I think the theme of the extract is power. The characters talk about who should be in power. The camera angles and lighting complement the dialogue and show the power of certain individuals. The man with the black beard- the character with the power- is framed with a low angle to show his dominance over the others. The shot of the island makes the setting look massive, which emphasizes the power he really has.
To begin with, the extract opens with an aerial shot of a boat. On this boat, we see two characters: Stannis and Davos. The shot then zooms out into an establishing shot. This establishing shot shows how small the characters and their boat are in comparison to the island, which makes them appear weaker. The zoom out transition has a similar effect. The boat becomes increasingly smaller and the island’s size is slowly revealed, which adds to the weakness of the characters. It detracts from their strength and therefore their power.
After transitioning to a new scene with a cut, the characters are now standing in a large, empty room. This location helps establish the weakness of Davos and Stannis; they seem small when standing in it. This room is lit with low-key lighting, which makes the room dark and foreboding. The characters standing in this dark room in the center of the frame make them seem small and isolated, which are not powerful traits. A new character enters the room: a man with a black beard. He seems to be the head of the building. When he is sitting down, the camera is positioned as if it were placed on the table. This low angle puts the man with the black beard higher than the rest of the characters, which shows the power and dominance of the man in comparison. This is when the meaningful dialogue begins. The characters talk about who should be in power throughout the extract, which portrays the theme in a non-visual way. During this conversation, Davos points at Stannis and an action match is used. It follows the point and puts Stannis as the focus of the frame. The action match emphasizes the pointing, which represents a shift in power. This effect is more evident when combined with the dialogue regarding Stannis being the rightful king who should be in power.
In conclusion, I believe the director’s vision in making this sequence was to convey the theme of power. The extract starts off by developing the weakness of Stannis and Davos. The initial establishing shot shows that the island is massive and makes their ship small in comparison. Once the characters enter the meeting room, the dialogue begins. The dialogue conveys the theme by having the characters talk about who should be in power. The new character, a man with a black beard, uses dialogue to express his power by denying the characters what they need. Camera angles, such as low angles, are used here on the bearded man to create the sense that he is the most powerful in the room. Combined, all these elements help portray the theme of power.
