--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was coming onto 'Thrones,' I was…" description: "\"When I was coming onto 'Thrones,' I was looking for, 'What's the formula here?' There was a very David Lean kind of approach to it. It was traditional,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91a/miguel-sapochnik-21496_even_when-i-was-coming-onto-thrones-i-was-loo_2064026.jpg" --- # When I was coming onto 'Thrones,' I was looking for… ![“When I was coming onto 'Thrones,' I was looking for, 'What's the formula here?' There was a very David Lean kind of approach to it. It was traditional, in a way, and it was naturalistic in some respects, even though it was fantasy.” quote by Miguel Sapochnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91a/miguel-sapochnik-21496_even_when-i-was-coming-onto-thrones-i-was-loo_2064026.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91a/miguel-sapochnik-21496_even_when-i-was-coming-onto-thrones-i-was-loo_2064026.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91a/miguel-sapochnik-21496_even_when-i-was-coming-onto-thrones-i-was-loo_2064026.jpg) > “When I was coming onto 'Thrones,' I was looking for, 'What's the formula here?' There was a very David Lean kind of approach to it. It was traditional, in a way, and it was naturalistic in some respects, even though it was fantasy.” [Miguel Sapochnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-sapochnik/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He sought a timeless, naturalistic style despite fantasy setting, inspired by classic cinema. **In simple terms:** He wanted a classic, realistic feel for a fantasy show. Key Takeaway Blend classic storytelling with modern fantasy. Themes cinema fantasy storytelling craft vision Mood reflective inspired analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - directing a series - designing a pilot - building a world - balancing realism and myth - adapting literature Key Concepts film theory genre blending visual realism Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance tradition with innovation? - What cinematic techniques enhance fantasy realism? A Different Perspective May limit audience appeal if realism overshadows escapism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Even](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/even/) [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Lean Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lean-kind-3454611/) [Looking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Thrones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thrones/) [Thrones Looking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thrones-looking-3951776/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Way Naturalistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-naturalistic-3951775/) ## Related quotes > [There were two sides to David Lean: on the one side, he was kind of a rather stiff, disciplined Englishman. And then he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boorman/there-were-two-sides-to-david-lean-on-the-one-side-he-was-kind-of-a/) [John Boorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boorman/) > [I realized I loved working in television as well as film. Besides, if I hadn't been forced to look for work in TV, I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-sapochnik/i-realized-i-loved-working-in-television-as-well-as-film-besides-if-i/) [Miguel Sapochnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-sapochnik/) > [Game of Thrones' is a fantasy show not dedicated to any specific time, but it seems to exist in sort of a 1400s medieval…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendoline-christie/game-of-thrones-is-a-fantasy-show-not-dedicated-to-any-specific-time/) [Gwendoline Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendoline-christie/) > ['Game of Thrones,' people say that it's a fantasy series, but it's a hell of a lot more than that. It attracts the so-called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-cunningham/game-of-thrones-people-say-that-it-s-a-fantasy-series-but-it-s-a-hell/) [Liam Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-cunningham/) > [I don't think there's any show comparable to 'Game of Thrones' in terms of the way it does the fantasy element to such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-murray/i-don-t-think-there-s-any-show-comparable-to-game-of-thrones-in-terms/) [Hannah Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-murray/) > [I thought this was the most incredible opportunity. Because 'Planet Of The Apes,' aside from the fantasy element of talking apes, is such an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-reeves/i-thought-this-was-the-most-incredible-opportunity-because-planet-of/) [Matt Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-reeves/) > [Game of Thrones. I'm all about it. I watch Arrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-r-mcqueen/game-of-thrones-i-m-all-about-it-i-watch-arrow/) [Steven R. McQueen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-r-mcqueen/) > [“When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/when-you-play-the-game-of-thrones-you-win-or-you-die-there-is-no/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [Each restorational advancement of the Army of the Lord has established denominational forts that are given responsibility to maintain the purity and power of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hamon/each-restorational-advancement-of-the-army-of-the-lord-has/) [Bill Hamon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hamon/) > [A married woman is a slave you must know how to seat upon a throne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/a-married-woman-is-a-slave-you-must-know-how-to-seat-upon-a-throne/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [Yes, thou art ever present, power divine; not circumscribed by time, nor fixed by space, confined to altars, nor to temples bound. In wealth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/yes-thou-art-ever-present-power-divine-not-circumscribed-by-time-nor/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [The hair department on 'Game of Thrones' is incredible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-dormer/the-hair-department-on-game-of-thrones-is-incredible/) [Natalie Dormer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-dormer/) > [I was really, really stagnating and getting bored in the steady work of television and didn't really know what movies I would be making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-graves/i-was-really-really-stagnating-and-getting-bored-in-the-steady-work/) [Alex Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-graves/) > [When I see a fan coming over, I can't help but make an assumption about what they want to talk about. A middle-aged American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-dormer/when-i-see-a-fan-coming-over-i-can-t-help-but-make-an-assumption/) [Natalie Dormer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-dormer/) > [Men and women, empires and cities, thrones, principalities, and powers, mountains, rivers, and unfathomed seas, worlds, spaces, and universes, all have their day, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/men-and-women-empires-and-cities-thrones-principalities-and-powers/) [H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/) ## More by Miguel Sapochnik > [One of my biggest fears as a director is that everything is taking too long on camera. The actor saying their lines, the silence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-sapochnik/one-of-my-biggest-fears-as-a-director-is-that-everything-is-taking/) [Miguel Sapochnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-sapochnik/) > [I realized I loved working in television as well as film. Besides, if I hadn't been forced to look for work in TV, I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-sapochnik/i-realized-i-loved-working-in-television-as-well-as-film-besides-if-i/) [Miguel Sapochnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-sapochnik/) > [I try to approach all episodic work the same. No matter the content. I look for a dramatic or emotional spine to the story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-sapochnik/i-try-to-approach-all-episodic-work-the-same-no-matter-the-content-i/) [Miguel Sapochnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-sapochnik/) > [Getting a bunch of horses to just stand there all day and do nothing is much harder than getting them to run around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-sapochnik/getting-a-bunch-of-horses-to-just-stand-there-all-day-and-do-nothing/) [Miguel Sapochnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-sapochnik/) > [I love the humor of 'Monty Python.' I always remember being so impressed by how violent 'Monty Python' are, actually, when you look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-sapochnik/i-love-the-humor-of-monty-python-i-always-remember-being-so-impressed/) [Miguel Sapochnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-sapochnik/) > [Sci-fi works for me as a way of getting across a social conceit couched as entertainment. Social realist movies lost their way because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-sapochnik/sci-fi-works-for-me-as-a-way-of-getting-across-a-social-conceit/) [Miguel Sapochnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-sapochnik/) > [The shift for me, after spending a long time trying to take existing projects and bring them to fruition as a director for hire,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-sapochnik/the-shift-for-me-after-spending-a-long-time-trying-to-take-existing/) [Miguel Sapochnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-sapochnik/) > [Music is my second love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-sapochnik/music-is-my-second-love/) [Miguel Sapochnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-sapochnik/) > [Piano is unique in that way: it can be both percussive and haunting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-sapochnik/piano-is-unique-in-that-way-it-can-be-both-percussive-and-haunting/) [Miguel Sapochnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-sapochnik/) > [I think that as television is evolving, the line between TV and film is becoming more and more blurred. This is both a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-sapochnik/i-think-that-as-television-is-evolving-the-line-between-tv-and-film/) [Miguel Sapochnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-sapochnik/) > [I think that being a Wildling is essentially about surviving the cold, and in that department, the extras on our shoot excelled and needed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-sapochnik/i-think-that-being-a-wildling-is-essentially-about-surviving-the-cold/) [Miguel Sapochnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-sapochnik/) > [I have a tendency to feel a bit embarrassed when approached, but it's such a thrill to know that you did something that people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-sapochnik/i-have-a-tendency-to-feel-a-bit-embarrassed-when-approached-but-it-s/) [Miguel Sapochnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-sapochnik/) > [Sci-fi's great, but you don't have to hit people over the head with it when you're making a social comment. It just inherently exists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-sapochnik/sci-fi-s-great-but-you-don-t-have-to-hit-people-over-the-head-with-it/) [Miguel Sapochnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-sapochnik/) > [I try to just focus on what feels right to me when I am conceiving it, conceptualizing, designing, etc. and then talk it through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-sapochnik/i-try-to-just-focus-on-what-feels-right-to-me-when-i-am-conceiving-it/) [Miguel Sapochnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-sapochnik/) > [While most episodes have a beginning, middle, and an ending, finales on 'Game of Thrones' are just one ending after another after another, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-sapochnik/while-most-episodes-have-a-beginning-middle-and-an-ending-finales-on/) [Miguel Sapochnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-sapochnik/) [Explore all 29 Miguel Sapochnik quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-sapochnik/) ## More Even quotes > [Most of the time, I get around perfectly well on my bike and public transportation, even in spite of the Bay Area's almost comically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/most-of-the-time-i-get-around-perfectly-well-on-my-bike-and-public/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [If you're a top 10 guy you should pay a top 10 guy or even a top 5 guy what he deserves, whether it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aljamain-sterling/if-you-re-a-top-10-guy-you-should-pay-a-top-10-guy-or-even-a-top-5/) [Aljamain Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aljamain-sterling/) > [I guess I've never really wanted to be anything else. I've never even thought about having another job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-farrell/i-guess-i-ve-never-really-wanted-to-be-anything-else-i-ve-never-even/) [Owen Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-farrell/) > [Even after years of observing, a new picture of Uranus from Keck Observatory can stop me in my tracks and make me say, 'Wow!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-hammel/even-after-years-of-observing-a-new-picture-of-uranus-from-keck/) [Heidi Hammel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-hammel/) > [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) > [Politics only makes the difficult challenge of marriage even harder, with the demands of the job and the public spotlight it casts on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/politics-only-makes-the-difficult-challenge-of-marriage-even-harder/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [Even though you can't expect to defeat the absurdity of the world, you must make that attempt. That's morality, that's religion. That's art. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-ochs/even-though-you-can-t-expect-to-defeat-the-absurdity-of-the-world-you/) [Phil Ochs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-ochs/) > [I love writing fiction and can do it anywhere - I once even missed a flight because I was so engrossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/i-love-writing-fiction-and-can-do-it-anywhere-i-once-even-missed-a/) [Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/) > [I really can't live without my In-N-Out burgers. Honestly, I can't. Even when I'm doing the whole no-carb thing occasionally, I make an exception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-berkus/i-really-can-t-live-without-my-in-n-out-burgers-honestly-i-can-t-even/) [Nate Berkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-berkus/) > [Ninety-eight percent of the things that come out of my mouth are intended to be harmless or even charming. 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