How Game of Thrones Employs Basic Storytelling Techniques in a Variety of Scenes to Evoke Emotion

Feeling the excitement for the seventh season premiere on July 16, 2017, filmmaker Michael Tucker of Lessons from the Screenplay analyzed analyzed a number of varying scenes from Game of Thrones. Looking at the plot, language and music employed, Tucker explained how the series employs fundamental storytelling techniques in order to evoke emotion but sometimes breaks the rules to keep the audience engaged.

It would be easy to think that a complex story like Game of Thrones is told in a complex way, but in truth it’s exactly the opposite. Because of the vast number of characters, locations, and storylines, each scene must lean heavily on the basic fundamentals of storytelling. But what are these fundamentals? Why is it that an intimate dialogue scene can be built on the same rules as one of the most epic battles ever created for television?