For Tommy Dunne, the weapons master of Game Of Thrones, fiddling around with Swarovski-encrusted swords, bronze shields, bows and spears is all in a day's work. Showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff even roped him into a season four cameo as the blacksmith who reforges Ned Starks's Ice into the iconic swords, Oathkeeper and Widow.
A viper symbolises the family's poisonous temperament on Trystane Martell's sword.
The Irishman's first step into the industry was with Braveheart, before snowballing into an impressive resume that includes sci-fi, fantasy and historical fiction staples such as The Fifth Element, Troy, Gladiator, Kingdom Of Heaven and Dracula Untold.
How do you describe the job of a weapons master?
My day-to-day job is to design and manufacture, then to supply the sets, actors and background actors with the weapons. We work in conjunction with the costume department to make sure it stays authentic to the houses and that we've got the right colour and tones. We also must work in conjunction with the stunt department to make sure we are on the same page since they have to work with our swords, spears, etc.
How much freedom do you have to design and create the weapons?
Tommy Dunne.
What happens at the start of the season is we're given an outline telling exactly what we have to do for the 10 episodes. But it's quite a vague outline and there's very little description. I don't use any directions from the books and use my own interpretations. If it's for the Lannisters, it's going to be very opulent and diamond-crusted if need be, because they're a rich family and [the weapons] should look expensive. If it's for the Stark family, it's going to be dark and quite old.
It's also very important for the actor to be happy with what they're wearing, because we shouldn't make them look or feel awkward. We need to take into consideration that the weapons they use look well with them, suit their costumes and their style. They must be able to walk with it and use it, because if they feel embarrassed, they won't like or use that weapon.
Do you use real steel?
It depends what the sequence requires. If the actor is required to do a lot of stunts, we'll go for aluminium, bamboo or rubber blades to make sure it's safe. We can't have a steel sword if the actor is riding on a horse, simply because of safety aspects for the horse, the actor and the people around them. If it's just a silhouette or a look, then we work with the steel blades or the actual swords. We have safety shields as well that can disintegrate or break on impact if need be. The White Walker's shard of ice was made from resin, but it is delicate and suits posing or running around. We developed new ones this year that are translucent rubber and are great for fighting.
How did you create iconic and recognisable weapons such as Arya Stark's Needle?
That one was a bit awkward because Maisie Williams, who plays Arya, was quite a small child actor ... she was 12 then. We had to make the sword a bit longer for her originally to make sure the sword would grow with her. It's still the same sword and the same size, but it suits her now that she's grown up. Maisie's a petite girl, so we knew we couldn't have a big, broad blade, and since the name is Needle, it had to be pointy and slim, so people would see it and think, 'Oh, it looks just like a needle!'.
Do the weapons in Game Of Thrones correspond to historical weaponry?
They do look medieval, but only because making it look like its from another period would clash with the costumes. We're fantasy, so we could have made them all fantasy weapons, too, if I wanted to swing that way, but I try to keep it in line with where the people lived and where they came from, to which period and house. A lot of research is done going through history to see what and how things have developed. I try to come up with original ideas, but at the end of the day, a blade still needs to have a crossguard and a handle, yet with its own uniqueness of the world it came from. I make it look like it's from some weird world but I'm not going overboard— it has to be practical as well. It's about creating the illusion of what people want to see and that's what I enjoy doing.
What fight scene(s) do you think best show the efficiency and beauty of the weapons?
It's hard to choose just one, but I suppose the Battle of Blackwater was very good to show everything — we had a lot of flaming arrows with archery, trebuchets, ballistas and big harpoons on King's Landing. We're also dealing with battles on ground and pitch oil; it's quite good to show the world of everything. Another would be the previous season, where Oberyn was fighting The Mountain. It was gruesome and it was great to introduce the new weaponry and new styles of the Dorne family. They're fighting with wushu — the style is more Oriental and flamboyant. It was a great sequence and fight.
Daario Naharis' dagger and arakh, left, and Arya Stark's Needle.
