George RR Martin is often compared to JRR Tolkien. Described as the “American Tolkien” by Time magazine, Martin’s gritty fantasy saga, A Song of Ice and Fire, spawned Game of Thrones: the most expensive TV series of all time. On average the production budget of each episode was US$15 million. The series has also received more Emmy’s than any other TV series in history.
Since HBO released the first episode back in 2011, George RR Martin has been lauded as one of the best storytellers with his complex plots and characterization. With the release of each successive book in the series, people prayed their favorite characters wouldn’t be killed off. It was a form of storytelling rarely seen outside of history. Major characters could meet untimely deaths, and throw the story into a different direction.
Predictability is not a word used to describe Martin’s plots, driven by unpredictable characters. None are neatly divided along lines of good versus evil.
As George RR Martin said:
“In simplistic fantasy, the wars are always fully justified – you have the forces of light fighting a dark horde who want to spread evil over the earth. But real history is more complex.”
Many have dissected his intricately plotted series. But for writers and filmmakers it’s best to hear direct from the man himself. In the following TIFF Masterclass, George RR Martin lays out how he started out writing short stories, honing his craft through journalism and then detailing his time as a screenwriter on the cult TV shows, The Twilight Zone (1985), Beauty and the Beast (1987), and The Outer Limits (1995).
It’s nice to hear that even GRR Martin has had some failures and setbacks along the way. His book ‘Armageddon Rag’ was a flop and his agents stopped calling. He couldn’t even sell a manuscript for years, which forced him to seek out work as a screenwriter in Hollywood.
Though Martin didn’t enjoy the collaborative process of screenwriting, the success of his A Song of Fire and Ice brought him full-circle when he came back to Hollywood to serve as the executive producer on HBO’s Game of Thrones.
So set aside an hour and learn how George RR Martin became a master storyteller.
