1.Prologue
My interview with David Benioff and Daniel Brett Weiss, the two showrunners of the TV series Game of Thrones, was featured on the September 20th episode of Sekai e Hasshin! SNS Eigojutsu on NHK E-Tele.
2.The Worldwide Phenomenon of Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones is a fantasy drama of an epic scale set in the fictional continent of Westoros, where the noble houses of the Seven Kingdoms vie for control of the Iron Throne. It’s been characterized as Lord of the Rings for “grown-ups": it is a mix of fantasy tropes like medieval European setting, swords and bows and arrows, magic, and dragons with deceit, political machinations, and lots of sexually explicit scenes and cruel, gory violence.
The show does not have much of a following in Japan, but in the U.S. and almost everywhere else in the world, the show is a cultural phenomenon that has commanded a massive following since its debut in 2011. It has won a record 57 Primetime Emmy Awards (and counting), including the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series three times. For its eighth and final season, it had a budget of about 15 million dollars per episode—about two to three times the budget of an hourlong high-end TV drama.
Benioff and Weiss were here in Japan ahead of the release of season eight on Blu-Ray and DVD.
●About Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones is an American cable TV series from HBO adapting the epic fantasy novel series A Song of Ice and Fire by American writer George R. R. Martin. The first book was released in 1996, and Martin has so far published five out of a planned seven volumes. The TV show began in 2011 and eventually overtook the novels, ultimately ending its run in 2019.
●About the showrunners
David Benioff (1970-) is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. He garnered attention for his scripts for films like 25th Hour and Troy, and became one of the showrunners of Game of Thrones in 2011.
Daniel Brett Weiss is an American television writer, director, and producer. He released his debut novel in 2003. Weiss and Benioff were named the showrunners of Game of Thrones in 2011. The pair wrote most of the scripts of the series, and directed three of the episodes together.
3.From the Light and Dark of the Internet
Once upon a time, when the four major American TV networks—ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX—ruled the airwaves, there was a phenomenon known as a water cooler show. The morning after it aired, working adults would gather around the water cooler at the office and discuss what had taken place the night before. Today, with myriad cable TV options as well as streaming sites like Netflix and Hulu, few shows captivate the entire nation like they once did.
HBO’s Game of Thrones, however, proved to be a water cooler show for the social media age. Its popularity is partly attributable to the fact that the show’s inception coincided with the expansion of social media into the public sphere. And it was around 2010 that the iPhone and smartphones in general became mainstream.
On Sunday nights, fans settled in to watch each new episode with bated breath. Smartphones in hand, they live tweeted during and after episodes, sharing their thoughts, emotions, and enthusiasm for the show. The following day, the office would become a battleground of spoilers.
The show’s massive budget meant that it had unmatched production values, with CGI/VFX work of a cinematic scope. Its fervent fan base was both a blessing and a curse, with plenty of passionate fan criticism and scrutinization. When viewers spotted a takeout coffee cup in a scene in the fourth episode of the final season, the internet exploded with memes.
News from Winterfell.
— Game of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) May 6, 2019
The latte that appeared in the episode was a mistake. #Daenerys had ordered an herbal tea. pic.twitter.com/ypowxGgQRl
The relationship between Game of Thrones and its social media following would meet a cruel ultimate fate. As season eight went on, a subset of the show’s fans were increasing vocal about their grievances regarding the handling of the story and the overall quality of the show. After the finale aired, a petition was started on change.org to “Remake Game of Thrones Season 8 with competent writers.” The petition currently has more than 1.7 million signatures. (HBO has made it clear that they have never seriously considered remaking the season.) Unamused with the way Benioff and Weiss chose to close the curtain on their show, these fans have essentially decided to throw a temper tantrum. It’s probably best they take some time to cool off.
Fans on social media can be wonderfully encouraging when the going is good, but that can change in an instant. One moment they’re singing your praises, and the next they’re calling for the castle you built to be burned to the ground.
4.Beginner’s Spirit
The question I was most eager to ask Benioff and Weiss was how two guys with almost no experience in producing were able to shepherd the series to such immense success.
When I asked them about the key to success when taking on a challenge of the scale of something like Game of Thrones, Benioff laughed and answered, “Stupid confidence, stupid overconfidence." He chalked up the pair’s run with the show to their “absolute ignorance" at the outset. It makes sense, in a way—from the job description, it’s clear a showrunner has to have the kind of conviction and mettle only afforded by unfounded confidence.
Weiss added that Benioff had received a birthday gift the day before: a bottle of sake with a name that translated to “beginner’s spirit". He was most likely referring to the sake Hatsugokoro, made by Fukumitsuya, the oldest sake brewery in Kanazawa.
Beginner’s spirit is a translation of the Japanese concept shoshin (初心), which refers to an attitude of letting go of preconceptions and approaching a subject with openness and eagerness. A similar but quite distinct concept in the English language is beginner’s luck, or according to Cambridge English Dictionary, “unexpected success experienced by a person who is just starting a particular activity." The Japanese have a saying, shoshin wasurerubekarazu, which roughly translates to “you should not forget the spirit that you started with". Americans, on the other hand, tend to feel embarrassed about the early successes they achieved out of pure dumb luck. They want to move on from the novice category ASAP.
Now that Game of Thrones has concluded, the question is, what next? In February 2018, Disney and Lucasfilm announced that Benioff and Weiss would be penning and producing a new series set in the Star Wars universe. (Reportedly, the pair have since walked away from the deal to focus on their Netflix work.) Then in August 2019, Netflix, the world’s largest streaming company, announced that the pair had signed a multi-year deal worth about $200 million. One thing is clear: the two currently sit on the Iron Throne of the American entertainment industry.
5.My Wardrobe for This Episode
Gray pinstripe button-down shirt by Fabric Tokyo
Gray necktie by Ralph Lauren Purple Label
