Tommy Dunne was exploit as a welder when a friend hired him to make arm forBraveheart . Nearly two decades subsequently , as weapons master forGame of Thrones — which begins its 4th time of year on Sunday — he designs the show ’s blade and bows , guide them from resume into the actors ’ hands . He and a squad of four journeyman create hundreds of weapons per season , equipping everyone from the soldiers of Westeros and the men of the Night ’s vigil to the Khaleesi ’s Dothraki warriors and the Wildings beyond the Wall . We asked him to portion out the trick of his trade .
1. INSPIRATION COMES FROM HISTORY
“ I expect at different periods and different era — Egyptian , monumental , ” Dunne says . His crossbows , longbow , composite bows , and ballistas are all model on real weapons . " We handmade a catapult for the Unsullied this year , which is quite a large item , and quite powerful , " he says . " It ’s two dozens of oak , nine human foot duration by ten ft height , with roulette wheel . We have a yoke of arbalest , which again are of historical reference . " He apply the web for enquiry , of form , but relies heavily on his own library to get the scale just right .
2. MATERIALS, MEANWHILE, ARE MODERN
" Normally , we make a hero sandwich weapon , which is a little more presentable camera - knowing — steel steel , brass crossguard , wooden handle , organisation knob , all that , " Dunne says . " patently , we do n’t fight with sword . " Since role player ca n’t crusade with literal steel sword , Dunne use aircraft aluminum , which is strong but flexible . He also uses bamboo for training blade and rubber for weapon for extras or if the scene involves animals or stunt . " If the actor did decrease or had to jump down speedily , there would be no injuries , " he says . " We would n’t fight too much with safety , unless there were stunt . " The shell tend to be plastic — except the Unsullieds ’ . They get Al . " It motley in what we require , " Dunne enjoin . " We attempt to keep the shields solid , durable , lightweight , but pliant to a sure arcdegree . We have to verify they ’ll defy smashing together , but also , if someone falls over onto a shield , that they ’re malleable and [ the actor ] wo n’t take as much of a hit . "
Arrows , meanwhile , are basically the tangible affair . " Our arrows have pencil eraser tips , but 99 per centum of them have wooden shafts and copper ramming as well , " Dunne says . " An arrow has a residual intensity level , so once you let go of that string on the arc , it creates a crimp in the arrow itself . If you have light wood , it will shatter straightaway . "
3. THERE’S NO SLACKING WHEN IT COMES TO WEAPONS
Every weapon , whether it ’s for a major character or a underage one , is made with the same exacting floor of item . Why ? Dunne says that if there ’s a particular extra you want to keep out of the camera ’s eye because you slack off on his weapon , it ’s pretty much a warranty he ’ll end up front and center . " The fishgig , the shields — if a camera touch it in any way , condition , or sort , we have to ensure it looks its best , " he say .
4. WEAR AND TEAR IS AN ART
You ca n’t expect characters to ride into their 6th epical struggle of the season with weapons that look shiny and new — so Dunne verify to appropriately age and brave the props . " There ’s nothing that would look blade paddle Modern or flat off the shelf — there would be areas that would be naturally worn from have your hired hand on the pommel or crossguard and that natural wearable from constant use , " he says . He might use sandpaper , stains , or dyes to ensure a buckle or blade shows its years .
5. WEAPONS ARE CUSTOM-MADE FOR THE ACTORS
In accession to regard a character ’s costume and backstory , Dunne has to take the actors ’ proportions into account when designing their arm . “ You do n’t want to make something that ’s too small or too giving or too weakly for the actor , ” he says . “ The player , they love us ; we ’ve had no complaints . There ’s a lot of ' My arm is cool than your weapon system . ' The Mountain ’s set about such a big blade , and you get masses sound , ‘ Why did n’t you make me that ? Why ca n’t I have that ? ’ You ’re not the Mountain ! He ’s a huge cat . perfectly monolithic . It ’s one of those things . "
6. JUST A FEW PEOPLE MAKE ALL OF THE SHOW’S WEAPONS
OnGame of Thrones , there are always two units shooting at once , and Dunne has to make certain that each social unit is equipped with all of the weapons it could possibly need . All those weapon system add up . " It ’s a hundred for this , a hundred for that , " Dunne says . " We have 50 for the Night ’s Watch , and 50 for the Boltons . There are 200 Unsullied ; the most we ’ve had is 350 to 400 . There are spears and shields and daggers for all these guys . We get some bad numbers pool . "
Still , Dunne ’s staff is n’t immense . " We have between four to six people , likely an average of four people , in the workshop at any time : myself , a modeling Godhead , a blacksmith , a coordinator , " he says . " You get used to it — you figure out in there 12 or 14 hours a twenty-four hour period . It ’s really hard to train the great unwashed , because it ’s quite a skilled profession . " Dunne and his squad make clay example of the weapon , then send them to the foundry . The foundry will make a diminished part of the weapon , Dunne says , and it ’s when that part come back that the study really begin . " For exemplar , deburring , recessing and drilling , determine to fit the blade blade , polishing and enforce antiquing fluid , ripening and relinishing , " he suppose . " So the foundry only make for a small part in the process calculate what that part is . " On some of the designs , 90 percent of the weapon system is handmade and does n’t go to the metalworks at all .
Dunne is look in the lead , too , to methods that are more high - technical school . " With 3D printing , we can do it in one shot and then send off the print to the metalworks , " he says . " It ’s something I want to look into a little more this year . "
7. YOU HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO USE THE WEAPONS TO MAKE THEM
" If you have no cognition about the weapon , you ’re just making an item , " Dunne says . " Everything is made in conjunction with know what the arm does and how it should respond and interact with other weaponry . It ’s not just make something and then give it off and then suddenly you obtain that somebody has to fight with it . " Dunne works closely with the combat coordinator to retrieve out what ’s require of a weapon before he start training an role player how to employ it .
CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON
Dunne tells us specifically what went into making some of the show ’s signature tune weapon .
deoxyephedrine SWORDS:“The creature ’s artillery — when they ’re take the air or on horseback with the White Walkers — is a bite more intricate because it ’s an ice sword , but you do n’t see much of them , really . These are clear resin swords that are oven - sunbaked — it ’s absolved deoxyephedrine that looks like a fragment of ice . It ’s quite intricate . "
NEEDLE:“In the case of Arya ’s sword , Needle , we want to make it take care like what it vocalize like , and give a little bit of elegance , remembering that it was more for a girl and a child at the same clock time — a small point which is quite delicate and quite finite . "
FLAMING ARROWS:“A normal arrow might be 32 inches , but for flame arrows [ like we used in Season 2 ’s Battle of the Blackwater ] , we contribute another six to eight inches to a large opus of Ellen Price Wood . Then we put on a foam wad that is impregnated with a chemical mix and we cauterise it , so it ’ll be blue , depending on the premix that the special effects team put on them . "
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