Vanja Černjul is a three-time Emmy-nominated cinematographer (30 Rock,
Nurse Jackie,
Jim Henson: Idea Man), who recently worked on Season 2 of HBO's
House of the Dragon. The episodes he contributed to feature some of the series' most dynamic sequences, and were shot on locations across Europe, as well as on stages in London. Here, the cinematographer shares insight into his work on the show, which included establishing the look of the riders on the series massive dragons.
Vanja, can you talk about the new approach to shooting the dragon-riding sequences in Season 2?
“Perfecting the dragon-riding sequences was a creative challenge for every department. We wanted these moments to feel subjective and immersive, almost as if the camera operator were flying alongside the character with a camera on their shoulder. I was selected to do some of the initial tests, which meant figuring out how to blend handheld-style movement with a motion control system linked to the mechanical
‘buck.’ The buck is a custom-built rig designed by the special effects team to replicate the dragon’s motion. It’s pre-programmed to follow a flight path developed during the previsualization phase by the VFX team.
“We shot these sequences inside a volume, with animated skies projected onto three large LED screens. While these weren’t used as final backgrounds, they provided dynamic lighting that matched the look of the sky. Since we filmed these scenes before completing the location work, we captured each shot twice - once with sunny lighting and once with diffused, soft lighting, allowing us to later match the footage with
the real-world conditions on location.
“One of the biggest challenges was making the camera movement feel reactive. We couldn’t physically place a camera operator on the buck with the actor, so we had to replicate that handheld feel remotely. All movements needed to be precisely recorded for the VFX department using a remote-controlled head mounted on the buck. To simulate handheld feel, we used the Libra handheld-style moose bars, which the
operator held on their shoulder. While the camera was rigged beside the actor, the operator controlled it from the ground, viewing through a monitor attached to the console.
“It really was a fully collaborative effort. The hair and costume departments made subtle adjustments so fabrics and wigs would react believably to the wind machines. In the end, the VFX team seamlessly blended all these elements, and we were all very happy with the outcome. The joy-riding scene with Ulf’s newly claimed dragon in Episode 207 ended up being one of my personal favorites.”
What was the biggest challenge on Season 2 of House of the Dragon?
“For me, the biggest challenge was catching up with the world of Game of Thrones. I was probably one of the last people on the planet who hadn’t seen it. My son was a huge fan and for years, he kept telling me how incredible it was, but somehow, I just never got around to watching it. So when director Andrij Parekh invited me to join House of the Dragon for Season 2, I had to dive in. I watched all eight seasons of Game
of Thrones back-to-back, a few episodes multiple times, and I was blown away by how addictive it was, and by how cinematic and ambitious the whole universe is.
“Then, I had to catch up with House of the Dragon itself. The visual language and design were already well-established, and I needed to learn how to work in that world as a cinematographer. I was the only DP working with two different directors, Andrij Parekh on Episode 6 and Loni Peristere on Episode 7. Preparing two episodes with two directors at once, each with their own demands, was a challenge in itself.
“Both episodes involved extensive location work: Spain, North Wales and our backlot. One of the toughest technical challenges was maintaining visual consistency across these diverse environments. The weather in the UK is famously unpredictable, so we had to meticulously plan for every possible lighting condition. There was little room in the schedule for adjustments because four separate teams were shooting simultaneously, often sharing locations and actors.
“Sometimes, the unexpected weather actually worked in our favor. For instance, the opening of Episode 7 was supposed to be shot in sunlight, but we ended up with clouds, rain and wind. It added an intensity that really enhanced the mood of the scene. The same thing happened with Queen Alicent’s journey. We embraced the rain and gray skies, and it beautifully reflected her emotional state. Being well-prepared allowed us to turn those obstacles into creative opportunities. Like they say, the more you prepare, the luckier you get.”
Can you walk us through the camera package you chose?
“At the start of preproduction for Season 2, we revisited our choices of cameras and lenses to see if any new tools could elevate the look of the show. The newly released Arri Alexa 35 stood out, particularly for its enhanced dynamic range in the highlights and low-light performance. P.J. Dillon, the director of photography for the first episode who laid down the groundwork for the whole season, tested the Alexa 35 with both anamorphic and spherical lenses. After thorough testing, we all agreed that the Alpha anamorphic lenses paired beautifully with the new sensor.
“The way the Alexa 35 handled highlights, combined with the distinct character of the Alphas, fit our needs perfectly. It gave us the texture we wanted while still holding detail in both the shadows and highlights. While the Alphas became our primary lenses, we also incorporated Arri Master Anamorphics for certain shots. When we needed a cleaner, more controlled image, especially for VFX-heavy scenes where
flexibility in post production was key, we used the Master Anamorphics.”
How about scene where Hugh claims his dragon?
“One of the most exciting scenes for me was the sequence at Dragonmont. From the start, director Loni Peristere envisioned part of it as a continuous, unbroken take – a ‘oner’ that would follow the character Hugh, played by Kieran Bew, through a landscape of fire and chaos. The idea was to immerse the audience in a subjective, first-person experience of this hellish cavern, with burning debris and people consumed by flames. Everything, including camera work and stunts, was choreographed around this central shot.
“We aimed for a raw, handheld feel. During rehearsals, it became clear that following Kieran on foot with a handheld camera over rough terrain resulted in footage that was too shaky. That’s when our brilliant key grip, Alex Fraser, came up with a fast solution: he rigged a cable-cam system across the stage. We ended up using a mix of handheld and cable cam, which gave us just the right balance, keeping the motion visceral but still visually coherent. Even with that setup, it was a demanding shoot for both Kieran and our operator, Julian Morson. To give the camera complete freedom, we had to clear most equipment out of the shot, effectively creating a 360-degree field of view. We used large Vortex soft boxes rigged high up to simulate daylight barely filtering through the cave, combined with real firelight on the set. I wanted to feel real firelight on the actors’ faces, so all augmented lighting had to be subtle, just enough to complement the practical flames.
“We shot most of the sequence at around f2.8, between 2500 and 3200 EI. The Alexa 35’s dynamic range really shone here. It allowed us to retain detail in the fire without blowing out the highlights. Even at higher sensitivities, we could capture rich, natural firelight that held up beautifully in post. We couldn’t use as much practical fire as we wanted indoors due to air quality concerns, so parts of the scene were shot outside on the backlot at night. This was the first time House of the Dragon audiences would see Dragonmont, so visually defining that space was exciting. The physical set only covered a small portion of what was supposed to be a massive cavern. Apart from the stone plinth, everything else was blue screen.
“It was hard for us to maintain a sense of scale and geography while we were shooting the sequence. To help with that, the VFX team provided iPads with the Cyclops app, which let us see a realtime overlay of the digital environment on top of the live set. It became an essential tool for orienting ourselves in the CGI space. When you’re dealing with a creature as enormous as Vermithor, a dragon over 100-feet-long, you need to
imagine how it moves. To ground us, the VFX team built a large blue dragon head operated by two puppeteers in blue suits. It gave the actors and camera team a tangible reference. The stunt work in that sequence was some of the most intense I’ve ever witnessed. At one point, we had 16 stunt performers on fire in a single shot. Every moment of that scene had to be carefully planned. The stunt team was ready to go again if needed, but this wasn’t something we wanted to repeat unless absolutely necessary.”
Can you share one or two scenes that were most interesting for you to shoot?
“One of my favorite scenes in Season 2 was the Whisper Network sequence. It wasn’t originally scripted, but director Loni Peristere had the idea to show the audience how Rhaenyra’s secret network of supporters and informants operates and how sensitive information moves across the kingdom to help her maintain political influence when open communication isn’t possible. We follow the message as it travels from Dragonstone across the sea via fishing boats and food distribution infrastructure and eventually into King’s Landing, where it spreads through the city. The sequence gave us the opportunity to travel through Westeros and showcase a broad swath of the world of House of the Dragon. It was also a great example of using the production’s full resources.
“We found small windows to shoot pieces of the sequence wherever the main unit was filming, whether in Spain, Wales or our backlot in London. It’s one of several scenes in the episode without dialogue, relying entirely on atmosphere and visuals. Ramin Djawadi’s beautiful score elevated it further.
“Another such sequence was Alicent’s journey to the lake. House of the Dragon is a massive and diverse project. In a single episode, you might go from a large set with 150 extras and 30 horses to an intimate dialogue scene in a small room, or a shoot in a remote natural location, and each set comes with its own challenges.
“For the lake sequence, we pared down our large crew to a skeleton crew of about 16 people, probably the size of a student film crew, with just a camera, a tripod, a Steadicam, and a couple of flags so we could access those stunning, remote locations in Wales.
“We also shot the opening of Episode 7 on a beach in Anglesey. In the scene, Rhaenyra and Addam are both with dragons, and it’s a very tense moment as no one’s quite sure how it’s going to unfold. The scene was set early in the morning, but since we couldn’t capture everything during that limited window, we split the shot list into morning and afternoon light blocks. Together with our brilliant first AD, Toby Ford, we built the schedule around the sun’s position, and because the tides there are so extreme, we had to factor those in as well. We mapped out exactly where the camera needed to be at each stage as the tide shifted. Logistically, it was a real puzzle to solve but very rewarding to pull off. Those atmospheric, location-driven scenes, often with little or no dialogue, are what made this episode so special.”