It’s a studio in Northern Ireland that will allow fans to Game Of Thrones to go behind the scenes of the most successful series in the history of American television. An unprecedented interactive visit of more than 10,000 m² in Banbridge, near Belfast,
It is better to have seen the series to visit the studio, because of the risks of being completely spoiled. From the start, you are immersed in the atmosphere with the famous music. And then through the whole course, you go from kingdom to kingdom. All film sets are original, nothing has changed or almost. In the Northern Kingdom for example, the stronghold of Jon Snow, we can see this large wooden table where all the greats of the Stark family meet. Proof that it is authentic, the wax of the candles is still stuck on the table.
For the actors who made the trip, it is necessarily a lot of memories that go back. We ran into Ian Beattie at Dragonstone, Daenerys’ home. “The last time I was there, they killed me! explains who plays Meryn Trant, King Baratheon’s cruel guard. Of all the filming, the worst words I heard were: ‘Okay cut, it’s over for Ian’. It broke my heart! So that’s a lot of great memories.”
“Fans are going to see these trays where we walked, the thrones we took our selfies on. These are all original items! I think the fans are going to have a great time here.”
Game of Thrones actor Ian Beatieat franceinfo
During their visit, fans will also have access to filming secrets for the first time. An added value of this visit, beyond the costumes on display. We learn, for example, that the composer had only one rule: no flute for the music. We also discover all the sketches that were used to imagine the seven kingdoms with castles and very different universes each time. It’s sometimes twenty weeks of conception before shooting. The draftsmen’s offices are still there, we see their drafts crumpled up and thrown into the baskets.
Who says war of thrones says battle scenes. Visitors will also have access to the armory. Behind all this work, there is Tommy Dunney, a passionate designer, who remained faithful to the post during the eight seasons: “Usually your work ends up in a video, a film or a memento. There, it’s a huge privilege to exhibit my work in an armory to show my creations. It was a huge job. Every year it was getting bigger and more exciting.”
The opening of these studios represents a great opportunity for Northern Irish tourism. The transformation of the studio into a place to visit cost 40 million pounds, expectations are up to the investment. In ten years, there have already been many visitors to come and see Ward Castle, for example, renamed Winterfell in the series.
With this new place of pilgrimage for fans, the tourism sector hopes to continue to restore the image of Northern Ireland in the world, tarnished by more than thirty years of civil war.