Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/916056
54 P E R S P E C T I V E | J A N UA RY / F E B R UA RY 2 0 1 8 I joined the show in 2013 for the production of season four. I've now completed four seasons and will finish it on my fifth. The show is based out of the Titanic Studios in Belfast, and films in as many as three other countries in Europe at a time. As we round the corner on our final season, it is interesting for me to reflect on my time on the show and to highlight the work of season seven, our busiest and most productive year. The Tapestry of Dragonstone: The arrival of Daenerys Targaryen in her ancestral home of Dragonstone was a massive moment for the character and a huge opportunity for the Art Department. We needed to find: • A landing place at which she would arrive at by boat. • A position for massive entry gates. • Stairs up to the Dragonstone castle. • Once inside the castle, we had to provide a series of rooms, the most dramatic of which was the Dragonstone audience chamber. Dragonstone had been established before my time as a number of rooms that were very cave-like, and the castle itself existed digitally in the computer graphic universe. It was important for me to be able to take the existing design and be able to resolve it further. After being briefed by our writers, creators and show runners, David Benioff and Dan Weiss, three of the producers and myself headed off on a location-finding mission, which in recent years has seen us cover every square inch of Spain—criss-crossing the country to find the most interesting castles and spectacular countryside. When we arrived at Zumaia Beach in Spain's Basque Country, we did not yet know how much it would come to define the DNA of Dragonstone. What it turned out to be is one of the most unusual and inspiring locations we have ever found. The continuous rock strata is unique to that particular stretch of coast and is beyond A. The dramatic stone stairs leading up to the chapel at San Juan de Gaztelugatxe. Photo: Deborah Riley B. Dragonstone Island overview. Concept drawing by Kieran Belshaw, location photos with Photoshop additions. A B