Game of Thrones Cinematographer Explains Why Episode 8.03 Was So Dark, Blames HBO and Streaming Services for Compression Issues

Last night’s episode of Game of Thrones was controversial for a number of reasons. However, one of the bigger complaints about last night’s episode was the visual presentation. Viewers complained that last night’s episode looked too dark, and the crucial battle against the Night King and his army of dead warriors at times looked poorly lit and pitch black. TMZ spoke to the episode’s cinematographer, Fabian Wagner, who defended his work on last night’s “The Long Night.”

Wagner is aware of the complaints for the presentation of last night’s episode. According to Wagner, the image looking too dark or muddy was caused by HBO’s compression of the episode, causing a weaker visual quality, which could possibly explain why so many viewers had trouble with the episode looked. Such compression issues are also exacerbated by watching the show on a streaming service with a weak or bad connection. Other visual issues are caused by watching the show in a room that’s too brightly lit.

Wagner stated, “[GoT] has always been very dark and a very cinematic show,” and he advised viewers to watch the series in a dark environment similar to the way they would a movie. He added that fans should make their rooms as dark as possible and avoid watching the episode on a phone or places that are brightly lit up. Also, he said that viewers should try adjusting their TV settings.

Wagner went on that the showrunners and director Miguel Sapochnik wanted the episode to look dark. The battle scenes were reportedly shot with the intention to look intense, claustrophobic, and disorienting, but not to look confusing. Wagner went on, “We tried to give the viewers and fans a cool episode to watch,” and he believes they did, adding … “I know it wasn’t too dark because I shot it.”

There are only three episodes left for Game of Thrones. The new episodes are airing Sundays on HBO.