Cinematographer Vanja Černjul ASC kindly wrote in with details about his work on season 2 of House Of The Dragon, streaming on HBO Max. Černjul is well-known for his credits on Marco Polo, The Deuce, The Gilded Age and Crazy Rich Asians, amongst many others.

“Being a part of the second season of HBO’s House Of The Dragon was an incredible professional and personal journey. With the high bar set by the first season and the legacy of its predecessor, the challenge was to elevate the series further. The cooperation and coordination among the team of four directors of photography – the other three being PJ Dillon ISC ASC, Catherine Goldschmidt BSC and Alejandro Martínez – with each responsible for shooting two episodes directed by five different directors, was an epic experience in itself.

The new approach began with choosing basic cinematographic tools: cameras and lenses. The recently released ARRI Alexa 35 attracted our attention with its increased dynamic range and sensitivity. DP P.J. Dillon – who shot the first episode and laid the groundwork for the entire season – tested the new camera with both Anamorphic and spherical lenses. Everyone on the team unanimously agreed that the ARRI Alfa Anamorphic lenses perfectly complemented the new Alexa 35 sensor for our purposes. We immediately knew the camera’s ability to hold highlights would support our specific lighting and location work.

“House Of The Dragon S2 was a testament to the marriage of meticulous planning and spontaneous creativity”

Since switching to digital almost 20 years ago, cinematographers have been held hostage by the brightest point in the frame, making source-based lighting difficult. With the Alexa 35, ARRI has perfected the balance of highlights and shadows, which was very useful for us because the world of House Of The Dragon is lit by torches and braziers, as well as bright sunlight penetrating the interiors through narrow, medieval windows. Despite choosing Alfas as the primary lenses for the season, ARRI Master Anamorphics were used for shots requiring a more predictable and cleaner image. If VFX needed the image to be more malleable in the post, we would switch to the Master Anamorphics for that particular shot.

One of the show’s significant aspects was the visual effects, particularly bringing dragons to life. Directors of photography met with the directors to discuss every VFX-heavy scene. We would shot-list a scene and then work on storyboards until we all understood every single frame, including camera angle, specific lenses, composition, camera height, and lighting. Once the storyboarding was finished, the VFX department would create a previsualisation animation, and we would discuss it with visual FX supervisor Dadi Einarsson. They were so detailed they accounted for the desired lighting and choice of lens. Sometimes, we would go back-and-forth a few times before we locked it and could say it was a precise presentation of what we were trying to achieve. This allowed the VFX to plan ahead and create the best possible VFX sequence.

Perfecting dragon riding scenes demanded innovation. We wanted those scenes to feel more subjective, as if the camera operator was sitting on the dragon next to the rider with a camera on their shoulder, and the team selected me to do the initial testing. This involved integrating handheld camera movements into a motion control system that was coordinated with the mechanical buck. Dragon riding is typically shot with the actor in a riding position on a so-called “buck.” The buck is a mechanical device custom-built by the special effects department and, in collaboration with the visual effects department, programmed to move in the way specified by the pre-visualisation. 

It was amazing to watch the actors perform while sitting high on top of this device as it simulated the dragon’s body movements, sometimes moving very violently. We used large LED screens close to 360 degrees, with projected animated skies. The LED screens were used as a lighting source and not as an in-camera background. Since the backgrounds for dragon riding sequences were mostly sky and clouds, and we shot these sequences in the studio before shooting the rest of the scene at the actual location; each shot was captured twice—once with a cloudy backdrop and once with a sunny one—allowing flexibility based on actual weather conditions during location shoots.

“With the Alexa 35, ARRI has perfected the balance of highlights and shadows”

All the camera movement had to be recorded for the VFX department, meaning we had to use a remote camera head fixed on the buck, and the camera movement had to be nodal. To simulate the handheld movement, we used the Libra console mounted onto handheld-style moose bars and carried on the operator’s shoulder to have the remote head react to a ‘handheld’ style of operating from the ground while the remote head with the camera was rigged on the buck, next to the actor. The operator used the on-board monitor mounted to the console as a viewfinder. Since the camera operator couldn’t physically be on the buck, the challenge was to make it look as if they were reacting to the buck/dragon’s movement. The problem was that the camera operator on the ground was too stable, and we didn’t want to fake the handheld movement. 

During testing, I had an idea to request a half-balance ball to be brought from a nearby gym and asked the operator to stand on it while operating. Our camera operators were happy to try anything, and this approach worked. Once we figured out the right settings for the Libra head, we went through the lenses and settled on a 32mm prime. This focal length seemed most immersive, close enough to the actor for a sense of subjectivity, and long enough to convey movement. I shared my findings with the other cinematographers and directors, and everyone fine-tuned this approach to their specific needs. All other departments were also involved in making the dragon riding as realistic as possible. For example, the hair and makeup department and the costume department made adjustments that made their work interact with the wind machines in a controlled yet realistic way.

While virtual production played a significant role in the first season, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, practical locations and stunning sets took precedence in the second season. Filming in Spain and North Wales, particularly Anglesey, introduced interesting logistical challenges. Shooting on location often meant dealing with remote areas, unpredictable weather, and extreme tidal ranges, demanding a flexible approach. Sometimes, to capture the most epic shots, we had to be at the right place at the right time, with just a tripod and a camera hand-carried to the spot. Some of the most breathtaking scenes from episode 207 owe their success to this approach.

A prime example is the opening scene of episode seven, set on the beach at Anglesey. The visuals were inspired by the iconic duel between Charles Bronson’s Harmonica and Henry Fonda’s Frank in Sergio Leone’s western Once Upon A Time In The West, (1968, dir. Sergio Leone) shot by the great Tonino Delli Colli AIC. When episode 207 director Loni Peristere told Emma D’Arcy our intentions, their response was, “I am so excited; I didn’t know I was going to be in a Western.” The scene was supposed to be set early in the morning, but we couldn’t shoot all of it in the morning. We split the shot list into two groups – one for morning light and one for afternoon light. Director Loni Peristere, our great first AD, Toby Ford, and I storyboarded shots and scheduled shooting blocks according to the sun’s position.

We learned that the tides were very violent, so we had to chart the entire scene not just for the sun’s position but also for the tide. We mapped out where the camera would be for each group of shots as we moved around according to the tide. It was difficult to figure this out logistically, and when we did, an unexpected weather forecast threw a wrench into our plans; we learned it would rain on the day.

House Of The Dragon season 2 was a massive project involving two full crews working simultaneously. All the episodes were shot concurrently, with five teams of directors, DPs, and ADs sharing sets and the same cross-block schedule. Actors’ availability further tightened our shooting windows, demanding precise cooperation and rigid adherence to allocated time slots.

“Perfecting the dragon riding scenes demanded innovation… and I was selected to do the initial testing”

One of the most critical elements was allocating early morning and late afternoon light to different teams, ensuring we all had equal access to the natural beauty of these fleeting moments. With no room in the schedule for adjustments, we had to embrace the rain and mist. As we started shooting, and the whole crew danced around the beach, moving equipment according to the tidal charts, we discovered these elements added an unanticipated yet perfect atmosphere to the scene. We were thrilled with the results.

In another instance, episode 206’s scene where the character Adam of Hull is being chased by his own future dragon, we drew inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock’s North By Northwest (1959, DP Robert Burks ASC) – the classic scene where the crop duster chases Cary Grant’s character. Episode 206 director Andrij Parekh and I analysed how Hitchcock shot that scene and used it to jump-start the shot -isting process. We employed various camera movements: a telescopic crane for transitioning from extremely high to very low angles, handheld for proximity to actors, DJI Inspire 3 drones for the dragon’s POV, and Steadicam or dolly shots to keep pace with the very fast and athletic actor, Clinton Liberty.

The production of House Of The Dragon season 2 was a testament to the marriage of meticulous planning and spontaneous creativity. From innovative camera techniques to groundbreaking visual effects and the challenges of location shooting, every element contributed to crafting a visually stunning continuation of this beloved universe.”