Based on material from George R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon tells the story of the Dance of the Dragons and the events leading up to the brutal Targaryen civil war.
King Viserys I Targaryen rules over an unprecedented time of peace, but questions surrounding his succession threaten to send the realm into chaos.
Directors: Geeta Patel, Clare Kilner, Alan Taylor, Andrij Parekh & Loni Peristere
Production Designer: Jim Clay
Studio: HBO
Starring: Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke & Rhys Ifans
Locations: UK & North Wales
Location Brief: Rugged Coastal & Pine Fantasy
Location Scouting House of the Dragon Season 2
I spent nine months on House of the Dragon Season 2, working through the extensive pre-production, location scouting and preparation period as the locations for the new season were developed and secured.
Working closely with production designer Jim Clay and the season’s directors, my role took me across the UK and North Wales, scouting, developing and preparing the real-world landscapes and environments that would become part of Westeros.
The location brief was pure Westeros: rugged coastlines, dramatic landscapes, ancient-looking terrain and pine forests with the scale and atmosphere to sit naturally within the world of House of the Dragon.
It was a fantastic brief to scout.
The challenge on a production of this scale is rarely just finding somewhere beautiful. A location has to work for the story and the production design, offer the right scale and sightlines, and provide an environment that can ultimately be developed through cinematography and VFX.
Jim Clay’s approach was always about grounding Westeros in a believable and plausible world. His extraordinary production design gave the series its physical foundation, with layers of detail, texture and history running through every environment.
Over those nine months, I worked on the scouting, development, securing and preparation of locations across the season, exploring environments for episodes directed by Geeta Patel, Clare Kilner, Alan Taylor, Andrij Parekh and Loni Peristere.
Maps, references, mood boards and a lot of miles on the road gradually turn an idea on a page into a real landscape — and eventually a secured and prepared filming location.
For a location scout and manager, that process is one of the most interesting parts of the job. You are searching for the raw ingredients of a world that does not actually exist, trying to find pieces of Westeros hidden in real locations across Britain.
Here is a selection of my original location scout photographs from House of the Dragon Season 2.
