Reports from the 2nd annual Belfast moot

Two years in a row makes it an annual tradition right? I’m hoping so, because I really need to go to one of these at some point. I’m crossing my fingers there is another next year, and that I will be able to attend. Anyway, enough about me, here are some reports of the lucky few that were able to attend this year. Continue to check back throughout the night and into tomorrow as we add more.

First report comes from @JacMac30 aka Jackie, a veteran of last year’s moot.

UPDATE: Apart from some more Twitter reactions of the cast present at the moot, we now have another full fledged report, filled with awesomeness. Thanks, Rimshot!

(There may be some small spoilers in these reports, so you’ll have to click through to read them.)

UPDATE 2: Some more reports and personal impressions shared, this time by SilverJaime and ezequiel. Rimshot also shared the first photos (and appologized for the quality), which you can find listed here (some are doubled). Can you identify everyone in the photos? Here’s a taste:

Jackie’s report:

Great Moot! Thanks to GRRM, Parris, Phil, Rimshot and Silverjaime for helping to put it together. Loads of actors turned up most of the nights watch including Kit, John and Luke and Mark (Pip was there but never got a chance to chat). Finn was there along with Jamie (Jory), Kristian and by no means least Miltos (I’m sure I’ve forgotten some! Will post more on Sunday).

First to turn up was William Simpson who is the story boarder for the show including the pilot. He did concept art for the pilot, mostly weapons. He helped design Ice and loved the finished product. He was great to chat to lots of insight.

Bryan Cogman was also there. He let us know there there’s quite a few new scenes that he hopes we’ll like. He loves Chairgate etc but says he’ll avoid the internet after his episode airs. Some new scenes are Varys and Littlefinger. A brief encounter (not that sort!) between Jory and Jaime to help set the later scene.

A big thanks to all the actors and crew who turned up it’s really appreciated. I know some of them read the boards (waves to Finn ;p)

Anyway, best sign off. A few quick tweets before I go. Great night though!

Rimshot’s report:

Ok, I’m sold. Cut me in half and I’ll have G.O.T written right the way through (I’ll also be dead so please don’t test this theory!). To paraphrase Parris ‘Enjoy this while it lasts’. I’ve been an extra/actor/stand-in/double for 9 years and I have never experienced anything like the relationship between the makers and the fans of GOT. Last night, there was no ‘them and us’; there was just ‘we’. My night began with a lovely bowl of Stu (if you are in Ireland, you have to eat Stu!) in the company of my friend from work, Stephen, who is a massive fan of the books and who told me he had always wanted to meet GRRM and had come close on many occasions before. Actually yesterday was the due date of his 2nd child – that’s a fan! Thankfully he met George later and baby No 2 hasn’t arrived yet! Downstairs and I met my lovely friend SilverJaime who was integral in pulling this night together (Robinsons was her idea). The mingling began in earnest and I caught up with alot of the Tourney extras in attendance. There were people conducting interviews, didn’t ask me thought :(, and a TV crew from ITV were there.

After a while the cast and GRRM & Parris arrived to a round of applause. I was amazed at how much of the cast were there. I didn’t even know that many of them were in Belfast. It was also cool to see some crew there too. Nicola (our extras coordinator) was there and was telling me she had just gotten a few extra days as an Eyrie court woman. A very cool monent was, while SilverJaime and I were talking with GOT Joe, GRRM came over and introduced himself to Joe and also introduced a lady called (I think) ‘Moya’ (I could have that wrong) who was a very important person from HBO. They then talked to Joe about how they had all watched and were impressed with his videos. It was great to be there at the moment when Joe may have finally began his journey to the seven kingdoms. Joe I loved meeting you and I really hope to be an extra in one of your scenes one day!

I then met the amazing Ran who had flown in just for one day. He was buzzing having just come back from a tour of the sets. ‘I’ve still got Westeros mud on my boots!’ he said. He was telling us about everything he saw and told us that he even got to sit in the Iron Throne!! I asked him if he got any cuts from it but he’s ok. The night progressed with a sea of cast, crew, extras & fans all evidently having a great time. At times I just stood and looked round at everyone chatting. At one point SilverJaime was chatting away with Finn Jones at the bar and Mark Addy was having a laugh with Miltos and some fans. Kristain was chatting away with a few guys. JacMac was getting her photo taken with Jamie Sives, etc etc.

At one point, I joined my good friend Dairmuid (Tourney Knight) upstairs with Miltos for a smoke break outside. I don’t smoke but it was a chance to get some photos in decent light. I was so annoyed that I was surrounded by cast but the light was too poor to take photos downstairs. Anyway, outside Dairmuid, myself and Miltos had a really great chat about the show and the fans. We were then joined by Eugene (Lancel) who was also in a very chatty mood. I was completely floored by how friendly and talkative these guys were. Believe me, they are as excited as anyone about being on the show and they have a respect for the fans that I really wasn’t expecting, They said how they want to live up to the fans expectations and how the fans were every bit as important as the cast and crew. While we were talking, Jame Cosmo walked in to the bar but walked out again 5 mins later!! Miltos was saying that his leg was stiff as he had been rehearsing his ‘big fight’ all that day. Miltos and Eugene and truly great guys.

Back inside and I chatted for a while with Parris. Is there a more friendly person than Parris? I’m not sure. I am sure that I’m a little bit in love with her after last night! She is incredible. When I talk to her (I haven’t talked to her since last year) it feels like I have known her for years. She is so excited about the show and about the fans. She actually made my night when she said I was ‘the best extra we have’ and that she can’t wait to see my dailys!! I could have died a happy man then and there! Parris, I am so proud to be a small part this wonderful world that GRRM and you have created. Thank you. After loads more mingling/taking photos/being generally gobsmacked it was time for the traditional raffle. GRRM was the host and one by one the cast came up to pick out tickets. It was cool hearing GRRM introduce each one using their show name. Phil (Lord Mountain Goat) asked me to film the raffle so I was filming it, while trying to take iphone photos, while trying to find my ticket! Finn was gutted as his number was called out but he had already discarded his ticket. The raffle was a big success. After a while people eventually walked off into the night. There was talk of moving on to another bar but I was done for the night. I walked home smiling to myself as all the great memories came, one by one, to the fore. There’s loads more to tell but I’m sure other reports will put it better than me.

JacMac – Thanks for the ‘Tam’. It was great meeting you. I hope you have a nice day in Belfast!

Joe – The only way is up! Thank’s for the offer of a drink from your horn. I declined on health & safety grounds!

Phil – Thanks for the coin. That means more than you could know.

SilverJaime – thanks for being a great co-organiser. Same again next year?

And Parris & GRRM – thank you for everything.

Thanks to everyone else I met last night. What a great night!

P.S. Also I forgot to mention the singing which was very emotive and very humorous. Well done to all involved!

Here are some reactions via Twitter from some of the cast that were at the moot:

• Kristian Nairn (Hodor): “Bummed I had to leave moot early for work. #gameofthrones fans rock. Some seriously nice people ”
• Miltos Yerolemou (Syrio): “thank you everyone for tonight. it was…just so…..”
• Finn Jones (Loras): “tonights moot was great. awesome to meet everyone there. hell yeyah. bring on the next. (I’m sure plenty of stupid pics to follow)”
• Luke McEwan (Rast): “had a great night at the moot last night, what an experience, #gameofthrones fans are awesome. hope to go again some day.”
• Gethin Anthony (Renly): “Well this feels like a good time to post my first Tweet. A big thank you to the BwB for hosting a fantastic moot last night… Had a great time. the cast were made to feel very welcome and it was a pleasure to meet so many people passionate about George’s work. TY!”
• Bryan Cogman (writer): “Had a splendid time at the BwB Moot last night. Great to finally put some faces to the screen names!”

Ezekiel’s report:

Ouch, my head’s still groggy!

Great to meet everyone I did last night, as a BWB newcomer I was a little apprehensive turning up and how it would all go, but those fears were very quickly allayed as the book discussions, shoot experiences and opinions (and my ramblings) started… and apologies to those that I didn’t meet, but then that’s what next year is for!

As has been mentioned by others, it’s great to put faces to names (and names to avatars, where I can remember them) to folk here and over at WIC and I definitely look forward to next year and the years ahead.

Loved hearing the stories and experiences from the extra’s there, my efforts and hopes of getting a call were waning recently, but last night has given me a renewed hope – my beard will continue unabated!

The raffle was great with the prizes seemingly going on forever and all ably presented by George and the cast (I actually won something for the first time ever, ticket 443 shall never be forgotten!) and the singing at the end was a great bonus – “The Last of the Giants”

My brother and I got talking to Luke McEwan towards the end of the night, a really cool guy (despite mistakenly being taken for Grenn instead of Rast – sorry Luke!!!) …and just another story of how open, approachable and down to earth the cast were and are. I know I’m repeating what others have said but it really was just a “GoT collective” and not a “them & us” event.

I must say apologies to Gethin Anthony who is cast as Renly… with him standing talking to Mark Addy & Finn Jones, I think a couple of us were too starstruck too figure out he was, we knew he was a someone but just not who, but when one of the guys (I think it was Crotalidian) got speaking to Ser Loras a little later and found out, there was a tangible ripple of excitement when we realised we had another member of the Royal House Baratheon in the room!!! My brother Conor got talking to him after we found out and can confirm that he’s a great bloke and really looking forward to (the probable) Season 2 where he will really come into his own – Gethin won’t be mistaken in the future!

So much more happened that is worth talking about, but I don’t have the skill to do it justice with words…

Martin – cheers for bringing your camera, the photos should be great
GiantofLannister – resist any advances for “clean shaven” guards!
Crotalidian – the “Bayonne Bomber”, did you make it to the Linen Hall Hostel?
SilverJaime – more photos & set reports please…
Qthulu, Knight of Teabags, lordMountainGoat, Ran, Paddy, Rimshot and anyone else I got a few words with – cheers!

A huge thank you to Phil for the overall organisation, to SilverJaime & Rimshot for the venue and of course GRRM and the cast & crew for giving us fans a common purpose & interest so events like this have a reason to happen.

Still on a buzz after it, wow

Silverjaime’s impressions:

Hi all! Still high after last night! Brilliant time!
Rimshot – “BEST EXTRA WE EVER HAD” – lovely to see you (and JacMAc and Phil and Sam and many others) – excellent report and thanks for your help in choosing the venue – I think it worked well. I totally agree with what you say – the cast and crew just treated us as friends – it was a fantastic feeling. And George and Parris went round everyone and chatted – absolutely great!
The younger cast members said they were so aware that this was a very special project and whould hopefully start their careers off on a high, and they seemed to be very pleased to be there and mixed with everyone. Even when I was standing outside near the end, Eugene, Finn and others came up and hugged goodnight and said they were so grateful to be invited and they’d had a great time! Unbelievable!
As for Miltos – could you meet a sweeter man? An absolutely lovely person.
One highlight for me was being greeted by Jamie Sives with a kiss on both cheeks! Phew!
But of course it was also all about meeting all the people on this board and Westeros who’ve shared the excitement over the past months – great to put people to names. ( and RAN ! he came over for the day!!!)
So thanks to you all – I had a brilliant night!

• Published on 10/28/2010 at 8:52 PM CDT
• Last updated on 10/28/2010 at 8:52 PM CDT