Week 3 Day 5: Stacking Intrigue — GAME OF THRONES

[William Whelan]

William Whelan – Stacking Intrigue

What I learned from doing this assignment is to make scenes of my screenplay fascinating by Stacking Intrigue.

Scene arc: Horsemen travel through tunnel, leave the fortress, travel through woods. One horseman goes solo, see smoke, finds frozen people massacred laid out in ritual pattern.

Situation: Reconnaissance mission

Conflict: Civilized people vs. savages

Moving the story forward: Suspense of what the horseman will find.

Entertainment value: Intense suspense.

Setups/payoffs: Horseman reconnaissance mission; find massacre.

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[Mary Emmick]

Stacking Intrigue-Game of Thrones

Opening scene – The Wildings are dead

What makes this scene great from a writing perspective is the suspense created by stacking intrigue.

Three horseman carrying torches enter a tunnel. We hear the clomping of the horses but no other conversation. They exit from the long tunnel from what looks like a massive snow covered wall into a frozen wilderness. They enter a forest and split up. One horseman sees smoke in the distance, stealthily gets closer and discovers a group of slaughtered people. Dead, dismembered bodies are scattered all around. One girls has been pinned to a tree. The man mounts his horse and flees. From an angle above we can see the dead bodies are laid out in strange circular ritualistic pattern.

What I learned rewriting my scene is to create stacking intrigue and use images and action and through dialogue if needed. This scene had NO dialogue. Powerful, suspenseful scenes build upon stacked intrigue. We see there is something dangerous and are led through a series of these intriguing images and actions.

[Deb Johnson]

The scene begins with a series of questions that layer on top of each other. Who are the three men? Where are they coming from? What is the significance of the tunnel and the towering ice wall? Why do they split up? What are they looking for? These initial questions create a foundation of intrigue as the audience tries to make sense of the world and the characters.

As the scene progresses, the focus narrows onto one character, Will, who discovers the grotesque scene of human carnage. The audience becomes invested in Will’s perspective, wondering about his safety and what he will uncover. The smoke he spots adds another layer of intrigue, raising questions about who he’s looking for and as he stealthily approaches, the possibility of danger ahead.

The scene uses visual imagery to evoke emotions and intensify the intrigue. The horrifying discovery of the slaughtered people and the meticulous arrangement of their remains create a visceral impact. The use of a young girl’s corpse impaled on a tree adds a shocking and emotional element, heightening the horror and leaving the audience disturbed and curious about the motives behind such brutality.

The scene cleverly employs misdirection to keep the audience on edge. When Will turns to run and seems to be heading towards a pointed spear-like stick, it creates a moment of tension and anticipation. The revelation that it’s actually a stick protruding from another victim’s impaled corpse behind him (a young girl, no less) is a twist that intensifies the horror and deepens the mystery.

Each question raised in this scene serves as a setup for future payoffs in the series. The identity of the three men, the purpose of their mission, the nature of the threat beyond the Wall, and the motives of the unknown perpetrators are all seeds planted for future exploration. This not only keeps the audience engaged but also establishes a foundation for the overarching story.

The pacing of the scene is crucial in building and maintaining intrigue. The gradual unfolding of events, the split-second moments of revelation, and the final glimpse of the arranged corpses all contribute to a sense of anticipation and curiosity. The audience is left with lingering questions, ensuring they will be eager to continue watching.

In conclusion, the stacking of intrigue in this opening scene of “Game of Thrones” is a testament to effective storytelling. By introducing layers of questions, character-specific mysteries, visual impact, misdirection, and setup for future payoffs, the scene successfully grabs the audience’s attention and sets the stage for the complex and enthralling narrative that follows.

[Mary Dietz]

In her post, Deborah did a great job of identifying the questions. I add a few more: where are the other horsemen at the end of the scene? Why did they discard their torches when entering the frozen forest? Where is the frightened horseman riding off to? Were the horsemen looking for the people they found–why? What is the relationship?

I found the rhythm of close-ups and far shots effective for getting beyond the first impressions. The facial/body language effectively replaced dialogue by letting the viewer interpret the human responses. Hearing only the sounds of nature heightened the feeling of being vulnerable–no one was around to keep watch, aid, or even help to interpret the discoveries. The fire being hidden at first added to the suspense. The pattern of dead bodies says this was not random; what is/was the reason for the massacre and is this the end or is there more death to follow?