‘Game of Thrones’ cinematographer addresses complaints that Battle of Winterfell episode was too dark
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[WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM "GAME OF THRONES"]
Sunday night’s “Game of Thrones” episode may have been “too dark” to watch for many fans, but the cinematographer insisted it wasn’t his fault.
Fans took to social media to slam the popular HBO series for making the lighting during the Battle of Winterfell in Season 8, Episode 3 “too dark.” Several people said they missed key events and were forced to rewatch scenes because they couldn’t decipher what was happening due to the dark cinematography.
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Fabian Wagner, the cinematographer behind “The Long Night” episode, told TMZ he is aware of the complaints but insisted he isn’t at fault.
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"We tried to give the viewers and fans a cool episode to watch," Wagner said. "I know it wasn't too dark because I shot it."
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A scene from "The Long Night." (HBO)
Wagner said the dark lighting was intentional, but believed HBO’s video compression of the episode decreased the visual quality, causing added pixelation and darkened colors. He said this was worse for those viewing the show on a streaming service with a weak connection or in a well-lit room.
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"[‘Game of Thrones’] has always been very dark and a very cinematic show" that should be watched in a dark environment, Wagner told TMZ.
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Fabian, who has worked on other popular episodes such as the "Battle of the Bastards," said fans should watch Episode 3 in a room that’s movie-theater dark, avoid streaming it on a phone or places that are too bright or adjusting the television settings.
Several viewers complained about the dark lighting during the Battle of Winterfell in Season 8, Episode 3. (HBO)
Some viewers said they did adjust their brightness setting on their TV while others joked the episode was too much for their laptop to handle.
“#GoT #BattleOfWinterfell be like: [black screen],” a fan said.
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“Y’all don’t understand I have to keep rewatching [the scenes] cause it’s so dark and so fast. And you don’t know who the f--- is going down…but you know our characters are fighting for their f---ing lives yo,” comedian Leslie Jones said in a video posted on Twitter with the caption, “UUUUGGGGHHH! It’s so hard to watch yo!!”
Another Twitter user joked, “BREAKING: HBO announces a Platinum Edition Director’s Cut that will include a #BattleForWinterfell version with better lighting for an extra $19.99.”
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A tweet read, “The lighting budget for this episode was 8 candles. But on the bright side I found my Tv’s brightness setting #GameOfThrones.”
“My laptop screen ain’t cut out for this ‘artistic choice’ in lighting, @HBO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” another viewer complained.