scenes I had to watch with him. When it came to the Battle of the Bastards, I thought Ramsay would show Rickon's body with Shaggydog's head, like they did to Rob, or that he'd just show Rickon's head, to get Jon mad. I would actually not care about it. But Rickon was shown alive, and I was like "oh, ok then". Then he started running, and even though I knew the first shot was meant to threaten, I thought the second would kill him, because it would be unexpected, and I would not care anyway. But then the second shot missed, and the third shot too, and I got genuinely pumped about a character I never liked and cared about. I thought Jon would actually save Rickon, which would foreshadow Jon's triumph in the battle, and saving the only legitimate heir to Winterfell. When Rickon died with the fourth shot I actually got shocked, and when his dead body got volley'd I did feel compassion. Despite everything that went wrong with GoT after season 5, this was definitely a spectacular moment.
Hello, my name is Gabriel, I'm a Brazilian lawyer and I watch your videos weekly. I want to congratulate you for the excellent work you do making this videos, you have a very special talent. Congratulations, your work is exceptional.
Legends have it that there exists a Lessons from the Screenplay video without the mention of Robert McKee or "Story". The validity of this legend is still unknown.
What I love about your channel is that you narrate all your videos yourself. You don't have an announcer voice, and it would be easy for you to feel self-conscious about it, but you execute all of your videos with confidence! It is nice to hear a "regular" voice. Your videos just wouldn't have the same meaning without hearing you, and the passion you have for what you are doing. Keep it up, man. I love this stuff!
Battle of the Bastards is the best battle done on the small screen of all time and easily a top 5 episode in GoT. Just a masterpiece in my personal opinion.
Waited all lockdown to consider a little GoT-cation and this comes along and starts with the beginning of the end of why I will never rewatch this show - two seasons of pointless fights and wooden exposition... just when you thought the show was done disappointing you.
To be honest in here. I love GoT, but I've grown to be bored when it comes to the fan reviews or breakthroughs, that has much to do with sheer amount of them. But every once in awhile I stumble accross something spectacular that leaves me in awe just for the beauty of that particular creation. This is one of those moments. The video editing, the beautiful use of the musical score, the scenes You have chosen is one thing. But the angle that You are breaking down the scenes and the emotions, the feelings You are able to capture in this video are just beautiful. The passion You have for the screenplay and screenwriting echoes through this work, and is so warming to feel. Keep up this amazing work, hoping this passion never runs out. Fastest subscription of 2017.
There's so much I fucking love about Game of Thrones. Fuck anyone that thinks George Martin is a Tolkein clone/amatuer in comparison. His use of storytelling/world building is honestly ridiculously impressive. And kudos to the amazing directors, producers, screenwriters, costume designers, actors, etc. that brought this masterpiece to film so perfectly.
@Marc Shanahan Sadly true. Looking back I'd rather never have watched the series after it doesn't follow the books anymore. Spoilers the books that are coming without being so genius then the first few seasons.
Nostalgic well no, one episode that is in reality, just a big cfi action scene doesn't save a season of bad writing. It's the same with season 6,except you can replace hard home with battle of the bastards and winds of winter
So proud to support this channel, Michael. This essay was fantastic. Like many of your episodes, it made me want to see a full-length documentary, what you would be able to do given time for depth. Hungry for more is a great way to leave your audience!
I've never seen a heavier backlash from fans than when it was snubbed for it's final season at the Emmys last night. Just wait to see it top nearly every best of the year list from critics, mark my words. First season is really dense and a bit too heavy for most people, but it reshapes itself in a way I've never seen a show do in it's sophomore season and delivers the most incredible season of TV since Breaking Bad's last.
This Motherfocka It's very very different with The Leftovers. The entire premise from the start is like "hey, you wont get answers to why. All that matters is what everyone does next". It really destabilises this need so many of us have for answers and logical narrative payoffs. Lost was kind of... lost. But The Leftovers is about kicking your emotion's ass, not answering your questions of why and how. Seriously give it a go, havent ever heard of anyone who finished all 3 seasons and hasnt said its ones of the best shows ever.
the part where you mentioned the "right music during a scene" bit, and the clip played, I still got some surius chills, even though I've already seen it before
Miguel Sapochnik has really stood out to me as one of the best director's working GoT. Hardhome. Battle of the Bastards. The Winds of Winter. He has directed 3 of the 5 best episodes for GoT.
'surviv-' lol. Adding indonesian subs to this! My expectations for season 7 are so high, thanks for reminding me how amazing battle of the bastards was
These videos are amazing, they always blow my mind, and make me regret not studying film in school. My film studies teacher was always so obsessed with the classics, which I do love and appreciate, but nothing is better than understanding why the shows and movies you personally love work so well.
Game of Thrones is amazing. I can only imagine the hard work that goes into making each episode. I love the books. They are truly amazing and better than the show. But i dont like how most fans think they have to choose. As if you cant love things for what they are. The show and the books are great both on their own ways. David and Dan get way to much hate for handling something that most of us wouldn't even know where to start with. Great video as always.
IamXhedo "David and Dan get way to much hate for something we wouldn't even know where to start with"... Uh yea buddy, about that. See, they're *writers*. It's their fucking job and they get milions for it. Plus all they had to do was adapt the already written source material. The hard part was already done. I don't think it's about choosing. Not for the vast majority anyway. The general concensus among book readers is that the first four seasons are amazing, and 5 and 6 are crap with 1-2 good episodes. People aren't criticizing got and saying the books are better because they hate the show, but because they want the show to be as good as it was. The only people who are choosing are a small minority of book purists and idiots saying things like "fuck the books"
You have to do a video on Inception about exposition, or anything else if you want. I actually don't know if you like it when we tell you what we want the episode to be about or if you want to discover it yourself. 10:51 We did. At this point, you shouldn't even have to wonder that. These videos are great.
What I meant was, I don't know if you like it when I say I wanted the Inception episode to be about exposition. Maybe if you were to do an Inception episode, you would want to do it on another topic other than exposition.
Season 5 made me question whether or not the show could survive "off script," but season 6 was much much stronger and gives me hope that season 7 and 8 will be very good and finish strong without the guidance of the source materials.
I'll be curious how it holds up when (if) the final books come out. Take a look at Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. They started shooting the movie when only half the books were out. While the portions of the film that veer off from the books' plot are perfectly serviceable, the books were far more compelling and mature. We've already seen a bunch of major changes/omissions (Lady Stoneheart comes to mind). Though the producers know how Martin's story will end, like Scott Pilgrim, they're taking a different route to get there by necessity.
My thoughts exactly. Season 5 had some kind of cringy dialog creeping in and I disliked the whole Dorne plot a lot. However, Hardhome was a fantastic and totally unexpectedly solid episode that brought my faith back. However, season 6 solidified that faith. Season 6 was basically nothing but win and the last two episodes in season 6 were in the top ten episodes of the show easily if not top 5.
The "rule of three" was a nice catch! It explains how that scene was so stressful (and isn't it great that we don't actually see him shooting the fourth arrow? So we had a little hope until the last second). Love your videos, man. Keep up the good work!
Miss X Hahahaha... Actually, Moonlight and La La Land would be good for a dual-video on character because Moonlight is about the character's self journey of finding himself and La La Land builds relationships between the characters really well.
I truly enjoy all of your videos. I'm not someone that is even interested in filmmaking or screenwriting, but your videos give me a deeper appreciation of the film/series clips you use as an example. There is so much satisfaction when watching your videos!
The shooting of the arrows is directed masterfully. First shot is glanced over quickly: everyone knows it will miss, no point in lingering on. Third shot is very detailed: close up of Ramsay, the concentration look on his face, the arrow flying... It tells the audience "this is the important shot", and as you explain, when it misses, the relief is so high that it changes all our expectations. And the fourth one is coming out of nowhere, as if we were experiencing it directly from Jon Snow's perspective. My favorite however is the second: there is a meta moment, when Ramsay doesn't even look at his target, but looks aside and smiles. He knows he is going to miss. As if he was telling us, the audience: "I also know the rule of three, it doesn't matter if I look or not, this one is going to miss". It's a very subtle breaking of the fourth wall. You can argue that in character, Ramsay is toying with Jon and Rickon, and he is a good enough archer to kill him exactly when he wants. But then why all the serious looks and concentration for the third arrow ? Curious to know what other people think :)
Could you analyze the opening scene of 2009's Star Trek and how it (in my humble opinion) established so much in so little time, while still being emotionally engaging. I think it's brilliant blockbuster magic and it's overlooked.
I remember reading an interview with Kit Harrington about that awesome shot of him wielding his sword as Ramsey's knights run at him. He said something like, 'Everyone's going to think it's CGI, but that was me actually stood there and horses were actually charging me!' Battle of the Bastards was, for me, the episode that finally told me that medieval warfare probably wasn't all that fun. Game of Thrones has never shied away from showing us many of the grittier, more unpleasant aspects of medieval societies, but always had sufficient moments that make me think, 'Yeah, it'd be cool to live in Westeros.' Battle of the Bastards was tense, filthy, bloody and so chock-full of hideous butchery, all brilliantly directed, that any romantic notion of ever wanting to experience a medieval war in real life was stripped away completely. The clip with Saving Private Ryan is another great example of that same sort of feeling in a WWII context. There is no attempt to dress up the brutal reality of war in either SPR or BotB. Jon Snow is given the hero shoot for a few brief seconds, and then it's straight into the chaos, and he doesn't look so heroic after that. It's in stark contrast to, say, the sieges in Lord of the Rings, which are also ingeniously directed, but are very deliberately made to look heroic and romanticised. I still think I'd be quite happy living the Shire. The Riverlands? Not so much.
"There is a particular score that has become associated with the tragic, yet heroic death of a beloved character" That is the Stark theme, dude. We have seen many Starks die, but their theme song is not some funeral song. You are supposed to associate it with snow and honor, not death.
Inception is the hell of a good movie but it's the one with more exposition from Christopher Nolan, the "show, don't tell" is kinda hard to do with Nolan's exploration of the mind in the film, but Arthur is basically there to explain everything, or Cob to do it while ranting... I love the movie though.
Something about that transition to plugging squarespace is troubling. I love your videos because I trust what you are saying, what I just saw began like critical analysis and transitioned to an ad. Blurs the lines in my opinion.
I watched this video three years ago before watching game of thrones. I’m back now after binging it and the disaster that is season 8, but this is video is the reason I watched it in the end
This video helped me out a lot with screenwriting. Narrowing down the important elements of a scene to desire, action, conflict and change, is probably the clearest explanation of what makes a good scene I've heard to date. Thanks.
Michael, you inspired me to make nerdy video essay kind of vids. I would love your feedback on how to improve and be dope like you. Anyways catch you later fam
Michael, this video is truly amazing. I loved it because you talked about how the fundamental rules make stories classic and not gimmicks. I also loved that you quoted Mckee as a source of truth.
The most basic task for a film or TV show is to make the audience feel for the characters. I've always wondered if there is a process to follow to achieve this, and your video just provided the answer. Another entertaining and informative video. Keep up the good work!
OMG, this has been so educational in the sense of both the storytelling of the series and in general. I love this channel so much, it has taught me a lot and I can't wait to put your lessons to practice!
Why didn't Jons army attack while the shield-bearers were lining up? Why did Ramsay kill Wun Wun WHEN HE HEAD A CLEAR SHOT AT JON?! Why didn't Ramsay's dogs kill him sooner, they were in there with him THE WHOLE TIME?! Why are there multiple MOUNTAINS of corpses on the battlefield after 10 minutes of fighting? Here is an example from another episode: the scene were The Waif chases Arya in S06E08! Arya is running and jumping around like she is in a Bourne-movie, although she was STABBED IN THE F*CKING BELLY one day prior to this! And not just that, after being stabbed she jumps into the river and somehow her wound DOESN'T get infected, even though the water is probably contaminated with all sorts of shit. Spectacle over logic.
I Should Probably Get A Job I agree with most of your comment. The show focuses more on spectacle and fan service now, rather than logic and interesting storytelling, which is what made the show so popular in the first place. I do still enjoy the show but it's not as great as it once was in my opinion. However, I do have to say something. I think the reason why Ramsay didn't kill Jon and instead decided to kill Wun Wun is because, if he had killed Jon, he would've been killed immidiately. Right after he shot Wun Wun, he asked to have that 1 on 1 fight with Jon. He was hoping that Jon would stay true to his promise. That if Ramsay managed to kill him in a 1 on 1 fight, he would be set free. But I do see where you're coming from.
Game of Thrones is one of my favorite shows, and "The Battle of the Bastards" was one of the most stressful episodes of TV I've ever watched. What's your favorite episode? And what films or shows should I look at in the future?
I love your videos
Lessons from the Screenplay As always, Shame (2011) or The Leftovers (2014-2017). Cheers for the new video 👌
I would love to see you look at Twin Peaks. (old seasons, and the new) Such an amazing show.
Lessons from the Screenplay great video, as always! The last season was a great one, and it's hard to top the Battle of the Basterds. Rains of Castemere, and the episode when Jon fights the White Walkers with the wildlings last season were both epic and gut wrenching. My only gripe with the BoB was Rikon just running straight instead of doing a serpentine...
Ramsay's death by dog was just oh so satisfying, and it truly goes to challenge whom I hate more, him or Joffrie. Kudos to both actors for being so evil and annoying.
I'd love to see you do an analysis on the heavily underrated, The Leftovers. I just start this week, and I'm fully consuming it daily. As for some films: Drive, Heat, Get Out, Apocalypse Now.
Lessons from the Screenplay I love your channel!! please do Birdman, Her and more Pixar movies
"Maybe Rickon will actually surviv-" i hate you lmao
the timing was fantastic
lol :P
Yes, the edit there was genius.
jeremywilliam i laughed out loud there, for some reason
I bursted laughing 😂
"The Red Wedding" still the most memorable in the series IMO...loved this episode too.
This video made me want to rewatch the battle of the bastards- wait, no, it made me want to rewatch the entire series and reread all the books.
Yep! While editing I'd occasionally just slip into watching...and then "wake up" and forget what I had been doing.
Lessons from the Screenplay I'm curious, have you read the books? And if yes, did you like them better than the show?
as someone who read the books, do you really like the show? Curious to hear your opinion
Books and show/movie are two different things- you need to understand that before unfairly judging adaptations. Some things work for the book that don't work for the adaptation, and the other way around. Let's just say both are great on their on accords.
There are some absolutely WONDERFUL adaptations from book to screen/movie. It's totally possible to be done right. It's not unfair to take the showrunners to task for the decisions they made that make the story less interesting, the characters less compelling - often for no good reason.
I love how you did not complete the word 'survive' at 9:09
:)
That average guy "Maybe Rickon will actually surv-"
oh.
In theory, it sounds great. But let's be honest, we all know Rickon was going to die the first time he came on screen in ss6.
Truth
sadly. I thought he was going to have something important to do
Actually, even from the very first episode back in season 1, it's already heavily hinted that Rickon is not an important character. He named his wolf "shaggy dog"'; that means his story is long-winded without any meaning and ends anti-climatically.
The episode was so awesome also because of foreshadowing. They told us at the beginning of the episode that Rickon's going to die no matter what (Sansa) and that Ramsay will try to manipulate Jon into a trap (Sansa again) but we were like "This is Jon, he will be fine" and then everything she said comes true and we're shocked because we didn't want to admit it was true. The episode also shows that Jon is often driven by emotions (it's just a reminder, we were told it several times already) and Ramsay is a brilliant strategist who simply enjoys the game which makes him so brutal and gives him a big advantage. The show is always playing with us, they're not simply telling the story, the know exactly how to do it to engage us into it.
Piotr Nowak I personally find nothing shocking happened in the episode and the plot overall of the season was quite a mess really. Don't get me wrong, everything was great VISUALLY. But looking back, the plot was all over the place and predictable. The battle alone deserves an award itself for DIRECTING and VISUAL EFFECTS. It saved the storyline but it was not earned. They tried to push the plot so hard just so they could have an epic battle between the 2 bastards and ended up w/ a confusing plot but was made up for by a cinematic battle.
But that's just my personal thought.
Game of Thrones is the best at evoking emotions, I mean, look at their season finale
Lol
Final season 😂🙏
Made everyone lose their minds even till this day lol
@@maestercraig3990 ppl weren’t upset because Daenerys kills a lot of ppl. They were upset because of the way the story was told. There was very little build up to her character losing it at the end. Which was probably because they rushed the entire last season. Not giving the time to really flush out the characters and the story as a whole. That’s why ppl were upset.
@@maestercraig3990 the ending was grimdark fantasy?
Are you on crack?
The good guys stab the evil zombie king
Then the good guys stab the evil dragon queen
Then everyone else gets a happy ending
The end
No one was just mad because they "already had an idea what was going to happen" lol. That has literally nothing to do with it. It was just lazy, bad writing
People are mad because the show turned to shit. Not because theyre sad about what happened to the characters.
Stop trying to make up reasons behind other people's opinions to try and invalidate what they're saying, it's an argument almost as lazy as the writing of the last few seasons were
i appreciate that you are helping build the hype for the new season with your timing of this release.
Working on this certainly got me hyped.
I've been keeping my excitement in check, but this episode totally put me over the top.
Gonna have to binge S6 now before Sunday.
Same, I was just thinking of doing that!
too bad season 7 is watered down to basic television
Honestly, I think that one of the best cinematic moments in this show is the reveal of Jon Snow's parent(s). The lighting, the emotion and the music is simply perfect, all leading up to the transition that made all of us scream and cry at our screens.
Love that moment!
i can't ever forget the battle of bastards. that's the most beautiful fights i've seen in the history
also, the score on every episode in Game of Thrones is ridiculous. it's soooo good.
and what i love about GoT, is that it knows when to put dialogues, and when to make viewers experience something in a perfect silence moment. movie is not a radio. i just hate when a movie uses dialogues too much and just ignore visual experiences, except for beautifully put like Before Trilogy
My favorite UA-cam channel talking about my most anticipated TV show? Thank the Gods!
:)
EgyMadridista New and Old!
Lessons from the Screenplay Michael please make a video on either Black mirror or Better call Saul. Both has tremendous writing imo but get unfairly overshadowed by other shows.
Same!!!!! ♥
Which ones? The old Gods or the new?
The battle of the bastards always reminded me of the battle for helms deep in lord of the rings, about which the nerdwriter did an interesting analysis showing how it's basically a miniature 3 act story structure but this was a fresh interesting take as well, thanks!
Oh interesting, I haven't seen that one. I'll have to go check it out.
I love you LSOO ❤️
I'm hoping that some studio recognizes Miguel Sapochniks work and hire him to direct a big movie.
Djordje Petrovic a shame he wasn't in season 7...
Animated Person he probably wont be back because he spoke out about d&d
what is it that he said about them? :/
Kristina Hood he basically pointed out how they were rushing him and orignally the battle was gonna be much bigger but they put ridiculous timeframes on him.
Random Human that's too bad, his work on this episode was amazing even under the time constraints
This channel is brilliant. At this point it doesn't even matter if I've watched the thing presented in the episode or not
Thanks Leo!
:stands and claps
Aye Swoozie !!!
The info in these videos is worth millions. Among the viewers will be the new great directors of the future
I often come back to these videos , to remember the series at its brightest moments.
This was soooo good! I love your stuff and I'm not even into screenplay. But I'm learning so much!
I should have expected a GoT episode when you told me you had to get it done fast. Congrats on breaking 500k. I hope to be there one day.
Yeah...deadlines are killer. Keep up the good work, I'm sure you will :)
Hey, your videos are awesome. I have little doubt you'll get to 500k!
Thanks Elsie, I appreciate it.
The Battle of the Bastards made me care for a character that not only I never cared about, but that I had always found extremely annoying and useless. Yes Rickon was one of the heirs to the title of Warden of the North, Lord Stark of Winterfell, but I always found him annoying and expected him to die early to end all the scenes I had to watch with him. When it came to the Battle of the Bastards, I thought Ramsay would show Rickon's body with Shaggydog's head, like they did to Rob, or that he'd just show Rickon's head, to get Jon mad. I would actually not care about it. But Rickon was shown alive, and I was like "oh, ok then". Then he started running, and even though I knew the first shot was meant to threaten, I thought the second would kill him, because it would be unexpected, and I would not care anyway. But then the second shot missed, and the third shot too, and I got genuinely pumped about a character I never liked and cared about. I thought Jon would actually save Rickon, which would foreshadow Jon's triumph in the battle, and saving the only legitimate heir to Winterfell. When Rickon died with the fourth shot I actually got shocked, and when his dead body got volley'd I did feel compassion. Despite everything that went wrong with GoT after season 5, this was definitely a spectacular moment.
Game of Thrones, Lessons from the Screenplay? Smashed that like button before I clicked play.
Hello, my name is Gabriel, I'm a Brazilian lawyer and I watch your videos weekly. I want to congratulate you for the excellent work you do making this videos, you have a very special talent. Congratulations, your work is exceptional.
Legends have it that there exists a Lessons from the Screenplay video without the mention of Robert McKee or "Story". The validity of this legend is still unknown.
What I love about your channel is that you narrate all your videos yourself. You don't have an announcer voice, and it would be easy for you to feel self-conscious about it, but you execute all of your videos with confidence! It is nice to hear a "regular" voice. Your videos just wouldn't have the same meaning without hearing you, and the passion you have for what you are doing. Keep it up, man. I love this stuff!
I wanna read the essays you wrote in high school😂😂😂
Oy...no you don't.
Lessons from the Screenplay soo are u saying theres hope for me to improve my writing? LOOOOL
@@LessonsfromtheScreenplay lol
@9:10, The fact that you timed the 'Survive' word with Rickon's death proves that you are a genius. Thank you for creating such quality videos.
I always get so emotional by the music when they reveal John's true mother, simply amazing.
mmhmm!
Battle of the Bastards is the best battle done on the small screen of all time and easily a top 5 episode in GoT. Just a masterpiece in my personal opinion.
9:10 brilliant editing LFTS i chuckled
ONE. OF. THE. BEST. VIDEO. ON. UA-cam.
I love that you cut yourself off as the arrow hit. Meta
"There are only two emotions: pleasure and pain" is such a good insight.
I've avoided screenwriting books for so long, but maybe they're not all bad.
"anything can happen in game of throne"
-turning to a shitshow included
I want to re watch the show so bad but it feels like it's useless when the last season is so terrible
@@danielbrazil1707 not true, watch it, trust me
Waited all lockdown to consider a little GoT-cation and this comes along and starts with the beginning of the end of why I will never rewatch this show - two seasons of pointless fights and wooden exposition... just when you thought the show was done disappointing you.
What a disaster
Do us a favor and either watch it or don’t and stop whining like a bitch. Ok?
To be honest in here. I love GoT, but I've grown to be bored when it comes to the fan reviews or breakthroughs, that has much to do with sheer amount of them.
But every once in awhile I stumble accross something spectacular that leaves me in awe just for the beauty of that particular creation. This is one of those moments.
The video editing, the beautiful use of the musical score, the scenes You have chosen is one thing. But the angle that You are breaking down the scenes and the emotions, the feelings You are able to capture in this video are just beautiful. The passion You have for the screenplay and screenwriting echoes through this work, and is so warming to feel.
Keep up this amazing work, hoping this passion never runs out. Fastest subscription of 2017.
You may be the only Chanel with half a million subs that still actively interacts with the comments and I love it :):):):):)
I'm a wannabe writer and filmmaker and what you are giving through this channel is pure gold!!!! Thanks a million!!!
There's so much I fucking love about Game of Thrones. Fuck anyone that thinks George Martin is a Tolkein clone/amatuer in comparison. His use of storytelling/world building is honestly ridiculously impressive. And kudos to the amazing directors, producers, screenwriters, costume designers, actors, etc. that brought this masterpiece to film so perfectly.
Everything borrows from everything else, it's almost always about execution. And its execution is very good.
Kudos to them till season 5, then it just became fanfiction.
Marc Shanahan Hardhome saved season 5 and season 6 was phenomenal.
@Marc Shanahan Sadly true. Looking back I'd rather never have watched the series after it doesn't follow the books anymore. Spoilers the books that are coming without being so genius then the first few seasons.
Nostalgic well no, one episode that is in reality, just a big cfi action scene doesn't save a season of bad writing. It's the same with season 6,except you can replace hard home with battle of the bastards and winds of winter
Wow. I never would have noticed all of this. How amazing that film language can do so much more than simply lay out a plot.
Three words, "Hold the door."
Made me cry liie a little kid.
So proud to support this channel, Michael. This essay was fantastic. Like many of your episodes, it made me want to see a full-length documentary, what you would be able to do given time for depth. Hungry for more is a great way to leave your audience!
How to evoke emotion? Time to talk about The Leftovers then!
...time to watch The Leftovers!
I've never seen a heavier backlash from fans than when it was snubbed for it's final season at the Emmys last night. Just wait to see it top nearly every best of the year list from critics, mark my words. First season is really dense and a bit too heavy for most people, but it reshapes itself in a way I've never seen a show do in it's sophomore season and delivers the most incredible season of TV since Breaking Bad's last.
Definitely. Every season is a beautiful emotional rollercoaster into human nature.
The Leftovers is a tad overrated in my opinion. It didn't mesh for me.
This Motherfocka It's very very different with The Leftovers. The entire premise from the start is like "hey, you wont get answers to why. All that matters is what everyone does next". It really destabilises this need so many of us have for answers and logical narrative payoffs. Lost was kind of... lost. But The Leftovers is about kicking your emotion's ass, not answering your questions of why and how. Seriously give it a go, havent ever heard of anyone who finished all 3 seasons and hasnt said its ones of the best shows ever.
the part where you mentioned the "right music during a scene" bit, and the clip played, I still got some surius chills, even though I've already seen it before
Miguel Sapochnik has really stood out to me as one of the best director's working GoT. Hardhome. Battle of the Bastards. The Winds of Winter. He has directed 3 of the 5 best episodes for GoT.
He also directed ‘The Bells’
I already had such a suspicion that's why I searched for GoT + emotions and found this video. Good to know that there is a method behind it.
Hey it's time to make another lesson for it's Season 7-8.
a lesson of what not to do
"It was shit." End of lesson.
Toying with the audience's expectations is one of the hardest things for me to get right. Thank you so much for explaining part of it.
'surviv-' lol. Adding indonesian subs to this! My expectations for season 7 are so high, thanks for reminding me how amazing battle of the bastards was
These videos are amazing, they always blow my mind, and make me regret not studying film in school. My film studies teacher was always so obsessed with the classics, which I do love and appreciate, but nothing is better than understanding why the shows and movies you personally love work so well.
Game of Thrones is amazing. I can only imagine the hard work that goes into making each episode. I love the books. They are truly amazing and better than the show. But i dont like how most fans think they have to choose. As if you cant love things for what they are. The show and the books are great both on their own ways. David and Dan get way to much hate for handling something that most of us wouldn't even know where to start with.
Great video as always.
IamXhedo "David and Dan get way to much hate for something we wouldn't even know where to start with"... Uh yea buddy, about that. See, they're *writers*. It's their fucking job and they get milions for it. Plus all they had to do was adapt the already written source material. The hard part was already done.
I don't think it's about choosing. Not for the vast majority anyway. The general concensus among book readers is that the first four seasons are amazing, and 5 and 6 are crap with 1-2 good episodes. People aren't criticizing got and saying the books are better because they hate the show, but because they want the show to be as good as it was. The only people who are choosing are a small minority of book purists and idiots saying things like "fuck the books"
I can't believe you upload GoT one week after I finished it! Words can't express how grateful I am for bumping out with this channel.
:)
You have to do a video on Inception about exposition, or anything else if you want. I actually don't know if you like it when we tell you what we want the episode to be about or if you want to discover it yourself. 10:51 We did. At this point, you shouldn't even have to wonder that. These videos are great.
What I meant was, I don't know if you like it when I say I wanted the Inception episode to be about exposition. Maybe if you were to do an Inception episode, you would want to do it on another topic other than exposition.
Season 5 made me question whether or not the show could survive "off script," but season 6 was much much stronger and gives me hope that season 7 and 8 will be very good and finish strong without the guidance of the source materials.
Agreed!
Ninja-Turtle Man The directors for this season though...
I'll be curious how it holds up when (if) the final books come out. Take a look at Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. They started shooting the movie when only half the books were out. While the portions of the film that veer off from the books' plot are perfectly serviceable, the books were far more compelling and mature.
We've already seen a bunch of major changes/omissions (Lady Stoneheart comes to mind). Though the producers know how Martin's story will end, like Scott Pilgrim, they're taking a different route to get there by necessity.
My thoughts exactly. Season 5 had some kind of cringy dialog creeping in and I disliked the whole Dorne plot a lot. However, Hardhome was a fantastic and totally unexpectedly solid episode that brought my faith back. However, season 6 solidified that faith. Season 6 was basically nothing but win and the last two episodes in season 6 were in the top ten episodes of the show easily if not top 5.
I do think we will miss the director of 6x9 and 6x10's talent in season 7. He was amazing.
The "rule of three" was a nice catch! It explains how that scene was so stressful (and isn't it great that we don't actually see him shooting the fourth arrow? So we had a little hope until the last second).
Love your videos, man. Keep up the good work!
Thanks André!
Will we see a La La Land video in the near future?
Potentially! Many people have requested it.
dwerbo Yes, and then halfway Michael is like "Oh, sorry, guys. This is actually a video about Moonlight"
He should probably start the video with Bonnie and Clyde then xD
Miss X Hahahaha... Actually, Moonlight and La La Land would be good for a dual-video on character because Moonlight is about the character's self journey of finding himself and La La Land builds relationships between the characters really well.
Lessons from the Screenplay Is there anything specifically exceptional with the screenplay of La La Land?
The transitions to the adverts are always so clean
Game of thrones YESSSS! I love you man
:)
Restrepo
I truly enjoy all of your videos. I'm not someone that is even interested in filmmaking or screenwriting, but your videos give me a deeper appreciation of the film/series clips you use as an example. There is so much satisfaction when watching your videos!
I need your take to the final season. Maybe your knowledge can heal me...
Every lesson you release I think to myself that it's going to be my favorite one. But they're all my favorite.
Aaargwgwg the new season is so close!!
So close!!
The shooting of the arrows is directed masterfully. First shot is glanced over quickly: everyone knows it will miss, no point in lingering on. Third shot is very detailed: close up of Ramsay, the concentration look on his face, the arrow flying... It tells the audience "this is the important shot", and as you explain, when it misses, the relief is so high that it changes all our expectations. And the fourth one is coming out of nowhere, as if we were experiencing it directly from Jon Snow's perspective. My favorite however is the second: there is a meta moment, when Ramsay doesn't even look at his target, but looks aside and smiles. He knows he is going to miss. As if he was telling us, the audience: "I also know the rule of three, it doesn't matter if I look or not, this one is going to miss". It's a very subtle breaking of the fourth wall. You can argue that in character, Ramsay is toying with Jon and Rickon, and he is a good enough archer to kill him exactly when he wants. But then why all the serious looks and concentration for the third arrow ? Curious to know what other people think :)
Could you analyze the opening scene of 2009's Star Trek and how it (in my humble opinion) established so much in so little time, while still being emotionally engaging. I think it's brilliant blockbuster magic and it's overlooked.
amen!
Its honestly so good. I think ive been disappointed in all the star trek films after because they miss that tone.
I love it. especially the part where you showed Rickon getting shot mid-sentence, it perfectly underlined the point you were making.
Thanks!
I have never clicked a video so quickly in my life.
Excellent
Fantastic analysis. This channel is probably my favorite on all of youtube, keep it up! Im always hungrily awaiting the next video!
that was some sweet editing on your part..."maybe rickon will survi-" oh, never mind
Eleven minutes worth spent. All of your lessons are helping aspiring script writers and storytellers like myself. Looking forward to the next one.
Thanks Vidit!
I remember reading an interview with Kit Harrington about that awesome shot of him wielding his sword as Ramsey's knights run at him. He said something like, 'Everyone's going to think it's CGI, but that was me actually stood there and horses were actually charging me!'
Battle of the Bastards was, for me, the episode that finally told me that medieval warfare probably wasn't all that fun. Game of Thrones has never shied away from showing us many of the grittier, more unpleasant aspects of medieval societies, but always had sufficient moments that make me think, 'Yeah, it'd be cool to live in Westeros.' Battle of the Bastards was tense, filthy, bloody and so chock-full of hideous butchery, all brilliantly directed, that any romantic notion of ever wanting to experience a medieval war in real life was stripped away completely.
The clip with Saving Private Ryan is another great example of that same sort of feeling in a WWII context. There is no attempt to dress up the brutal reality of war in either SPR or BotB. Jon Snow is given the hero shoot for a few brief seconds, and then it's straight into the chaos, and he doesn't look so heroic after that.
It's in stark contrast to, say, the sieges in Lord of the Rings, which are also ingeniously directed, but are very deliberately made to look heroic and romanticised. I still think I'd be quite happy living the Shire. The Riverlands? Not so much.
I could watch hours and hours of you just analyzing Game of Thrones episodes.
"There is a particular score that has become associated with the tragic, yet heroic death of a beloved character"
That is the Stark theme, dude. We have seen many Starks die, but their theme song is not some funeral song. You are supposed to associate it with snow and honor, not death.
This had me in tears in reminiscence of these episodes, thank you very much for this lesson.
Is Inception a really hard movie to analyze?!
E&Entertainment Nope
Depends on what is being analyzed!
Lessons from the Screenplay Please do it for next month!!
UnDiegoMas IT was a suggestion lol
Inception is the hell of a good movie but it's the one with more exposition from Christopher Nolan, the "show, don't tell" is kinda hard to do with Nolan's exploration of the mind in the film, but Arthur is basically there to explain everything, or Cob to do it while ranting... I love the movie though.
This video was waaayyy better than the actual final season of GoT
Great job Grand Maester Michael, mind blown. 🤕 Carry on.
:P Thank you!
I don't think I get as excited as this for a video from anyone else! Keep doing your thing, Mike!
Thanks Daniel!
Something about that transition to plugging squarespace is troubling. I love your videos because I trust what you are saying, what I just saw began like critical analysis and transitioned to an ad. Blurs the lines in my opinion.
I watched this video three years ago before watching game of thrones. I’m back now after binging it and the disaster that is season 8, but this is video is the reason I watched it in the end
another game of thrones analysis yet again, game of thrones is the greatest series ever hands down. great video BTW
Thanks!
This video helped me out a lot with screenwriting. Narrowing down the important elements of a scene to desire, action, conflict and change, is probably the clearest explanation of what makes a good scene I've heard to date. Thanks.
Michael, you inspired me to make nerdy video essay kind of vids. I would love your feedback on how to improve and be dope like you. Anyways catch you later fam
Gtfo
@@cothinker680 I hope you've changed by now.
I wish I could give you a grant to do this as much as possible. Your voice is like warm butter and your insight is sharp as a tack.
I can't wait for the new season
Me too!
Michael, this video is truly amazing. I loved it because you talked about how the fundamental rules make stories classic and not gimmicks. I also loved that you quoted Mckee as a source of truth.
Never clicked on a video so fast.
:)
This channel is simply one of the best in the Internet
Congrats on the sponsor! Is UA-cam your fulltime job?
Thanks! It is indeed.
How do you avoid copyright?
Btw, awesome videos and narrative
One thing is certain: the score is gorgeous
"Maybe Rickon will actually survi---"
XD
This is the best episode that you have ever created, flawless execution and amazing points. Well done.
Wow, thank you!
Pulp. Fiction.
Writing/filming is truly an art, thank you for opening my eyes to that!
would love to see a donnie darko analysis
The most basic task for a film or TV show is to make the audience feel for the characters. I've always wondered if there is a process to follow to achieve this, and your video just provided the answer.
Another entertaining and informative video. Keep up the good work!
Thanks!
Now for part 2: the shitstorm we were given after Season 6...
I loved that "third thing on a list" was both jammed there as a meta joke and furthered your point, really clever.
:) Thanks!
If only the writing of that episode was as good as the directing.
you do realize that this video was about the writing of the battle of the bastards
OMG, this has been so educational in the sense of both the storytelling of the series and in general. I love this channel so much, it has taught me a lot and I can't wait to put your lessons to practice!
This episode is unfortunatly also an example of how the show prioritises spectacle and sacrifices logic.
+
Not really.
Why didn't Jons army attack while the shield-bearers were lining up? Why did Ramsay kill Wun Wun WHEN HE HEAD A CLEAR SHOT AT JON?! Why didn't Ramsay's dogs kill him sooner, they were in there with him THE WHOLE TIME?! Why are there multiple MOUNTAINS of corpses on the battlefield after 10 minutes of fighting?
Here is an example from another episode: the scene were The Waif chases Arya in S06E08! Arya is running and jumping around like she is in a Bourne-movie, although she was STABBED IN THE F*CKING BELLY one day prior to this! And not just that, after being stabbed she jumps into the river and somehow her wound DOESN'T get infected, even though the water is probably contaminated with all sorts of shit.
Spectacle over logic.
I Should Probably Get A Job
I agree with most of your comment. The show focuses more on spectacle and fan service now, rather than logic and interesting storytelling, which is what made the show so popular in the first place. I do still enjoy the show but it's not as great as it once was in my opinion. However, I do have to say something.
I think the reason why Ramsay didn't kill Jon and instead decided to kill Wun Wun is because, if he had killed Jon, he would've been killed immidiately. Right after he shot Wun Wun, he asked to have that 1 on 1 fight with Jon. He was hoping that Jon would stay true to his promise. That if Ramsay managed to kill him in a 1 on 1 fight, he would be set free. But I do see where you're coming from.
Elmin Legend That's actually a decent explanation, I somehow hadn't thought of that.
My favorite youtube channel analysing my favorite show. Today is a good day.
YOU GAVE DAMN A *_7_* WTF MELON?!?????!!!111!!!
Hey everyone, Igavedamnthanoy aseventhano here
R E L E A S E T H E D R O N E
is than an english?
Gamethony of Thronestano here
What?