‘Game of Thrones’ cinematographer blames dark episode on bad TV settings

The cinematographer behind “Game of Throne’s” epic Battle of Winterfell is blaming fans’ lousy technology — and HBO — amid complaints that the episode was too dark to see.

Noting the show’s “cinematic” aesthetic, Fabian Wagner suggested viewers should learn to tune their tubes before watching and view it in a darkened room.

“A lot of the problem is that a lot of people don’t know how to tune their TVs properly,” he told Wired UK. “A lot of people also unfortunately watch it on small iPads, which in no way can do justice to a show like that anyway.”

He also pointed the finger at HBO’s compression of the episode — which helps millions screen the show on all different kinds of devices at varying connection speeds.

“Game of Thrones is a cinematic show and therefore you have to watch it like you’re at a cinema: in a darkened room,” he continued. “If you watch a night scene in a brightly-lit room then that won’t help you see the image properly.”

Wagner said showrunners intended all along that the Season 8’s chaotic third episode would be dark and disorienting. Most of the episode was shot at nighttime and the rest was created on-set through strategic lighting.

“We’d seen so many battle scenes over the years — to make it truly impactful and to care for the characters, you have to find a unique way of portraying the story,” he said.

“Another look would have been wrong,” he added. “Everything we wanted people to see is there.”

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